Senior programme manager jobs

The Youth Endowment Fund  

Senior Change Manager, Children’s Services 

Reports to: Head of Change, Children’s Services 

Salary:£54,300 per annum, depending on experience  

Location:  Central London or Hybrid*(see below) 

Contract: 2-year fixed term contract

Closing date for applications: 12 pm on Monday, 1st June 2026 

Interview dates: Week commencing 15th June 2026 

About the Youth Endowment Fund 

All of us will experience violence at some point in our lives. For many children, it is a daily reality. Each year, tens of children are killed, hundreds are hospitalised, 1 in 5 teenage children are victims and the majority admit to feeling afraid of violence. It scares them when they travel home from school, prevents them from going out and makes the most vulnerable feel like they don’t matter. It is taking lives, traumatising families and dividing communities. It robs potential, progress and hope.    

But it doesn’t have to be this way.    

The Youth Endowment Fund believes that no child should be affected by violence. We research violence to understand it; we find, fund and test what works to prevent it; and we are building a movement to end it.   

A big part of the movement that we need to build is in the world of children’s services. We need to inspire and connect with senior leaders in England and Wales to spread what works and make our country safer for some of our most vulnerable children. We need someone who can deliver this whilst understanding and working within the context of the major sector reforms that are currently being delivered via the Families First Partnership programme. 

Key Responsibilities  

We are at an exciting moment in our work. In June we will publish our children’s services practice guidance, setting out the evidence for what works to reduce serious youth violence in the children’s services sector. 

We have plans to work with the sector over the rest of the financial year and beyond, including designing a self-assessment tool to help senior sector leaders benchmark their existing practice against the evidence. We will also launch a new change programme, working hand-in-hand with the sector to implement the evidence for what works, gaining valuable insights in the process.

Your role is to help us turn these plans into a reality. 

This will include launching the self-assessment tool and promoting its use within the sector. It will also involve planning, designing and delivering the change programme to turn the theory into reality.

You will also contribute by designing and delivering a range of sector engagement activities, such as webinars, events and learning opportunities, that reach the sector, helping to build momentum, understanding and commitment across children’s services.

Lastly, you will support the Head of Change for Children’s Services with government engagement as required and support the establishment of a new network for senior sector leaders to share the latest evidence and best practice. 

Key responsibilities will include: 

• Supporting the launch and roll-out of the children’s services self-assessment tool, driving up demand and ensuring widespread completion of the tool across the sector; 

• Work hands-on with Local Authorities to help them put evidence into practice via our change programme; planning, delivering and learning as the work continues; 

• Continuously capture and act on learning from the self-assessment tool and deep dive change programme to inform future work; 

• Supporting the design and roll-out of a children’s services network to spread learning of what works to reduce serious youth violence; 

• Spend time genuinely understanding the pressures, priorities and constraints facing children’s services leaders to inform our longer-term approach to change. 

As part of your wider contribution to the organisation, you will also: 

• Build a culture where it is natural to perform well and support colleagues brilliantly.

• Contribute to setting the strategy, delivering results and building and modelling the culture that we need to succeed.

You are this sort of person: 

• You are fascinated about change and are experienced in making it happen. You have outstanding analytical judgment alongside the emotional intelligence and experience needed to identify the right opportunities for change, then make them happen. You understand why people find change difficult. You come alive talking about how people make decisions and why they do the things they do. 

• You understand the children’s services sector. You understand how the sector really works. This could include experience of working with/supporting senior sector leaders to facilitate change and improvement that improves the lives of young people.

• You win people over. People tend to warm to you and respect you. You have built good relationships with very senior people and with very junior people. You are good at chairing meetings, connecting people and having good introductory meetings. You are comfortable talking to a government minister, a youth worker, a company CEO, a social worker and a 15-year-old student. Listening to people from all backgrounds matters to you.

• You have experience of developing resources which support children’s services. You understand and take a curious approach to learning about the needs of sector leaders. You are able to skilfully translate these insights into helpful resources and tools which support leaders to improve practice. 

• You learn fast but remain humble. You are very quick at getting your head around things. You like learning. You are very good at synthesising information. You know how much you don't know. You know that you can learn more. You know that it's easy to assume you know when you don't. You care more that good things happen than who gets the credit. You are a great and supportive team player. 

• You don't want your days to pass without making a difference. You want to play a significant part in reducing violence.

• You understand young people. You understand what the lives of vulnerable young people can be like, and you understand some of the organisations that work with them, ideally through first-hand experience.

• You are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. 

You must have this sort of experience 

• Delivering positive change within children’s services: You have significant experience of working with sector leaders to support the development and improvement of practice.

While it’s not a criteria, we’re especially interested to hear from applicants who have lived experience of violence affecting children and young people. 

It’s also important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background.

All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well. 

Hybrid Working 

The office is based in Central London. Those living in and around London are expected to be in the office a minimum of 2 days per week. If you live outside of London and work remotely, you’ll be expected to work from the London office 2 days per month. 

To Apply 

Please click on the "Apply for this" button and submit your CV, your completed monitoring form and ensure your covering letter answers the following three questions below. Please submit your application by Monday 1st June 2026 at 12pm. 

Application Questions 

1. How have you used evidence to deliver effective change and improve outcomes? How did you gather and use the evidence and influence senior leaders to act differently? 

1. Describe your experience and understanding of working in or with the children’s services sector, in particular working with senior sector leaders. Please be specific about the context and impact you made.

1. What personal and professional experiences shape your understanding of the children’s services sector and its role in preventing youth violence? 

As part of our commitment to flexible working we will consider a range of options for the successful applicant. All options can be discussed at the interview stage. 

Interview Process 

This will be a two-stage interview process. Interviews will take place the week of 15th June 2025. 

Please Note: We do not sponsor work permits and you will be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK. 

Benefits Include 

• £1,000 professional development budget annually 

• 25 days annual leave, 3 days end of year shut down, plus Bank Holidays 

• Four half days for volunteering activities 

• Employee Assistance Programme – 24hr phone line for free confidential support 

• Volunteering days - 4 half days per year 

• Death in service - 4 times annual salary 

• Flexible hours. Core office hours 10am – 4pm 

• Financial support including travel and hardship loans 

• Employer contributed pension of 5%. 

Your Data 

Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for employment is successful, and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you. We do not transfer your data outside the European Economic Area.