Trustee jobs in bedford, central bedfordshire

Do you want to help people in the Middle East free themselves from a life of poverty and injustice?

Since 1854, Embrace has been serving some of the most marginalised and excluded communities (of all faiths and none) in the Middle East. We support, enable and partner with Christians in the Middle East as they work to transform lives and restore dignity through: Education, Healthcare and Community Development programmes. Without our staff, this important work simply wouldn’t be possible.

We are looking for an outstanding HR professional to provide compassionate HR support to the whole organisation and play a pivotal role driving initiatives that improve employee experience, engagement and operational efficiency.

As Embrace’s People Advisor, you will play a pivotal role managing the full breadth of day-to-day HR matters and be a key contributor to creating an inclusive, diverse culture in which all staff can flourish and thrive in a hybrid working environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide day-to-day HR support and advice to managers and staff on a range of HR issues, including employee relations, performance management, and policy interpretation.
• Assist in the development and implementation of HR policies and procedures, ensuring these reflect the Christian vision and values of Embrace the Middle East.
• Support recruitment processes, including drafting job descriptions, person specification, conducting interviews, and onboarding new staff.
• Manage Embrace’s HR digital platform and staff data, ensuring compliance with data protection regulations.
• Coordinate training sessions and all staff coming together days.
• Contribute to the overall success of Embrace through championing HR initiatives that have a positive impact on the charity’s people and culture.

Skills, experience and professional qualifications required:

• CIPD qualified, level 5 or above
• Excellent understanding and application of UK employment law and best practice
• Experience of providing HR support for a remote and flexible working organisation
• Experience of working for a small to medium sized organisation in a HR stand-alone role
• Experience of managing a wide range of employee relations (e.g. disciplinary, grievance, performance improvement, dismissal, absence management), policy development and health & safety compliance
• Experience of managing staff recruitment, selection, onboarding and offboarding
• Experience of managing a cloud-based HR system, integrated with payroll, for the whole organisation
• Analytical skills to draw out useful information to inform reports and actions
• Ability to confidently and cogently influence and support managers at all levels
• Experience of contributing to the creation of a values-led, inclusive and high-performing organisational culture
• Experience managing and maintaining HR systems and reporting tools
• Excellent IT skills, including Microsoft Office 365, Excel, HR and payroll cloud-based systems
• Sympathy with the Christian ethos of the charity and commitment to serve Embrace’s faith inspired mission

Staff benefits at Embrace the Middle East:

• To support every member of staff to work as effectively as possible, Embrace offers remote and flexible working arrangements. This includes flexitime and home-working arrangements
• Flexitime - start work between 7:30am – 10:00am and finish between 3:00pm – 6:00pm. Our core collaborative working hours are between 10:00am to 3:00pm
• Pension - option to join from day 1. Maximum employer contribution of 10%
• Holiday - 32 days, including 8 bank holidays and a day off work for your birthday – rising to 33 days after 5 years' service and 34 days after 10 years' service, plus 3 days leave between Christmas and the New Year
• Life Assurance - 3x salary
• Access to retail discount portal
• Employee Assistant Programme (confidential counselling, legal and financial advice) - available 24 /7, 365 days a year
• Training and development programme for all employees
• Commitment to staff health & wellbeing

How to apply:

For further information and to apply, please visit our careers page.

Closing date: 27 June 2025.

Embrace the Middle East provides equal opportunity for all job applicants and employees and is committed to providing a work environment free of discrimination. We are dedicated to an inclusive culture, and we strive to create a workplace where teams of people with diverse backgrounds, characteristic, perspectives, ideas and experiences work together. We welcome applications from all individuals irrespective of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion or belief, disability. If you require any support during the application or interview process, please let us know in your online response via the link above. To monitor diversity in our recruitment practices you will be invited to complete an anonymous Equality, Diversity and Inclusion questionnaire as part of the application process.

Please note that in order to be considered for this position you need to have the right to work in the UK, either through nationality or relevant work visa.

The successful candidate will be required to complete a medical questionnaire and undertake a disclosure check as part of the Charity’s safer recruitment policy.

Consultancy work (Afghanistan Programme)

Terms of Reference for a Final Evaluation and Report

ToR

Consultancy work: Final Evaluation and Report

Commencement date

4 July 2025

Duration

c. 8 weeks (subject to change)

Accountable to

CAFOD Afghanistan team – Grace How and Kitty Chevallier

Overview: Conduct a Final Evaluation for a project entitled ‘Provision of humanitarian and livelihood support’, also known as ‘HELA’ (Humanitarian and Economic Livelihoods Assistance’). The 3-year project is funded by Misereor / Katholische Zentralstelle für Entwicklungshilfe (KZE), with co-funding provided by CAFOD. It is implemented by two local partners in Afghanistan, in three provinces, between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2025.

CAFOD has been supporting local organisations in Afghanistan, including the two implementing partners for this project, since the 1980s to help tackle issues of poverty and injustice and to respond to humanitarian emergencies.

Background and Context

Project Brief: This project is a result of partnership and joint work between CAFOD and the consortium members. The project builds on CAFOD’s existing programming in Afghanistan which strengthens the capacity of at-risk households by diversifying their livelihood options. The project focuses on meeting basic needs as well as promoting inclusive development, with the objective of strengthening resilience, particularly for the most vulnerable. As the project approaches the final few months of implementation, CAFOD is seeking to engage an external consultant to conduct a participatory final evaluation for this project. This will evaluate how effectively the project has been implemented, its major impacts and lessons learned, and recommendations for future similar programming. It is expected that the final evaluation will have a particular focus on the consortium partners’ ways of working: the strength of their collaboration, the efficacy and suitability of monitoring and evaluation approaches, and the benefit of learning events and strategies used through the project.

CAFOD and our partners are working with the same target group throughout the duration of the project, not only providing humanitarian and livelihood support, but also raising awareness amongst participants of families' rights from an Islamic perspective. Over the past two decades, much work has been undertaken to empower Afghan households and enable them to exercise their agency. Partners are taking a variety of approaches to further these aims in the project.

Ultimately, the project aims to support and ensure that the rights of poor and vulnerable people in Bamyan, Kabul, and Kunduz provinces are upheld and they have increased agency in their social and economic development.

Directly, the project has been planned to achieve programme outcomes:

1. The basic needs of targeted households are met.
2. Targeted participants have improved resilience through diversified livelihoods.
3. Targeted community leaders and members (male and female) are equipped and empowered with the knowledge and skills to promote and uphold their rights from an Islamic perspective.

Project Target Group and Location: The project will reach a total of 350 participants in three provinces of Afghanistan (Bamyan, Kunduz and Kabul) with a combination of humanitarian assistance, livelihoods training and other activities.

Project Duration: September 2022 – August 2025 (36 months)

Scope of the Final Evaluation:

The purpose of this final evaluation is to assess the overall performance and objectives of the completed project, in relation to the specified objectives, logical framework, and work plans. The evaluation will examine the extent to which project outcomes have been achieved, the quality and sustainability of results, and the relevance and appropriateness of strategies employed and ways of working. This participatory evaluation will analyse not only what has been achieved, but how it was achieved, how it was measured, and what could have been improved. This will include an examination of accountability measures, and how participants and other stakeholders were engaged throughout the implementation process, including how participants were given the opportunity and encouraged to share feedback and help shape the design of the project. The consultant will make and explain recommendations for consideration in implementing future projects of a similar nature.

The evaluation should include a review of the project’s monitoring data, secondary documents, a workshop with staff, and some direct data collection from key stakeholders including targeted participants taking part in the livelihoods training activities, as well as their relatives and community members. Findings of the evaluation will be used to guide and improve future project design and implementation. They should be written up into a final evaluation report (no more than 30 pages) which will be made available to CAFOD, Misereor and both partners.

As well as assessing progress towards logical framework indicators, the evaluation should focus on capturing, documenting and assessing lessons learned to inform future project design and implementation.

The assessment will be conducted in close coordination with CAFOD’s Afghanistan team, including the Country Programme Representative, Programme Officer, and Programme Support Officer.

Objectives of the Final Evaluation:

1. To assess the project and its effectiveness in meeting its three outcomes and supporting targeted Afghan households, through material assistance, livelihoods skill training and associated support, advocacy initiatives, and other activities.
2. To evaluate the strength and appropriateness of the projects MEAL systems:
   1. To what extent did project monitoring and evaluation help track project progress and achievements?
   2. How effectively was participation and accountability built into project design and implementation, and partners’ ways of working with stakeholders?
   3. How effectively were learning opportunities used throughout the project (including peer learning and exchange visits, learning workshops, regular progress workshops, etc.)?
3. To assess and review consortium functionality, partnership dynamics, and collaboration.
4. To capture and assess key lessons learned from the project from various stakeholders including project staff, participants, civil society groups involved in the project, community leaders and other community members.
5. To assess the sustainability and impact of project achievements, including:
   1. Changes in participants’ social and economic agency and participation
   2. Shifts in community attitudes and behaviours
   3. Capacity built among local partners and stakeholders.
6. To produce a high-quality report, no longer than 30 pages, which will be shared with CAFOD, Misereor and implementing partners.

Deliverables and proposed deadlines:

• Develop a short inception report with proposed methodology, plans and tools for collecting data from stakeholders, for the final evaluation (1st and 2nd week of contract), to be discussed and agreed with CAFOD and partners.
• Gather data from relevant stakeholders (3rd and 4th week of contract)
• Submission of draft report (6th week of contract)
• Review and revision of report based on feedback (6th and 7th week of contract)
• Submission of final report (8th week of contract)
• Presentation of report to CAFOD and partners– date to be confirmed.

Methodology:

• The evaluation should adopt a participatory mixed-methods approach, beginning with a desk review before integrating quantitative and qualitative methods to ensure that data collected is triangulated and can be communicated, explained and contextualised.
• It is expected that the consultant will combine surveys/questionnaires with structured interviews, FGDs and KIIs. Note that to enable the open and unrestricted sharing of opinions and information, the data can be anonymised where relevant and appropriate.
• Evaluation team members are encouraged to use innovative methods to collect and analyse data. The qualitative component will allow for more in-depth data gathering to gain more insightful findings from relevant target groups regarding their experience of the project and its impact.
• Data is expected to be gathered from key project stakeholders, including:
  • Targeted participants (in vocational training, first aid training, and Local Leaders Committees).
• The midterm evaluation will be supported by two workshops: an initial developmental workshop in which the data collection methods will be discussed with CAFOD staff and representatives from partners to obtain feedback and input; and a feedback and validation workshop after submission of the draft report, to obtain input on findings and recommendations.
• The consultant(s) are expected to propose the most suitable method of sampling/randomisation and the sample size will be determined in collaboration with CAFOD and partners. Information shall be collected from across specified beneficiaries, partners and stakeholders.
• All data collected during the baseline study will be disaggregated by age, gender, disability, and location.

Ethical Considerations

The below ethical considerations will be adhered to during the midterm evaluation:

• The evaluation will be conducted by an independent and impartial external consultant.
• Quantitative data will be obtained from a randomly selected representative sample. 
• Participation in the study will be voluntary, and individuals must be able to curtail their participation in the study at any time. 
• The safety of participants and implementing partner staff will be paramount.
• Anonymity, confidentiality and safeguarding of study data (both during data collection and for data storage) will be guaranteed. 
• There will be no risks and benefits for individual participants.
• The culture, norms and traditions of study populations will be respected and laws of the country upheld.
• Participation in the evaluation will involve no additional security or safety risks for participants, in light of the current context in Afghanistan.
• The content of the evaluation will be treated confidentially and only shared with CAFOD, partners and Misereor.

Required Competencies:

• A minimum master’s degree in social sciences or relevant field;
• Other training/certifications in thematic areas relevant to the project will be an asset (livelihoods, gender, behavioural change communication etc.);
• Other professional training on Research Methodology, Development Evaluation, and Impact Evaluation from recognised institutes/universities would be an asset;
• A proven track record of an ability to pragmatically apply in-depth knowledge and experiences of issues and practices in the fields of humanitarian, livelihoods and gender in Afghanistan;
• Strong computer and analytical skills with ability to write and review technical documents/ reports, conduct interviews as part of background research.

Demonstrable Skills and Experience:

• Record of publication of social research documents, evaluation reports, survey reports, study reports on livelihoods and rights issues is a strong asset;
• Experience of carrying out mixed-methods studies and evaluations and in producing high quality analytical reports (at least 2 recent reports should be submitted with the RFP);
• Strong background of statistical data analysis skills and strong proficiency with data analysis packages (in Stata or SPSS);
• Member of professional societies/forums (e.g. evaluation society) will be an asset;
• At least 6 years’ experience managing evaluations, baselines and/or assessments for community-based programmes, including since August 2021;
• Experience in delivering high quality assessments, research or evaluations for institutionally funded projects such as FCDO/DFID, EU or USAID;
• Experience working with and/or evaluating the work of national NGOs and CSOs in Afghanistan;
• A gender-balanced team (at all levels) is highly desired;
• Ability to adapt plans and approaches, sometimes at short notice;
• Fluency in English essential; ability to conduct interviews in Dari and Pashto essential.

CAFOD is committed to creating a safe environment for all project participants, especially children, young people and vulnerable adults, and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse. The consultant will be expected to follow these commitments and sign and adhere to all relevant policies and procedures.

Interested candidates are requested to submit the following by 29 June 2025. Please see CAFOD website to email the documents requested below

• Updated CVs (lead consultant and associates if any)
• Technical proposal with proposed methodology and detailed work plan
• 2 examples of similar assessments, evaluations, research, analytical report writing in English
• Financial proposal: Up to a maximum of USD 14,000. This fee should include all consultancy costs, including data collection costs (travel, accommodation, food etc.) as well as all applicable VAT and Tax.

Submissions will be reviewed and scored according to a) the criteria and considerations listed in this Terms of Reference, b) the suitability of the project plan/method statement and c) value for money.

Management and Reporting Arrangements:

The recruitment and initial briefing to the consultant will be managed by CAFOD, in consultation with the project partners.

Both in-country implementing partners will provide logistical and administrative support and guidance, including supply of relevant documentation, and help with the organisation of meetings and interviews (the financial costs of this will be covered by the consultant). Additionally required costs such as refreshments for FGDs will be paid for by partners. The consultant will be responsible for working with partner staff to arrange interviews and field visits ensuring all relevant stakeholders are available at the place and time agreed; the consultant(s) will provide facilitation of workshops, FGDs, meetings and field visits.

Deliverables will be reviewed, appraised and accepted by members of CAFOD’s Afghanistan staff, in consultation with the relevant partner staff members. 

Summary Timeline (subject to change):

19 – 29 June

Circulation of TORs and Invitation to Submit Quotations

29 June

Closing date for applications

2 July – 3 July

Interviews with short-listed consultants

4 July

Final consultant selection and contract signing

5 July – 4 August

Planning, document review and fieldwork

14 August

Submission of draft report to CAFOD

15 - 23 August

Review, feedback and revision of report

31 August

Presentation of report findings and recommendations to CAFOD, partners, and Misereor.

The selection consultant(s) will be expected to fully agree to comply with all relevant CAFOD policies during the contracted period including the Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct, and provide references.

Do you have experience in research funding? Or a keen interest to apply a scientific degree to funding impactful child health research? If so, then we have a fantastic opportunity for you. 

Following a promotion, Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity is hiring for a Research Officer is responsible for ensuring charitable funding supports the highest quality projects within our funding priority areas of: research; patient and family experience; technology and medical equipment; hospital staff support; education; and environment (through supporting redevelopment projects and capital builds).

Salary

The salary for this position is £31,935 per annum and we operate a hybrid working policy of a minimum of 2 days per week in the office.

In line with our EDI strategy and Total Reward policy, we calculate our salaries based on benchmarking data across the charity sector. To ensure fairness for existing staff and new joiners, we do not offer salaries above the advertised rate. 

Key Responsibilities

Research grant management

• Managing the delivery of GOSH Charity’s response-mode funding schemes, including our National Research Project Grant and ‘Lift Off’ pilot study funding call and others.
• Supporting potential applicants via email, phone or in person to ensure we receive high quality grant applications. 
• Processing, reviewing and validating grant applications. 
• Leading the peer review process using our Grant Management System.
• Project managing the delivery of the Research Assessment Panel.
• Supporting the input of patient and public voice, to ensure they’re built into our research funding decision making. 

Committee management

• Providing operational and secretariat support to the Research Assessment Panel and Lift Off Scientific Assessment Panels, and other expert research review panels as required.
• Managing agendas and meeting logistics, including face to face meetings as they are arranged.
• Preparing papers and reports, and collating these from across the team for delivery to the Committee in good time.
• Preparing high quality minutes that provide a clear record of discussions, decisions, and actions, and disseminating these following internal and Chair approval.
• Support the regular review of the Committee membership and tenure.
• Evaluating and recommending improvement and applying sector best practice to the Committee operations.
• Being a first point of call for Committee members, supporting them to deliver their role and ensuring they have a good experience working with GOSH Charity

This is a varied role with high impact, please refer to the full role profile for all the information. 

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Previous experience working in grants management or within relevant scientific research. 
• Knowledge of research principles and the UK research funding environment. 
• Sound knowledge of paediatric research or similar discipline. 
• Demonstrate experience of research quality assessments, including peer review.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with high attention to detail. 
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects at once. 
• Strong relationship builder, with the ability to network in the scientific, clinical and research communities. 
• Either an undergraduate degree in a relevant scientific discipline, or equivalent relevant work experience. 

Do you want to help millions of women in some of the world’s poorest countries succeed as entrepreneurs and work their own way out of poverty?

Since 2003, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, Hand in Hand International have helped more than 5 million women launch small businesses that can stand the test of time. Some are smallholder farmers learning to stand up to climate change, some are refugees starting a new life after running from conflict. Others are young women and girls with few opportunities, starting to dream – and plan – for the future.

Achievements (so far) include:

• 9.2 million new and improved jobs
• +93% average increase in monthly income
• 84% of women with the power to make decisions in their lives

We are delighted to be supporting Hand in Hand in their search for an ambitious, confident Partnerships and Philanthropy Officer to join their award-winning fundraising team. You will join a team of eight, including a Head of Philanthropy and Corporate Partnerships, three Philanthropy Partnerships Managers, two Philanthropy Officers and a Philanthropy and Corporate Assistant.

This is a Trusts and Foundations-focused Philanthropy & Partnerships Officer role with a mix of responsibilities across family Trusts and Foundations, Corporate Foundations, Wealth Management firms, and HNWIs. It’s a programme-led role and suits someone who is both personable and detail-oriented, excited by co-developing impact with donors through tailored projects.

As Partnerships and Philanthropy Officer, you will:

• Manage and grow a portfolio of family Trusts and Foundations, Wealth Management firms, and HNWIs
• Manage accounts worth $215,000 and drive new business worth $175,000
• Contribute to the team target of $7.1 million
• Develop detailed, programme-specific funding proposals
• Steward existing donors and develop new partnerships
• Build strong relationships with donors based on detailed programme insight

Ideal skills and experience:

• At least 1 year in a fundraising role ideally Trusts and Foundations or Major Donor
• Proven track record of securing gifts of c.$20,000+
• Ability to own relationships and manage a donor portfolio
• Methodical, detail-oriented, confident, and persuasive
• Strong sales and relationship-building skills
• Open to candidates from Corporate or Major Donor backgrounds who enjoy proposal development

Benefits include: 

• Annual leave: 26 days a year, plus bank holidays.
• Employee pension contribution of 6.5%
• 20 weeks’ full pay or equivalent to new mothers or primary caregivers and 13 weeks’ full pay or equivalent to new fathers or secondary caregivers (this also applies for adoption and surrogacy)
• Five days paid dependents leave per year
• International travel: Visiting their programmes and meeting the entrepreneurs they support is one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of working for Hand in Hand
• Gym stipend: Hand in Hand provide a monthly contribution towards gym membership / fitness or wellbeing activities
• Flexible working: Hand in Hand offer home working as standard on Mondays and Fridays
• Flexible start time between 8am–10am
• Positive, inclusive culture: Being an employer of choice is one of Hand in Hand’s six strategic goals. They aim to have an 80% recommender score (measured via a yearly staff survey). They believe diversity drives innovation and excellence and aim to recruit 33% of all new roles from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the charity sector.

· To support the aims and principles of Aylesbury Women’s Aid including empowering and supporting women and their children in making their own decisions and taking control of their own lives.

· Providing dedicated one to one work with women who are standard risk, to reduce further risk of harm.

· Responding and acting upon referrals into the service.

London Youth Gateway is a sector leading service supporting 18-25 year-olds facing homelessness or rough sleeping across the capital. Our mission is to make sure young Londoners bounce back quickly and safely in times of crisis and to prevent or solve their homelessness for good. You will be playing a leading role in helping to shape the work of the partnership, its collaborative processes as well as its connections with each of the London local authorities.

This is a key role in our organisation, and we are looking for someone with demonstrable experience in partnership and stakeholder engagement who knows how to get and keep people on board to meet mutual or differing needs. The ideal candidate will be a confident communicator and persuasive negotiator with an eye for detail. You will be able to facilitate multi-agency meetings and collaboration, hold responsibility for regular reporting to the commissioner, and contribute to our broader policy and influencing work. We have big ambitions for an organisation our size, so we are on the look-out for someone who can work at their own initiative, support our different teams, and is not afraid to get hand-on with administrative tasks, while tuning into partner priorities and sniffing out great opportunities to connect.

 

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced strategic lead to drive the next phase of our Right to Health campaign. This new role will work with our experienced and well respected team and our extensive network, to make the political case for the better legal recognition and real-world protection for the right to health. 

An ideal candidate

You will be a passionate and experienced advocate for health, human, social or environmental rights, committed to driving meaningful change in the UK. You will bring proven expertise in leading policy, advocacy, or parliamentary engagement work - ideally within health, human rights, social or environmental justice sectors - and thrive in building strong, strategic relationships with government, civil society, and community stakeholders.

You have a good understanding of the structural causes of health inequality and the power of human rights frameworks to address them. You will know how the UK political and parliamentary systems work, and you are skilled at influencing these processes through clear, compelling narratives backed by evidence.

You are able to communicate with clarity and impact, tailoring your message to diverse audiences - from policymakers to grassroots activists. You are confident working independently and collaboratively within a small, flexible team, balancing strategic vision with practical delivery. Your approach is solutions-focused, inclusive, and grounded in the lived realities of people affected by health inequalities.

Most importantly, you are motivated by the opportunity to join a dynamic and well respected organisation and lead a strategic campaign that challenges the status quo and contributes to a fairer, more just UK.

You have the right to work in the UK and be able to work from home in London or within easy reach of London.  A minimum of weekly attendance in London will be required.

This opportunity is open to applicants wishing to deliver the work on a self-employed freelance or employed basis.