Social researcher jobs in north west

Are you a JNC-qualified Youth Worker with significant project management experience?

Do you have a passion for supporting young people and a staff team to reach their potential?

Are you an inspiring leader who can build relationships with partners and stakeholders at all levels?

If so, the role of Airplay Programme Manager could be the perfect opportunity for you!

About Airplay:
Airplay is a national youth work programme delivered by a partnership of YMCAs on behalf of the RAF Benevolent Fund (RAFBF). We provide year-round activities and support for children and young people aged 5–18 at RAF Stations across England, Scotland, and Wales, as well as online through Airplay Connect. As the lead partner, One YMCA oversees the contract, manages central functions, and acts as the key point of contact for the RAFBF and RAF on behalf of the partnership.

If this role sparks your interest, please keep reading. We welcome applications from candidates seeking 30 - 37.5 hours per week.

The Role
We are seeking an Airplay Programme Manager to lead the Airplay Central Team and take overall operational responsibility for delivering and monitoring the Airplay programme.

Key responsibilities include:
• Leading and supporting the Airplay Central Team.
• Managing sub-contracting arrangements with partner YMCAs.
• Ensuring the programme achieves its objectives and delivers high-quality youth work.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders, including the RAFBF and RAF.

We are looking for someone who:
• Has experience in programme or project management, ideally in youth work or a similar sector.
• Can lead and motivate a team across multiple locations, often working remotely.
• Is skilled in stakeholder management and building strong partnerships.
• Demonstrates a passion for supporting young people and creating positive outcomes.

Why Join Us
• Be part of a national programme making a real difference in the lives of children and young people.
• Flexible working hours (30–37.5 hours per week).
• Join a collaborative and mission-driven organisation.

Benefits of working with us!
• Generous pension scheme and life cover
• Health cash plan
• Ongoing professional development opportunities
• Retail discounts, Blue Light Card, and more
• Generous annual leave including your birthday off and a paid wellbeing day
• Proud to be a Real Living Wage employer

Apply today to help shape the future of Airplay and support young people across the UK!

Applications require a CV and supporting statement.

We kindly ask that Recruitment agencies do not contact us directly – Any unsolicited CVs or candidate profiles submitted by agencies not on our PSL will be considered speculative and not create any contractual obligation or financial liability on our part.

*Please apply promptly, as interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis*

We look forward to reading your application!

This is a full or part time role, dependant on the successful candidate.
Hours per week: 30-37.5 hours per week
Working Pattern: to be agreed with successful candidate. Generally Mon-Fri office hours, but flexibility is essential - the role will include regular travel to One YMCA Hatfield Hub and RAF Stations, some evening and residential work, including being part of an on-call safeguarding rota.

Important: We do not provide visa sponsorship; you must be eligible to work in the UK. You must reside in the UK for the duration of your employment and provide Right to Work evidence.

As some of our roles involve working with vulnerable members of society, this position may require a Basic or Enhanced Criminal Disclosure, which will be conducted once a conditional offer is made

Previous Applications: We welcome applications from all qualified candidates. However, if you have applied for a similar role within the last 6 months and were not successful, please consider whether your experience has developed further before reapplying

Accessibility & Adjustments: We are committed to making reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and will strive to be as accommodating as possible. Please inform us in advance of any arrangements you may need to fully participate in the process.

EDIB: At One YMCA we are an inclusive organisation and actively promote equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We do not discriminate on the basis of Age, Disability, Gender Reassignment, Marriage/Civil Partnership, Pregnancy/Maternity, Race, Religion/Belief, Sex and/or Sexual Orientation. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities, and industries, and are committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences, and abilities.

We are recruiting a Suicide Prevention Officer to facilitate the development, sale and delivery of high quality and impactful training and education programmes, upskilling individuals and organisations in how to prevent suicide.

What you will do:

• Facilitate in-person and online training sessions, ensuring interactive and impactful learning experiences.
• Develop and promote PAPYRUS’s training offer, tailoring to stakeholder needs and securing sales.
• Build relationships and partnerships to expand our reach and influence.
• Support the creation of e-learning and digital training resources.
• Prepare stakeholders for, and debrief them after, suicide interventions.
• Stay informed of best practice and national strategy, contribute to campaigns, and represent PAPYRUS in the media and      at events.
• Champion safeguarding, health and safety, and equality across all activity.

To be successful in this role you will have:

• A degree or professional qualification in a relevant field such as Education, Counselling, Training, Psychology, Community Development or Youth Work.
• A recognised training qualification or willingness to work towards one.
• Experience in delivering and developing training programmes and community-based projects.
• Ability to manage sensitive conversations and facilitate learning in emotionally complex areas.
• Strong relationship-building, presentation and time management skills.
• Professional curiosity, resilience, and a commitment to safeguarding.
• Confidence in working independently and remotely, with ability to travel as required.

Please visit the careers site for the full job description and person specification for the role.

Salary: £31,537 per annum (Scale SCP 18) progressing by increments to £34,434 per annum (Scale SCP 23)

Hours: 36 hours per week  

Location: Home-based to cover the South-Central region primarily (i.e. Swindon, Hampshire, Surrey, Berkshire, Oxfordshire) alongside the wider South and East England Area.

Contract: Permanent 

Benefits: You will receive 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time workers), hybrid and flexible working arrangements, an attractive pension scheme, Simply Health membership, enhanced sick pay and enhanced parental pay. Please visit our website for more details.

Closing date: Sunday 12th October 2025

We reserve the right to close the vacancy earlier if we receive sufficient applications so, please submit your application as soon as possible.

PAPYRUS is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in employment and its recruitment policies are designed to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender re-assignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

PAPYRUS is committed to safeguarding all children, young people and adults at risk that interact with the organisation. The organisation recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of these vulnerable groups by a commitment to procedures to protect them. The charity expects all staff and volunteers to fully support and promote these commitments.

AAFDA was founded by Frank Mullane in memory of his sister Julia Pemberton and her son Will who were both killed by her ex-partner in 2003.

Each year, around 150 families lose a loved one to domestic homicide. The actual number of suicides as a result of domestic abuse remains unknown.  Most of these families suffer significant problems including relationship breakdown, job difficulties/loss and mental and physical health issues. We help these families in many ways, our prime function being to provide families in England and Wales with specialist peer support and expert and specialist advocacy for the range of statutory reviews that will take place after domestic homicide.

AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) is a growing Charity and to meet the demands of this growth, we are looking for exceptional candidates to join our team in a highly rewarding opportunity. Although home based, some travel will be required - frequency will be commensurate to the role. We welcome applications from candidates with experience of domestic abuse.  We are also committed to diversity and strongly encourage applications from those with Black and/or Minoritised backgrounds.

Our Specialist Advocates support families impacted by fatal domestic abuse through provision of lay advocacy, for and on behalf of, families with a range of statutory service providers (e.g. those conducting reviews and inquiries, social services, police, housing) and work to build good relations between all parties.  To ensure that families get the support they need, you will use AAFDA’s Home Office endorsed seven-step approach to working with individuals and families, to ensure that they receive the best possible support and advocacy to restore dignity and relief for families and to help them cope and recover. Through trauma-informed approaches, you will:

listen to families and advocate for them in a complex system that too often treats them as passive participants and overlooks the value of their insight.
provide information, support, guidance, advice and advocacy on Domestic Homicide Reviews, Mental Health Reviews, Inquests, Independent Office of Police Conduct inquiries and other types of inquiries.
manage families’ expectations of the legal and procedural processes facing them by supporting families in meetings with agencies such as health, police and local authorities.
give families practical help on a wide range of issues - including help with letter writing or advocating with employers and local authorities on the families’ behalf.
Support AAFDA in our bringing families together in AAFDA’s peer support events, such as the Hear Our Voice weekend and the on-line peer support Zoom sessions, where families can speak with others to share their experiences and stories. This will involve occasional evening work.

In return for joining us, we will offer you:

25 days annual leave per annum, plus bank holidays
Excellent development and training opportunities
Pension Scheme
Healthcare Scheme
Employee Assist Scheme

Application Instructions

To apply for this role, please submit a supporting statement, outlining how you meet the person specification, along with your CV.

Applicants will be shortlisted according to how well they meet the criteria in the person specification. Please highlight and explain how you meet these in your supporting statement. If you have been shortlisted for interview, you will be informed by email. Regrettably, we are normally unable to acknowledge unsuccessful applicants. Please note that we will not progress applications where the supporting statement does not address the criteria for the role being applied for.

We are looking for a part-time (22.5 hours per week) social media officer to ensure our community is engaged and interacted with through our multiple social media channels. The role is focused on the creation of engaging content for our social media channels, including Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, as well as monitoring these channels and engaging with our followers. You will be involved in the major Veganuary campaign, inspiring and supporting people to try a vegan diet – better for animals, better for the planet, and better for our health. 

This is a fixed term contract until 28 February 2026. 

We need someone available to cover the following hours:

• Monday (9.00 to 5.30)
• Friday (9.00 to 5.30)
• Sunday (half a day worked at any time)
• A further half day to be worked on any day that suits.

Why work for Kids Matter?

• Generous annual leave – 25 days (plus bank holidays) per year pro rata, with time off between Christmas and New Year's additional to this allowance.
• Remote working contribution – receive £26/month pro rata towards the costs of working from home and/or using a co-working space.
• Access to coaching sessions, training opportunities and our Employee Assistance Programme (a confidential support service for staff).
• Flexible working across weekdays to suit your schedule.

About us

Kids Matter is one of the UK’s fastest growing children’s charities.

Our vision is to see every child in need raised in a strong family. Our mission is to reduce the impact of poverty on children through community-based parenting programmes.

Research shows that group-based early intervention parenting groups are the most effective way to support children in need. We train peer facilitators in local churches - the largest voluntary body in the country - to run our affordable, accessible and highly effective parenting programmes, written by Clinical Psychologists. They come alongside parents and carers, building long-lasting community in addition to encouraging confidence and learning positive parenting skills.

We value difference and diversity, and we want our workplace to be built on shared values of equality and mutual trust, with team members representing the wide range of backgrounds and experiences that exist within the UK. We therefore actively encourage applications from people of diverse backgrounds and varied experiences, particularly those who are African, Afro-Caribbean, Asian or part of other minority ethnic communities, who have lived experience of the impact of low-income/low-support circumstances, and who are living with a disability or identify as being neurodivergent.

About the role

The Research and Programmes Coordinator role involves:

• Overseeing administrative tasks for all research projects
• Supporting the Programme Development Team Lead in management of all research projects
• Liaising with the Support Coach team to connect with facilitators/parents for data collection e.g. supporting with the running of focus groups
• Using Kids Matter’s CRM to confidently record communication with consultants and Research Assistants
• Supporting the data gathering process for all our evaluation data including maintaining data integrity by performing regular data audits and cleaning parent data ready for the Research Assistants to analyse

About you

Are you organised with good attention to detail? Do you enjoy supporting others and having a varied workload? Can you prioritise and manage your time effectively? Are you a Christian with an active faith in Jesus? Do you have a passion for Kids Matter’s vision of seeing every child in need raised in a strong family?

Then we would love to hear from you!

How to apply

You can apply for the Research and Programmes Coordinator position by clicking ‘Apply via Website’ and completing a copy of our online application form.

The deadline for applications is 4pm on Monday 29th September 2025. All successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified by email.

We also ask for all applicants to submit an Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form, which will be sent to you to complete following the submission of your application. This form will be used for anonymous analysis to ensure our overall recruitment procedures are fair and transparent. It will never be viewed or used as part of the selection process. It is optional to submit this form.

If you would like any application/interview support or you need any reasonable adjustments throughout the application process, or if you would like an informal phone call to ask questions or discuss the role, please contact Katie Washington (HR & Systems Manager).

Please see the job pack for more details on the role and application process.

The Christie Charity is a vibrant, fast moving, energetic organisation with a passionate team and a fantastic reputation.

Everything we do is geared to supporting the renowned Christie hospital ensuring cancer patients receive the highest level of treatment and care and have access to world leading research and technology. We provide funding over and above what the NHS provides.

We are currently entering a particularly exciting period of growth and expansion as we fundraise for a number of major projects.We are looking for a creative storyteller with a passion for bringing powerful stories to life to join our marketing team and help showcase the incredible impact of our charity.

In this exciting role, you’ll create high-quality videos, photography, and interviews that highlight the work of our hospital, staff, and supporters. Working closely with our Digital Marketing Manager, you’ll produce inspiring content for campaigns, our website, and social platforms, ensuring our supporters feel connected and engaged. You’ll also step in to cover social media activity when needed, keeping our online presence strong and consistent.

We’re looking for someone with proven skills in video and photo production, editing, and digital storytelling, who is comfortable interviewing people and working with sensitive stories. If you’re organised, creative, and ready to make a real difference by helping us share our impact with the world, we’d love to hear from you.

The Charity team is responsible for raising millions of pounds each year to ensure Christie patients receive the very best care and treatment. This includes everything from access to world first clinical trials and receiving radiotherapy in state-of-the-art treatment centres, to young adults being cared for in a bespoke age-appropriate centre and being able to offer patients anxiety reducing complementary therapy, or even creative sessions in our art room.

If you want to make a real difference to cancer patients and are ready to rise to the challenge of working for one of the most successful charities in the North-West, then this could be the role for you.

Closing date: Midnight on Monday 29 September

Interview date: Thursday 16 October

You will bring your energy and skill to creating compelling content when writing news stories and social media, unleash your creativity in designing digital media and website content, and show your organizational skills in supporting events. You must be bilingual Spanish and English speaker to apply for this role.

This is an important role in a small communications team where you will help raise our international organisation’ s global profile across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. 

This fully remote contracting role is perfect for someone with some communications experience and a keen interest in supporting countries across the world to build better public infrastructure through open governance principles (accountability, transparency, participation, multi stakeholder working).

As the only Spanish speaking member of the communications team, you will lead on social media and news stories across Latin America and therefore fluent Spanish and English (both written and spoken) are essential, in addition knowledge of the Latin America region would be useful.

This is a fully remote consultancy role. You will not be paid on an hourly/daily basis but instead paid a fixed amount (as set out above) each month for completing agreed deliverables with your line manager. As a rough guide, we expect this will take around 18-20 hours a week. We are open to you working the hours in a way that works for your life-work balance and delivers our business needs, subject to being available for key meetings/deliverables during the week and in agreement with your line manager. Whilst this role is initially for 6 months, there is potential for this to extend or develop into a longer-term role. 

Key responsibilities: 

Drafting content (60%):

• researching and drafting news articles in English;
• creating ideas for, and drafting of, social media in both English and Spanish;
• creating digital media in both English and Spanish for social media accounts and website,
• using Canva and other software; 
• drafting newsletters in both English and Spanish.

Regular communications admin tasks (40%):

• uploading and updating website content;
• supporting to organise and promote events, including preparing content and communications for internal and external events in both English and Spanish;
• supporting the website project manager with ad-hoc tasks in the development of a new website;
• supporting with tracking website and social media analytics and using them to inform future content generation;
• other communications-related activities as required to deliver the CoST Advocacy & Communications strategy. 

Essential experience and attributes:

• Both Spanish and English fluency in speaking and writing (this will be tested at interview)
• Experience with delivering written and visual communications in a variety of mediums.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a strong attention to detail.
• Experience with social, digital and communication platforms e.g Canva, scheduling platforms, mailchimp, wordpress, google analytics.
• An interest in international development, infrastructure, open governance, anti-corruption, and the not-for-profit sector.
• Creative and enthusiastic about a career in communications.
• Ability to prioritise, plan and organise work and work independently.
• We are a kind and inclusive place to work, and we hope to recruit individuals who share the same values as we do.

Desirable experience and attributes:

• Voluntary or paid experience in the not-for-profit sector, particularly areas relevant to CoST’ s work.
• Experience, knowledge and interest in Latin America and the Caribbean (LATAM) region and regional issues.
• Completed a degree or further education qualification

To apply visit our job pack.

Thrombosis UK is a small charity with big ambitions. We are the charity in the UK committed to saving lives and improving the quality of life for those affected by blood clots. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Coordinate Challenge Events

o Act as main contact with events management companies to coordinate our programme

o Encourage, support and monitor participants on their fundraising journey

o Manage production and distribution of event merchandise

• Fundraising

o Explore new fundraising opportunities to increase income and widen our supporter base

o Provide support/toolkits to volunteers who want to run their own events

o Research new technologies to streamline fundraising activities

o Represent the charity at community/fundraising events

o Reach out to suitable businesses for suitable support and donations

•    Marketing & Communications

o Plan and oversee marketing initiatives for TUK’s events and wider opportunities e.g. National Thrombosis Week and World Thrombosis Day

o Drive an effective social media presence

o Provide a prompt and enthusiastic response to fundraising enquiries across all channels

o Generate/update content for the website, social media and occasionally printed materials

o Liaise with designers, ensuring brand consistency across all channels

• Fundraising Admin

o Maintain accurate donor and income records, ensuring all invoices and payments are processed

o Promptly coordinate all donor correspondence such as acknowledgements, thank-yous, certificates and ‘good luck’ messages

o Provide a monthly fundraising overview to the CEO

Working within the Potteries Moneywise Team

Casework – The post holder will conduct a full exploration of the client’s financial and holistic circumstances to provide robust advice specific to the client’s needs.

The advisor will be required to act for the client where necessary and communicate with third parties such as water providers, energy providers or the Local Authority to progress the client’s case.

Advice will be delivered through a variety of channels including face-to-face (drop-in and appointments), telephone or digital channels and must conform to the Citizens Advice Quality of Advice standards and funder requirements.

The prospective advisor will be able to balance good quality alongside being able to achieve SLAs and KPIs in accordance with our contractual agreements.

We are seeking an energetic and proactive Corporate Partnerships Executive to help us strengthen and expand our partnerships. You will be at the heart of growing our corporate portfolio, ensuring we maximise opportunities to secure new business and nurture long-term, high-impact partnerships.

This role is both outward-facing and highly collaborative. You’ll work with colleagues across teams to deliver excellent partnership experiences, while also taking initiative to spot opportunities, drive forward proposals, and build relationships that support Future First’s mission.

If you have first class people and communication skills, creativity and energy in abundance and an insatiable eye for opportunity, and would like to work for a small but ambitious charity, we’d love to hear from you.

For more details about the role and information on how to apply, please download the recruitment pack.

Key dates to be aware of:

Tuesday 16 September 2025, 12:00pm – Information and Q&A session 

This is an optional session where you can hear more about the role and ask any questions you may have.

Please see details in the attached recruitment pack for how to register for this session.

We recommend attending to help you prepare the strongest possible application.

Monday 29th September 2025 (09:00am) – Applications close

Tuesday 7th October – Interviews will take place in-person in London

About Future First

We are a mission-driven, innovative social mobility charity that believes a young person’s start in life shouldn’t limit their future. We work with state schools and colleges to develop and build their alumni and employee volunteer communities, helping young people ‘see who they can be’ and helping to open up genuine routes to previously gatekept sectors. Our partners have a key role to play in this. We celebrate our 15th anniversary this year, and over that time have supported over 465,000 young people and built 1,250 alumni networks.

Our core team comes from a variety of backgrounds including partnership development, fundraising, delivery, teaching, programmes and communications. We gain additional support from a strong network of experienced and passionate long-term freelancers. We value all contributions and offer the possibility to expand and grow the role based on interests.

Casework – The post-holder will carry a specialist caseload, providing advice and casework covering the full range of debt issues and solutions. This includes but is not limited to, dealing with emergencies, making use of the Breathing Space scheme, making offers of repayment, drafting financial statements, advising on insolvency options and providing budgeting advice. They will ensure that income maximisation is carried out and refer to other in-house advisers or specialist agencies as appropriate.

They will be required to act for the client where necessary and communicate with third parties to progress a case.

Advice will be delivered through a variety of channels including face to face (drop-in and appointments), telephone or digital channels and must conform to the Citizens Advice Quality of Advice standards and funder requirements.

The post-holder will work to individual targets that must be met in order to contribute to team targets.

Thrombosis UK is a small charity with big ambitions. We are the charity in the UK committed to saving lives and improving the quality of life for those affected by blood clots. 

Key Responsibilities:

• To be the first point of contact for those requiring support, information and signposting with regards to VTE
• Answering enquiries across all channels (including those via the chat on our Facebook pages and “Let’s Talk Clots” app) in a supportive and timely manner
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with a range of stakeholders including patients, carers, and medical professionals
• Facilitating online meetings and focus groups between those with lived experience of VTE and selected research partners
• Accurately recording contact information on a central database
• Contributing to the development/updating of TUK’s information materials, to reflect current guidelines and medical advances
• Ensure accessibility of patient information materials
•  Providing support at TUK events, and wider initiatives such as National Thrombosis Week and World Thrombosis Day
• Contributing to the development of TUK’s community engagement activities
• Preparing a monthly overview of community engagement for the CEO

UK (Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London or Manchester) - Hybrid or Remote
Ref 7158
Closing Date: 28 September 2025

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Impact & Evaluation Adviser to join our UK Impact team and lead on developing the best practice design, and ethical oversight of the research, evaluation and learning initiatives we undertake across the UK. This is a senior, strategic role for someone with deep expertise in both qualitative and quantitative research methods, participatory approaches, and complex systems evaluation. You will provide expert guidance to colleagues across the organisation, ensuring all research is ethically robust, evidence-informed, and used to drive meaningful change for children and families in the UK. 

About Us 
Save the Children UK believes every child deserves a future. In the UK and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We ensure children's unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach. 

About the Team 
This part of the organisation influences debates, opinion, and policies in favour of children's rights. We use powerful evidence and thought leadership to build advocacy strategies that ensure governments know about the problems we have identified and the solutions. We work with children, families, campaigners, and partners across many organisations to secure change. We create and disseminate engaging media content about children's lives to shape debates, put pressure on decisionmakers and build public support. 

The Senior Impact & Evaluation Adviser is based in our UK Impact (UKI) department. The department is responsible for driving the delivery of the UK Impact goal in our strategy. Our vision is to make sure families in the UK have the money, services, and power to end child poverty. It's our mission to help build communities of people who care about children, listen to what's important to them and work together to make things better. 

About the Role 
The Senior Impact & Evaluation Adviser will provide expert advice on impact, evaluation, and evidence strategies to impact and learning colleagues in UK country teams (who will lead on individual project design, implementation, data collection and analysis). They will support and provide capacity building for colleagues to embed high-quality design, impact measurement, and evaluation into major new initiatives; and lead UKI's approach to ethical research. 

We are looking for someone with extensive experience applying a range of qualitative and quantitative methods in social change research. This includes experience in at least one of the following: participatory research (ideally with adults and children), place-based and/or systems change evaluation, and research that explores public attitudes. Ethical rigor is at the heart of what we do, and you will lead our approach to research ethics, ensuring all work meets the highest professional and ethical standards. 

In this role, you will: 

• Provide expert advice to impact, evaluation, and learning colleagues in country teams on impact frameworks, evidence strategies, evaluation methods, and data strategies – for both place-based work and advocacy strategies 
• Ensure that expert advice on impact and evidence strategies balances the need for rigour and pragmatism; reflects the priorities of our impact strategies; and responds appropriately to funder priorities 
• Support colleagues with the implementation of impact and evidence strategies, helping colleagues in country teams to overcome challenges with data collection and analysis where needed 
• Support colleagues with commissioning external support for evidence and learning, for example, by drawing on external professional networks; and advising on specifications 
• Support fundraising by advising senior colleagues on project design, impact measurement, and evaluation approaches for major new initiatives 
• Lead work with a range of colleagues to identify and respond to professional development needs and opportunities around impact measurement and evaluation 
• Explore opportunities for shared learning and practice improvement across impact, evaluation, and learning with SCUK colleagues and partners, such as by convening internal or external networks / communities of practice 
• Oversee the current UKI approach to research ethics and associated processes, including leading on immediate improvements; and contribute to the further development of ethical approaches to our work 
• Build and maintain excellent external networks in relevant fields; and stay up-to-date with the latest literature and debates on impact, evaluation, and evidence strategies in complex social change 

We are looking for someone with the following experience, competencies, and skills: 

• Significant experience of designing and implementing evaluation or research strategies to support social change in complex systems 
• Extensive experience applying a range of qualitative and quantitative methods in evaluation, impact measurement, and evidence generation 
• Experience in participatory research with adults and children, place-based and/or systems change evaluation, and ideally public attitudes research 
• In-depth knowledge of research and evaluation ethics, including ethics review processes 
• Proven ability to coach and advise others in an empowering way that builds the skills and expertise of colleagues 
• Proven ability to communicate and build support for the purpose and execution of different impact, evaluation, and evidence approaches to non-specialists 
• Strong collaboration skills, with the ability to understand the needs of others and offer pragmatic solutions 
• Ability to work across multiple projects and teams at the same time; prioritise own time well to meet agreed objectives; and set clear boundaries for own workload 
• Ability to travel around the UK and Ireland to meet colleagues, partners, and families, with sufficient notice – around 4-6 times a year 

Please note: To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.

Location & Ways of Working:
The majority of our roles can be performed remotely in the UK, but at times you will be required to come to your contracted office (usually between 2–4 days per month, depending on the needs of your role, team, or service). For many roles, this is likely to be the minimum required to deliver impact.

This will be discussed and agreed with your manager / team and we encourage candidates to discuss our ways of working in more detail at interview stage.

Please note: travel costs to your contracted office will be at your own expense. 

Flexible Working - We are happy to discuss flexible working options at interview.

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: 

Save the Children UK believes in a world that is fair, inclusive and equitable where all children have the opportunity to change their world. We apply this to our workforce and we are committed to developing and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organisation where all employees have a sense of belonging and feel that they can be "Free to Be Me". We are not looking for just one type of person - we want to recruit people who can add fresh perspectives, innovative ideas or challenge that disrupts the risk of group think. 

We are especially interested in people whose childhood experiences - of life on a low income, of migration, of being in a racialised community, of the care system, of being LGBT+ or in an LGBT+ family or living with (or with someone with) a disability - help us to see things we might otherwise miss. Whatever your story is we want to hear it because we know that different voices, ideas, perspectives and knowledge, working together will enable us to better the lives of children around the world. This is the reason why we are all here. 

Job Title: Policy and Impact Officer

Location: Home working with some travel 

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: 35 hours per week

Salary: £24,000pa 

DBS/PVG: Not required

Job Family: 3

Line Manager: Head of Policy and Impact

Closing Date:  30th September 2025 We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications

Start Date: asap

Interview Dates: 23 October 2025

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications

Who we are

At Volunteering Matters, we believe people have the power to create change. Whether through volunteering by helping others and giving time, or through social action such as speaking up, campaigning, or leading change, everyone can make a difference. We bring people together to build stronger communities across England, Scotland and Wales, making sure everyone has the chance to get involved and create real change.

What we do

We help people of all ages and backgrounds get involved in volunteering and social action. We focus on making sure that everyone, no matter their situation, has the chance to take part. 

How we do this

We support people to share their time and skills to help others and tackle big challenges in their communities.

• We remove barriers to volunteering and social action, making it easier for people who don’t always get the chance to take part.

• We listen to and amplify voices that aren’t always heard, helping volunteers and communities influence change.

• We help volunteers beyond their first experience, offering training, support, and pathways to new opportunities.

• We connect businesses with communities, creating meaningful employee volunteering projects.

• We show the impact of volunteering and social action, proving how it changes lives for the better.

Our promise to volunteers

We are always looking for new ways for volunteers to make a difference. We bring people together across generations and backgrounds to learn from each other and create change. At the same time, we make sure that all our volunteers are trained, supported, and valued, so they feel confident in what they do.

Role Purpose

The Policy and Impact Team sits at the heart of Volunteering Matters. We play a vital role in demonstrating the impact of our work connecting data, qualitative insight, and lived experience to the policy agendas shaping communities across the UK. Through storytelling, analysis, and evidence, we make sure volunteering is recognised as a driving force for social change.

We are a small, hands-on team. You will be involved in every aspect of our work from desk-based research and writing briefings to organising external meetings and working directly in communities alongside our volunteers. This variety allows you to connect national policy with local realities and help volunteers share their voices where it matters most.

 You will help bring our five-year strategy to life by linking project outcomes to broader societal developments and showcasing the impact of volunteers and communities.

Key Duties Responsibilities

· Support the Head of Policy and Impact to coordinate Volunteering Matters’ policy and public affairs work.

· Support people involved with our volunteering projects to engage with local politicians, e.g. by organising visits to projects or meetings with volunteers. 

· Monitor and respond to opportunities (e.g. relevant government consultations, All-Party Parliamentary Group inquiries or Select Committee inquiries) that are relevant to Volunteering Matters’ priorities.

· Support mapping and research exercises to inform our policy positioning. Writing summary reports as needed.

· Collaborate with the National Volunteer Engagement Manager to support the inclusion of volunteer and community voices in our policy and public affairs work.

· Assist with collecting impact and activity data from across the charity and work with the Data Analyst to undertake analysis.

· Support with routine collection of quarterly data from projects - ensuring responses are timely and accurate, providing guidance to project managers as needed.

· Work with project staff to help create impactful and engaging reports.

· Represent Volunteering Matters at charity and volunteering policy-related groups. 

 Essential Skills

· Understanding of UK political systems and policy-making processes across national, devolved, and local levels.

· Understanding of policy, public affairs, or influencing, ideally within the voluntary or community sector.

· Confident communicator, able to engage with policymakers, sector partners, and community representatives.

· Familiarity with both qualitative and quantitative data analysis to inform narrative reporting and strategic insight.

· Excellent writing skills, with the ability to craft clear, persuasive documents based on data and lived experience.

· Alignment with Volunteering Matters’ values and a commitment to amplifying community voice.

· Must adhere to the organisation’s Code of Conduct and uphold its values at all times.

· Proficient in Microsoft 365, particularly Outlook, Teams, Word, and Excel, with the ability to manage email communications and collaborate digitally.

· Able to work effectively both independently and as part of a team, managing time and priorities in a busy environment.

· For remote roles, candidates must be self-starters who can work with minimal supervision, stay organised, and remain motivated to meet deadlines and deliver quality outcomes.

· Attention to detail and a proactive approach to problem-solving and information sharing.

Experience Required

No specific experience is required.

Qualifications

Relevant skills and values alignment is more important for this role than specific qualifications.

Our Values & Way of Working

In all that we do we are guided by our values: Empowering, Inclusive, Compassionate, Positive & Straightforward.

Disability Confident & Reasonable Adjustments

We guarantee to interview anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role. Please provide evidence in your application, which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required in the Job Description under skill and experience. To be considered for a guaranteed interview or to discuss any reasonable adjustments during the process, please state this in your cover letter.

GDPR Statement

If you apply for a role with us, we will retain your contact details including your name, address, email address and phone number to help us manage your application for up to six months.  We will not use your personal data for any other purpose or share it with any third party. You can contact us at any point to update your personal information or ask us to delete it from our records.

Policy on AI-Generated Applications 

Applications are accepted on trust, and we expect all submissions to reflect the applicant’s own words, experiences, and motivations. While tools such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) may support the application process, applications should not be generated wholly by AI. 

To Apply

Please send an updated, complete CV and cover letter via the Charity Job Apply button above. In your application clearly state which role you are applying for. In the cover letter please demonstrate how you would fulfil the role requirements, what previous relevant achievements you have (both in life and at work), what skills & experience you can offer, and what you believe you can contribute to Volunteering Matters.

Please note that all applicants must have the right to work in the UK. Unfortunately, we’re unable to progress applications that don’t meet this requirement. 

If you have any questions about current vacancies, the recruitment process, or need support, our team is here to help. Whether you're a candidate looking for more information or with an HR query, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.