Social worker jobs in manchester

Overview

High energy costs are a nightmare for millions of UK households, while huge profits are made at our expense. Poor housing and heating systems are a key part of the problem, along with dependence on polluting, climate-changing fossil fuels. FPA is a campaigning organisation that sets out to attack the root causes of fuel poverty along with the specific injustices facing people and communities. We want to see the UK’s energy system decarbonised as rapidly as possible, with a just transition for communities and workers.that includes affordability. 

Working closely with pensioners groups, trades unions, disabled campaigners, tenants’ organisations and others on the frontline of fuel poverty, we’re using protest and direct action to fight for real, sustainable solutions to the cold homes crisis. We are looking for a committed senior organiser, who shares our passion and values, to bring energy and imagination to developing our base and supporting our members to build their power.

About the role

Fuel Poverty Action (FPA) was started in 2011 by climate activists who wanted to ensure that the green energy transition doesn’t happen at the expense of those with less social and economic power. Rather, they saw the break with fossil fuels as an opportunity to end the scourge of fuel poverty in the UK - a chance to rethink priorities and design inequality out of the energy system.

Immediately, they were drawn into community-based struggles for energy justice, against false, profit-driven solutions and maladministration of ‘green’ measures with no accountability to tenants and residents.

Over the years others joined the fight, growing FPA to a small membership-led organisation comprising people at the sharp end of fuel poverty - people of all ages and backgrounds, mainly located in London. Since 2022, funding has enabled us to employ a small, dispersed team who are accountable to directors and a membership that is now UK-wide. 

We are now looking for an experienced, senior organiser to help FPA grow and evolve our membership network further. We want to reach more people and support members to be active within FPA so that we can build our political impact and remain meaningfully member-led. 

We are seeking a flexible person with significant leadership experience who will be confident working as part of a small team, capable of outward facing work and internal management. You will have experience of organising in collective campaigns,  including digitally, and a background in grassroots or community-based action, with a strong commitment to inclusive and anti-oppressive practice.

As the Organising Lead, you will join our Campaigns Lead and Operations Lead as the third pillar of our self-managing Coordination Team. While line-managing other colleagues and enabling the contributions of members who are unpaid, you will yourself be a member of FPA, and answerable to the group. 

We use the digital platform Action Network to run campaigns and communicate with FPA supporters. Our ideal candidate would have the skills to incorporate ladders, tags and custom fields into our digital campaigns to maximise online to offline impact and convert list growth into membership. They would also actively maintain relationships with existing members who are not always confident with online communication tools. 

There is a lot of scope to bring new ideas and perspectives to shape our work.

What you might find yourself doing:

Strategy development: Leading on creation of a new membership growth and retention strategy in collaboration with existing members

Growing our base: Boosting in-person recruitment and using Action Network to build a digital pipeline into membership

Communications: Ensuring members are connected and informed through one-to-one calls, emails, members’ section of the website, WhatsApp groups and other platforms. 

Member development: Building one-to-one relationships with members, understanding their interests, linking them to opportunities and providing feedback and follow-up

Member activation: Supporting members to participate in our own and allies’ events, actions and mobilisations, digitally and on the ground

Speaker invitations: Representing FPA at events and in media as well as supporting members to do so

Capacity building and training: Providing tools, advice and training to members and supporters, including to FPA’s local groups in Glasgow, Manchester and London

Administration: Managing onboarding systems and securely maintaining records

Organisational management: As part of the self-managing Coordination Team

Line management: Providing light touch management for one or more colleagues

Online meetings: Including prospective member induction interviews and regular members’ meetings which you organise and facilitate

About You

Essential requirements. You’ll thrive in this role if you:

• are highly organised, comfortable self-managing and detail-oprientated in routine admin tasks

• have demonstrable skills in organisational and people management that are relevant for a remote team

• are instinctively collaborative and able to communicate warmly, openly and honestly with colleagues

• are self-motivated, flexible and positive about remote team working, ready to take responsibility for pacing yourself and maintaining your well-being at busy times

• have excellent communication skills, including verbal, written, editing, IT skills, and listening 

• are agile in your use of digital platforms to communicate with different audiences

• have a strong affinity with FPA’s aims, objectives and organisational values of solidarity, empathy and respect

• have a proven understanding of anti-oppression work and commitment to tackling all institutional forms of oppression, bigotry and exclusion 

• have excellent relationship-building skills, with the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and sensitively, and work effectively with diverse individuals, including those directly impacted by injustice and oppression 

• are confident and creative in your approach to running online and in-person meetings

• have several years of experience in organising or campaigning on issues of poverty and/or the climate, housing or energy 

It is also desirable (but not necessary) for you to have:

• experience of using Action Network or similar platforms to build an activist pipeline

• the skills to craft compelling calls to action and design digital content optimised for engagement

• experience of providing training tools, skills and hand-holding to those at the sharp end of the polycrisis

• links and ongoing relationships with networks and movements with similar aims or values to Fuel Poverty Action

• experience of horizontal organisations and ways to promote staff wellbeing and sustainable remote working 

Compensation Policy 

We’ll compensate team members on the following basis:

• All salaried team members are contracted on the same terms and conditions

• We have a 30 hour week maximum for all team members - most commonly worked as 4 x 7.5 hour days

• Team members are paid an equitable and sustainable compensation rate which is the pro rate equivalent to a full-time (5 day) salary of £40-45,000, regardless of role or level of experience

• Our compensation rates have been set following Platform’s best practice Social Justice Waging System:

Annual salary (30 hours per week):

• Band 1 - No dependents or children and inherited wealth: £32,000 

• Band 2 - One or more children or dependents and inherited wealth OR No inherited wealth but no children or dependents: £34,000

• Band 3 - One or more more children or dependents and no inherited wealth: £36,000 

Further details

• 3% employer-matched pension

• Genuinely flexible working

• 25 days holiday per year, plus bank holidays

• A progressive parental leave policy

•  £15 / month working-from-home broadband stipend 

We have no central office or workspace budget, so it is imperative that you are comfortable working from home

Some costs-paid travel and monthly evening and occasional weekend working will be required

We particularly welcome applications from marginalised groups, especially people of colour and other ethnic minorities, people who identify as LGBTQIA, disabled people and those who identify as working class or have done so in the past 

The appointment will be for one year with a hope of extension, funding permitting, and a four month probationary period

Job Title: HR Manager

Line Reports:  Interns and secondments to People Team

Location: Flexible, hybrid, with some travel required to our offices (London, Manchester or Birmingham)

Salary:  £32,500-38,500 (£35,000-41,000 in London)

Hours: Full-time 37.5 hours per week, open to flexible working

Contract: Permanent

Overall purpose

Reporting to the Director of People, the HR Manager will take responsibility for the operational delivery of Breaking Barriers’ key People and HR activities and initiatives. You will have a strong knowledge of all aspects HR and provide proactive, practical support on day-to-day operations as well as leading strategic HR projects. A keen understanding of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace and employee wellbeing is an advantage.

This role is essential to ensure we continue to be an effective, inclusive and people-led organisation. Your role will be vital in making sure Breaking Barriers is and continues to be a great place to work for its staff.

You will deliver day to day HR support to team members and managers, work across the organisation to advise on HR policies and good practice, deliver recruitment processes, and deliver and track Learning & Development. You will support on wider strategic initiatives, working with the Director of People to embed new strategies and projects informed by employee feedback.

To view the full job description and person specification, as well as details on our accessible recruitment process, please view the attached recruitment pack.

Other considerations

• As part of our safeguarding commitment to our clients, we carry out preemployment checks to ensure that successful applicants are suitable to work with adults at risk. These include basic DBS checks, obtaining references and verifying a candidate’s identity and right to work in the UK.
• Some travel between our different areas of operation (including London, Birmingham and Manchester) will be required. Occasional evening or weekend work may be required. Time off in lieu would be provided in this case.
• We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity status, race, religion or belief.

How to apply

If you are looking for a role where you can make a real difference, we want to hear from you. To apply, please submit a CV and statement (up to approximately 500 words/1 A4 page) outlining:

• Why you are interested in the role
• What skills you would bring to be successful in this role
• Any experience you would like to highlight
• Any reasonable adjustments you require for the interview process
• Disclosure of disabilities if you wish to do so (as a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, we guarantee an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role)

Please note that applications without a covering letter will not be considered.

Closing date for applications is 11:30pm on Saturday 5th July. Interviews will be held on a rolling basis so please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

We belong to the Experts by Experience Employment Initiative, which advocates and supports organisations to employ more people from a refugee background. With this in mind, we particularly welcome applicants with experience of seeking asylum and/or a refugee background. 

If you are an expert by experience (a refugee or a migrant with direct, first-hand experience of issues and challenges of the UK asylum or immigration system), you can ask for an independent and confidential support for your job application from the Experts by Experience Employment Network. Please reach out to HR Manager Dani Meier for further details (we are unable to include email addresses in this advert, but you can find contact details on the final page of the attached recruitment pack).

About Us
Groundwork Cheshire, Lancashire & Merseyside is a community-focused charity committed to changing lives and transforming places. We deliver a wide range of programmes that support people to improve their prospects and wellbeing.

The Opportunity
We’re looking for a passionate and motivated Team Leader to deliver our King’s Trust Team Programme—a 12-week personal development course for young people aged 16–25. This is your chance to make a real difference in the lives of young people who are unemployed or facing personal challenges.

What You’ll Do

• Recruit and support young people through the programme
• Plan and deliver engaging activities, including residentials and community projects
• Provide one-to-one mentoring and support
• Deliver and assess the King’s Trust Certificate in Employment, Teamwork and Community Skills (up to Level 2)
• Work with local partners to enhance the programme
• Promote safeguarding and ensure participant wellbeing

What We’re Looking For

• Experience working with young people or in youth/community development
• Strong leadership, communication, and organisational skills
• A positive, empathetic, and motivational approach
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Commitment to safeguarding and equality
• Access to your own transport

What We Offer

• 25 days annual leave + 1 extra day for Christmas closure
• 8 public holidays
• Flexible working arrangements
• Aviva Auto-Enrolment Pension Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Ongoing training and development
  
  This role requires a clear Enhanced DBS check.
   

How To Apply
For the full job description and person specification and details on how to apply, please down the Recruitment Pack or visit our website.