Senior researcher jobs in Birmingham, west midlands

National sight loss charity, Retina UK is currently recruiting for a personable, motivated Senior Research Coordinator with experience in communicating science to a lay audience, who is educated to degree level in a biomedical or clinical science, and has excellent presentation and planning skills.

Key responsibilities will include ensuring effective communication of research into inherited sight loss, including the projects we fund, to our community, fundraisers, supporters and staff and measuring the impact of our research programme.

About The Role
At Alzheimer’s Society, we are determined to end the devastation caused by dementia. Research is one of the most powerful ways we can make that happen. Across the UK, the research we fund is helping people get earlier diagnoses, better care and providing hope for the future.
As Senior Research Portfolio Officer, you’ll help make sure that research has the biggest possible impact. You’ll support a portfolio of projects and partnerships, helping great ideas move forward and making sure the learning, progress and outcomes reach the people who need them most.
This is a role for someone who enjoys connecting people and ideas. One day you might be speaking with researchers about a new project, the next you could be working with colleagues to turn complex findings into something clear, engaging and meaningful. Throughout it all, you’ll help keep the experiences of people affected by dementia at the centre of our work.
What you’ll do
You’ll be part of a team working to make dementia research more connected, visible and impactful. You’ll build relationships across the research community and work closely with colleagues across the Society to help share the difference our funded research is making.
You’ll help bring research to life, spotting opportunities for collaboration, supporting key partnerships and helping ensure promising ideas can lead to real world change for people affected by dementia.
In this role, you will:

- Manage a portfolio of funded research projects and partnerships, helping them deliver meaningful impact.
- Build strong relationships with researchers, clinicians, partners and colleagues across the organisation.
- Support the tracking and sharing of research outcomes and impact.
- Spot opportunities for future funding, collaboration and partnership working.
- Help communicate research in ways that are clear, engaging and accessible.
- Represent Alzheimer’s Society at meetings, workshops and conferences.

About you
You’re someone who enjoys working with people, bringing ideas together and helping things move forward. You’re organised and thoughtful, and comfortable managing different priorities while keeping sight of the bigger picture.
We know not everyone will meet every point listed below. If this role interests you, we’d still love to hear from you.
You’ll also bring:

- Experience managing or coordinating multiple projects or programmes with different timelines and priorities.
- The ability to explain complex or technical information in a clear and accessible way.
- Strong relationship building skills and experience working with a wide range of people.
- A creative approach and the ability to spot opportunities to increase the impact of research activity.
- A practical, solution focused mindset and the ability to adapt when priorities change.
- A commitment to inclusion, collaboration and improving the lives of people affected by dementia.

Interviews are provisionally planned to take place face to face during the week commencing 8th June.

About Alzheimer's Society
Dementia is the UK's biggest killer. One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime.

At Alzheimer's Society, we're the UK's leading dementia charity and the only one to tackle all aspects of dementia by giving help and hope to people living with dementia today and in the future. We give vital support to people facing the most frightening times of their lives, while also funding groundbreaking research and campaigning to make dementia the priority it should be.

Together with our supporters, we're working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives.

Our values make sure that our focus is clear for the challenges and opportunities ahead and remind us of what we all stand for.

Our commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We need to ensure the voices around our table better reflect and understand the communities we exist to serve. We strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as Black, Asian or from another minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Alzheimer's Society.  

We want everyone we work with, as a colleague, volunteer, supporter, or someone we support, to feel included and that they belong at Alzheimer's Society. 

Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy here along with our internal employee forum and Employee Lived Experience network groups help us promote inclusion and belonging, becoming an engaged and inclusive organisation for all our people. 

Our hiring process

During your recruitment process we want to make sure that you bring your whole self and can be at your best. We are working hard to ensure our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible, so please do inform us of your experience and anything you think we could do better by completing our candidate survey when you apply.  Please also contact Alzheimer's Society Talent Acquisition Team via [email protected] for application support or any adjustments you might need.

To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed. We recognise the benefits of AI, but if you're considering using it to submit your application, we encourage you to reflect on the value it truly adds. AI tools often lack the personal touch and authenticity that set candidates apart. We want to hear your unique perspective, experiences, and skills, so we encourage you to showcase them in your own voice.

We try to avoid closing roles early where possible, however if we receive a high volume of applications, we may close earlier than the advertised closing date. Should this occur, we will aim to provide you with at least 48 hours' notice.

We are committed to safer recruitment and ensuring the welfare of those we work with, due to the nature of some of our roles, we might need to carry out a Criminal Record Check at the relevant level. You can read more information via our Website.

Giving back to you

Our employees work hard every day to make a true difference in people's lives. We are proud to support them with a range of benefits, recognition and many options for working agilely, all contributing to a strong work life balance. We also have various learning programmes to support you in your development and help you grow to realise your potential and shape a career with Alzheimer's Society. 

You can also visit our Working for Us pages, which give you more information about what it's like to be an employee at the Society.

About the role

At SEA, all our work is grounded in evidence and shaped by the lived experiences of victim-survivors. As Research Officer, you will play a key role in delivering high-quality, survivor-centred research on economic abuse as part of a major new three-year project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Working closely with the Senior Research Officer, colleagues across SEA, academic partners and external stakeholders, you will support research exploring coerced debt as a form of economic abuse and the responses to it across systems and services. The role will involve qualitative and quantitative research activities, including data collection, analysis, stakeholder engagement, and producing accessible and impactful research outputs.

Your work will help strengthen understanding of economic abuse and inform policy, practice and systems change on coerced debt that improves responses for victim-survivors.

About you

You are a skilled researcher who is passionate about conducting high-quality research which can create real-world impact for victim-survivors of economic abuse.

You will have the ability to sensitively work with victim-survivors to learn about their lived experiences of economic abuse , including coerced debt, as well as the ability to conduct research with professional stakeholders.

Using your research skills, you will be able to analyse data, and will be able to demonstrate a good understanding of economic abuse in the context of intimate partner abuse, including of how perpetrators can misuse systems to enact abuse. You will be able to demonstrate an ability to deliver research projects in a timely manner and to communicate findings clearly to a range of stakeholders.

About SEA

Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) is the only charity in the UK dedicated to raising awareness of economic abuse and transforming responses to it. All our work is informed by Experts by Experience – a group of women who speak about what they have gone through so that they can be a force for change. Economic abuse occurs when someone’s partner controls (through restriction, exploitation and/or sabotage) how they acquire, use and maintain economic resources such as accommodation, food, clothing and transportation.

What we offer

• 25 days annual leave, plus 5 Wellbeing Days and Statutory Bank Holidays (pro rata)
• Home working (UK based)
• Flexible working
• 5% Employer Pension Contribution
• Reflective practice
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Enhanced sick pay, family leave and carer’s leave
• The chance to be part of our highly professional, supportive team

To apply

Please apply via our website.

Applications open from 21 May 2026 and close at 11.59pm on 17th June 2026. Interviews will take place week commencing 6th July 2026

Direct applications only – no agencies please.

Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) is committed to developing an inclusive team which reflects the diversity of the communities we support. Our culture celebrates diverse voices, and we particularly encourage applications from Black and minoritised applicants and disabled applicants who are under-represented at SEA.

SEA is a Disability Confident Committed, and Kinship Friendly Employer.

Senior Stories Officer

Bowel Cancer UK is the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity. We’re determined to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer. We support and fund targeted research, provide expert information and support to patients and their families, educate the public and professionals about the disease and campaign for early diagnosis and access to best treatment and care.

We currently have employees working across four nations in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we’re in a privileged position to be able to deliver our ambitious new strategy, On a Mission. There are huge challenges facing bowel cancer patients across the UK and our community needs us now more than ever. We’re building a strong and united team to bring us closer to a world where nobody dies of bowel cancer.

Job Summary for Senior Stories Officer

The Senior Stories Officer is responsible for sourcing, developing and sharing powerful lived‑experience stories that bring Bowel Cancer UK’s mission and impact to life. The role leads the ethical gathering, crafting and distribution of case studies across channels including media, digital, social media, fundraising materials, campaigns, partnerships, and internal communications.

The postholder will work closely with people affected by bowel cancer, ensuring their experiences are represented sensitively, accurately and in an informed way. They will also support colleagues across the charity to use stories effectively, maintaining a central story and assets bank, and safeguarding processes.

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and at Bowel Cancer UK we are committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Successful candidates may be subject to either a satisfactory basic, standard or enhanced DBS check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) dependent upon the role.

Bowel Cancer UK is the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity. We’re determined to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer. We support and fund targeted research, provide expert information and support to patients and their families, educate the public and professionals about the disease and campaign for early diagnosis and access to best treatment and care.

We currently have employees working across four nations in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we’re in a privileged position to be able to deliver our ambitious new strategy, On a Mission. There are huge challenges facing bowel cancer patients across the UK and our community needs us now more than ever. We’re building a strong and united team to bring us closer to a world where nobody dies of bowel cancer.

Job Summary for Senior Health Information Officer

This role is ideal for someone passionate about creating high-quality, evidence-based health information and making complex medical topics accessible to all audiences. You will play a key part in developing engaging content, maintaining information standards, and ensuring patients, professionals and the public have access to accurate, up-to-date resources.

You’ll work collaboratively across teams, manage a wide range of digital and print resources, and help drive innovation in how health information is delivered and used.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, write and review high-quality, evidence-based health information content
• Maintain and update digital and printed resources in line with latest evidence
• Translate complex medical and scientific information into clear, accessible language
• Create engaging content across multiple formats (web, social media, publications)
• Monitor research and sector developments to keep information accurate and current
• Work with internal teams, clinical experts and external partners to ensure quality and consistency
• Support evaluation, impact measurement and continuous improvement of information services
• Contribute to innovative approaches to reach diverse and underrepresented audiences
• Assist with funding applications and provide insight on service impact

About You

• Experience in health information, medical communications, or research translation
• Strong writing, editing and proofreading skills
• Ability to interpret and communicate complex evidence clearly
• Skilled in digital content creation and multi-channel communications
• Highly organised with strong project management abilities
• Collaborative, proactive and committed to high-quality, patient-focused work

​Please note this is a summary of the role. For a comprehensive outline of responsibilities and requirements, please refer to the attached job description.

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and at Bowel Cancer UK we are committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Successful candidates may be subject to either a satisfactory basic, standard or enhanced DBS check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) dependent upon the role.

The Senior Evidence & Evaluation Manager will sit within the Impact & Evidence directorate at the heart of Youth Futures Foundation.

Working with three Heads of Evaluation, the Deputy Director and the Director, you will help ensure our evaluations are designed to generate credible evidence of what works.

You will:

• lead the design, commissioning and management of impact evaluations, including RCTs and QEDs. This will include feasibility or developmental work where interventions are not yet ready for full impact evaluation.

• work closely with independent evaluators and delivery partners and colleagues in our Programmes & Grants and Policy & Communications directorates to assess the evaluability of interventions, and lead the design and delivery of large-scale, complex impact evaluations.

• contribute to strengthening our ‘evaluation architecture’, leading projects that enhance data infrastructure and access to administrative datasets, and set standards for methodological rigour in the sector.

In addition, you will lead other aspects of the team’s commissioning. This may include developing policies and processes, supporting the Heads of Evaluation to strengthen commissioning practice.

This role can be based at our Birmingham, Leeds or London hub. We currently operate a hybrid model of two-days per week in the office and three-days from home.

For more information on this role, please download our job recruitment pack.

Due to receiving high volumes of interest in our opportunities, this vacancy may close earlier than the advertised deadline. To ensure your application is considered, please submit it as soon as possible.

About Us

People’s Economy aims to build the agency and power of people facing injustice and working for social change so that they have the expertise, capabilities and resources to develop their own analysis of how the economic system is a root cause of the injustice they face, develop strategies to change it and then take action with others. Our vision is for a world with economies that meet the needs and priorities of people currently experiencing economic injustice.

About the Role

This role leads our work across Birmingham at an exciting moment. We are developing a participatory, community-centred approach to analysing the city's economy, identifying opportunities for change and coordinating alliances to act on them. This means bringing together mixed groups, including grassroots changemakers, researchers, funders and other partners, and facilitating processes that help people make sense of complex information together, find common ground and make decisions about collective priorities. The role requires someone who can hold these processes well: strong facilitation skills, communicating complex ideas accessibly, building trust across groups, sustaining momentum over time and helping diverse coalitions move from analysis to strategy to action.

The Senior Programme and Network Lead will develop and deliver initiatives that support a growing movement for economic justice across the city, with a particular focus on building support and engagement amongst grassroots changemakers and communities experiencing economic injustice. It will manage projects and resources, conduct programme development and delivery, oversee outreach and partnerships, changemaker recruitment and contribute to fundraising, ultimately playing a key role in shaping our regional impact. This position is crucial in coordinating our work across Birmingham and driving meaningful collaboration with local and national stakeholders, in particular working collaboratively with Economic Justice Brum, a long-standing initiative working on local economic systems change.

Online Open House

Come and meet us! Candidates are invited to attend an information webinar and to meet some of the team on Wednesday 13th May at 12pm or Wednesday 21st May at 5pm. Both webinars will cover the same content, so there is no need to attend both.

For the full role description, Open House registration information and details on how to apply please visit our website by clicking 'How to Apply' below.

The Senior Fundraising Manager is responsible for delivering Brightside’s fundraising activity with a core focus on grants from trusts and foundations, and major donors. Reporting to and working closely with the CEO, the postholder will forge new relationships with major donors and manage our grant applications to support Brightside to achieve its fundraising targets. The postholder will deliver high quality stewardship across our major donor relationships and act as the key point of contact for all grant activity, working closely with the delivery teams to support funder relationship management and reporting.

The postholder will work closely with colleagues across the organisation to develop clear cases for support for potential funding projects, as well as managing our approach to individual giving and increasing regular donations. The role will involve working closely with the CEO and the trustees, who will provide warm introductions to their networks of potential major donors and support in their stewardship.

Please review the job description attachment at the end of the advert for full roles and responsibilities, application instructions, the essential criteria and further information on salary and benefits.

Responsible for:

Trusts and foundations:

• Identify and research trusts and foundations that would support our organisational priorities and funding needs
• Develop high quality, compelling grant applications and cases for support
• Build and maintain a healthy pipeline of funding opportunities
• Lead funder relationship management and deliver high-quality stewardship
• Lead on grant reporting, including monitoring, accountability and opportunities for reapplication
• Working closely with technology and delivery teams to build evidence-based cases for support for key projects
• Ensure clear and effective handover of successful grants to delivery teams, including reporting requirements and timelines
• Attending external events and meetings to support our fundraising strategy and learning

Major donors:

• Identify and research potential major donors whose interests and capacity align with our mission
• Cultivate new donor relationships through targeted outreach, contact mapping, networking and events
• Build and maintain a healthy pipeline of potential major donors
• Develop tailored engagement and stewardship plans approaches for each donor
• Create meaningful opportunities for donors to share insight, experience or sector knowledge and ensure this expertise is valued and acknowledged
• Lead major gift conversations and negotiations, including face-to-face meetings
• Provide high quality, personalised stewardship to major donors
• Identify opportunities to grow or repeat giving through deeper donor engagement
• Deliver exceptional stewardship to major donors

Individual giving

• Maintaining regular contact with donors and potential donors (including our volunteers and alumni) to generate donations
• Maintaining and monitoring our individual giving platforms
• Ensure all donations and supporter interactions are accurately recorded and that donors receive timely acknowledgements

Application instructions

• Submit your CV and one-page cover letter via CharityJob
• Your cover letter should be no more than 1-2 pages and must explain how you meet the essential criteria for the role, with a focus on the items tested in application and clear examples (see job description for the essential criteria)
• You must answer the screening question on the application page
• Applications without a cover letter or screening question will not be considered
• Applications due: 23:30 Wednesday 27 May
• First round interviews (online): 4/5 June 2026
• Final interviews (online or in person) 10/11 June 2026

The Senior Partnerships Manager is responsible for developing, securing and stewarding our partnerships, with a particular focus on the corporate and higher education spaces. Reporting to and working closely with the CEO, the postholder will lead on relationship‑driven partnership development and account management, ensuring partners experience a professional, values‑aligned and impactful relationship with Brightside.

The postholder will steward these partnerships from initial engagement through to renewal, working closely with the Partnerships Lead to support renewals and identify opportunities for deeper partner engagement. The role will involve researching potential partnerships, securing meetings through outreach and networking, generating proposals, and delivering high‑quality ongoing stewardship to partners. In addition to corporate and higher education partners, the postholder will also steward relationships across government and the third sector.

Please note - this role will require extensive travel to London for partnership meetings, events and networking. Our ideal candidate would therefore be based in London or within commuting distance.

Please review the job description attachment at the end of the advert for full roles and responsibilities, application instructions, the essential criteria and further information on salary and benefits.

Responsible for

 Pipeline development

• Researching potential prospects across the corporate and higher education sectors, including analysis of corporate ESG strategies and university access and participation plans
• Maintaining and enhancing our prospects database on our CRM
• Building and nurturing relationships with prospective partners
• Delivering pitch presentations to prospective partners
• Regular attendance at in-person prospect meetings or networking events to build strong relationships that develop into new partnerships
• Generating proposals that align partner priorities to Brightside’s aims
• Maintaining regular contact with prospects to stay on their radar and keep them up to date with Brightside activity
• Attending regular networking events and relevant contacts to build contacts across sectors

 Partnership management and stewardship

• Acting as the consistent relationship manager across the partnership lifecycle
• Stewarding partnerships beyond programme activity, maintaining relationships that reflect partners’ wider goals, values and organisational priorities
• Holding regular partnership check-ins focused on relationship health, strategic alignment and future opportunities
• Ensuring partners feel informed, valued and connected to Brightside’s broader mission and impact
• Working closely with the partnerships delivery team to stay up to date on delivery progress and partner milestones
• Identifying opportunities to deepen or broaden relationships, including multi-year partnerships or expanded engagement
• Delivering a consistent, high-quality partnership experience that strengthens long-term retention
• Attending partner events and conferences where relevant, becoming embedded within their communities
• Working with the Partnerships Lead to prepare for and initiate renewals conversations, including renewals proposals and monitoring

Application instructions

• Submit your CV and one-page cover letter via CharityJob
• Your cover letter should be no more than 1-2 pages and must explain how you meet the essential criteria (listed in the job description) for the role with clear examples, specifically the items tested at application
• You must answer the screening questions
• Applications without a cover letter or screening questions answered will not be considered
• Applications due: 23:30, Wednesday 27 May 2026
• First interviews (online): 4/5 June 2026
• Second interviews (in person, London): 11/12 June 2026

Hybrid - within commuting distance of one of our campuses in London, Birmingham, Blackburn, Doncaster, Bradford, Redcar or Bristol

We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic Senior Data Engineer to join our TED team and play an important role in building and maintaining the technical infrastructure that supports the NIoT and TED.

The National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) has an unswerving commitment to high-quality, evidence-informed teacher education, and is on a mission to improve teacher and leader development across the education system.

A key part of that mission is our Teacher Education Dataset (TED), an ambitious data and research initiative focused on building better evidence about teacher development and what makes teaching impactful. By bringing together education, research and digital infrastructure, TED will support new insight into how teachers develop, improve and thrive across their careers.

About the role

We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic Senior Data Engineer to join our TED team and play an important role in building and maintaining the technical infrastructure that supports the NIoT and TED. Working at the intersection of data engineering, data and research, the postholder will help develop secure, reliable and scalable systems that enable robust analysis and contribute to high-quality, evidence-informed improvement across the sector.

Corporate responsibilities

• To ensure that the responsibilities of the role are carried out in a way which reflects the mission and the values of the NIoT.

• To be aware of and observe all policies, procedures, working practices and regulations, and in particular to comply with policies relating to Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety, Confidentiality, Data Protection and Financial Regulations, reporting any concerns to an appropriate person.

• To comply with all reasonable management requests.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, build and maintain Azure-based data pipelines to support the ingestion, transformation and curation of TED datasets.

• Develop and maintain Azure SQL databases and research-facing schemas across raw, transformed and curated data layers.

• Write efficient, secure and well-structured T-SQL to support ingestion, validation, transformation and optimisation.

• Contribute to the development and ongoing refinement of a Common Data Model across multiple education data providers.

• Integrate and harmonise data from school MIS and EdTech platforms, including Bromcom, Arbor and Wonde.

• Build and maintain robust validation, logging, auditing and reconciliation processes to improve data quality and trust.

• Support secure data handling, including pseudonymisation, access control and compliance with data-sharing agreements and security requirements.

• Work closely with analysts, researchers, architects and partners to deliver scalable, analytics-ready data solutions.

• Contribute to agile planning, technical design, documentation and operational handover.

Essential criteria

• Proven experience in data engineering, including building and maintaining production-grade data pipelines.

• Strong experience with Azure Data Factory and Azure SQL Server.

• Strong T-SQL skills, including schema design, stored procedures and query optimisation.

• Experience implementing validation, monitoring, logging and reconciliation controls within data pipelines.

• Strong understanding of secure data architecture and the handling of sensitive personal data.

• Experience with Azure DevOps, version control and CI/CD practices.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with excellent attention to detail.

• Ability to communicate effectively and work successfully in a multidisciplinary team.

Desirable criteria

• Experience with education datasets, school MIS systems or EdTech platforms.

• Experience with common data models, longitudinal datasets or research-oriented data infrastructure.

• Experience with Power BI, Fabric or related analytics technologies.

• Experience in a public sector, education or high-governance data environment.

• Interest in applying data engineering to improve education and teacher development.

Key benefits

• Generous Annual Leave – 27 days’ holiday a year (plus 8 bank holidays).

• Flexible Working – we offer flexible start and end working times, with hybrid working in place for all roles.

• Pension - Entry to the Local Government Pension Scheme.

• Salary Sacrifice Schemes – we offer salary sacrifice schemes for bikes, cars and tech!

• Lifestyle Benefits – We offer discounts on gyms, cinema, retail and much more!

• Parenthood Leave – We offer above the statutory minimum for maternity, adoption and paternity leave.

• Working Environment – We have a stimulating, supportive and rewarding working environment with a dedicated team of likeminded professionals.

• Support: Our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provides confidential support for employees on personal or work-related matters.

• Development: We fully support the development of our staff and ensure that you have high level of continuous professional development.

We think a wide range of different work and educational experiences could support you to be successful in this role. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities.

If you have any queries about this role, please contact our recruitment team.

For more information and to apply, please visit our vacancies page.

Closing date: 10.00am on Monday, 1 June 2026.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications.

This post requires a satisfactory enhanced disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) with a Children’s Barred List Check and Occupational Health Check is required as a condition of employment.

About The Role
Behind every research breakthrough, there is a process that makes it possible.
A conversation that helps shape an idea. A fair and thoughtful review. A decision that backs the right work at the right time.
As a Research Grants Officer, you will be part of that process.
You will help run a research funding programme that is not only efficient, but fair, inclusive and supportive. Working closely with the Research Grants Manager and colleagues across the Research and Influencing directorate, you will manage funding rounds and support a portfolio of active research projects.
You will be there from the very first question a researcher asks, through to the moment funding decisions are made, and beyond. Along the way, you will help create a positive experience for everyone involved, from early career researchers to leading experts, and the volunteers who bring lived experience into the process.
It is detailed work. But it is work that makes a real difference.
What you will do
You will be at the centre of the grants process, helping to keep things running smoothly and making sure people feel supported at every step. No two days will look exactly the same, but your focus will always be the same, helping great research happen.
In this role, you will:

- Manage grant applications from start to finish, making sure each stage runs smoothly and on time
- Be a friendly and reliable point of contact for applicants, answering questions and helping them submit strong proposals
- Coordinate peer review and lay review, bringing together expert insight and lived experience to inform funding decisions
- Prepare papers for funding panels, attend meetings and capture clear, accurate notes of what is discussed and agreed
- Share outcomes with applicants in a clear, respectful and timely way
- Support the management of funded projects, helping track progress and making sure reporting is up to date
- Build relationships with researchers, clinicians and volunteers, helping them feel valued and encouraging them to stay involved

Alongside this, you will look for ways to improve how we work. That might mean updating guidance for applicants, spotting trends in our data, or helping to shape a process that is simpler, fairer and more accessible.
You will also be part of the wider team, supporting events, responding to enquiries and stepping in to help colleagues when it matters.
About you

- You have experience in, or a strong interest in, science, health or policy, and are curious about dementia research and the difference it can make
- You build positive relationships with a wide range of people, including senior researchers, and enjoy working with others
- You communicate clearly and confidently, whether you are writing, speaking or explaining something complex in a simple way
- You are organised and reliable, with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage your time well
- You take initiative and are comfortable working independently, while knowing when to ask for input or support
- You work well as part of a team and are willing to step in and help when deadlines approach
- You care about inclusion and want to make sure the way you work is open, respectful and accessible to others

We know that people do not always apply for roles unless they meet every requirement. If this role interests you but you are not sure you tick every box, we would still encourage you to apply.
This position is offered on a fixed-term contract/secondment basis until June 2027.
Interviews for this role are provisionally scheduled to take place during the week commencing 1st June 2026.

About Alzheimer's Society
Dementia is the UK's biggest killer. One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime.

At Alzheimer's Society, we're the UK's leading dementia charity and the only one to tackle all aspects of dementia by giving help and hope to people living with dementia today and in the future. We give vital support to people facing the most frightening times of their lives, while also funding groundbreaking research and campaigning to make dementia the priority it should be.

Together with our supporters, we're working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives.

Our values make sure that our focus is clear for the challenges and opportunities ahead and remind us of what we all stand for.

Our commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We need to ensure the voices around our table better reflect and understand the communities we exist to serve. We strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as Black, Asian or from another minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Alzheimer's Society.  

We want everyone we work with, as a colleague, volunteer, supporter, or someone we support, to feel included and that they belong at Alzheimer's Society. 

Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy here along with our internal employee forum and Employee Lived Experience network groups help us promote inclusion and belonging, becoming an engaged and inclusive organisation for all our people. 

Our hiring process

During your recruitment process we want to make sure that you bring your whole self and can be at your best. We are working hard to ensure our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible, so please do inform us of your experience and anything you think we could do better by completing our candidate survey when you apply.  Please also contact Alzheimer's Society Talent Acquisition Team via [email protected] for application support or any adjustments you might need.

To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed. We recognise the benefits of AI, but if you're considering using it to submit your application, we encourage you to reflect on the value it truly adds. AI tools often lack the personal touch and authenticity that set candidates apart. We want to hear your unique perspective, experiences, and skills, so we encourage you to showcase them in your own voice.

We try to avoid closing roles early where possible, however if we receive a high volume of applications, we may close earlier than the advertised closing date. Should this occur, we will aim to provide you with at least 48 hours' notice.

We are committed to safer recruitment and ensuring the welfare of those we work with, due to the nature of some of our roles, we might need to carry out a Criminal Record Check at the relevant level. You can read more information via our Website.

Giving back to you

Our employees work hard every day to make a true difference in people's lives. We are proud to support them with a range of benefits, recognition and many options for working agilely, all contributing to a strong work life balance. We also have various learning programmes to support you in your development and help you grow to realise your potential and shape a career with Alzheimer's Society. 

You can also visit our Working for Us pages, which give you more information about what it's like to be an employee at the Society.

Do have experience delivering high profile, high exposure events successfully? Would you like to lead the strategic delivery of our conferences and events, maximising engagement opportunities and ensuring those affected by dementia are considered and represented appropriately?

About the role
We are recruiting for a Senior Conferences and Events Manager to join on a full-time, 35 hours per week, maternity cover contract for 12 months. This is a home-based role, with monthly travel required for conferences, events and in-person stakeholder or team meetings.

As Senior Conference and Events Manager you will be responsible on the strategic delivery of an annual portfolio of conferences and events, which range from Society owned conferences and events, to external public and professional events and conferences. You will work to maximise engagement and influencing opportunities for our research and influencing stakeholders, including a national conference, research events and roundtables.

In this role you will oversee and line manage the Conferences and Events team, in addition to overseeing business and financial planning and monitoring. You will be responsible for budget management of the events programmes, including setting, managing, reporting on and reforecasting the team budget.

By working collaboratively with colleagues and key stakeholders you will ensure the voice of those affected by dementia is considered appropriately in the events we deliver and attend. You will plan the involvement of lived experience across all events, including co-producing all or parts of the conferences and events we deliver. In addition to this, you will build in meaningful equality, diversity and inclusion into our conferences and events programme, ensuring that our events are inclusive to all attendees, and representative of a diverse range of voices.

Interviews for this role have been provisionally scheduled to take place via MS Teams on Wednesday 10th June.

About you
Joining us, you’ll have experience of working at a senior level in an events role and experience managing budgets effectively and using project management skills to remain organised. You’ll also have experience of successful management in conference production, organising successful large-scale events and conferences – in person, hybrid and virtually.

Due to the nature of this role, you’ll need to have good interpersonal and communication skills and the experience required to manage, motivate and inspire staff and volunteers to create a high performing team. You’ll have experience of leading a team to achieve success, including developing and working to briefs, workload planning and managing a team to deliver high standards with agreed timeframes.

Crucially, you’ll have experience building relationships with senior stakeholders, third party event partners and agencies with the ability to influence and negotiate effectively.

What you’ll focus on:

- Delivering a portfolio of events for our research and influencing stakeholders, including a national conference, research events and roundtables.
- Supporting the creation of strategies for improving events activity and maximising opportunities.
- Managing the budget of the events programmes, including setting, managing, reporting on and reforecasting the team budget.
- Line managing the Conferences and Events team and temporary staff and volunteers as necessary.
- Ensuring the voice of those affected by dementia is considered appropriately in the events we deliver and attend. Planning the involvement of lived experience across all events, including co-producing all or parts of the conferences and events we deliver.
- Effectively evaluating all activity, measuring the impact of projects against set objectives and outcomes in line with our strategy, and ensuring continuous improvement.
- Working collaboratively with brand, marketing and communications colleagues to create robust communications plans for events that ensure the right promotion prior to, during and after events.

About Alzheimer's Society - who are we and what’s our mission?
Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer. One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime.  

At Alzheimer’s Society, we’re the UK’s leading dementia charity and the only one to tackle all aspects of dementia by giving help and hope to people living with dementia today and in the future. We give vital support to people facing the most frightening times of their lives, while also funding ground-breaking research and campaigning to make dementia the priority it should be.  

Together with our supporters, we’re working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives. Our values make sure that our focus is clear for the challenges and opportunities ahead and remind us of what we all stand for. 

Our commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
We need to ensure the voices around our table better reflect and understand the communities we exist to serve. We strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as part of a minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Alzheimer's Society.     

Our hiring process
We want you to bring your whole self to the process. Applications are anonymised until interview stage, and we’re happy to support any adjustments. Share your feedback via our candidate survey when applying to help us improve. We may close early if we receive high interest (with 48 hours’ notice). Some roles may require a DBS check as part of our safer recruitment commitment. Thinking about using AI during the recruitment process? We know this can be helpful in many ways but remember to include your personal and authentic self too. Your voice and experience are what really set you apart. 

Giving back to you
At Alzheimer’s Society, we value our people and take a total reward approach to pay and benefits. You’ll enjoy a generous double-matched pension scheme, 27 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays and wellbeing days), and access to a free Health Shield Cash Plan, 24/7 EAP, Thrive mental wellbeing support, and virtual GP services. Our Society Plus platform offers exclusive discounts, wellbeing resources, and recognition schemes, while our flexible working, family-friendly policies, and life assurance provide peace of mind and work/life balance. We also offer a free Will-writing service and long service awards to recognise your ongoing commitment.

Senior Service Designer  

 
Location: remote. This role can be based at any of Barnardo's national offices. Regular local and national travel will be required. 
 

Help us design services that transform childhoods  

At Barnardo's, we believe every child deserves a safe, happy and hopeful future. For over 150 years, we've been innovating to improve the lives of children, young people and families across the UK. Today, we run more than 800 services and are committed to making them excellent, inclusive and designed with the children, young people and families who use them. 

As a senior member of the Service Design team, you will play a vital role in applying service design methods to deliver measurable improvements in service quality, efficiency, value and outcomes for children, young people and families. 

We are continuing to strengthen how we design and improve services across Barnardo's, working across a complex and evolving portfolio that spans children's services, digital delivery and business development. 

This role offers the opportunity to shape not only individual services, but how service design is used to support decision-making, prioritisation and innovation across the organisation. 

This is a hands-on role as well as a strategic one – you'll be actively designing, prototyping and iterating services as well as shaping direction and decision-making. 

As a Senior Service Designer, you will: 

• Work across a portfolio of projects, balancing priorities and adapting to changing organisational needs 

• Contribute to service development and proposals, working with business development colleagues to shape service models 

• Influence decision-making and prioritisation, using evidence and insight to guide direction 

• Identify opportunities to improve services in ways that deliver better outcomes, greater efficiency and value for money 

• Lead the end-to-end design of services in complex environments, shaping user-centred, evidence-based solutions that respond to organisational priorities, and creating service maps, blueprints, prototypes and other design artefacts to bring ideas to life 

• Test and iterate service concepts in response to feedback and learning, refining solutions to improve outcomes 

• Ensure services are coherent and integrated across online and offline channels 

• Work across functions including business development, digital, finance, operations, research and policy to engage stakeholders and support organisational change 

• Mentor and support colleagues – developing confidence and skills, with the potential to provide line management support to junior designers where appropriate 

• Develop practice and contribute to standards, frameworks and reusable design patterns 

• Share learning internally and externally, contributing to professional communities of practice and helping raise the profile of service design at Barnardo's 

This is a varied, hands-on and project-focused role that allows for autonomy, creativity and real impact. You'll be part of a warm, committed team that shares learning, supports wellbeing, and is united in a clear mission: designing for better outcomes for children and families. 

You'll work with a high degree of autonomy, navigating complexity and ambiguity, delivering tangible improvements to services and contributing to a growing and evolving design practice. 

What We're Looking For 

We're looking for a Senior Service Designer who can: 

• Work autonomously to lead the design of complex services 

• Manage competing priorities effectively across projects, balancing time, focus and trade-offs 

• Influence stakeholders and support organisational change beyond immediate project teams, communicating design decisions and complex ideas clearly to a range of audiences 

• Understand how services operate within wider organisational systems, and use this to inform decision-making and support effective change 

• Confidently use a range of evidence, including user research, service data and performance insights, to inform decisions and guide direction 

• Conduct in-depth user research to generate actionable insights and guide decision-making 

• Create and iterate prototypes and other design artefacts 

• Integrate offline and online service delivery into coherent end-to-end services 

• Design and facilitate collaborative workshops with a range of stakeholders and partners 

• Evaluate and evidence the impact of service design work

Previous experience in children's services, health, education or related public/third sector contexts is desirable – but if you bring transferable skills, we want to hear from you. 

What You'll Get in Return 

• 26 days annual leave (rising with service) plus bank holidays 

• Access to the Barnardo's pension scheme 

• Flexible working and hybrid/remote options 

• Wellbeing initiatives and Employee Assistance Programme 

• Regular supervision and career development opportunities 

• The opportunity to shape how service design is used across a national organisation 

• The chance to work on services that support children, young people and families across the UK.

Inclusion and Belonging 

We are committed to building a diverse workforce. We particularly welcome applications from disabled candidates, LGBTQ+ people, people from racially minoritised communities, and those with care experience. If there's anything we can do to support you through the application process, please let us know. 

 Ready to Apply?

Together, we can change childhoods and change lives.

When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification and Job Description.

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date.  We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.

The chosen candidate will ideally be based in Hertfordshire, and any travel expenses from within the county will be covered.

This is a fixed-term contract for 9 months, with a possible 3 month extension.

About Us

Healthwatch Hertfordshire are an independent champion for people who use health and social care services. Being a values-driven organisation with a national reputation for our research and engagement work, we are here to find out what matters to local people and help ensure their views shape the support they need.

Our purpose is to help make care better for people by improving how services are run now and in the future. We have an ambitious vision to ensure that health and social care work for everyone.

The Role:

We are looking for someone who enjoys talking to people, listening to their experiences, and turning those conversations into meaningful change.

You will gather evidence from Hertfordshire residents about their experiences of health and social care services, analyse the findings, and produce clear insight driven reports that drive service improvement through insightful recommendations, and partnership with decision makers.

The broader health and social care landscape is actively changing around us, and we need someone who can work flexibly, respond to changing needs, and stay confident and calm during change – making sure our values and duties to the public are successfully delivered.

Responsibilities

• Building relationships with local residents, including those from underserved and marginalised communities
• Running focus groups, surveys, and engagement events
• Engaging with senior stakeholders (internally, NHS, county council, voluntary sector)
• Managing research and engagement projects from start to finish
• Writing clear, practical reports and insights
• Presenting findings and recommendations

Essential Criteria

• You live in or near Hertfordshire and can travel regularly across the county
• You are confident and experienced communicating with the public, diverse communities, and senior leaders
• You have experience designing and delivering research questions, running focus groups, and crafting and analysing survey data
• You can write clear, engaging reports for health and care decision makers and the broader public, drawing recommendations from the insights

Skills and Experience

• Ability to scope, design, organise, deliver, and analyse insight from focus groups and online surveys
• Experience of engaging directly with members of the public to gather insights
• Talking to people from a wide range of communities
• Good organisation and project management skills
• Strong written and verbal communication
• Ability to work collaboratively and in a flexible and agile way

If you do not meet the entire criteria but believe you have preferential experience and transferable skills, we welcome you to apply.

To Apply

Please submit your CV and a tailored covering letter to Louis Eastwell of Hire Purpose, before 23:59 on Sunday 31st May 2026.

You are welcome to initially submit a CV prior to completing a covering letter.

Louis is exclusively managing this recruitment campaign and will be speaking with all longlisted candidates prior to a formal interview with Healthwatch Hertfordshire.

Application Guidance:

A tailored covering letter highlighting how you meet the essential requirements of the role, outlining your relevant experience, skills, attributes, and your motivation for applying and supporting Healthwatch Hertfordshire’s mission.

Hire Purpose champions inclusive recruitment.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences. We uphold equal opportunity principles and challenge bias at every stage, partnering only with organisations that share our commitment to integrity, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Hire Purpose is also proudly a B Corp certified business that has met B Lab UK’s high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.