5 Specialist counsellors jobs

As Innovation Strategy Manager you will lead in helping Battersea learn, experiment and develop new solutions to drive forward our strategic priorities, keeping us relevant, future-focused and generating ever greater impact.

All work is delivered through creativity, collaboration within and outside of Battersea and a deep understanding of our target audiences, balancing ambition and pragmatism.

Why the role exists:

This is a rare opportunity to lead in helping Battersea learn, experiment and develop new solutions to positively impact the lives of cats, dogs, and their owners for years to come. You’ll bring strong strategic thinking, innovation expertise, service design, and leadership skills to an environment focused on meaningful social impact, working alongside a team of smart, compassionate, and experienced colleagues.

This role focuses on broad, organisation-wide innovation - spanning our services, operations, supporter offering, and income generation - with a clear focus on delivering outcomes for animals and the people who care for them. It is not a specialist digital or fundraising role; instead, it centres on identifying the right problems and shaping effective responses. While some initiatives will involve digital elements (and an understanding of this is useful), delivery is carried out by specialist teams both in-house and externally.

Success in this role means identifying high-impact opportunities, aligning stakeholders around them, and ensuring they are taken forward effectively - supporting pilots and implementation where appropriate.

What we can offer you:

In return for your commitment to our cause and to recognise the value of our employees, Battersea offers a range of benefits to support the wellbeing of our employees. These include:

• 28 days of annual leave (plus 8 days paid public holidays) per year.
• Discounted gym memberships and cycle to work schemes.
• Employee Assistance Programme and access to Wellbeing Resources.
• Generous pension contributions - up to 10% employer contribution.
• Free healthcare cash plan, where you can claim for a range of treatment including dental, optical, physiotherapy, chiropody and acupuncture every year.
• Annual interest-free season ticket loans.

We are also committed to providing learning and development to our employees. During your time with us, we provide support for your professional and career development, including access to digital and in-person training programmes, leadership and management training, mentoring and much more.

Our hybrid working model:

We operate a 50% onsite hybrid working model, with our office-based staff splitting their time between site based and home working. This enables our office-based staff to balance the benefits of home working with onsite collaboration and maintaining a connection to our cause.

Diversity and inclusion:

We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive experience for all staff, volunteers and trustees and those hoping to join us. We operate an anonymised shortlisting process and actively seek to ensure our process is fair and equitable for all.

We understand the value of diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences to help us deliver even more for our dogs and cats, and we welcome applicants from all sections of the community.

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we will ask about any adjustments you may need at application and/or interview stage, and if you are offered a role with us, we’ll talk to you about any workplace adjustments you may need to help you perform at your best. Greyscale copies of the recruitment pack are also available on request.

More about us:

At Battersea, we aim to never turn away a dog or cat in need of help. We give each one lots of love, expert care and get to know their characters and quirks so we can find them a new home that’s just right for them. Join us and help us be here for every dog and cat, wherever they are, for as long as they need us.

Acceptable use of AI:

At Battersea, we value expertise. We recognise each candidate that applies to us will have a range of expertise they can offer us, so we want to hear about this in your own words. We understand the support that generative artificial intelligence (AI) software can offer but it can also lead to numerous applications presenting as generic and impersonal. This makes it difficult to gain understanding of your unique experience.

To best showcase yourself, we encourage you to write your responses without the assistance of AI. If you require the use of AI software to aid in completing your application, we ask you use the generative responses as a prompt for writing your answers and avoid copying and pasting. You must also ensure the information presented in your application accurately reflects your experience. 

Closing date: 22nd September 2026

All applications must be submitted before the closing date advertised. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received.

Interview date(s):
First Round (online): 30th September & 1st October 2026
Second Round (in-person): To be confirmed

For more information about the role, please download our Recruitment pack.

As our Associate Director of Children’s Services, you have a key role to play in the leadership, operational management, and strategic direction of Chestnut Tree House. We are looking for an individual who shares our passion for excellence, innovation and continuous improvement. Whether through clinical leadership, service development, strengthening quality standards or supporting our workforce, this role offers a unique opportunity to make a significant contribution to our future.

At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to kindness, respect, integrity and collaboration. We want every colleague to feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their full potential while delivering the very best outcomes for those in our care.

As a leader within Southern Hospice Group, you will:

• Lead the planning, performance and delivery of Children’s services, holding accountability for quality, patient outcomes, financial control, income and contract compliance.
• Build and sustain strong partnerships with commissioners and system partners, developing and negotiating proposals that expand service reach and impact.
• Lead service improvement and innovation and share learning across the organisation.
• Provide visible, values-led people leadership, creating a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement across all teams.

You'll be

• Passionate advocate for babies, children and young people
• Child and family centred
• Significant experience in children's palliative/end of life care or children with complex care needs
• Compassionate but accountable leader
• Strategic but operationally grounded
• Professional curiosity, always seeing ways to innovate and improve
• Track record of effective performance management across quality, workforce, operations and finance
• Effective communicator, able to influence and build strong teams
• Experience of leading and supporting teams through change
• Builds effective relationships with key stakeholders across the group and externally
• Confidence in financial leadership, including budget management, income generation and commercial decision making.
• Proven ability to influence and partner with commissioners and system stakeholders
• Highly developed people leadership skills, with the ability to engage, motivate and develop the workforce and build strong teams.

The role

Lead the growth and delivery of Cruse's External Training & Consultancy programme, combining business development, customer relationship management, and delivery oversight to make Cruse the leading provider of bereavement training in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

You will be responsible for managing our external training programme. The programme has been delivering high-quality grief and bereavement training to over 370 external organisations and thousands of individuals for the past ten years. This role will be responsible for sourcing, planning and managing customer engagements, and ensuring Cruse is the leading training provider for loss and bereavement in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

You will be responsible for developing a sales and marketing strategy, targeting relevant organisations and selling our training products. You will be overseeing the organisation of training sessions and then handing over to one of our trainers to deliver the sessions, providing support where needed, monitoring and acting on feedback, and always ensuring a consistently high standard of customer service.

How to apply

Your application must consist of a CV and covering letter, which outlines your suitability for the role with reference to the Job Description and Person Specification and should be no longer than two pages.  Please note that if your application does not include both a CV and covering letter, it may not be considered.

The closing date for applications is 16 September 2026 with interview taking place week commencing the 28th September 2026. We reserve the right to close the advert early as suitable candidates apply.

Please be advised that if you do not hear from us by 28 September 2026, unfortunately on this occasion you have not been shortlisted.

Cruse welcomes and encourages applications from all protected groups as defined by the Equality Act 2010. Appointment will be made on merit.

Criminal Record Checks

All staff are required to complete a Criminal Record check. Staff working directly with clients will be required to complete an enhanced check. We comply with the relevant codes of practice and they can be viewed online: 

· Applicants in England and Wales: DBS Code of Practice

· Applicants in Northern Ireland: AccessNI Code of Practice

Previous convictions will not prevent full consideration of your application to work with Cruse. Our Recruitment of Ex-offenders' Policy & Handling Criminal Record Check Data Policy are available on request by email.

We comply with all relevant data protection legislation and process your data fairly.   

Job Title: Youth Lead

Oasis Hub Enfield, Enact, Enfield Island Village, Enfield EN3 6GS

Hours: 40 hours per week. Applications for flexible working patterns considered (0.8 FTE minimum). The role requires regular evening working during term time and attendance at residential trips twice a year with hybrid working by arrangement

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £45,000 per annum

Want to lead a Youth Service offering a diverse range of activities for the local community?

Want to enable young people to thrive?

Want to be lead a dynamic, passionate and impactful team?

Enact is a friendly, community-based charity at the heart of Enfield Island Village. With our roots in youth and family provision, we have grown into a busy and welcoming local organisation offering a wide range of services, activities and opportunities for our community.  We are a small, supportive team who care about the work we do and the people we work alongside. We want enact to be a place where staff feel welcomed, trusted and able to make a real difference.

Young people lie at the heart of our work. We want enact to be somewhere they feel safe, valued and able to be themselves. Through positive activities, trusted relationships and individual support, we help young people build confidence, develop new skills, discover opportunities and get the support they need to fulfil their potential.

The Youth Lead will provide leadership and oversight of enact’s youth provision, ensuring that young people have access to consistently high-quality, safe and engaging services. The Youth Lead will be a visible presence within enact’s youth provision and will be expected to build strong and trusted relationships with young people, families and partner organisations.

Key responsibilities include:

· Lead the planning, coordination and delivery of enact’s youth programmes and activities.

· Develop a varied programme incorporating positive activities, informal education, personal and social development and opportunities for young people to develop new skills and experiences.

· Oversee youth sessions, including a regular and visible presence within youth sessions

· Provide day-to-day leadership and support to one youth worker, sessional staff and volunteers.

· Develop and maintain effective relationships with local schools, colleges, youth services, community organisations, statutory agencies and other partners.

· Maintain a strong awareness of national developments, emerging issues and trends affecting young people and the youth sector, including changes in youth work practice, policy and legislation.

The successful post holder must have:

· Relevant professional qualification in Youth Work, or another relevant discipline, or substantial equivalent professional experience.

· Significant experience of working directly with young people.

· Experience of planning and delivering high-quality youth provision.

· Experience of leading, supervising or supporting staff, sessional workers and/or volunteers.

· A commitment to the Oasis ethos and values, including inclusion, equality, and perseverance.

As part of the package, Oasis offers:

· A pension scheme, offering 7% employer contribution.

· A generous holiday allowance, starting at 25 days per year (plus 8 Bank Holidays).

· Policies which promote well-being and are family friendly.

To apply, please send your CV and a Supporting Statement (no more than two A4 pages).

Please expand on your CV to tell us about relevant skills, experience and qualification you have, that relate to the job description and person specification.

Completed applications should be returned by 18th September 2026

Stage 1 Interviews will take place in person w/c 5th October 2026.

We actively encourage applications from people of all ethnic backgrounds and underrepresented groups. If you require any assistance to overcome potential barriers during the recruitment process, please let us know. 

We appreciate you may wish to use AI to support elements of your application but we strongly encourage all candidates to submit applications that genuinely reflect their own skills, achievements and lived experiences. It's what makes your application stand out!

Oasis is committed to making a difference to the lives of the communities it works in, and as such you must show a willingness to demonstrate commitment to the values and behaviours which flow from the Oasis ethos.  We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect all staff to share this commitment and to undergo appropriate checks, including enhanced DBS checks. 

The successful candidates must have the right to work in the UK.  Oasis cannot assist with sponsorship or visas.

Oasis supports Equal Opportunities. Oasis Community Partnership Charity No. 1163889 Enfield Island Youth and Community Trust t/a enact Registered Charity No. 1109131