Asylum volunteer roles

The Vavengers

Trustee Recruitment Pack

About The Vavengers

We are The Vavengers, a survivor-led movement working to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and intersecting Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).

Founded in 2014 and registered as a CIO in 2019, The Vavengers connect, campaign and convene, working across communities, policy spaces and creative platforms to amplify survivor voices, challenge harmful norms and build safer futures for women and girls.

Alongside our staff team, The Vavengers mobilises to support our policy and advocacy work, communications, events, fundraising, and a wide network of volunteer advisors and ambassadors, activists and pro bono professional wellbeing support.

Our values are:

• Survivor-led

• Bold

• Creative

• Collaborative

• Activist

• Resilient

The Vavengers is a proud Living Wage Employer, Certified Halo Workplace and member of the Sunflower Network for Hidden Disabilities.

About The Vavengers Trustee role

Thank you for your interest in joining the Board of The Vavengers.

As Trustee terms come to an end, we are seeking a number of new Board members.  Our Board of Trustees plays a vital role in supporting the organisation’s sustainability, accountability and long-term development.

As a small charity, our Board also provides vital support to the CEO and small team, including providing specialist expertise in areas such as fundraising, Human Resources, charity finance, events and volunteer management.

We are committed to building a Board culture that is collaborative, inclusive, reflective and grounded in mutual respect.

What We Are Looking For

We are seeking trustees from a wide range of backgrounds, lived experiences and professional expertise, as well as specialist legal and finance (Treasurer) Trustees.

We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience aligned to our mission and from communities currently underrepresented in charity governance.

We are especially interested in individuals who bring:

• emotional intelligence,

• collaborative leadership,

• strategic thinking,

• commitment to social justice,

• and a willingness to learn and contribute actively.

We recognise that valuable governance contributions can come through lived experience, community leadership and professional expertise.

Trustee Responsibilities

All trustees share collective responsibility for ensuring the charity:

• pursues its charitable objectives,

• complies with legal and regulatory requirements,

• manages resources responsibly,

• protects its reputation and sustainability,

• and delivers public benefit.

Trustees are expected to:

• Attend and contribute to Board meetings.

• Prepare appropriately for meetings and discussions.

• Provide strategic oversight and constructive challenge.

• Uphold the values and reputation of The Vavengers.

• Act in the best interests of the organisation.

• Support a healthy, inclusive and accountable organisational culture.

• Champion safeguarding and ethical practice.

• Support fundraising, partnerships and advocacy where appropriate.

• Leverage networks and expertise to support the organisation’s development.

What We Are Looking For in All Trustees

All candidates should demonstrate:

• Personal integrity and sound judgement.

• Commitment to robust governance and accountability.

• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.

• A leadership style grounded in empathy, collaboration and accountability.

• Commitment to ending FGM and all forms of Gender-Based Violence.

• Commitment to equity, inclusion and anti-oppressive practice.

• Ability to work constructively and respectfully with others.

• Willingness to learn and contribute actively.

Previous trustee experience is welcome but not essential.

Your Commitment

As a Trustee, you will commit to:

• attending four Board meetings per year (one meeting per year will be in person)

• preparing appropriately for meetings,

• contributing actively to governance discussions,

• possible committee participation,

• and providing occasional ad hoc support where appropriate.

Knowledge of charity finance and the Charities SORP would be advantageous but is not essential.

Time Commitment

• Four Board meetings per year (one will be in person).

• Some ad hoc support between meetings.

We are particularly interested in candidates with professional experience in one or more of the following areas:

• human rights,

• immigration and asylum,

• employment and equality,

• media and communications,

• risk and compliance,

• data protection,

• safeguarding.

We are especially interested in individuals who are motivated by protecting survivor voices and supporting values-led organisations to navigate complex environments safely and effectively.

What We Offer

In return, we offer:

• a comprehensive induction,

• ongoing support and development,

• the opportunity to work alongside an extraordinary team of staff, ambassadors and volunteers,

• the opportunity to contribute to a bold and growing survivor-led movement,

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The Vavengers is committed to building a diverse and inclusive Board that reflects the communities we serve.

We particularly welcome applications from:

• survivors,

• Black and minoritised communities,

• migrant and refugee communities,

• disabled people,

• LGBTQ+ individuals,

• and people whose voices are underrepresented in charity governance.

We recognise lived experience, community leadership and non-traditional career pathways as valuable forms of expertise.

Safeguarding

The Vavengers is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of everyone who engages with the organisation.

All trustees are expected to uphold and actively champion a strong safeguarding culture.

How to Apply

Please submit:

• a CV 

• and a short statement outlining your interest in the role and the contribution you feel you could make to The Vavengers (maximum one page)

We are happy to discuss reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

—

"When women and girls rise, we all thrive."

The Vavengers is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in England and Wales | Registration number: 1184202 | The Vavengers Headquarters: 59-60 Cornhill House, First Floor, London EC3V 3PD United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Wintercomfort is seeking to appoint new Trustees to join our Board. If you are keen to shape the strategic direction of the charity and support strong, effective governance, we would love to hear from you. We are particularly interested to recruit people with homelessness sector knowledge and experience. However, we warmly welcome applications from individuals with a wide range of professional backgrounds and lived experiences who can bring fresh perspectives and a commitment to our mission.

About Us

Wintercomfort is an advice and support hub for homeless and vulnerably housed people in Cambridge.  Open daily throughout the year, we provide services to aid every stage of recovery – from immediate basic welfare needs to long-term support to help people overcome challenges and fulfil their potential.  We offer housing and tenancy support, debt advice, support with training and employment, access to a range of mental and physical health services, a dedicated women’s programme, and work to promote social inclusion.

We are looking for people to join an experienced and passionate Board of Trustees who work collaboratively in providing strategic oversight and governance of Wintercomfort, to ensure its financial stability and that it achieves its mission.  No prior experience of the charity sector is required.  Induction and training is provided for all new Trustees.

Wintercomfort is committed to celebrating diversity, promoting equality, fostering equal opportunities and tackling discrimination in all it does.

This is a voluntary, unpaid, position for an initial term of 3 years. Reasonable travel expenses can be paid.

We are welcoming applications until 14th September 2026.

Interested?

We have attached the Candidate Pack to this advert with more information about the role duties and to help with your application. If you would like to apply for this position, please click the apply button and attach your CV and a short letter outlining why you would like to become a trustee of Wintercomfort and what skills you would bring to the board, it will be sent automatically to us.

The Africa Health Organisation (AHO) seeks to engage in bidding and tendering to deliver health and social care services effectively.  Our goal is to ensure sustainability and positively impact the lives of more people.  We want assistance in developing an ambitious strategy.

What will you be doing?

We are excited to announce an incredible opportunity for a talented Bid Manager to join our passionate team at the Africa Health Organisation (AHO)!  Since 1999, we've been dedicated to delivering health and social care to millions across Africa and the Diaspora, and now we're ready to further elevate our impact.

This year, we're embarking on a mission to broaden our funding strategy by incorporating bid and tender opportunities.  Our goal is to engage with governments in Africa and the UK, the public sector, and the public, providing essential, practical, and emotional support to those facing chronic conditions.  We need a visionary like you to help us achieve our goals.

We're seeking a dynamic, experienced Bid Manager to develop and execute a winning strategy to secure the necessary financial backing.  There are numerous exciting possibilities ahead, including central government tenders, local and statutory opportunities.  We're eager to explore them all.

In this pivotal role, you'll plan and execute our bids and tender writing efforts, ensuring that our bid proposals not only shine but also come to life in meaningful ways.  If you're a bid writer who thrives on creativity and collaboration, we want to hear from you!  Additionally, you'll have the opportunity to inspire and mentor volunteers within our bid and tender team, making a positive impact together.  Join us on this exciting journey!

Key Duties and Responsibilities

The Role Description:

Bid Management: Lead and manage the entire bid and tender process, ensuring submissions meet deadlines and align with client requirements across the UK & Ireland.

Proposal Development: Collaborate with internal stakeholders to develop tailored, high-quality, and persuasive proposals that align with our value proposition.

Stakeholder Engagement: Work closely with sales, operations, legal, and clinical teams to gather critical input and ensure accurate, compliant, and compelling submissions.

Market Analysis: Stay informed on market trends, tender opportunities, and competitor activity to identify and secure strategic opportunities.

Compliance: Ensure all submissions adhere to company standards, client specifications, and relevant regulatory requirements.

Process Improvement: Continuously refine bid processes, content libraries, templates, and tools to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

Post-Submission Activities: Manage debrief processes and gather feedback to inform future submissions.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead AHO bids: Manage the whole bid process with a hands-on approach.
• Create strong responses: Tailor solutions that clearly show our value.
• Support growth: Work with Business Development and Marketing to boost propositions.
• Drive best practice: Lead bid qualification, governance, and reviews.
• User-focused: Understand needs and clearly present our solutions.
• Know the landscape: Medical, research industries, and opportunities.
• Know our strengths: Stay sharp on our services and competitors.
• Seal the deal: Coordinate smooth contract closures.
• Stay tidy: Keep the bid library updated and accessible.
• Keep comms clear: Align stakeholders throughout the process.
• Stay compliant: Follow governance and secure approvals.
• Push for quality: Lead reviews to ensure high-standard submissions.
• Maintain the opportunity pipeline: utilising CRM and creating reports for management.
• Taking the lead on other business development activities, such as award submissions, whitepapers, and sales collateral.
• Supporting every stage of the sales funnel: by working closely with marketing, sales, implementation, and operations teams.

What are we looking for?

Person Specification: What You'll Bring:

• At least two years of proven experience in bid and tender management, preferably within the healthcare (NHS & private), medical, or technology sectors.
• End-to-end bid management experience: A minimum of 4 years' experience leading the whole bid process.
• Preferred qualifications include a degree in Business, Communication, Marketing, Creative Writing, English or equivalent.
• APMP Certification is also desirable.
• Sector versatility: Experience with both public- and private-sector bids in the medical, biotech, biomed, health, and social sectors is preferred.
• Industry knowledge: Understanding of contact centres and/or customer experience is essential.
• Commercial acumen: Strong business sense, negotiation skills, and a hands-on approach.
• Resilience under pressure: Able to thrive in a fast-paced environment and meet tight deadlines.
• Detail orientation: High attention to detail to ensure quality and accuracy.
• Growth mindset: Self-motivated, proactive, and focused on continuous improvement.
• Strong communicator: Confident and articulate, with the ability to build trusted relationships across stakeholders.
• Time management: Skilled at prioritising tasks and managing competing deadlines.

What difference will you make?

In this exciting role, you will lead the strategic process for winning new business through competitive bids, tenders, and proposals, ultimately elevating AHO's success. Your specialised knowledge will enhance our win rates and maximise revenue by bringing clarity, quality, and coordination to what can be a complex and high-stakes journey. impact

Your primary mission is to boost AHO's tender win rates and strengthen our strategic advantage.  By diligently overseeing each step of the bidding process—from initial evaluation to final submission—you will significantly improve the quality and persuasion of our proposals, directly increasing our chances of securing valuable contracts.

You'll provide key insights to help AHO target the most promising opportunities by implementing a thoughtful "bid/no-bid" process.  This approach will ensure we focus only on lucrative and winnable contracts that closely align with our strategic goals, ultimately saving time and resources and allowing us to prioritise high-potential projects.

In this role, you will orchestrate a well-coordinated process that drives operational efficiency.  As the central point of contact, you will gather input from diverse internal teams—sales, finance, legal, and technical—ensuring everyone collaborates smoothly to meet critical deadlines.

As a leader, you'll elevate the quality of our bid content.  By overseeing the creation of compelling, polished materials, you'll ensure our final submissions are professional, cohesive, and error-free. You will utilise a centralised content library containing valuable resources, such as case studies and CVs, to streamline efforts and enhance our proposals.

You will keep projects on track by developing detailed project plans and timelines, ensuring all tasks are completed on time—especially critical in the fast-paced environment of tender submissions.  Your effective management will ease colleagues' workloads, allowing the entire team to shine.

To foster long-term business growth, you'll create a wealth of knowledge around our tenders and bids. By conducting insightful post-submission debriefs and analysing feedback, you will capture invaluable lessons from both successes and setbacks.  This ongoing improvement process will enhance our bidding capabilities for future opportunities.

You also have the opportunity to enhance AHO's brand reputation by submitting well-organised, accurate, and compliant bids.  By doing so, you'll showcase our professionalism and reliability to clients, building trust and solidifying our credible standing in the market.

Strategic alignment is vital for sustaining consistent, stable business growth.  Together, we can make a remarkable impact on development.

The Africa Health Organisation (AHO) seeks to engage in bidding and tendering to deliver health and social care services effectively.  Our goal is to ensure sustainability and positively impact the lives of more people.  We want assistance in developing an ambitious strategy.

What will you be doing?

We are excited to announce an incredible opportunity for a talented Head of Bids and tenders to join our passionate team at the Africa Health Organisation (AHO)!  Since 1999, we've been dedicated to delivering health and social care to millions across Africa and the Diaspora, and now we're ready to further elevate our impact.

This year, we're embarking on a mission to broaden our funding strategy by incorporating bid and tender submissions.  Our goal is to engage with governments in Africa and the UK, the public sector, and the public, providing essential, practical, and emotional support to those facing chronic conditions.  We need a visionary like you to help us achieve our goals.

We're seeking a dynamic, experienced Head of Bids to develop and execute a winning strategy to secure the necessary financial backing.  There are numerous exciting possibilities ahead, including central government tenders, local and statutory opportunities.  We're eager to explore them all.

In this pivotal role, you'll plan and execute our bids and tender writing efforts, ensuring that our bid proposals not only shine but also come to life in meaningful ways.  If you're a bid writer who thrives on creativity and collaboration, we want to hear from you!  Additionally, you'll have the opportunity to inspire and mentor volunteers within our bid and tender team, making a positive impact together.  Join us on this exciting journey!

Key Duties and Responsibilities will include:

• Overall responsibility for delivering high-quality, accurate, compliant and commercially sound proposals on time, to budget, with inputs from key stakeholders.
• Responsible for the coordination and management of all Bid activities, for ensuring that Bid Plans are put in place and that all internal inputs are received promptly to meet Bid submission timescales.
• Responsible for the receipt, management, control and coordination of all external and internal information and documentation with respect to the enquiry and for the team acting as custodian for Bid documents, including all approved internal documentation signed by the Organisation.
• Responsible for compliance with all internal Bid policies and procedures and for passing internal and external audits.
• Contribute to the overall Bid strategy alongside other stakeholders.
• Responsible for the overall leadership of the team and ensuring that individuals within the team are given appropriate opportunities to grow and develop, and that the team maximises performance by creating and fostering a positive, can-do attitude and outlook on an ongoing basis.
• Responsibility to ensure that improvements are identified and those agreed upon are implemented continuously to support the growth and development of the team and those within it.
• There is a need to keep good records and to create and measure metrics on bidding performance to both review performance and drive continuous improvement in a key area of the business.
• Responsible for mentoring and training Bid Managers and Bid Writers to ensure they are up to date with bid requirements and improve their competence.

What are we looking for?

Education, Skills and Experience: Requirements

Essential:

• At least three years of experience in successfully leading teams within a bid environment.
• Proven track record of improvement and achievement - processes and people
• Keen understanding of numbers, spreadsheets, VOP/invoices, rates, cash flow, milestones, negotiations, and pricing audits.
• Ability to write strong proposals and experience as an estimator
• Excellent communicator (written and verbal) with local and international customers, and with an appreciation of cultural differences
• Ability to persuade and influence others
• Ability to lead team by example, with the ability to foster and maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to work to deadlines
• Strong business/commercial acumen
• Keen attention to detail
• Commercially sound judgement
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Strong financial skills

Desirable:

• Leadership qualification (CMI or ILM)
• Experience with an integrated project management / ERP system (Enterprise Resource Planning)
• Experience in bidding roles in the Medical, Biochemistry, Biomedical, Public Services, Global Health, Humanitarian, NGOs, Public Health and Social Care industry
• MBA, Professional Qualification or formal leadership Qualification (CMI, ILM)

What difference will you make?

In this exciting role, you will lead the strategic process for winning new business through competitive bids, tenders, and proposals, ultimately elevating AHO's success. Your specialised knowledge of bids will enhance our win rates and maximise revenue by bringing clarity, quality, and coordination to what can be a complex, high-stakes journey.

Your primary mission is to boost AHO's tender win rates and strengthen our strategic advantage.  By diligently overseeing each step of the bidding process—from initial evaluation to final submission—you will significantly improve the quality and persuasion of our proposals, directly increasing our chances of securing valuable contracts.

You'll provide key insights to help AHO target the most promising opportunities by implementing a thoughtful "bid/no-bid" process.  This approach will ensure we focus only on lucrative and winnable contracts that closely align with our strategic goals, ultimately saving time and resources and allowing us to prioritise high-potential projects.

In this role, you will orchestrate a well-coordinated process that drives operational efficiency.  As the central point of contact, you will gather input from diverse internal teams—sales, finance, legal, and technical—ensuring everyone collaborates smoothly to meet critical deadlines.

As a leader, you'll elevate the quality of our bid content.  By overseeing the creation of compelling, polished materials, you'll ensure our final submissions are professional, cohesive, and error-free.  You will utilise a centralised content library containing valuable resources, such as case studies and CVs, to streamline efforts and enhance our proposals.

You will keep projects on track by developing detailed project plans and timelines, ensuring all tasks are completed on time—especially critical in the fast-paced environment of tender submissions.  Your effective management will ease colleagues' workloads, allowing the entire team to shine.

To foster long-term business growth, you'll create a wealth of knowledge around our tenders and bids. By conducting insightful post-submission debriefs and analysing feedback, you will capture invaluable lessons from both successes and setbacks.  This ongoing improvement process will enhance our bidding capabilities for future opportunities.

You also have the opportunity to enhance AHO's brand reputation by submitting well-organised, accurate, and compliant bids.  By doing so, you'll showcase our professionalism and reliability to clients, building trust and solidifying our credible standing in the market.

Strategic alignment is vital for sustaining consistent, stable business growth.  Together, we can make a remarkable impact on development.