Strategic manager jobs
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Help recruit the volunteers who bring free, life-changing surgery to thousands across sub-Saharan Africa.
If you’re energised by people, purpose and global impact, this role will light you up.
Mercy Ships UK is entering an exciting new chapter. With a growing supporter community, two state-of-the-art hospital ships, and ambitious plans for the next five years, we are expanding our recruitment capacity, and we’re looking for a talented, proactive Recruitment & Development Officer to help drive this vision forward.
This is not a standard recruitment role. You’ll be joining a mission that transforms lives every single day. We recruit over 400 skilled volunteer professionals each year; from surgeons and nurses, to engineers, teachers and maritime specialists, all serving on the Global Mercy and Africa Mercy, the world’s largest charitable hospital ships. Their work brings hope and healing to people who would otherwise have no access to safe surgery.
What you’ll be doing
You’ll support the Lead Recruiter by identifying, engaging and nurturing prospective volunteers, helping match the right people to the right opportunities at the right time. You’ll grow and maintain our Talent Community, build new partnerships, and engage with networks across the UK and beyond. One day you may be sourcing candidates online, another you may be connecting with training institutions, hosting webinars, or representing Mercy Ships at events.
This role combines relationship-building, recruitment, communication and creative outreach; perfect for someone who enjoys a varied, people-centred workload with real purpose behind it.
What you’ll bring
We’re looking for someone who thrives on connection, communicates brilliantly, and can balance multiple priorities with warmth, clarity, and calm. Experience in recruitment, talent sourcing, or community engagement is ideal. An understanding of the charity sector or Christian audiences is helpful, but your attitude, integrity and passion for serving others will matter most.
Why join Mercy Ships UK?
Because your work will directly support surgeries, training, and long-term healthcare strengthening in some of the world’s most underserved nations. You’ll join a collaborative, values-driven team, with opportunities to travel, attend international summits, and contribute to a global mission that has transformed more than 2.88 million lives.
Key details
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Salary: £30,000 – £35,000 DOE
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Location: Stevenage (Hybrid – minimum 2 days/month in office)
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Hours: Full-time, Permanent
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Benefits: 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays, increasing with service), up to 7% employer pension contribution, training/travel loans, free onsite parking.
If you’re hungry for meaningful work, excited to build relationships, and driven to help others step into life-changing opportunities, we’d love to hear from you.
Apply today and help us bring hope, healing, and transformation to those who need it most.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Location: Loughborough, England (Travel required to all Baca Services locations)
Contract Type: Permanent
Salary: £24,754 - £28,454 per annum FTE
Working Hours: 37.5 hrs per week (including evening and weekend hours on a rota)
Start date: January 2026
About Us:
Baca is dedicated to providing support and care to 16 to 18 year old unaccompanied asylum seeking children who are newly arrived in the country, helping them rebuild their strength, dignity, and hope for the future. We work closely with social workers and representatives from other agencies to benefit the young people in our care.
Role Overview:
As a Support Worker, you will be a key worker for several young people in Baca's care, providing high-quality holistic and therapeutic support for their transition to adulthood. You will deliver services in line with Baca’s Theory of Change, ensuring the highest quality outcomes in physical and emotional wellbeing, education, employment, training, social engagement, and personal safety.
Key Responsibilities:
- Provide high-quality support and care to young people, ensuring their holistic development.
- Work proactively to safeguard young people and resolve any issues that arise.
- Be a role model, offering care and compassion without discrimination.
- Support young people in developing essential life skills and preparing for independent living.
- Engage young people in education, vocational training, and hobbies.
- Foster positive relationships within the community and support social engagement.
- Plan and participate in day trips and annual residential weeks.
- Develop partnerships with social workers, solicitors, teachers, volunteers, and other partners.
- Maintain excellent communication and keep accurate records.
Requirements:
- Alignment with Baca’s values and mission.
- Ability to respond to change and work as part of a diverse team.
- Self-motivated, proactive, and able to take initiative.
- Knowledge of safeguarding practices and issues faced by unaccompanied young people.
- Relevant training or willingness to complete essential training within the first year.
- Experience working with young people, especially in cross-cultural settings.
- Excellent communication, organizational, and ICT skills.
- Driving licence and access to a car.
- Enhanced DBS check required.
Personal Attributes:
- Approachable, reliable, and a strong team worker.
- Supportive, responsible, and personable.
- Flexible and able to work occasional evenings and weekends.
Holidays and benefits:
- 33 days’ holiday a year (pro rata for part-time staff) including bank holidays.
- Pension scheme
- Health & Wellbeing programme
- Free parking
- Casual dress
How to Apply:
If you are passionate about making a difference in the lives of young asylum seekers and have the skills and attributes we are looking for, we would love to hear from you.
Please note: You must have the right to work in the UK for this role as Baca is not on the Home Office list.
It is our mission to serve young people who have been forced to flee their home country – offering safe homes, education, therapeutic care and support



The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Join the Learning with Parents team to develop the content for our ambitious young charity, so that one day every child is supported at home to fulfil their potential.
About Us
Learning with Parents supports all families to have positive learning interactions together. We drive inclusive parental engagement by partnering with schools and leading the sector through learning what works.
By partnering with primary schools, we support thousands of families across the UK to enjoy learning together at home. Our child-led videos and hands-on family activities replace traditional homework. Through behavioural insight research, innovative technology and teacher training we ensure that as many families as possible are supported effectively.
We are working to improve parental engagement across the sector, by producing evidence of parents’ impact and generating insights into how schools can best support them. Learnings are disseminated through the Parental Engagement Forum and amplified through the Fair Education Alliance.
About the Role
The Curriculum Leads are responsible for developing new content and updating existing content to ensure that it is accessible, curriculum-aligned and fun to help promote positive parent-child interactions. The Early Years role will continue the development of our school readiness programme, Ready Teddy beyond its pilot phase to ensure that it has the greatest impact on the schools and families that use it.
We see this person being our Early Years Lead initially focussed on the development of Ready Teddy as a full programme, in the future they will have the opportunity to explore other early years programmes we may seek to undertake.
Core areas of responsibility
Ready Teddy Programme Design
- Use existing evaluation findings to expand on the current Ready teddy programme content.
- Build on the programme structure from the pilot to create a full programme design
- Ensure the Ready Teddy Programme links well with our other programme to maintain coverage beyond it
- Design and implement the logistic elements of the Ready Teddy Programme
Content development
- Plan scope of content required, both in terms of creating new content and updating existing content.
- Use subject and pedagogical knowledge to design and create new activities for the website which align to the curriculum for Early Years.
- Ensure that all activities promote fun parent-child interactions and will be accessible to and engage disadvantaged families.
- Maintain and update the content database.
- Review existing topics and activities to identify areas for improvement on an ongoing basis.
- Develop new supporting materials, including PDFs and imagery, and update existing materials as required.
- Write or contribute to external programmatic materials that explain our pedagogical approach.
- Work with the wider teams, for example tech or schools, to ensure the programmes are delivered to all users in a consistent way.
- Keep up to date with sector developments and changes in curriculum.
- Feed into and support evaluation of our programmes.
Filming content
- Manage the logistics of filming, including agreeing dates with schools, securing appropriate permissions, booking travel and follow up communications.
- Plan and script videos and create or provide resources needed for filming.
- Work with school age children and their parents to film the videos and lead the filming day(s) within the school environment.
- Own the relationship with the videographer to film all videos and ensure the completed videos are delivered within agreed timescales.
- Oversee the editing and subtitling of new videos
- Quality assure videos
Organisational input
- Feed into or lead on partnership discussions where relevant based on content and curriculum expertise.
- Based on content and curriculum expertise, feed into strategic discussions as required.
- Contribute to organisational conversations outside of the programme content when required.
Represent the charity externally
- Represent the charity at external events such as conferences or forums where there is opportunity.
- Network and build relationships that are placed to support our work and share knowledge around parental engagement.
- Present at events such as webinars where relevant based on content and curriculum expertise.
- Write external facing materials for example reports or blogs where relevant.
About You
A successful Curriculum Lead – Early Years will be eager to work in a small team, have a can-do attitude, and be keen to get stuck in to support the charity’s growth and impact.
Our ideal candidate would also be able to provide examples of when they have used the following skills and experience:
- Knowledge of the Early Years curricula
- Creative thinking about different ways of teaching and learning subjects
- Excellent communication skills and confidence working with a range of stakeholders
- Strong organisational and planning skills
- A belief in your life-long learning, including in areas such as the curriculum, technology and pedagogy.
- A desire to champion and uphold our organisation’s vision, mission and values
Our ideal candidate might also be able to provide examples of when they have used some of the following skills and experience, although these are not essential:
- Teaching primary school-aged pupils in UK state schools
- An understanding of education inequality or experience of supporting disadvantaged families in the UK
- Ability to build relationships quickly to enable the filming of children and families
- Lived experience of some of the barriers that families from disadvantaged communities face in engaging with children’s learning.
Our values
Our Learning with Parents values are key to how we work and inform our strategy, programme, and how we collaborate.
Ambition
We strive do more for the families, schools and organisations we work with
Collaboration
We value the voices of others and achieve more by working together
Exploration
We are curious and seek evidence to inform our work
Innovation
We test, learn, adapt and embrace failure in our pursuit of progress
Integrity
We act responsibly and honestly, and default to transparency
Supportive environment
We work to create an environment which supports growth, belonging and wellbeing for everyone
Benefits
We have a passionate team and supportive culture. We have supportive policies and offer a number of benefits including:
- Generous annual leave allowance (35 days, including bank holidays)
- Your birthday off and additional holiday reward for every year employed with us (up to five days pro rata)
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and family-related leave policy from day one
- Income protection in case of sickness
- Flexible working times
- Social events
- Environmental (Net Zero) Pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Benefit Hub, including virtual GP and discount scheme
Our vision is that every child is supported at home to fulfil their potential.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Why this role exists
We deliver practical legal support that changes lives. To grow responsibly, we need a COO to build operational excellence and keep systems ready to scale.
What you will lead
• Financial leadership — Build, manage and monitor the annual budget; lead forecasting and cashflow; produce reports; oversee accounting, payments, payroll and invoicing; maintain strong controls and compliance; track restricted funds; support grant bids and donor reporting.
• Day-to-day operations — Maintain efficient systems across casework, admin and volunteers; design policies, SOPs and QA; oversee IT, digital tools and case management; ensure GDPR-compliant data handling; lead operational responses to risk and regulation.
• Strategy and organisational development — Work with the Executive Director on strategy; lead service development, scaling projects and national expansion; improve volunteer pathways, client experience and internal processes; provide data-driven insight for the Board.
• People, volunteers and HR — Support recruitment, onboarding and retention; develop clear HR processes and documentation; ensure supervision, wellbeing and safeguarding frameworks.
• Governance, risk and compliance — Manage risk registers and mitigation plans; lead internal audits and quality reviews; prepare Board papers; ensure compliance with legal, regulatory and charity requirements.
You’ll thrive here if you show
• Ownership and follow-through: you take responsibility and land the work.
• Planning under pressure: you bring order, rhythm and clarity.
• Bold, informed judgement: you improve systems based on evidence, not habit.
• Entrepreneurial drive: you simplify, standardise and scale what works.
• Inclusive practice: you design operations that are easier to use and safer to deliver.
• Clear communication: you turn complexity into simple actions and updates.
• Team-building and collaboration: you help staff and volunteers succeed together.
• Constant learning: you refine processes and leave usable documentation.
What you will bring
• Significant operational leadership in a non-profit, legal, community or mission-driven setting.
• Strong financial management across budgeting, forecasting, reporting and controls.
• Ability to build robust systems in a small but scaling organisation.
• Strategic, organised and analytical working style.
• Confident people leadership and clear communication.
• Understanding of governance, safeguarding, risk and regulatory compliance.
• Commitment to trans equality, dignity and client-centred practice.
Helpful extras
• Experience in legal services or legal operations.
• Managing grants or donor-funded programmes.
• Experience scaling an organisation or building new infrastructure.
• Knowledge of trans community needs and support services.
Practicalities
• Hours: part time, with occasional evenings or weekends around live moments.
• Location: Central London base with sensible hybrid flexibility.
• Reporting line: Executive Director.
• Salary: based on experience and time commitment.
The Co-Founders Mindset
We are building a trans rights revolution at the Trans Legal Clinic. We deliver work that changes outcomes for people, case by case and system by system. That calls for a particular mindset. We call it the co-founder mindset. Co-founders take the mission personally, set the pace, turn ideas into working services and campaigns, bring others with them, and make change you can point to. Co-founders are entrepreneurial: they spot openings others miss, move decisively, and create momentum. Co-founders build teams, drawing in volunteers who believe in our mission, care deeply about our clients, enjoy working with us, and keep one another going. Co-founders are bold: they are willing to innovate, to be first, and to change the status quo; they check the source, avoid assumptions, solve problems, make firm, collaborative, evidence-based decisions, and take responsibility for results. Co-founders are pioneers. If you want responsibility, pace, and the chance to pioneer new routes to justice and public impact, this is the place to build your career.
Our Recruitment Criteria
Ownership and follow-through
You are a self-starter who owns tasks and takes responsibility without waiting to be asked. You carry your work through to a tangible result. You define the problem, set a course, keep the right people informed, and deliver what you said you would.
Bold, informed judgement
You are willing to change accepted practice when the evidence supports it. You check primary sources rather than rely on assumptions, weigh real options and risks, make a clear, evidence-based, collaborative decision, and stand behind it.
Entrepreneurial drive
You spot openings other people miss and turn ideas into useful services, processes or campaigns. You move decisively and get others working on the plan alongside you with clear roles and timelines.
Planning under pressure
You keep priorities straight when time is tight. You organise people and tasks, set simple checkpoints, communicate early when plans shift and always deliver.
Inclusive practice
You design work that is easier for others to take part in with people who face barriers in mind. You identify what is getting in the way, make practical changes that remove those barriers, and check the effect with the people involved.
Clear communication
You write and speak in plain English and adjust tone and detail to suit clients, volunteers, partners and the public. You choose the right format for the moment and make it easy for people to act on what you say. You like feedback, don’t get offended and see it as a chance to improve.
Team-building and collaboration
You bring people with you and help groups perform well together. You draw in volunteers who believe in the mission and care about our clients, set shared expectations, handle disagreements well, and leave relationships stronger.
Constant learning
You improve your own practice and the system around you. You reflect honestly on what worked and what did not, learn quickly, and turn that learning into simple tools or habits that make future work better.
• Team-building and collaboration: you lead creatives and volunteers well.
• Constant learning: you test, measure and iterate.
What you will bring
• A strong portfolio showing strategy-led creative across static, motion and copy.
• Three or more years in creative communications or campaigns (agency, newsroom, charity or in-house).
• Confident in Adobe Creative Cloud and either Figma or similar; comfortable with short-form video editing and basic motion.
• Platform literacy across Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube, and working knowledge of analytics and paid promotion.
• Clear writing and an ear for tone; calm leadership and useable feedback.
• Sound judgement on reputation, privacy, GDPR and consent.
• Commitment to trans-led practice and the communities we serve.
Helpful extras
• Clinic or not-for-profit experience.
• Familiarity with gender recognition, healthcare advocacy, discrimination, housing and employment.
• Basic SEO and email automation.
Practicalities
• Hours: full time, with occasional evenings or weekends around live moments.
• Location: Central London base with sensible hybrid flexibility.
• Salary: £25,000.
• Reporting line: Executive Director.
The Co-Founders Mindset
We are building a trans rights revolution at the Trans Legal Clinic. We deliver work that changes outcomes for people, case by case and system by system. That calls for a particular mindset. We call it the co-founder mindset. Co-founders take the mission personally, set the pace, turn ideas into working services and campaigns, bring others with them, and make change you can point to. Co-founders are entrepreneurial: they spot openings others miss, move decisively, and create momentum. Co-founders build teams, drawing in volunteers who believe in our mission, care deeply about our clients, enjoy working with us, and keep one another going. Co-founders are bold: they are willing to innovate, to be first, and to change the status quo; they check the source, avoid assumptions, solve problems, make firm, collaborative, evidence-based decisions, and take responsibility for results. Co-founders are pioneers. If you want responsibility, pace, and the chance to pioneer new routes to justice and public impact, this is the place to build your career.
Our Recruitment Criteria
Ownership and follow-through
You are a self-starter who owns tasks and takes responsibility without waiting to be asked. You carry your work through to a tangible result. You define the problem, set a course, keep the right people informed, and deliver what you said you would.
Bold, informed judgement
You are willing to change accepted practice when the evidence supports it. You check primary sources rather than rely on assumptions, weigh real options and risks, make a clear, evidence-based, collaborative decision, and stand behind it.
Entrepreneurial drive
You spot openings other people miss and turn ideas into useful services, processes or campaigns. You move decisively and get others working on the plan alongside you with clear roles and timelines.
Planning under pressure
You keep priorities straight when time is tight. You organise people and tasks, set simple checkpoints, communicate early when plans shift and always deliver.
Inclusive practice
You design work that is easier for others to take part in with people who face barriers in mind. You identify what is getting in the way, make practical changes that remove those barriers, and check the effect with the people involved.
Clear communication
You write and speak in plain English and adjust tone and detail to suit clients, volunteers, partners and the public. You choose the right format for the moment and make it easy for people to act on what you say. You like feedback, don’t get offended and see it as a chance to improve.
Team-building and collaboration
You bring people with you and help groups perform well together. You draw in volunteers who believe in the mission and care about our clients, set shared expectations, handle disagreements well, and leave relationships stronger.
Constant learning
You improve your own practice and the system around you. You reflect honestly on what worked and what did not, learn quickly, and turn that learning into simple tools or habits that make future work better.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
The Survivor Engagement and Activism Coordinator leads the Helen Bamber Foundation’s work to ensure that survivors of trafficking, torture, and human rights abuses are meaningfully involved in shaping services, influencing policy, and driving social change. Working within the Community and Integration team, the post holder safeguards and supports clients as they participate in advocacy, leadership, and organisational development projects.
They oversee key survivor engagement programmes, including the Ambassadors for Change advocacy and leadership programme, the Client Voices Forum, the Board Advisers, and the Alumni Network. This involves coordinating training, facilitating meetings, supporting campaigns, managing administrative processes, and ensuring survivors are prepared, empowered, and safe throughout their involvement.
The role also involves developing innovative ways for survivors to collaborate with staff, contributing to service design, organisational strategy, and sector-wide initiatives. The post holder builds relationships across the asylum and modern slavery sectors, manages lived experience opportunities, and may support client progression and education casework when needed.
Throughout all responsibilities, the Coordinator champions survivor leadership, promotes diversity and inclusion, maintains the ethos of the charity, and practices strong self-care while working with traumatic material.
We give Survivors of trafficking and torture the strength to move on.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Full-time Solicitor (£50,000)
(Head of Legal Services/Compliance Officer for Legal Practice) | Central London | 40 Hours Per Week
Why this role matters
We are making rights usable in real time for trans communities. As our first full-time, in-house solicitor, you will build and lead our legal function, supervise our casework and set standards that change outcomes case by case and system by system.
What you will lead
· Service build and leadership: Design and run a high-quality legal service. Set procedure, quality checks and file management that get used.
· Supervision and standards: Supervise staff and volunteers. Mentor, review files, sign off advice and keep practice safe and effective.
· Strategic casework: Identify patterns, test lawful routes others overlook, and pursue remedies that unlock access for many, not just one.
· Templates and guidance: Create repeatable tools, model letters and notes that make good practice easier.
· Training: Deliver practical training for staff and volunteers on core areas and updates.
· External relationships: Work with partner firms, Counsel, regulators and support organisations. Refer and co-work where it benefits clients.
· Keeping current: Track legal and regulatory change. Update guidance and workflows promptly.
· Issues and disputes: Handle escalations quickly and proportionately.
You’ll thrive here if you show
· Bold, informed judgement: you check the source, avoid assumptions and make firm, evidence-based decisions.
· Ownership and follow-through: you take responsibility for files, systems and outcomes.
· Entrepreneurial drive: you test new routes and scale what works.
· Planning under pressure: you manage competing demands without losing quality.
· Inclusive practice: you design services that are easier and safer to access.
· Clear communication: you explain rights and risks plainly to clients and partners.
· Team-building and collaboration: you can nurture a capable, committed volunteer cohort.
· Constant learning: you reflect, improve and leave usable tools behind.
What you will bring
· Qualified solicitor with at least 3 years’ PQE.
· Ready to build strong supervision and people skills.
· Clear, practical legal analysis and sound judgement under time pressure.
· Proven ability to design and co-create procedures that work.
· Excellent written and oral communication.
· Comfortable working independently and in a small, committed team.
Helpful extras
Experience in legal aid, housing, discrimination, domestic abuse, public law or community care; background in clinics or advice settings; understanding of trans rights and the realities clients face.
Practicalities
· Hours: 40 Hours Per Week
· Location: Central London base with sensible hybrid flexibility.
· Salary: £50,000.
What We Look For
The Co-founders Mindset
At the Trans Legal Clinic we are building a Trans+ rights revolution; our mission is Trans Liberation. That means access to justice for Trans & Non-binary people everywhere. We deliver work that changes outcomes for people, case by case and system by system. That calls for a particular mindset. We call it the co-founder mindset. Co-founders take the mission personally, set the pace, turn ideas into working services and campaigns, bring others with them, and make change you can point to. Co-founders are entrepreneurial: they spot openings others miss, move decisively, and create momentum. Co-founders build teams, drawing in volunteers who believe in our mission, care deeply about our clients, enjoy working with us, and keep one another going. Co-founders are bold: they are willing to innovate, to be first, and to change the status quo; they check the source, avoid assumptions, solve problems, make firm, collaborative, evidence-based decisions, and take responsibility for results. Co-founders are pioneers. If you want responsibility, pace, and the chance to trailblazer new routes to justice and public impact, this is the place to build your career.
We select candidates based on their performance in 8 areas;
1. Ownership and follow-through
You are a self-starter who owns tasks and takes responsibility without waiting to be asked. You carry your work through to a tangible result. You define the problem, set a course, keep the right people informed, and deliver what you said you would.
2. Bold, informed judgement
You are willing to change accepted practice when the evidence supports it. You check primary sources rather than rely on assumptions, weigh real options and risks, make a clear, evidence-based, collaborative decision, and stand behind it.
3. Entrepreneurial drive
You spot openings other people miss and turn ideas into useful services, processes or campaigns. You move decisively and get others working on the plan alongside you with clear roles and timelines.
4. Planning under pressure
You keep priorities straight when time is tight. You organise people and tasks, set simple checkpoints, communicate early when plans shift and always deliver.
5. Inclusive practice
You strive to make everything you create accessible to others, designing work that is easier for others to take part in, with people who face barriers always in mind. You identify what is getting in the way, make practical changes that remove those barriers, and check the effect with the people involved.
6. Clear communication
You write and speak in plain terms and adjust tone and detail to suit clients, volunteers, partners and the public. You choose the right format for the moment and make it easy for people to act on what you say. You like feedback, don’t get offended and see it as a chance to improve.
7. Team-building and collaboration
You bring people with you and help groups perform well together. You draw in volunteers who believe in the mission and care about our clients, set shared expectations, handle disagreements well, and leave relationships stronger.
8. Constant learning
You improve your own practice and the system around you. You reflect honestly on what worked and what did not, learn quickly, and turn that learning into simple tools or habits that make future work better.
These eight criteria are what we look for. Use them to decide whether this is the right place for you and to shape the examples you share in your application.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Purpose of the job
This role is responsible for the design of UK Youth’s support to young people, youth organisations and youth workers. This could include structured youth work programmes, funding and grants+ programmes, professional development programmes, and campaigns.
You will lead and oversee end-to-end design processes, ensuring that UK Youth develops fully packaged offers that respond to the evidence base and people’s needs, drive forward our strategy and achieve incredible impact. You will work across UK Youth teams, with external design partners, and meaningfully involving young people and the professionals who support them in the design process.
You will be experienced in developing high quality funding propositions (proactively and in response to new business opportunities). You will be confident in taking a human-centred design approach to tackle some of the youth sector’s knottiest problems. You will design solutions to important problems, ensuring that they are feasible, equitable, impactful and scalable.
In 2026, our priority topics for youth work programmes and network development are: mental health and wellbeing, employability, social cohesion and community safety.
As a leader, you will work closely with research, evaluation, policy, service delivery, network development, and fundraising teams. You will help to improve the skills and confidence of colleagues across UK Youth to apply design methods in their own work and collaborate effectively with the Design team.
Why work at UK Youth?
UK Youth wants all young people to be equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives. Youth work can be life changing (and even life saving.) In 2026, we will be launching our new strategy, positioning UK Youth to unlock youth work so that every young person in the UK can benefit. We work with others to ensure that the youth sector is strengthened and that provision is youth-led, evidence-informed, and delivers high-quality outcomes.
UK Youth plays a unique role in addressing the lack of investment in the youth sector, the lack of cross-sector understanding in how youth work makes a difference, and the limited opportunities to embed effective solutions. These factors lead to mass inequality of access to youth services for young people. Come and be part of this change in a driven and supportive team that puts evidence at the heart of our work.
Role Responsibilities
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Designing Solutions
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Developing new business and funding propositions
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Embedding Human Centred Design
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Building a strong external network to support the Design team’s work
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Operations
Experience we're after
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Significant experience of leading and overseeing the development of new business propositions and proposals to time-limited funding opportunities
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Significant experience of designing interventions (digital and/or physical) for young people and/or those who support them
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Experience using human-centred-design methods and mindsets; managing projects across the end-to-end design process
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Proven track record of inspiring and motivating diverse teams and improving collaborative ways of working across teams and departments
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Experience of developing high quality programme content and curricula for young people, youth workers and/or outdoor learning instructors (desirable)
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Experience of commissioning and managing external design freelancers and consultants (desirable)
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Experience of designing and/or delivering professional development programmes (desirable)
What we can offer you
We offer a competitive range of benefits, good work/life balance, excellent learning and development opportunities and vibrant organisational culture:
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Flexible/Agile Working
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27 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata for part time employees)
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Funded training provided in; Safeguarding, GDPR, Information and Cyber Security & Equality & Diversity
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Other training available in support of your personal and professional development
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Pension scheme (currently UK Youth match employee contributions up to 5%)
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Membership of our life insurance scheme which would pay-out up to 4 times your salary
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Employee Assistance Programme to support employees both professionally and personally
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20% discount off bookings at Avon Tyrrell, our New Forest Outdoor Centre, including camping, lodges and outdoor activities.
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IT equipment provided for the duration of contract
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CycleScheme and TechScheme
How to apply
If you would like to be considered for this fantastic opportunity, please complete an application via our completely anonymised recruitment system provided by Applied which looks to create a fair and unbiased application process for all. Scroll to the top of the page and start your application.
Closing date: Sunday 4th January 2026 at 23:59pm
Provisional Interview Dates: 12th and 13th January 2026
As this role involves working in a regulated environment with young people, any offer will be conditional to satisfactory background checks, which include criminal record check and employment reference.
UK Youth is a leading charity with a vision that all young people are equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.