Senior researcher jobs in birmingham, west midlands

Team Coordinator

Youth Futures Foundation is the national What Works Centre for youth employment, with a specific focus on marginalised young people.   

We find and generate high-quality evidence to better understand England’s’ youth unemployment and inactivity challenge, and most importantly to learn what solutions work to address this. We do this through bringing together the best evidence already in existence and build on this by conducting original research and testing and evaluating promising interventions to produce much needed new evidence where there are gaps.  

We are looking for a dynamic Team Coordinator to provide administrative and business support to the Programmes and Grants Directorate. The successful candidate will help us to deliver our objectives by providing seamless support and delivery. They will:

Understand the needs of the teams, the context in which they operate, and focus on problem-solving and working with others to meet objectives. 

Help the teams to work effectively, co-ordinate team activities, maintain relationships, alongside supporting operational excellence 

Work flexibly as needs evolve to support teams, and occasionally, support cross-Directorate colleagues. 

Use digital ways of working, technology and platforms to achieve goals. 

This role will be based at our Birmingham office.

We currently operate a hybrid model of two-days per week in the office and three-days from home.

For more information and a full job description, please download the Recruitment Pack.

HOW TO APPLY

Click on the 'Apply on website' button below to apply online. The closing date for applications is Sunday 28th September 2025 11:59 PM.

As part of Youth Futures Foundation’s safeguarding policy, all employees are subject to a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, some positions may require an enhanced level disclosure. 

The young people we aim to serve – and the challenges they face - are all unique. We are looking to build a team that reflects this diversity. Our commitment to inclusion across race, gender, age, class, religion, identity, and experience forms the cornerstone of our work. We are an equal opportunities employer, Mindful Employer, Disability Confident and welcome applications from all sections of the community. 

We are particularly keen to encourage people with lived experience of the challenges facing young people in the labour market, and committed to supporting you in your application. Please contact us if you require any additional support. 

Internally, we encourage an open, collaborative and inclusive working environment. 

The National Youth Agency is looking for a new Chief Operating Officer to join our Executive Leadership Team.

Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full-time - 37 hours per week
Salary: £85,000 per annum
Remote: This role is homebased (within the UK) with occasional to meetings, events and conferences.

What we do

As the national body for youth work, the NYA has a dual function. We are the professional statutory and regulatory body (PSRB) responsible for qualifications, quality standards, and safeguarding for youth work and services in England. In line with our charity mission and aims, we also champion youth work through research, advocacy, campaigns, and programmes.

We work in partnership and believe in collaborative leadership, listening to youth workers and the youth work sector so that we can understand their needs and respond to the challenges they face. We are ambitious for youth work and for young people and integrate youth voice and influence across our work

About the Role

Responsibilities will include:

• The COO leads the day-to-day functioning of the organisation to ensure smooth, efficient, and effective delivery of services. This is vital for maintaining operational stability and achieving strategic outcomes.
• They design and execute strategies that align with the organisation’s mission and long-term goals ensuring resources are used effectively and priorities are clear.
• They promote a culture of excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement through supporting employee engagement, productivity, and organisational success.
• The COO collaborates closely with the CEO/CFO and other senior leaders to drive strategic initiatives and business growth, ensuring unified leadership and coherent decision-making.
• They partner with the CFO to manage budgets, forecasts, and resource allocation. Financial oversight ensures sustainability and supports informed investment in strategic priorities.
• Strengthen governance and risk management frameworks, aligned to regulatory expectations and best practice while proactively managing reputational and operational risks.
• The COO cultivates strong relationships with partners, clients, and stakeholders to enhance service delivery and reputation. These relationships are key to influence, collaboration, and impact.
• They lead efforts to improve processes and adopt best practices across the charity to enhance efficiency and keeps the organisation competitive and responsive.
• They ensure that daily activities support the charities long-term objectives.
• The COO mentors other directors and departmental heads and fosters leadership capabilities across teams.
• They establish and track KPIs to identify inefficiencies and guide improvements through data-driven decision-making to enhance accountability and results.
• They evaluate and refine workflows to boost productivity developing efficient processes to reduce waste and improve service quality.
• They act as a bridge between departments and the CEO to ensure cohesive execution of strategic plans preventing silos and promoting organisational synergy.
• The COO serves as a senior figure in national and cross-sector forums, conferences, and strategic partnerships to strengthens the organisation’s voice and influence.
• They demonstrate commitment to Equality, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging in both internal culture and external programmes to foster a fair and inclusive organisation.
• They work with the CEO, CFO and Director of Growth to identify and pursue new revenue streams and strategic partnerships. This expands the organisation’s reach and sustainability.
• They engage in public speaking, media interactions, and external representation demonstrating clear communication, credibility, and stakeholder engagement.
• They develop and embed evaluation frameworks to assess progress against strategic goals. The measuring of our impact ensures accountability and informs future planning.
• They promote the organisation’s brand at events and through networking.

The COO takes on other responsibilities as needed to support the organisation’s mission.

About You

Essential competencies of the Chief Operating Officer:

• Extensive experience in senior leadership with a proven track record in operations, financial and risk management, and delivering high-performing teams, ideally in the charity sector.
• Strong understanding of business functions such as HR, Finance, Marketing, etc.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to think strategically and execute effectively.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities. Commercially astute, process-driven, and highly pragmatic in approach.
• Experience in driving performance and fostering a collaborative culture.
• Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related field; MBA preferred

Why Work for NYA?

• NYA operates as a people-first organisation, prioritising the well-being and needs of its employees.
• NYA offers an exceptional flexible working approach which encourages our team to balance professional responsibilities with their personal life.
• A remote based team, spread across England, fostering inclusivity and diverse talent. Despite geographical distances between team members, NYA maintains a highly motivated and connected team through the optimisation of digital tools.
• NYA is committed to supporting the continual personal and professional development of our team and helping them achieve their ambitions.
• We provide 25 days leave plus 8 days, life assurance scheme, 5% employer pension contribution and a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme via Spectrum.life with unlimited specialist support available to all NYA employees.

How to Apply:

To apply, please submit the following via our online application platform by 11:59pm on Monday 29th September 2025:

A detailed CV setting out your career history, with responsibilities and achievements in line with the person specification in the About You section.
A covering letter highlighting your suitability for the role and how you meet the requirements in the About You section.
We will request data for our EEDI monitoring purposes, providing this is optional.

Please note: The covering letter is an essential part of the application process and will be assessed as part of your full application. We use AI detector software, so cover letters or CV’s with over 80% AI generated content will be disregarded. We understand that AI tools can offer support to candidates who have learning differences, which is why we will accept applications with some AI assistance. CV’s will not be accepted without a cover letter.

The National Youth Agency is an equal opportunities employer.

At NYA our inclusive culture means that we embrace individual differences and understand that we need a diverse team to achieve our organisations mission.

We wish to recruit candidates from all backgrounds to ensure our team reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve. We encourage applications from anyone regardless of disability, ethnicity, heritage, gender, sexuality, religion, socio-economic background and political beliefs but we particularly welcome applications from global majority candidates and those from other minoritised ethnic groups in the UK as they are currently underrepresented in our team.

Youth Work changes lives

Which is why we’re committed to ensuring that as many young people as possible get to benefit from it.As the national body for youth work in England, the National Youth Agency (NYA) exists to champion its transformative power. We believe all young people should have the opportunity to benefit from the life-changing impact of extraordinary youth workers and trained volunteers.

We help to grow youth work provision in ways that keep it effective, relevant, safe and engaging, to help millions of young people reach their potential and thrive. We do this by providing guidance, support, advice, training and staff development opportunities for youth workers and youth work organisations. At the heart of everything we do are young people themselves. We work hard to ensure their voices are integrated into all our work, to develop provision that truly meets their needs.

REF-223747

We are looking for an experienced and passionate Data Manager to work as part of our Evidence and Impact Team.

This is a Fixed Term Opportunity, expected to end November 2026

Imagine being part of an organisation whose common purpose is to help those who are severely impacted by mental illness. We believe that everyone should be treated with respect and dignity – and that’s why equity is one of our core values. We draw on the expertise, unique perspectives and lived experience of our people – regardless of who they are or their background – to help us become inclusive and anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider that reflect the diverse communities we support as a mental health charity.

The Evidence and Impact team at Rethink Mental Illness ensures the organisation maximises its impact through data-driven decision-making, robust evaluation, and strategic analytics. This role will sit within the team but have a dedicated project remit, working closely with partners across the NHS, voluntary sector, and government data bodies. The postholder will act as a subject matter expert in statutory health datasets and data integration, while also contributing to Rethink’s wider ambition to demonstrate leadership in mental health data innovation.

How you will make a difference

This is a strategic, delivery-focused role designed to lead Rethink Mental Illness’s work on the national Mental Health Services Dataset (MHSDS). The postholder will manage a pioneering project to design and implement data flows from Rethink alliances – including Open Mental Health in Somerset and Synergy in Sheffield – into the MHSDS. Our alliance model is aligned with the government’s neighbourhood health agenda – enabling the NHS to work in a fully integrated way with a range of community based and grassroots organisations. Ensuring that data flows from these organisations is critical.

The role will build a robust data model, work directly with voluntary sector partners to understand their CRM systems, and develop automated submissions that ensure compliance with statutory requirements. Beyond compliance, the postholder will position Rethink Mental Illness as a sector thought leader by creating a replicable model that enables voluntary sector data to be integrated into national reporting – an ambition that has not yet been achieved elsewhere.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion 

Diversity is important to us and we appreciate difference through difference, inclusiveness and belonging. It gives us a deeper understanding of the world, our society and the diverse communities we’re working with. By including everyone, we are able to draw on the unique experiences and expertise of our people to help shape and enrich our workplace and improve our services. One way we are doing is through our valued staff networks which play a critical and highly valued role in keeping us focused on creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged employer.  We recognise and support staff networks and support groups for our ethnically diverse and LGBTQIA+ colleagues. We are also proud to have been awarded Disability Confident Employer status and are a signatory to the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter. 

We aim for our workforce to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve; for those who work for us to feel heard, valued and feel they belong; and for our work to help tackle wider mental health inequalities. We therefore actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including applicants with lived experience of mental illness, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and any other gender identity not expressed here (LGBTQIA+); people who are neurodiverse, have a health condition, or a disability or hidden disability and people from an ethnically diverse background - regardless of your age, religious or spiritual belief, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, political view or socio-economic status.

Becoming a truly anti-racist organisation 

We have an ambition of become a truly anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider - and in our efforts to influence policy and wider societal factors impacting on mental health set out in our anti-racist statement . We have designed a multi-year anti-racist programme of work contained in our Race Equality Action Plan which demonstrates our intention to hold ourselves accountable and be judged on our progress on becoming a truly anti-racist organisation. You can read more about our progress here. 

Role Overview

The Talent Set are delighted to partner with our client on a fantastic Head of Fundraising Strategy role.

We are seeking an experienced and strategic leader to join this social welfare charity, with a focus on developing and implementing a fundraising strategy that drives growth and sustainability. As Head of Fundraising Strategy, you will be responsible for leading a team to deliver high-impact fundraising initiatives, working closely with the Director of Fundraising, Communications and Policy to ensure the ambition and interests of the directorate are represented in the new organisational strategy.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy that aligns with the organisation's vision and goals
• Lead a team to deliver high-impact fundraising initiatives, including research, planning, and execution
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to ensure alignment and effective communication
• Analyse data and market trends to inform fundraising strategies and drive performance
• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including donors, sponsors, and partners
• Manage complex funding arrangements

Person Specification:

• Extensive experience in fundraising, with a deep understanding of different forms of fundraising and the opportunities that exist for a values-driven organisation
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to lead complex, cross-organisational initiatives
• High financial literacy and experience of complex funding arrangements
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

What’s on Offer:

Salary:£60,000
Working set up: Remote with occasional travel to London, 4 days per week 
Contract Length: 12 months 
 

How to Apply:

To apply, please submit your CV demonstrating your suitability for this role by clicking the 'apply now' button (please do not apply via email). 

Commitment to Diversity:

The Talent Set are committed to diverse and inclusive recruitment practices, ensuring equal opportunities for all applicants regardless of race, sexual orientation, disability, age, or gender. We actively encourage applications from a wide range of backgrounds and are always happy to make reasonable adjustments to ensure a fair recruitment process.

The role of Head of Legal reports to the Director of Legal & Governance and you will assist them in ensuring the legal function of the organisation runs efficiently, smoothly and that we proactively identify and address legal risk and development needs.

You will be responsible for overseeing and managing the day to day legal affairs of the organisation.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Identify legal risk and propose mitigations and solutions.
• Proactively identifying issues and resolving problems efficiently.
• Providing guidance and advice to colleagues
• Developing and managing the suite of legal templates in use across the organisation, proactively identifying areas for improvement and / or development and working collaboratively to develop new templates as needed
• Ensuring internal legal requirements are well designed and understood and are aligned to delivery of strategy
• Ensure that internal legal processes run smoothly
• Make sound, timely decisions that support sustainable, long-term strategic outcomes.

This is a part time, fixed term role and can be based at any of our hubs located in Birmingham, Leeds or London.

For more information, please download the 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.

Executive Director Stroke Support

Are you great at building relationships across the health and social care sector and beyond?

The Stroke Association are looking for an Executive Director (Stroke Support) to help guide and inspire the organisation. If this sounds like you, then apply today!

Position: EDT01 Executive Director (Stroke Support)

Location: Home-based (Frequent travel will be required)

Salary: Circa £105k

Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Benefits: 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays (this will increase with service up to 30 days, full time equivalent) cashback and discount scheme, employee assistance programme, learning and development, pension scheme, Life Assurance, Eye Care vouchers, Long Service Award, Tax-free childcare, Health Cash Plan, Working Pattern Agreement, flexible working opportunities available.

Closing Date: Midnight, Sunday 12 October 2025. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role.

Lead with purpose and help shape our future

As the Executive Director Stroke Support, you will work with the Chief Executive and wider Executive team, to help guide and inspire the organisation towards a future where everyone affected by stroke is supported to live their best life after stroke.

Ensuring that everyone can access the support they need in a way that suits them is a bold ambition requiring us to transform our culture and ways of working so that we become more agile in the complex and changing external environment. As Executive Director for Stroke Support, you will have a pivotal role in inspiring the organisation to do its best for stroke survivors, harnessing innovation and talent.

You’ll need to connect, convene and enable teams to transform the reach and impact of our operations through service design, digital innovation, and strategic partnerships.

Creating the conditions for teams to think creatively and radically about new approaches, you’ll use meaningful data to sense make and inform decisions that lead to improved beneficiary outcomes. 

You’ll be great at building relationships across the health and social care sector and beyond, applying systems level strategic thinking that will underpin delivery of purpose and what matters most.

If you’re ready to inspire collaboration and lead with vision to deliver impact for all affected by stroke, join us as we step into our next chapter of cultural transformation.

About Us

The Stroke Association is the only charity in the UK providing lifelong support for all those affected by stroke and their families. We provide tailored support services to tens of thousands of stroke survivors each year. This support includes one-to-one and group support, funding vital scientific research into stroke prevention, acute treatment, recovery and long-term care, and campaigning to secure the best care for everyone affected by stroke.  Finding strength through support.

We are a Disability Confident employer, and we are making great progress focusing on flexible working, reasonable adjustments and access to work. If you have questions, or access needs, we’re happy to discuss any support and adjustments we can make throughout the recruitment process so that you’re able to contribute your best in a way that meets your needs.

You may also have experience in areas such as Executive, Executive Director, Executive Director Health, Executive Director Stroke Support, Stroke Support Direct, Stroke Support Executive Director, Social Care Director, Health, Stroke, Disability.

PLEASE NOTE: This role is being advertised by NFP People on behalf of the organisation.

UK-based/ Colchester or Home-based with monthly travel to Colchester office. Overseas travel with trips lasting from 10-14 days. 

This post requires the candidates to have independent rights to live and work in the UK

Background

Lepra is dedicated to addressing leprosy and lymphatic filariasis (LF) and their consequences through direct support, advocacy, and the promotion of inclusive communities. We work in Bangladesh and in India, through our sister organisation, LEPRA Society. We work in partnership with people affected by leprosy and LF to improve detection, ensure access to treatment and care, and promote inclusion and wellbeing. Last year we finalised our new Global Strategy for 2024-30, which will guide us in our efforts to accelerate progress towards global targets for leprosy and LF, and towards our vision of a world free from leprosy and LF.

Job Context

Our Global Strategy marks a significant evolution in our organisational direction, introducing innovative approaches and renewed priorities. This includes our first-ever global Theory of Change (ToC), our most comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) framework to date, a Research and Innovation strategy, and a dedicated Advocacy sub-strategy to guide our influencing efforts.

With the Lepra Advocacy Strategy, we will be working over the next 6 years to strengthen our approaches to our advocacy efforts. The post holder will play a key role in supporting the roll out of the Advocacy strategy working closely with the Director of Programmes and Advocacy, the Head of Research, the Senior Programme Manager, the Programme Officer and the teams where we work.

Job Purpose

This role is an exciting role within the programmes team in response to evolving needs. The incoming post holder will work within the 5 person UK’s Programme and Advocacy team and will drive, advise and support the team in relation to Lepra’s advocacy profile. We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated, strategic and creative person who has outstanding skills to engage and work with a diverse team. We are looking for someone to work with a clear strategy and then develop, grow and successfully shape the future of Lepra’s advocacy efforts.

Working Relationships

Reports to Lepra UK’s Director of Programmes and Advocacy (DPA)

Works closely with the Programmes and Advocacy Team

Close working links with colleagues in India and in Bangladesh and the UK’s communications team

International travel as needed for programmes oversight and support, and external representation.

Key responsibilities

Advocacy Delivery (50%)

Under the supervision of the DPA implement Lepra’s global Advocacy strategy and coordinate advocacy initiatives.

Serve as the driver of advocacy efforts, facilitating the transitional year of implementation including coordinating the Advocacy Steering Group; advocacy toolkit development; action planning.

Represent Lepra in specific fora and advocacy networks and within the broader leprosy and NTD community in close coordination with the DPA.

Produce quarterly advocacy newsletters

Maintain quarterly reports on flagging areas of concern and actioning steering committee advice.

Assist in the preparation of policy documents and the presentation of papers for publication, conferences, or specific institutions and/or individuals - identifying and targeting the most appropriate audiences.

Support and contribute to the development and implementation of initiatives that foster an inclusive, equitable, and diverse environment across organisational programmes, policies, and advocacy efforts.

Support and contribute to initiatives that promote inclusion and equity, with a strong focus on developing the leadership and advocacy capacity of people with lived experience of leprosy, ensuring their voices are central in decision-making and programme design.

Knowledge management / Learning and Development (20%)

Support the preparation of Lepra advocacy and policy documents.

Disseminate knowledge so that it is integrated into Lepra’s portfolio to amplify the impact for target audiences and improve their outcomes.

Facilitate the new knowledge and learning hub and forge a clear path for its evolution.

Facilitate knowledge sharing through updating the communications team with relevant materials for the new programme folder on the website.

Organise and develop advocacy training.

Develop and take ownership of the new programme’ s team knowledge sharing approaches.

Develop a workplan of knowledge sharing events. 

Support annual review meetings.

Communications (10%)

Assist the programmes team with the documentation of Lepra examples and models of best practice, at the same time identifying and developing mechanisms and avenues for the effective dissemination of this knowledge – internally and externally.

Assist the programmes team, DPO, Chief Executive and Country Programme staff in the synthesis of complex technical/scientific information adapting it to language and formats easily used by target audiences.

Contribute to content development of community engagement materials (public information, brochures, leaflets) that help explain the operations and impact of Lepra’s work to LF and/or leprosy affected communities.

Maintain good working links with Lepra’s UK Fundraising and Communications Team, contributing towards UK facing communications materials as and when required.

Prepare updates, papers, and reports for trustee meetings, funding partners, and wherever else applicable.

External representation (10%)

Support the Chief Executive, DPA and programmes team to maintain and expand existing strategic relationships with key international stakeholders to further Lepra’s advocacy strategy and advance Lepra’s agenda.

Ensure Lepra’s external profile is raised and become the go-to organisation for the leprosy community in terms of advocacy and policy briefings.

Support the preparation of documents for presentation, publication or dissemination at international fora.

Develop/support the development of country specific briefing notes/press kits with the communications team.

Represent Lepra at key events, conferences, and meetings to enhance our visibility and opportunity for impact.

Safeguarding (5%)

Promote a culture of respect, transparency, and accountability within Lepra’s implemented projects.

Ensuring that safeguarding mechanisms are in place and remain at the heart of all activities.

Support the integration of strong safeguarding and PSEA practices into project design and delivery.

Monitoring, evaluation, and impact (5%)

Ensure that all advocacy and knowledge transfer efforts are captured and embedded in appropriate results frameworks, objectives, outputs, indicators and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Provide inputs to Lepra’s reports, according to Lepra’s needs.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Relevant degree level of education in Public Health, Social Sciences, Global Health, Human Rights, Political Sciences or equivalent experience.

Desirable

Relevant post-graduate qualification

Relevant professional health-related qualification

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

Minimum of 2 yrs experience of advocacy/campaigning/policy work with an overseas development organisation

Experience of working to advance the rights of excluded populations

Extensive knowledge of global health issues and an up-to-date familiarity with issues and practice in the international development sector

Experience in planning and implementing successful strategies/campaigns/advocacy in Asia.

Experience in programme/project planning, budgeting, M&E and reporting, within a non-governmental organisation, including the preparation of reports for institutional donors.

Ability to analyse and act on data.

Experience of working on issues in relation to disability, mental health, gender, human rights and social inclusion.

Experience in project coordination and management.

Desirable

At least two years’ experience as an advocacy manager, preferably gained with an overseas development organisation or in academia, in a similar health focused role.

Familiarity with data visualisation tools and packages.

Proficiency in one or more Indian languages (e.g., Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Telugu, etc.) is an asset.

Skills, Attitudes and Personal Qualities

Highly motivated individual with excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal to build strong relationships, negotiate and persuade a wide range of audiences, with confidence at presenting and representing.

Proven strength in both written and verbal communication

Able to reach, network with and communicate to a wide range of stakeholders and potential stakeholders.

Excellent attention to detail, and organisational and time management skills

Ability to manipulate and analyse data to draw useful conclusions to improve programme delivery.

Ability to use databases, Word, excel, PowerPoint and other Office packages

Ability to work independently, be flexible and prioritise workload.

Ability to travel within the UK and overseas.

The right to work in the UK.

We operate a non-bias recruitment process and run our job advertisements through anonymous recruitment methods.

We offer a lot of flexibility in working practices and there is free reserved parking available at our Colchester office. We also offer 26 days annual leave plus public holidays (pro-rated), pension, Employee Assistance Programme and support from an in-house well-being team.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited for interview. Please check your email inbox and spam/junk mail folder for any email correspondence for this vacancy.

If you require any reasonable considerations such as access or information in an alternative format, please inform us soon as you are able so that we can make the appropriate adjustments.

Please do not use AI to help you write cover letters, CVs and responses to any screening questions.  We want to hear your original voice.