Transformation director jobs

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

• Salary: £30,000 – £35,000 DOE

• Location: Stevenage (Hybrid – minimum 2 days/month in office)

• Hours: Full-time, Permanent

• 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 Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF) is one of the UK’s largest independent grant-making foundations. We use our resources to support social change, working towards a just and equitable society in which everyone, especially young people, can realise their full potential and lead fulfilling, creative lives.

Contract: Fixed-term contract – 18 months
Hours: Full-time post, 35 hours per week
Salary: c. £54,000 per annum
Location: London / Hybrid (40% of time in our central London offices)

Role Overview

We are seeking a mission-driven senior leader to shape and deliver our work supporting young people across the UK.

As Head of Programme – Young People, you will shape and drive the Foundation’s grant-making strategy in support of young people, ensuring our funding delivers systemic change and champions youth-led approaches. You will lead the Youth Fund and related initiatives, setting direction, overseeing grant-making, and influencing practice across the youth sector.

As Head of Programme – Young People, you will lead the strategic development, direction and delivery of the Foundation’s Youth Fund and related initiatives. You will oversee grant-making, champion youth-led practice, and influence sector-wide learning and collaboration.

Reporting to the Director of Grants, you will have direct responsibility for a high-performing team composed of two Grants Managers and one Grants Assistant. You will oversee the strategic development and delivery of the Youth Fund and Follow-on Fund, ensuring alignment with the Foundation’s priorities and best practices in youth-focused grant-making.

You will work closely with funded organisations, trustees, advisors, and sector partners to strengthen their impact, embed learning, and ensure our funding supports long-term systemic change.

About You

We’re looking for a strategic, values-led leader with:

• Significant experience in the youth, charity or civil society sector, with a strong understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing young people.
• Deep knowledge of youth policy and practice, and the ability to translate that insight into impactful funding and support for organisations.
• Proven expertise in grant-making, including assessment, due diligence, monitoring and learning.
• Strong leadership and people management skills, able to develop and motivate teams and foster a collaborative, inclusive culture.
• A track record of working in partnership with funded organisations and sector stakeholders to drive meaningful change.

The Chief Programmes and Outreach Officer is a member of the Executive Team and a key advisor to the Board and the CEO, responsible for evidence-based pedagogy and practice, partnership development and adoption of innovative methodologies.

This is an exceptional opportunity to shape the future of Holocaust and antisemitism education in the UK at a pivotal moment in history. We are undoubtedly at a crucial juncture in Holocaust education and remembrance. Our work faces two  profound challenges: the international backdrop of rising antisemitism, Holocaust denial and distortion, alongside the inevitable loss of the remaining survivors and the need to develop effective new educational models that no longer rely on live testimony. In this challenging context, this post’s work will be critical in ensuring we carry the legacy of Holocaust survivors forward through innovative, impactful programmes that reach diverse audiences across the UK.

The post is accountable for the strategic vision and operational excellence of all the Trust's educational programmes, developing and delivering innovative, historically sound, educationally robust learning programmes that are recognised nationally and internationally as best practice. A key focus of the role is driving greater technological excellence in both teaching and operations, particularly digital testimony preservation and the use of educational technology.

The post’s success is the continuous improvement of both programme reach and impact, engaging new and diverse audiences and demonstrating meaningful long-term impact in line with the Trust’s mission and vision.

Key Responsibilities:

• Organisational leadership, as a member of the Executive Team
• Team Management and Development 
• Financial Management 
• Programme Innovation, Development and Delivery
• Partnerships and External Relations
• Impact, Evaluation and Learning
• Safeguarding and Quality Assurance

For the full Job Description, Person Specification, and details on how to apply, please follow the link to our website.

The role of the People Partner is to work in partnership with directors and their managers, supporting and influencing the delivery of People Team services (including employees and volunteers), particularly in relation to people management. You will provide HR coaching and consulting that delivers People and Culture best practice and commercially focused HR/People advice.

You will proactively support leaders and managers to develop forward planning and good management practice with a focus on increased staff engagement and good performance from all staff. The People Partners will be expected to drive initiatives that not only attract top talent but also foster a culture where employees feel valued, engaged, and inspired by our unique Employee Value Proposition (EVP).

You will also help raise knowledge, capabilities and confidence of managers and support and drive initiatives and projects that add value to the area and are in line with the overall values of The Children’s Trust.

This role is not open to sponsorship.

Staff benefits include shuttle bus, and more… Read more below.

Role Requirements

• Work closely with the Senior Organisational Change Manager and the other People Partners to ensure that all employees, volunteers and trustees are supported and treated fairly
• Support the Senior Organisational Change Manager in ensuring that the People Team achieves its wider organisational goals
• Promote a positive, inclusive workplace that values diversity and supports the wellbeing of employees, volunteer and trustees
• Assist in the streamlining and automation of processes to improve operational efficiency
• Undertake other or additional duties that are within your skills and abilities, as the organisation may reasonably require from time to time.
• Provide expert advice and support on employee relations matters, including performance management, conduct and conflict resolution
• Manage disciplinary, grievance and attendance issues
• Support managers in navigating sickness management procedures, ensuring fair and consistent application of policies while prioritising employee well-being and a smooth return-to-work process, including conducting return-to-work interviews
• Work with the People Team Reward & People Insights Manager to analyse and support with the preparation of the annual Gender Pay Reporting and action planning.
• You will support with the development of the HR System / implementation and assist with any changes to HR processes linked to the system changes.
• You will be responsible for managing SelectHR (including OH) and all People Partnering responsibilities linked to the systems.

Interview Date: To be confirmed.

Terms and Conditions

Strictly no agencies, please.

As we often receive high levels of applicants for our roles, we regret that we will only be able to contact those applicants who are shortlisted for interviews. Therefore, if you have not heard from us within 2 weeks of the closing date, please assume you have not been shortlisted for an interview on this occasion.

About Us

The Children’s Trust is the UK’s leading charity for children with acquired brain injury, providing expert rehabilitation, education, therapy, and care at our national specialist centre in Tadworth, and to children and their families across the UK, via our Brain Injury Community Service.

Boasting a beautiful 24-acre site in Surrey, we are located just outside of London, close to the M25 (accessible via Junction 8, A217 to Tadworth) and easily accessible via National Rail, by way of: Clapham Junction, Sutton, and Epsom.

Staff Benefits

The work we do is highly rewarding, and in addition to an attractive salary, we offer a valuable range of benefits, including our staff flexible benefits platform, on-site nursery, free eye tests, enhanced Maternity and Paternity Pay, time out days for those experiencing menopause symptoms and time off for gender reassignment.

We also offer additional annual leave days for those with long service, with entitlements ranging from 35 to 41 days (including bank holidays) depending on your length of service.

Other benefits include free on-site parking; a staff shuttle service from Epsom and Sutton train stations to Tadworth Court, subsidised cafeteria, on-site staff accommodation (subject to availability), the ability to retain your NHS pension (where applicable), Teacher’s pension (where applicable) or the opportunity to join an alternative scheme, and the opportunity to develop your career in a supportive and collaborative environment.

Rehabilitation of Offenders

Many roles at The Children’s Trust are exempt from the provisions of Section 4 (2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, by virtue of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013 and 2020) and as such, are subject to an Enhanced DBS check.  Successful applicants will be required to complete an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check, which will disclose all unspent convictions and adult cautions and any spent convictions or adult cautions that would not be protected.  The exceptions to this are our retail roles within The Children’s Trust shops, which are subject to Basic DBS checks which will disclose unspent convictions or adult cautions.

Equal Opportunity Employer

To help us achieve our ambition to give children and young people with brain injury and neurodisability the opportunity to live the best life possible, we want to accurately reflect the UK’s diverse population. We want equity, diversity, and inclusion to be at the heart of everything we do, and our people, services, and culture to reflect the diverse needs of all. Through our diversity and inclusion strategy, we have made a commitment to increase the diversity of our charity and create an inclusive culture. We have networks across the organisation working to ensure that these aims are met - including an LGBTQIA2S+ group, Ethnic Diversity Group, and Spark – our broad EDI group. Read more about our EDI work here. We welcome applications from all who share our ambition regardless of background. We will strive to ensure that any reasonable adjustments are made in respect of interview and working arrangements.

Online Searches

In accordance with statutory safeguarding and child protection guidance, online searches will be conducted for shortlisted candidates before interview. The online searches will be conducted by a person who is independent of the interview and selection process and will focus on relevant information returned via searches of the candidate’s name (and variations thereof). Social media searches will be limited to professional platforms such as LinkedIn. Any concerns relating to suitability for work with children and young people will be forwarded to the interview panel, for discussion during the interview.

At TLG, we’re passionate about building an exceptional staff team that’s committed to making a real difference in the lives of struggling children across the UK. We’re always on the lookout for great people to journey with us towards our vision, and we’re excited to offer a unique opportunity for a motivated and passionate individual to join us as Therapeutic Hub Counsellor (School).

Building on the success of TLG Early Intervention Coaching, our new school-based TLG Therapeutic Hubs will bring life-changing support to the growing number of pupils struggling to cope due to emotional, relational, and mental health challenges. Working in partnership with local churches, this pioneering pilot programme not only addresses the underlying issues children are facing, but also offers vital support to parents, carers and school staff.

As the TLG Therapeutic Hub Counsellor, you will deliver specialist trauma-aware care through 1:1 counselling and group interventions for pupils. Working closely with a Family Champion from the partnering church, you will also lead Reflective Care groups for parents/carers and staff, promoting wellbeing and fostering wrap-around care for each young person supported through the hub. High standards of safeguarding and accurate record-keeping will be central to your work, and through regular collaboration with the pilot team, you will help to shape and refine this exciting new initiative.

We are looking for a Level 4 qualified Counsellor or Therapist who thrives in a school setting and is passionate about bringing fullness of life for young people and families, helping them overcome the challenges they face. You will be confident in building strong relationships and working collaboratively to design a weekly programme that meets both client and school needs. Creativity is highly valued, and we welcome applicants with creative specialisms that are particularly effective for engaging young people.

TLG is a Christian charity and, as a team, we want to bring our faith to the work we do; as such, we are recruiting an individual with a strong and vibrant Christian faith. We would welcome applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds to enable us to better reflect the needs of the communities we serve.

Note: Candidates are encouraged to submit applications promptly as applications will be reviewed on application prior to the closing date. We reserve the right to interview and appoint prior to the closing date if a suitable applicant applies.

Hours: 2.5 days per week (18.75 hours, term-time only)

Closing Date: Sunday 11th January

Initial Interviews: Various – Online

Final Interviews: To be confirmed – at our National Support Centre in West Yorkshire

For further information, please see the job description attached to this page.