Support time and recovery worker jobs
We're looking for a confident and compassionate Co-Director to lead our mental health charity using gardens, creativity & community for recovery.
**We offer mentoring support for applicants who might benefit from additional guidance - please see the full Job Description for further details**
About Sydenham Garden
Based in Lewisham in South-East London, Sydenham Garden is a unique wellbeing centre utilising its gardens, nature reserve and activity rooms to help people living with and recovering from mental and physical ill-health. We provide nature and arts based creative, social and therapeutic activities for co-workers (the name we give to our primary beneficiaries).
About the role
Our Director has been in post since November 2021 and on returning from maternity leave in January 2026 she will be working 3 days a week. We are seeking a Co-Director to jointly lead the organisation going forwards as we have made a positive decision to move towards a co-director model. This is an exciting opportunity which can have benefits of increasing capacity, efficiency, and transparency and allow for a broader range of identities both to better reflect the diverse populations they serve and as a way to include more diverse leaders. It is a model that can also reduce burnout, build equity, and support flexible working.
As Co-Director you will be jointly responsible for leading and manage the day-to-day running of Sydenham Garden for the benefit of our co-workers. This will involve overseeing implementation and regular review of Sydenham Garden’s strategic plan and to ensure all governance arrangements are in place to monitor the work of the organisation and to report to the Board of Trustees and to funders.
You will ensure fundraising and financial plans and processes are in place to deliver the agreed services, including fundraising from Trusts & Foundations, community fundraising and developing contracted services as necessary.
The Co-Directors will be jointly accountable to the Trustee Board for all aspects of the job description. You may take lead responsibility on particular areas which will be discussed and agreed with the existing Co-Director and Trustee Board.
About You
You are a confident and compassionate leader with a commitment to the mental health and wellbeing sector. You bring a thoughtful, strategic and inclusive approach to leadership.
Your communication skills are excellent, and you’re able to build strong, trusting relationships with colleagues at all levels, as well as with external partners, funders, and stakeholders. You are deeply committed to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, with a clear track record of putting these values into practice.
You have a proven experience in securing income for charitable work and are confident in financial management and planning.
You also understand the value of co-production and have experience working collaboratively with volunteers and co-workers (service users), ensuring their voices are central to service design and delivery.
We’re looking for someone who is dedicated to the mission of Sydenham Garden and has relevant experience at management level in a mental health charity of similar organisation.
How to apply
Candidates will be shortlisted based on:
· Experience of working at a management level in a mental health charity or comparable organisation.
· An excellent strategic thinker with experience of input into strategic development and implementation.
· Good communication skills and the ability to build relationships with colleagues at all levels in an organisation and with external contacts and partners.
· A proven commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
· Experience of line managing and developing staff, including through appraisal systems.
· Proven ability to secure income, manage fundraising processes and to manage and produce fundraising applications.
· Experience of financial management and planning, including managing budgets.
· Experience of working with volunteers and co-workers (service users).
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Sydenham Garden is committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). We want to build a diverse and inclusive staff, volunteer and trustee team where everyone feels that they belong and that reflects the profile of the communities we serve. Therefore, we will welcome and consider applications from candidates of all backgrounds and protected characteristics, and we particularly encourage applications from people of African or Caribbean heritage to ensure our staff team represents the communities we serve.
To apply, please send us a CV together with a supporting statement (maximum 2 pages, minimum font size of 11) that addresses how you meet the Person Specification listed above.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
This would be ideal for someone at the beginning of their career looking to grow and develop within a very supportive and innovative organisation. We will provide a structured development programme, lots of opportunities for growth, along with a very nurturing, mission-focused culture and excellent benefits.
This role will support the Head of Environments, Platforms and IT Security to ensure that our technology infrastructure is reliable, safe and future-proofed. As required, the role holder will also support project implementation within the Technology Operations remit, having a direct impact in moving us forward in realising our vision and mission.
As a result of our Christian ethos, this post is covered by an Occupational Requirement (OR) under Part 1 of Schedule 9 to the Equality Act 2010. The successful applicant will be expected to be a practising Christian and to clearly demonstrate a personal commitment to the mission, principles, values and practices contained in our Ethos Statement, by:
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Active membership of local church congregation.
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An understanding of the faith aspects of the work of Christian charities, including the preparedness to pray with colleagues, where appropriate.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Assistant Finance Business Partner
(SEO)
£41,055 - £44,415 (National)
+ £5,000 Accountancy Allowance or £2,500 Part Qualification Allowance
The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with more than £2.1 billion in property assets and over 50% of the government’s office estate. We are transforming the way the Civil Service works by creating great places to work, leading the largest commercial office programme in the UK, working towards halving carbon emissions from government offices, and achieving greater value for taxpayers. We are looking for innovative, solutions-focused people to join our team.
Representing the best covenant in the UK – His Majesty’s Government – we are leading ground-breaking programmes such as the Government Hubs Programme, Whitehall Campus Programme and Net Zero Programme, as well as delivering modern and cost-effective real estate service solutions.
Innovation and progress are at the heart of our behaviours. We foster a culture of lifelong learning, where curiosity and self-improvement are encouraged, and we’re dedicated to becoming a leading, inclusive employer both in the external market and throughout the Civil Service. Our strong emphasis on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is not just about driving inclusion across our organisation, it is also about ensuring our services meet the needs of government departments and the civil servants who use our spaces.
Join our dynamic and diverse team that leads with purpose, improving sustainability, nurturing social value, driving inclusivity and flexibility, and kickstarting economic growth. We are driven by purpose, and you can be part of it too: where you make a meaningful impact; where you influence; where your voice really matters; where you help to shape our future direction.
The responsibilities of the Assistant Finance Business Partner will include:
- Producing management accounts for relevant budget holders and contributing to GPA’s client budget process
- Partnering with the LCR and Net Zero programme managers and external partners to ensure that all expenditure has been accurately assessed based on project completion and integrity is applied
- That regular reconciliations and sampling of the project accounts are completed including timely project closure assessments
- Provide advice on financial treatment of project costs to ensure that all items are correctly assessed for capitalisation, and that the treatment of abortive costs and feasibility works are appropriately treated as RDEL, while being allocated to the correct projects
- Attendance at monthly stakeholder meetings to support the management of projects, supply chain and client relationships
- Supporting any client discussions as required to ensure recovery of billed amounts, keeping accrued income minimal and controlled
- Building a network internally with other finance teams to ensure smooth transition of data and knowledge between interlinked processes, and contributing as part of the wider finance team
- Promote continuous improvement by developing and improving accounting processes and procedures relating to projects and other expenditure
- Preparing balance sheet reconciliations including accruals and prepayments
- Analysing financial performance to identify variances and ensuring transactions are accounted for correctly
- Preparing and processing journals
- Supporting internal and external audits
- Facilitating forecasting and reporting
- Identifying trends, risks and opportunities in the financial data
- Ensuring Record to Report principles are embedded within the GPA
- Deputise for the Finance Business Partner as required
Key Skills & Experience
- CCAB or equivalent part-qualified or finalist-level candidates required, full qualification desirable.
- Experience in facilities management or estates-related roles (e.g. property management, construction projects) is preferable, however candidates from other backgrounds will be considered.
- Strong month-end management accounting experience required; finance business partnering experience is advantageous.
- Confident communicator with proven stakeholder engagement skills.
- Ambitious and driven, ideally from a fast-paced or client-focused environment.
The GPA is committed to representing the communities we serve by making Diversity, Equality and Inclusion part of everything we do. To ensure that we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularly inviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, and people who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.