Team leader jobs in aveley, essex

Location: Home Based with regular national travel

Since 1962 the National Autistic Society has been campaigning to transform lives, change attitudes and create a society that works for autistic people. In National Programmes we champion the rights and interests of autistic people and their families, making sure national policy and legislation to reflect their needs. We provide autism training and best practice services and want all autistic people to have access to services and support that fully meet their needs. We provide diagnostic services, training, accreditation, consultancy and conferences, designed to support all professionals and organisations.  

The Supporter Fundraising team is responsible for managing and growing all supporter-led fundraising activity, including third-party challenge events, community fundraising, and our own portfolio of fundraising events. Together, our work generates over £1 million in income each year—vital funds that help the National Autistic Society achieve its mission: a society that works for autistic people.

Visit our website to find out more about who we are and what we do:  

Who we are looking for: 

We are seeking a proactive and creative Senior Events Fundraising Officer to join our dynamic team on a permanent basis.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is passionate about events fundraising and eager to take ownership of a diverse portfolio. You’ll play a key role in developing new fundraising events, supporting and inspiring colleagues, and delivering excellent supporter experiences that maximise income and impact.

The role will involve:

• Leading on a portfolio of owned and third-party fundraising events, including feasibility research, planning, marketing, participant recruitment, logistics, budgeting, and evaluation.
• Taking a lead role in the development of new fundraising events in collaboration with the Innovation Team, from research and proposals through to approval, delivery and evaluation.
• Providing first-class supporter care, ensuring participants feel valued and engaged, and that income and expenditure targets are met or exceeded.
• Working closely with marketing, press and PR colleagues to create and implement event promotion and communications plans, across both traditional and digital channels.
• Line managing and supporting Events Officers where appropriate, and deputising for the Events Fundraising Manager when required.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with internal stakeholders, suppliers, and event providers to ensure effective delivery and the best possible experience for supporters.
• Overseeing volunteer recruitment and stewardship plans to increase engagement and retention.

The successful candidate will bring:

• Experience of planning and delivering fundraising events, with proven ability to meet financial targets.
• Strong relationship-building skills, with confidence in working with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• A creative, innovative mindset and a passion for developing new fundraising opportunities.
• A commitment to delivering outstanding supporter care and improving supporter journeys.

This is a full-time, permanent role, for 35 hours per week. The salary for this position is £32,577 per year.

To view the full job description please click  

 What we can offer you: 

• Auto-enrolled Pension Scheme 

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays 

• Excellent induction, training and development programme including training about autism and opportunities to attend our conferences 

• Online staff discount scheme for a range of benefits such as cycle to work scheme, season ticket loan & shopping discounts for places such as Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys, Halfords, Nike, Apple and loads more! 

• Healthcare Cash Plan 

• Life Assurance at 2 x base salary 

• A portfolio of fantastic new salary sacrifices benefits and other flexible benefits private health, dental insurance, car salary sacrifice scheme, activity pass, holiday trading, enhanced pension & salary deduct loans (eligibility criteria may apply) 

• Access to a 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme & counselling programme

• Free access to the Headspace App – a global leader in mindfulness and you can enrol up to three friends or family for free! 

• Eligibility for a Blue Light Card 

Where you will be working: 

City Road, London / Homeworking / Hybrid

(Up to 20% national travel, including some evenings and weekends, as required.)

About our application process: 

When providing a supporting statement, please refer to the job description and person specification and include any information that shows your suitability for the role. 

For more information about this job, please contact Jonathan Littledale – Events Fundraising Manager ( ########### )

We do reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. 

For some roles, successful applicants will be required to complete the relevant safeguarding checks which will include additional references and criminal background checks. 

Applications for this job are sought from anyone who is suitably qualified and experienced for the role but particularly welcome from those with a diagnosis of autism. 

The National Autistic Society is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and adults who use our services and as such expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be required to complete the relevant safeguarding checks. 

We are an equal opportunities employer

Job Title: Finance Operations Officer
Location: A short walk from Victoria station
Hours: Monday to Friday, 35 hours per week minimum – Hybrid
Contract: Fixed term to 31 July 2026
Responsible to: Senior Financial Accountant
Salary: £30,850 £1,000 London allowance

About Organisation
This mission-driven organisation is dedicated to improving education and training for learners aged 14 and over. They work in partnership with others to deliver professional learning and development for teachers, trainers, and leaders, balancing sector needs with wider priorities to achieve our charitable purpose.

Role purpose
The Finance Operations Officer is responsible for supporting the finance team in transactional processing, financial administration, and providing excellent service to internal and external stakeholders. This role ensures accurate and timely processing of financial transactions, reconciliations, and reporting to support the organisation’s operational and strategic objectives.

Key responsibilities
• Oversee the collection of direct debit payments for subscriptions and status fees, monitoring automated processes for accuracy.
• Raise sales invoices and maintain the sales ledger on the CRM and accounting system.
• Post and reconcile non-automated payments such as BACS, credit card, and expense statements.
• Process purchase invoices and prepare month-end journals.
• Respond to financial queries and arrange refunds where appropriate.
• Carry out reconciliations and analysis, including using generative AI tools for basic checks.
• Support internal and external audits by providing documentation and responding to queries.
• Provide cover for colleagues during absences, including payment runs.
• Maintain effective credit control and support budget holders with transaction processing.
• Any other duties reasonably required to support the role.
Internal / External Contacts
• Membership subscribers and customers
• Auditors (internal and external)
• Bankers and suppliers
• Budget holders

About you
Experience:
• Significant experience in a busy finance department and managing customer/financial queries
• Credit control, raising sales invoices, cash allocation, and reconciliations
• Supporting internal and external audits
• Processing purchase invoices
• Experience with CRM systems and accounting software
• Prioritising workload and meeting tight deadlines

Knowledge & skills:
• Higher or further education qualification
• Strong financial literacy: accounts payable/receivable, journals, reconciliations
• GDPR and data protection knowledge
• IT proficient: Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Strong written and verbal communication
• High attention to detail and accuracy
• Solution-focused, adaptable, resilient
This is a hybrid role based in Victoria, London, offering a great opportunity to join a values-driven organisation where every hire contributes to the mission of supporting education and training excellence.

We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.

Summary

EduSpots is an innovative, dynamic, and community-orientated UK and Ghanaian registered charity which connects, trains, and equips grassroots voluntary educators (named ‘Catalysts’) to drive community-led change through education spaces named ‘Spots’. Our vision is of a world in which communities unite to create the futures they want to see, through education.

Since 2016, through collaborating with over 400 local voluntary community educators and actors – named ‘Catalysts’ – who take a central leadership role in the development of the network, we have supported 50 communities in creating and running community-led and owned education spaces named ‘Spots’’. Together, we are developing a model for a community-led education space with accompanying network engagement that could have global relevance. 

Our Ghana-based team creates collaborative learning opportunities through three leadership programmes for Catalysts which are increasingly facilitated by the EduSpots app: the Ignite, Catalyse and Inspire Mentoring Programmes. These enable the Catalysts to lead EduKidz (early years education), DigLit (digital literacy), EcoSTEM (STEM and environmental education) and Ignite Equity (gender equity) clubs for learners typically aged 3-16, alongside locally designed education projects, reaching over 10,000 learners of all ages annually. 

We are in an exciting period of our development, having more than doubled our income, programme breadth and reach in the last two years, with a recent independent evaluation by Expectation State offering further evidence in support of our model’s outcomes. We have been recently selected for two accelerator programmes, who are supporting us as we consider the scaling potential of our model. In the period, we are aiming to double our network reach, bringing an additional 50 Spots into the network.

We won the Tes International Award in 2018 and the Big Give Supporters’ Choice Award in 2022, and we were recently selected as a finalist for the 2023 Their World Scale-Up Innovation Prize. In 2021, our Founder was a Finalist in the UNESCO-backed $1 million Global Teacher Prize.

We are excited by our future. 

About this role 

The Global Head of Operations is a new role being introduced in 2026 with the core purpose of strengthening systems, processes and strategic delivery across both EduSpots Global and EduSpots Ghana, offering hands-on support to the CEO and wider staff across a range of areas.

In this senior role, you will work closely alongside the CEO, offering her the advice and skills needed to move EduSpots successfully through a complex period of growth in a challenging fundraising context, enabling more learners and Catalysts to participate in a unique community-led model of education, whilst sharing our practice more widely.

We are looking for an organised and empathetic strategic leader, ideally with strong or developing skills across project management, finance, HR and MEL skills and an ability to work independently in a fast moving work environment.

This role has the potential to grow into a Director of Global Operations or Deputy CEO role in time for outstanding candidates, and carries significant organisation-wide responsibility.

Candidates should hold a genuine passion for educational equity, a strong belief in the power of community-led models to transform lives at scale and a high level of flexibility in a fast-changing yet friendly and playful work environment.

Whilst this role is remote, and open to all global candidates, you will need to have understanding and experience of UK law, accounting and policy development, or a strong appetite to build experience in this area quickly.

Main duties and responsibilities 

Systems

• Work with the CEO and staff to proactively strengthen systems and processes across the organisation, including monitoring, evaluation and learning frameworks and operations. 
• Support the wider team with IT, including general skill development, leading the Google Space system. 
• Monitor compliance to organisational policies and lead the quarterly review of the organisational risk register, working with the Ghana Head of Operations. 

Finance 

• Work with the Finance and Admin Officer to produce monthly and quarterly global management accounts, cash flow analysis and to complete the annual audit. 
• Lead the financial planning of the organisation, working with the CEO and the Ghana Head of Operations to create the annual budget. 
• Work with the Ghana Head of Operations to strengthen financial systems, processes, and training across the organisation. 
• Work with the Ghana Head of Operations to prepare budgets for funding bids as needed.
• Work with the grants team to track grant spending and produce consolidated financial reports (including expenditure from the UK and Ghana) for donors. 
• Ensure EduSpots’ new accounting software (QuickBooks) is fully embedded and utilised.
• Oversee bank account management, including payments, checking bank statements, and reviewing bank reconciliations for UK and Ghana.
• Ensure staff payroll (likely to be outsourced) and payments to freelancers / consultants are done accurately and in a timely manner.

HR

• Work alongside the CEO, Head of Operations, Safeguarding and Inclusion Managers  and wider staff to develop strategies to sustain and strengthen a high performing and friendly work culture. 
• Work across the team to strengthen HR and performance management structures, informed by best practice and legal frameworks. 
• Lead the recruitment of staff, consultants and volunteers in the UK (advertising roles, drafting contracts, contacting referees and completing all filing and administration relating to recruitment).
• Onboard new staff, provide training on policies and procedures, and track key information (leave, appraisals, etc) for UK staff. 
• Regularly review and keep the Staff Handbook up to date.
• Depending on skill-set, work with the CEO to lead professional development for staff across the organisation, liaising with trustees and advisory group members.

Administration & Governance

• Manage and maintain databases and our Google Drive system. 
• Ensure compliance with GDPR and adherence to our child safeguarding and protection policy. 
• Maintain insurance renewals, tracking and filing.
• Review and keep up to date all organisational policies in line with current legislation, working with the Trustees and Directors. 
• Assist the CEO in the administration relating to EduSpots’ governance, including board meeting arrangements and minute taking.
• Support the CEO in all ad-hoc tasks that arise, working closely alongside her to ensure the smooth running of the organisation. 

Strategic insight 

• Work closely with the CEO and staff/Catalysts across the organisation to ensure all EduSpots’ decision-making is strategic and in the best interests of the Catalysts, Sparks and Communities we partner with. 

Other areas 

• Depending on experience, you may in time take on management responsibilities for some staff, but this role is principally a systems strengthening and quality improvement role, working closely with the CEO to offer advice and additional capacity. 
• Depending on experience, you may support with grants writing / management and/or community fundraising. Experience of fundraising would be of significant benefit to the organisation in this key leadership role. 

Personal Specification 

Essential 

• Minimum of 7 years’ experience of operations in a small/medium charity context. 
• Self-starter with the ability to hit the ground running and work with minimal supervision with high levels of flexibility.
• Self-motivated, with an ability to motivate and energise others.
• High level strategic understanding, critical thinking and the ability to strengthen systems in a fast-paced high performance environment.
• Excellent communication, both oral and written.
• The ability to thrive and adapt in a fast-paced, creative and impact-driven culture. 
• Strong administrative skills with a high level of attention to detail. 
• Experience in creating user-friendly tools and processes to support project and quality management.
• Experience using Google Suite, with strong Excel skills.
• Tech savvy – ability to learn new tech tools efficiently.
• Experience coordinating others. 
• Excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills with strong empathy and cultural sensitivity 
• Strong personal alignment with the mission, vision and values of EduSpots. 

Highly desirable 

• Experience supporting charity Boards, and working with external bodies including auditors, tax authorities, and other official bodies is highly desirable.
• Experience complying and strong familiarity with UK charity regulations and requirements.
• Experience preparing budgets and financial reports for donors/grants. 
• Experience of working in a cross-cultural team.
• Experience of working with an international charity would be advantageous. 

Please send a tailored covering letter and CV addressed to the CEO Miss Cat Davison by Wednesday 31st December with a hope to meet shortlisted candidates for a first-round interview in the week starting Monday 12th January. 

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Access Interns Programme, a partnership between The Kartik Foundation and Variety, provides disabled young people with meaningful corporate internship opportunities to support their career aspirations. For many disabled young people, accessing work experience can be challenging due to societal barriers, lack of support, and limited opportunities. Access Interns is designed to break down these barriers, ensuring that participants gain valuable work experience, professional skills, and industry connections to help them succeed in their chosen careers.

The Access Interns Programme Manager is responsible for the successful delivery of the ACCESS INTERNS programme, overseeing the internship placement process, employer engagement, and student support. This includes managing the selection process, coordinating placements, ensuring workplace accessibility, and tracking the programme’s impact.

The role also involves working closely with corporate employers to create inclusive work environments, supporting interns throughout their placements, and expanding engagement with schools, employers, and industry leaders to ensure disabled young people have equal access to high-quality career opportunities.

ABOUT VARIETY

In the UK, there are more than 1.3 million disabled children and over 4 million children living in poverty. Variety exists to improve their lives. We believe every child has a right to live their best life and reach their full potential, whoever they are. We fund and deliver life-changing programmes that enhance their quality of life and give children and young people across the UK a better future.

Over the past 75 years we have supported over one million children by funding almost 6,000 Sunshine Coaches, almost the same number of wheelchairs, and giving thousands of grants to individual children, schools, youth clubs and other organisations for specialist equipment.

In addition, each year thousands of children take part in day trips, special events and educational activities as part of our Variety Great Days Out programme and every single day we are improving more young lives. We do it with practical, tangible help, that makes a real and immediate difference.

 KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Programme Management

· Managing the Access Interns Programme, ensuring it is delivered to a high standard and in line with Variety’s policies and procedures

· Working with the Chief Executive Officer to set annual internship placement targets, manage the Access Interns budget and develop the Access Interns Programme.

· Overseeing the end-to-end process of the programme, from student recruitment and employer engagement to placement coordination and post-internship evaluation.

· Adhering to Variety’s Safeguarding policies and procedures and working with the Head of Programmes, by recognising that interns are vulnerable adults, and taking responsibility for their safety, welfare, and well-being throughout the programme.

· Identifying opportunities to expand and enhance the programme, ensuring it remains impactful, sustainable, and aligned with Variety’s strategic goals.

· Developing guidance materials, training sessions, and workshops to prepare students for internships and support their professional growth

· Working with the Programme’s team to input & manage programme data and reporting.

· Tracking and reporting on Programme Impact and analysing data to ensure continuous improvement.

Logistics and Coordination

· Coordinating interview schedule, employer meeting, and onboarding sessions to facilitate successful placements.

· Managing communication with interns, employers, schools, and other stakeholders, ensuring all parties are well-informed and supported.

· Organising online disability awareness training for corporate employers as part of the onboarding process, ensuring employers understand best practices for supporting disabled interns and creating accessible workplaces.

· Ensuring all necessary documentation, contracts and agreements are completed and maintained in line with Variety’s Policies and Compliance standards.

Budget and Income Generation

· Managing the Access Interns Programme budget, ensuring effective allocation of resources and cost control.

· Generating income from the programme, including securing corporate partnerships and funding opportunities to sustain and expand Access Interns.

· Working closely with the fundraising team to assist in converting Access Intern partners into Corporate Donors for Variety’s wider work.

· Working with the Chief Executive Officer to set financial targets and explore additional funding streams.

· Monitoring expenditure, tracking income, and providing financial reports on programme performance.

Student Outreach & Support

· Manage the application and selection process, ensuring fair and transparent recruitment.

· Working closely with students to support their career development, including

- CV writing and cover letter workshops

- Interview preparation sessions

- Professional skills training (e.g. workplace etiquette, communication skills, and confidence-building)

- One-on-one mentoring and guidance

· Provide guidance and support to interns throughout their journey, from pre-placement preparation to post-internship follow-up.

· Responsible for marketing to schools and colleges to increase awareness and participation.

· Ensuring students understand their rights and workplace accommodations, advocating for inclusive and accessible internships.

· Visiting schools and colleges to promote the programme, engage with students, and increase participation from disabled young people.

Employer Outreach & Support

· Building and maintaining strong relationships with corporate employers to ensure a positive and productive experience for employers participating in the programme.

· Acting as the primary point of contact for employers, providing guidance and support throughout the internship process.

· Working with employers to develop meaningful internship opportunities, ensuring placements align with both business needs and student development goals

· Addressing any challenges or concerns that arise during placements, acting as a mediator where necessary.

· Delivering pre-placement briefings for employers, setting expectations and promoting inclusive hiring practices

· Gathering feedback from employers to continuously refine and improve the programme.

Customer Service and Administration

· Working with Operations Team and external partners to devise and deploy scalable on-boarding and internship management systems.

· Providing excellent customer service to applicants and prospective applicants, giving advice and guidance over the phone, in person and via email.

· Collecting and collating impact and monitoring data.

· Providing administrative support for other Programmes depending on workload, capacity and department demand.

Other Duties and Partner Support

· Assisting with events, reporting, and stakeholder engagement related to Variety’s wider mission and partner organisations.

· Collaborating with internal and external teams to support strategic initiatives that align with the goals of the Access Interns Programme.

General Responsibilities

· Negotiate placements and work collaboratively with employers to ensure meaningful learning experiences for interns.

· Applying knowledge of disabilities, relevant laws (e.g. Equality Act 2010), and reasonable adjustments to ensure that both interns and employers receive the necessary support for a successful and inclusive internship experience

· Expand the programme’s employer network, targeting organisations in corporate sectors to enhance placement opportunities.

· To work cross functionally with other departments, regions and countries.

· To achieve the highest standards of safeguarding for the young people who complete a corporate internship by Variety by complying with all appropriate Policies and Procedures.

· Working within Variety’s Data Protection policies at all times.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

Essential:

• Proven experience in managing programmes or projects, including planning, delivery, and evaluation.

• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with diverse stakeholders (e.g., employers, schools, students).

• Knowledge of disability rights, accessibility requirements, and the Equality Act 2010.

• Understanding of safeguarding principles and experience working with vulnerable adults or young people

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present information clearly and persuasively.

• Strong ability to manage multiple tasks, deadlines, and priorities effectively.

• Competence in collecting, analysing, and reporting data to measure impact and inform improvements.

• Confident using Microsoft Office and CRM or database systems.

 

Desirable:

• Delivering or coordinating training sessions for employers or staff.

• Experience managing budgets, monitoring expenditure, and reporting on financial performance.

• Familiarity with employability skills training, CV writing, and interview preparation.

• Experience organising workshops, meetings, or onboarding sessions.

• Ability to promote programmes to schools, colleges, and employers.

• Using impact data to drive continuous improvement.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your CV with a cover letter explaining why you’d make a great candidate for this role. Applications will close on Friday 9th January 2026 at 5pm with interviews taking place week commencing 12th and 19 January 2026.

Please let us know if you have any accessibility requirements or need any adjustments for the interview.

MAIN BENEFITS, TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Location: Variety HQ, Camden Town, London (hybrid working, 3 days in the office per week)

Hours: 9am to 5pm

25 days holiday (we also normally give between Christmas and New Year off, but this is not contractual). In addition, after one year's continuous service, there will be an extra 2 days annual holiday for every complete year of service, up to a maximum of five days' extra holiday.

Pension 7% ER contribution, Life Assurance 4x annual salary, Company sick pay scheme, medicash benefit.

EQUALITY DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

 Inclusion is one of our key values and it is our ambition to recruit great people from diverse communities. We welcome and encourage applications from suitably qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment/identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy/maternity and or marriage/civil partnership status, race, religion or belief.

Location (UK): Office Hybrid* - London
Hours: Full-time, 35 Hours per week
Salary: £55,155 per annum (London)
Benefits: Read more about the excellent benefits we offer on our website
Contract type: Fixed-term - 2 years
Travel: Occasional travel across the UK including Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Closing date: 23:59 hours, Sunday 4 January 2026

Join us and use your skills, knowledge, passion and energy to help us achieve a future free from arthritis.
You will join the UK Advocacy and Health Intelligence Department within the Chief Executive's Directorate. The team is responsible for leading UK strategy development and delivery across advocacy (policy, public affairs, campaigning) and health intelligence, working closely with colleagues across the UK to ensure effective delivery of the strategy in each nation. The department sits in the Chief Executive's Directorate to ensure driving positive change with and for people with arthritis is at the heart of the organisation.

The Department works closely with colleagues across the charity, including Services, Research and Income and Engagement to ensure we are joined up in our approach to arthritis.

About the role
The Researcher is a new, important post at Arthritis UK. Working within our Health Intelligence team, you will lead on providing expertise on the latest relevant research evidence, providing a responsive, robust and balanced assessment of the available evidence and any key gaps to shape the charity's UK advocacy agenda, and drive organisational priorities. Working across a range of issues you will play a crucial role in ensuring that the experiences and needs of people living with arthritis are understood and acted upon, and that arthritis is taken seriously across the UK.

About you
If your knowledge, skills and experience include the following then we'd love to hear from you:

• In-depth knowledge and experience in working in health-related, research.
• Experience in the synthesis and evaluation of research evidence across a range of sources (including grey literature), including in the design and delivery of rapid reviews.
• Experience in communicating clearly and succinctly to non-technical and non-expert audiences, through both written formats (e.g. briefing papers) and verbally (e.g. via presentations and meetings with senior stakeholders), with a robust approach to accessibility throughout communication.
• Demonstrable understanding of how research can be used to shape policy and practice.
• Experience of consistently applying a range of techniques and research methods applicable to framing research questions, evidence review and research evaluation.
• Able to communicate findings and conclusions clearly to non-specialist and specialist audiences.
• Educated to at least master's degree level or equivalent.

*As a hybrid worker the expectation is that you will spend around 40% of your working time in our office spaces or working in community settings. As an inclusive employer we will consider home-based working for anyone where office-based hybrid working would be a barrier to being able to work for us, for example for someone living with a long-term health condition or disability.

Benefits
Your excellent benefits include:

• Flexible hours, environments and working practices to promote a healthy work/life balance.
• Health and wellbeing support - including the Employee Assistance Programme (free confidential 24/7 support with mental health, legal and financial queries).
• Simplyhealth cash plan.
• Supportive and inclusive culture, with a wide range of employee networks and support groups available to join.
• Learning and personal development opportunities.
• Competitive annual leave, with the option to buy/sell up to five days per year.
• Generous pension plan, with employer contribution of up to 10%.
• Life Assurance plan (4 x salary).

Application deadline and shortlisting 
We advise candidates to apply early as we reserve the right to close applications ahead of this date.  
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. 
We do not wish to receive contact from agencies or media sales. 

Please note that we do not use Artificial Intelligence (AI) during our recruitment and selection processes, and we would respectfully ask that you also refrain from using AI during the selection process. Whilst we do recognise that AI may be a beneficial tool for some when aiding research and preparation for an application or interview, we want to maintain a fair, inclusive and positive recruitment experience at Arthritis UK where candidates can feel supported to demonstrate their experience, knowledge, and skills without the use of AI generated answers.

Interview
Interviews are expected be held Thursday 15 January 2026, Arthritis UK London office

As a Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee you will be offered an interview if you disclose a disability and demonstrate sufficient evidence within your application that you meet the essential criteria for this role. We will also make any reasonable adjustments you may require for your interview.

About us
We have made a commitment in our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy to increase the diversity of our charity and we welcome candidates from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. We want our employees, volunteers and trustees to represent the broad diversity of the communities of which we are a part.

There are over 10 million people living with arthritis. That's one in six, with over half of those living in pain every single day. The impact is huge as the condition slowly intrudes on everyday life - affecting the ability to work, care for a family, to move free from pain and to live independently. Yet arthritis is often dismissed as an inevitable part of ageing or shrugged off as 'just a bit of arthritis'. We don't think that this is OK. Arthritis UK is here to change that.

Arthritis UK is committed to keeping children, young people and vulnerable adults safe from harm. During the recruitment process we will undertake safer recruitment practices and relevant checks to ensure applicants are suitable to work with children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Arthritis UK is a Registered Charity No: 207711 and in Scotland No. SC041156.

Nacro is looking for a committed and politically astute Policy & Public Affairs Officer – Criminal Justice to play a key role in delivering our influencing strategy. You will help shape Nacro’s policy positions on criminal justice issues and deliver proactive and reactive public affairs activity that drives meaningful change for the people we support.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone passionate about social justice, who understands the political landscape and is confident producing high-quality policy materials, engaging with parliamentarians, and representing Nacro externally.

 

Key Responsibilities

Policy Development

• Monitor and analyse political and policy developments in criminal justice to identify trends, opportunities, and risks.
• Work with service users, staff, and research colleagues to develop evidence-based policy positions.
• Produce high-quality policy briefings, reports, and consultation responses.
• Serve as Nacro’s internal expert on criminal justice policy.
   

Public Affairs & Influencing

• Develop and deliver a public affairs plan that advances Nacro’s influencing objectives.
• Build and maintain productive relationships with parliamentarians, policymakers, and regional decision-makers.
• Attend and represent Nacro at APPGs, parliamentary meetings, and external events.
• Produce parliamentary briefings and contribute to legislative engagement.
• Organise and coordinate parliamentary and stakeholder events that support influencing goals.
• Work collaboratively with partners across the sector to strengthen joint advocacy.
   

Communications & Support

• Provide content for media statements, blogs, and external communications.
• Prepare briefings for senior leaders including the Head of Policy & Public Affairs, Director of Engagement & Impact, and CEO.
• Support wider Nacro campaigns and influencing work as required.
   

Professional & Technical Expertise

• Strong knowledge of criminal justice policy.
• In-depth understanding of Westminster, Whitehall, and political processes.
• Experience designing and delivering effective public affairs activity.
• Demonstrated ability to influence decision-makers.
• Experience working with parliamentarians and developing strong relationships.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with experience producing policy and campaign materials.
• Strong political awareness and the ability to anticipate developments.
   

Organisational Performance & Compliance

• Commit to personal learning and development through supervision and appraisal.
• Positively promote Nacro and contribute to an integrated, collaborative team culture focused on supporting service users and students.
• Adhere to safeguarding, data protection, and statutory responsibilities.
• Uphold and promote Nacro’s Equality and Diversity Policy.
• Report any health and safety concerns within your area.
• Demonstrate professional behaviour aligned with Nacro’s values.
  
   

Why Join Nacro?

We believe that everyone deserves a good education, a safe and secure place to live, the right to be heard, and the chance to start again, with support from someone on their side.

That’s why our housing, education, justice, and health and wellbeing services work alongside people to give them the support and skills they need to succeed. And it’s why we fight for their voices to be heard and campaign together to create lasting change.

We see your future, whatever the past.

If you’re passionate about driving change, skilled at navigating political environments, and eager to develop your policy and influencing expertise - we’d love to hear from you.

Apply now and help shape a fairer future.