Training associate jobs

About Adolescent Health Study

The Adolescent Health Study (AHS) is an ambitious new UKRI-funded initiative to establish a prospective, longitudinal population study that will generate a globally leading open science data platform and research resource. AHS aims to recruit at least 100,000 young people aged eight to 18 years from across the UK and to follow their mental and physical health and wellbeing over at least 10 years. It plans to collect data through questions and measures; to obtain bio-samples for a wide range of genomic and other high-throughput assays; and to capture linked data relevant to health and wellbeing from participants’ health, education and other administrative records. Recruitment will take place mainly through schools. There will be a strong emphasis on engaging with and involving young people, schools, parents and other relevant stakeholders in the design and delivery of the study, as well as on including young people that represent as wide as possible a range of backgrounds, experiences and characteristics. AHS will focus on enabling a wide range of research, including studies of the critical biological and social developments that occur during the transition from childhood to adulthood and the determinants of both mental and physical health and wellbeing in adolescents and young adults.

Purpose of the post

 The Procurement Lead is responsible for developing and delivering a robust procurement and commercial strategy that ensures value for money, compliance with Procurement Act 2023 regulations in line with AHS being primarily public funded and supports AHS study and operational objectives. The role will lead on sourcing, contracting, supplier management, and commercial governance, ensuring ethical, transparent, and efficient use of public funds.

Main responsibilities

Procurement Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and implement a procurement and commercial strategy aligned with organisational goals and funding requirements.
• Lead procurement planning across research programmes, operations, and corporate services.
• Act as a subject matter expert on public procurement policy and best practice.
• Drive continuous improvement in procurement processes, systems, and capability.

Tendering and Contract Management

• Oversee end-to-end procurement processes including tendering, evaluation, and contract award.
• Ensure compliance with UK public procurement regulations (e.g., Procurement Act and associated guidance).
• Draft, review, and negotiate complex contracts, including research, clinical, and grant-related agreements.
• Manage contract lifecycle including performance monitoring, renewals, and extensions.

Commercial Governance & Compliance

• Establish and maintain procurement policies, procedures, and governance frameworks.
• Ensure all procurement activities meet audit, transparency, and reporting requirements for public funding.
• Identify and mitigate commercial risks across supplier engagements.
• Support internal and external audit processes.

Supplier & Stakeholder Management

• Build and maintain strategic supplier relationships, ensuring high performance and innovation.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders (research teams, finance, legal) to understand needs and deliver value-driven procurement solutions.
• Work with external stakeholders including funders, partners and strategic advisors to develop optimum outcomes
• Provide commercial advice and guidance to senior leadership and project teams.
• Promote sustainable and ethical sourcing practices.

Financial & Value Management

• Deliver value for money through effective sourcing and negotiation strategies.
• Monitor procurement spend and identify cost-saving or efficiency opportunities.
• Contribute to budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning processes.
• Ensure funding is used appropriately, ethically and in line with public funding requirements.

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential

1. Professional qualification in procurement or supply chain e.g., CIPS Level 5 or equivalent
2. Degree or comparable experience in business, finance, law, or related field.
3. Proven track record of managing complex procurement exercises and contracts.
4. Experience in procurement or commercial roles within regulated procurement environments, specifically those classed as a public authority
5. Strong understanding of UK public procurement regulations and best practice.
6. Commercial acumen with strong negotiation and contract management skills.
7. Experience of drafting and reviewing heads of terms and commercial agreements.
8. Knowledge of intellectual property (IP) considerations in research contracts.
9. Strong experience in supplier and stakeholder management.
10. Excellent analytical, financial, and problem-solving abilities.
11. Strong communication and influencing skills across all levels of an organisation.
12. Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities effectively.

Desirable

1. CIPS Level 6 or equivalent
2. Membership of a professional body (e.g., MCIPS or FCIPS).
3. Experience managing high-value and complex contracts, including collaborative or partnership agreements
4. Experience in procurement or commercial roles within charity and/or research sectors
5. Detailed understanding of intellectual property (IP) considerations in research contracts.
6. Detailed knowledge of the UK Procurement Act (or Public Contracts Regulations 2015 historically) and transitions between them.
7. Experience of drafting and reviewing heads of terms and commercial agreements.
8. Understanding of subsidy control, state aid, or funding compliance frameworks.
9. Ability to analyse procurement data and generate insights using tools such as Excel, Power BI, or similar.
10. Experience leading organisational change or transformation programmes in procurement.
11. Ability to build procurement capability across a non-procurement stakeholder base.

Dimensions

• This is a full-time role, 37.5 hours per week, offered initially as an 18-month fixed-term contract with potential route to permanency.
• Flexible working across several geographical locations in the UK.  Travel may be required to AHS locations and partner organisations.
• AHS is a national organisation, and our activities take place across the UK.

Application Process

All candidates are required to complete the application form which can be found when clicking 'Apply Now' via Charity Job.

Please refer to the ‘How to Apply’ section of the downloadable application form.

Please note that only applications submitted directly to Gravitate HR will be accepted for this position.

The closing date for applications is 11:00pm on Sunday 12th July 2026.

Interviews are currently expected to take place on Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th August 2026.

Equal Opportunities Policy Statement

AHS is an equal opportunities employer, and as such aims to treat all employees, consultants and applicants fairly. It is our policy to provide employment equality to all, irrespective of:

• Gender, including gender reassignment
• Marital or civil partnership status
• Having or not having dependants
• Religion or belief
• Race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins)
• Disability
• Sexual orientation
• Age

We are opposed to all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination.  All job applicants and employees who work for us will be treated fairly and will not be unfairly discriminated against on any of the above grounds. Decisions about recruitment and selection, promotion, training or any other benefit will be made objectively and without unlawful discrimination. 

Values

It is an exciting time for the Adolescent Health Study (AHS) as we establish our senior leadership team and begin to plan the pilot studies. As the senior executive team evolves, the AHS values will be grounded in inclusivity, integrity, accountability, and collaboration.

About us 

The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity exists to improve the lives of people affected by cancer—at The Royal Marsden and far beyond. 

We fund world-leading research, cutting-edge equipment, and groundbreaking treatment that helps transform care for cancer patients in the UK and across the world. By supporting one of the world’s leading cancer centres, we play a vital role in developing new treatments and improving outcomes for patients everywhere. 

Following a period of significant growth, we are now entering an exciting new phase—expanding our impact, strengthening supporter relationships, and investing in the future of cancer care. 

About the role 

This is an exciting opportunity to join our ambitious Legacy team at a pivotal point in its growth. 

As a Legacy Executive, you’ll play a key role in helping to secure vital future income by delivering exceptional supporter experiences and supporting the development of our legacy marketing programme. You’ll work closely with colleagues across fundraising to inspire supporters to leave a lasting gift that helps drive life-saving advances for generations to come. 

This role is ideal for someone looking to develop a career in fundraising or marketing, particularly within legacies, while making a meaningful difference. 

What you’ll do 

• Manage responses to legacy enquiries, ensuring supporters get the information they need to consider including a gift in their Will.

• Work with Free Will service providers to ensure an excellent supporter experience 

• Support the planning, delivery and evaluation of multi-channel legacy marketing campaigns 

• Collaborate with teams across the charity to raise awareness of legacies and support integrated campaigns 

• Help deliver engaging supporter events and recognition activities 

• Assist with legacy administration when required 

• Work with Free Will service providers to ensure an excellent supporter experience 

• Collaborate with teams across the charity to raise awareness of legacies and support integrated campaigns 

About you 

We’re looking for someone who is organised, proactive, and motivated by making a difference. 

You’ll bring: 

• Experience coordinating projects or campaigns from start to finish 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills 

• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail 

• Confidence engaging with a wide range of audiences 

• Sensitivity and empathy, particularly when communicating with bereaved supporters 

• A genuine interest in fundraising, marketing, or the charity sector 

Why join us? 

This is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a high-performing, supportive team within a charity that is making a real difference to people’s lives. 

We offer: 

• The chance to contribute to pioneering cancer research and care 

• A collaborative, ambitious and values-driven culture 

• Strong opportunities for learning, development and career progression 

• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements 

Benefits 

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays 

• Generous pension scheme (up to 6% employer contribution) 

• Employee assistance programme 

• Modern offices in Chelsea and Sutton with subsidised canteens 

Inclusion matters 

We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences. 

Apply now 

If you’re looking for a role where you can build your career while making a meaningful impact, we’d love to hear from you. 

Looking for a charity role where children and families are treated with warmth, curiosity, and compassion?

Ready for a role where operational leadership means noticing the details, solving problems early, building strong systems, and helping a busy service run smoothly and thoughtfully?

Looking for a thoughtful values-led organisation where kindness and accountability go hand in hand?

This is what our children and parents could soon be saying about the service you help lead …

‘I feel like some of the darkness has turned to light’.
‘It’s like an egg has been opened up and all the good is coming out…. Life feels like it is on the right track’.

We need you and more importantly, our children and young people need you!

Join our lovely children’s mental health charity team as Service Lead for our specialist part-time alternative provision, supporting children and young people with EHCPs whose needs sit in the intersection of SEND and mental health.

We are looking for someone who can quickly understand and work within the Love Squared ethos and approach, while bringing strong organisational leadership, warmth, and consistency to the service.

This role would suit someone who is perceptive, highly organised, and proactive, with the ability to quickly understand complex situations and keep a busy service running and developing smoothly and thoughtfully.

You will need strong organisational skills, fantastic attention to detail, and love problem solving, and proactively manage multiple moving parts with love and imagination. 

It will suit someone who wants to take real ownership of making things work well! 

A little bit about Love Squared …

Our vision is a society where imagination, love, and kindness are the everyday words that people associate with child and family services. It is a vision where young people can walk into their futures with joy. We want to bring love to children and families’ services. We don’t think it’s enough to care a bit, you have to care a lot if you want to transform outcomes.

We want to change the national landscape of how children experience the mental health system, putting kindness at the forefront of every interaction. Building awareness, starting a movement, hearing the children’s voices and those of their loved ones: we want to transform the experience of those impacted by mental health.

We are on a mission to ensure that no child has to lose out on a world of potential because of mental health. We don’t have magic wands, but we do believe that every child and family has the right to get services designed and delivered for their individual needs, and with love and imagination. Everyone has a right to have their story remembered and treated with curiosity and sensitivity.

We directly deliver imaginative, and carefully case managed services for children and young people with social, emotional, and mental health needs (working in the intersectional needs of mental health and SEND). We do this through our work as a specialist non-school part-time alternative provision for children with education, health and care plans (where this particular advertised role sits!) and through our Glow services where we provide a number of therapeutic projects such as our children’s listening helpline, Drop the Pressure, online mentoring projects such as Transitions, Game On and Remix, 1:1 counselling and mentoring in schools, and therapeutic mentoring workshops in schools as well as holiday groups in nature, and with cooking and a range of other activities. We believe that you can’t change outcomes without looking at issues holistically and thoughtfully. For us it’s about long-term change.

As our new services lead for (outreach ALP), you will help us continue seeking to make three key differences for our children and young people: Improved mental health, Reduced social isolation,  Increased ability to thrive in education

The Role

Our Outreach (part time ALP) service will deliver services to around 45 children and young people at any one time over the next academic year. Our young people are often neurodivergent, have SEND and/ or mental needs such as anxiety, OCD and other diagnosed or undiagnosed needs. Many have very supportive and involved families and parents/ carers who also deserve our empathy and support, and many have had difficult childhood experiences and might be really struggling with loneliness and social isolation. The funding for outreach comes primarily from individual children’s EHCP’s and we design careful and thoughtful packages of education and wellbeing provision with an emphasis on therapeutic and trauma informed work. This is usually commissioned through local authorities (we work with a number across the South West and in London) and can also be commissioned by social care and NHS. The work with the children is delivered by a team of around 25 education and wellbeing practitioners. We usually deliver services in the home and the community and for many of our young people, who are usually not in school - we are key professionals, mentors and cheerleaders in their lives, delivering usually around 12 hours a week of services for each child as a part time ALP. Partnership work and safeguarding are day to day features of the services as is building supportive mentoring relationships with practitioners ensuring they have the right support, training and supervision to fulfil their roles and feel happy and supported, and building warm, nurturing relationships with families and wider stakeholders. 

We have a clear idea of our objectives for this service for next academic year (we want to make it even more amazing for the children and young people) and we need someone who will be truly excited about running day to day and the year to year. This is a key operational leadership role within a busy and fast-paced service requiring someone who is highly organised, proactive and fast on their feet - its that ‘head, heart and hand’ approach driving positive action and strategically aligned change across the service whilst holding their own case load, and able to maintain oversight of multiple complex moving parts, while ensuring children, families, and practitioners feel nurtured, inspired, and well-held.

In this role, you will:

• Oversee the day-to-day running of the Outreach (ALP) service reporting and ensuring on monthly and year to year deliverables. 

• Manage relationships with children, professionals, families and practitioners dealing with cases from referral onwards, by phone, face to face and by email, and to be in proactive and sensitive communication including with professionals and vulnerable children and families. This will  often require imagination, quick wit, empathy, and diplomacy to resolve. 

• Take an active role in strategic problem solving; being able to think about what issues might come up, what lies behind the words or the data, and what needs to be done to reassure, and move things forward successfully. 

• Collate and analyse a range of systems and data (quantitative and qualitative) with a view to improvement in communications, systems and processes and will make these improvements happen in the service and ensure they are embedded and become consistent.

• Deliver services which have meaningful long term impact for the children, but always be proactively seeking to do more and to make them better.

• Have confidence in dealing with conflict and disagreements, ensuring that the children and families voices are heard and working positively with our partners.

• Lead on personalised and holistic case management including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring/control and closure across children’s cases. 

• Proactive commitment to safeguarding best practise and information sharing including commitment to Love Squared safeguarding procedure including acting as Deputy Safeguarding Lead and attending relevant multi-agency meetings. 

• Effective risk-management for service and individual children/ young people in liaison with other stakeholders.

• Manage practitioner and other relevant recruitment so that capacity is carefully managed across the service.

• Support and improve service design, delivery and best practise for the children including running regular team meetings for each placement, individual and group supervision, and providing wellbeing support for practitioners. 

• Ensure that additional and joined up support is sought and achieved as needed to meet the children’s needs and that this is proactive as much as possible rather than reactive. 

• Ensure that reporting, planning, and other documentation both for individual children and at service level is compliant, to a high standard and well organised and managed. 

• Support the ongoing development and sustainable growth of the service in alignment with the Love Squared ethos and approach

• Line manage and supervise Case Manager(s) and supervise and mentor the practice of the practitioners. 

• Help ensure children and families experience services that feel thoughtful, imaginative, loving and genuinely supportive.

• Undertake other duties in the charity as required, being a willing and nurturing colleague and team member, supportive of senior leadership as well as practitioners and other team members. 

This role needs someone who:

• Enjoys managing/ leading services proactively, creatively improving service design - joining up the dots and seeing how things could run smoother and better for our beneficiaries and for the charity while understanding why strategic alignment and keeping ethos already in place and special. 

• Love to solve problems - the little ones, the bigger ones and enjoys a thoughtful challenge, often at pace! 

• Notices when things are starting to drift and acts early to solve,  - using learning from individual scenarios to create solutions at service level. 

• Can manage multiple moving parts calmly and thoughtfully. 

• Combines strong systems thinking with warmth and empathy, and loves working with people including team and parents/ carers - supporting and nurturing with love and kindness. 

We are looking for a wonderful person who has experience in:

• Significant experience working with children and young people with SEND and/or social, emotional and mental health needs

• Strong safeguarding knowledge and confidence managing complex safeguarding situations with best practice reflective practice

• Experience overseeing or coordinating front line educational/ health or other relevant case-managed services or provision

• Experience supervising, supporting, or line managing staff and frontline practitioners/ education or mental health teams

• Strong project management, operational, and administrative skills

• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple moving parts within a busy service

• Ability to organise, coordinate, and maintain oversight across multiple workstreams, timelines, and priorities

• Confidence developing and improving operational systems and processes

• Ability to quickly process information, prioritise effectively, and proactively problem solve

• Experience building strong, warm and compassionate relationships with parents and carers

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Confidence using systems, tracking information, and maintaining clear oversight of delivery, actions, and timelines

• Ability to identify opportunities for improvement and contribute to the ongoing development of services and systems

• Comfortable taking ownership of operational improvement and helping services grow sustainably over time

• Ability to work within an established relational and values-led approach while helping strengthen and refine service delivery

• A proactive, thoughtful, and emotionally intelligent approach to leadership and service management

• A belief in trauma informed,child-centred, and holistic approaches using a variety of tool kits to supporting children and families

Qualifications (Desirable, not Essential)

• Relevant qualification in education, SEND, mental health, youth work, social care, counselling, psychology, or a related field, or in project management/ operations or organisational development

Most importantly … 

You will align with our key values of:

• Love, imagination, Nurture, and Brave. 

Our team commits to these in all their interactions and through our code of conduct and behavioural framework as part of our wider safeguarding culture and best practice.

So why work for us?

Our work is sometimes challenging and tender, but it is also enriching, rewarding and we are always looking for your vision and input as we grow as a charity. 

Benefits

• 29 days annual leave plus public holidays

• Pension: 3% employer contribution, 5% employee contribution

• Flexible working as much as possible around service needs and opportunities for home working for at least some of the week (specifics to be agreed). 

• Free access to on-demand and structured counselling plus mental health resources via Spill.chat employee assistance scheme

• Collaborative working with a supportive, warm team and colleagues. 

We want everyone at Love Squared to love working for us and feel like they are an ambassador for the charity, spreading the word about what we do and the impact we have, for the sake of the children and families we serve, and we will celebrate each and every achievement with you from the tiny (they said ‘hello!’) to the big ones, as well as the tougher moments - we work as a team, supporting and nurturing each other. 

Most importantly, it’s this: 

‘Your work has been life changing, and in each conversation we feel so listened to’

Some important things! 

An application form is required as part of the recruitment process (we can’t accept just a CV!) and any appointment to joining our team will involve appropriate safeguarding checks for regulated activity with children and adults in line with our safer recruitment process such as appropriate DBS and other relevant safer recruitment checks, as well as being able to demonstrate right to work in the UK and you would be required to sign up to the DBS update service and have or obtain an appropriate DBS check for working with children and vulnerable adults. 

We may also carry out proportional online searches on candidates who are shortlisted for interviews. 

Please be aware that this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.  It is an offence to apply for the role if the applicant is barred from engaging in regulated activity relating to children. 

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a confidential self-declaration form of their criminal record and other relevant checks as part of our safer recruitment process.  Please note that we operate a positive disclosure policy for cautions and convictions and historic convictions that are not related to offences against children or vulnerable adults, Love Squared would normally be willing to undertake a careful risk assessment with the applicant’s permission before coming to a decision about whether the application can be taken further.  

The interview process will include more than one stage, and please be aware that there might be two stages to the interview process and a short written/ relevant task. 

Due to capacity (we are a busy charity with a small team!) we are so sorry (and we really mean this) but we unfortunately cannot offer feedback to candidates who have not been shortlisted (eg. where we don’t progress an application form to the next stage). 

We're committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applicants from under-represented groups, diverse backgrounds, and those who don't always get their voices heard. If you have any access requirements or need reasonable adjustments in the recruitment process, then please let us know, and we'll make every effort to ensure these are supported.