6 Head of service contract programmes volunteer roles

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.

***Please note: this is not an internship***

Role Purpose:

Trustees provide strategic leadership, ensuring that St. George's Crypt fulfils its charitable objectives, makes a postive impact in the Leeds community, and remains financially sustainable. Trustees act collectively to safeguard the charity's values, reputation, and long-term effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities:

Governance & Strategic Leadership

• set and review the charity's strategic direction in alignment with its mission to support homeless and vulnerable individuals in Leeds
• ensure that all activiites deliver public benefit and comply with charity law, the governing document, and regulatory expectations
• monitor risks and ensure that robust governance structures are in place
• support and review the work of the Head of Finance and finance team
• oversee the external audit process, from appointment of auditors to implementation of any recommendations

Financial Oversight:

• oversee financial performance, ensuring funds are used responsibly and transparently in line with donor expectations and regulatory requirements
• review budgets, annual accounts, and financial policies, ensuring sustainability of services such as emergency shelter, addiction recovery programmes and meal supervision
• ensure effective oversight of the Crypt's financial affairs and its financial viability

Support for Senior Leadership

• provide guidance and constructive challenge to the CEO and Senior Leadership Team
• ensure leadership decisions reflect the charity's values and strategic propositions

Advocacy & Representation

• act as an ambassador for St. George's Crypt within Leeds and beyond, promoting awareness of its services and impact
• represent the charity's values of compassion, dignity and hope 

Compliance & Accountability

• ensure the charity meets all legal and regulatory obligations, including those set by the Charity Commission
• uphold confidentiality, ethics, and good governance practice at all times
• ensure the Crypt fulfils its mission and values, taking advantage of new opportunities and navigating challenges and managing risks appropriately
• ensure the Crypt has sound financial policies, controls and governance in place, and complies with these

Monitoring Impact

• evaluate the effectiveness of programmes such as residential support, training opportunities, and health and wellbeing initiatives
• ensure all services remain responsive to the needs of homeless and vulnerable people in Leeds
• give clear strategic direction, setting overall policy and goals, and monitoring progress and impact
• understand the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) and provide guidance on accounting and financial reporting for the charity

How to apply

To make an application, please:

• download our Finance Trustee application pack 
• complete application form
• send CV 
• contact Martin Barry 

Recruitment timeline

Closing date: Monday 28 September2026

Shortlisting & Interviews: October 2026

About The Pinnacle Centre

The Pinnacle Centre is a third space in Birmingham helping young adults grow holistically. We work across three domains: personal development, sports and wellbeing, and community and belonging.

Vision 2030 is where that work is heading. We're building a multi-purpose centre in Birmingham — sports facilities, co-working space, an auditorium and a café — designed as a home for young adults to train, work, learn and gather.

Role Summary

You own Pinnacle's operational backbone — venues, suppliers, equipment, budgets and the systems that make delivery repeatable — and you deliver it yourself on the ground. Programmes and Events decide what happens; you make sure it can happen, and then you make it happen.

Key tasks

1.  Operational ownership

○ Own the venue, supplier and equipment strategy across all Pinnacle activity.

○ Negotiate and manage contracts, hire agreements and service providers.

○ Hold the operations budget and report actual against forecast to the COO.

2.  Delivery

○ Execute the operational plan for scheduled activity: set-up, delivery and pack-down.

○ Act as the on-site operational point of contact during sessions and events.

○ Complete the operational checklist for every activity, every time.

3.  Equipment & inventory

○ Maintain the inventory: track, store, clean and repair equipment.

○ Flag replacement needs before something fails mid-session.

○ Manage transport and storage logistics.

4.  Risk & compliance

○ Own risk assessments, insurance, licensing and site health and safety.

○ Ensure safeguarding requirements are practically met wherever we operate.

○ Maintain contingency plans for venue loss, equipment failure and staffing gaps.

5.  Records & improvement

○ Keep accurate records of bookings, costs and attendance.

○ Document how we run things, so a new volunteer can follow the process unaided.

○ Remove recurring friction rather than firefighting the same problem each month.

What we're looking for

● Organised, hands-on and practical — you plan it and then you do it.

● Reliable; people are depending on you being there.

● Confident negotiating with suppliers and holding them to terms.

● Comfortable with budgets and record-keeping as well as physical set-up.

● Based in Birmingham with regular evening and weekend availability.

● Health and safety or facilities experience, and a full driving licence (desirable).

What we have to offer

● Real ownership of a function, not a task list — you will shape how it works, not just execute someone else's plan.

● A seat in a team building towards a 2030 horizon, with a clear line of sight to the leadership team.

● Access to our network of founders, professionals, entrepreneurs and investors through Pinnacle's events programme.

● Training, mentoring and the opportunity to build and lead a team of your own as the organisation grows.

● The reward of building something in your city that will outlast all of us.

Please note: this is currently a volunteer position. Reasonable expenses for travel, equipment and refreshments are reimbursed in line with our Expenses Policy. As Pinnacle grows and funding allows, we expect several senior roles to move to paid positions, and volunteers already in post will be considered first.

Position Description 
This is an exciting time to join the Heart of the City trustee board. You will join a small but ambitious Charity with strong foundations and networks across the public and private sector. This is an opportunity to shape the next chapter for the Heart of the City, with a strong focus on developing a robust, sustainable three-year Strategy. The Strategy will be supported by work to further diversify funding streams, that provide greater financial resilience without compromising our mission to support SMEs to become responsible businesses and play a full role in responding to the Climate Emergency.

The incoming Chair will support the team to develop a three-year Strategy to support the growth of the Charity.

The plan will explore:

• The Mission of the Charity and how it should grow
• Diversifying and securing new sources of funding
• Broadening our programmatic offer to SMEs
• Defining the strategic relationship between Heart of the City and the City of London Corporation

Unlike most small charities, Heart of the City has an extensive network and governance structures with prestigious organisations. The Chair will help manage key relationships with the Bank of England and Corporation of London, as well as key Council Members. The Chair will be instrumental in managing an effective and focussed set of Trustees to help shape, scrutinise and deliver the Charity’s mission.

By the end of the three-year period as Chair, you will have supported the development and implementation of a Strategy, which meets the vision of the Charity, helped develop a sustainable and resilient funding model, ensured that the Charity is making an impact and reporting on its achievements and maintains effective relationships with key strategic partners.

Typically, the Chair will:

• Hold regular fortnightly meetings with the Managing Director.
• Attend quarterly Trustee Board meetings (usually lasting around two hours and held during the working day).
• Participate in a strategy half-day with Trustees and staff.
• Attend Council meetings (up to two per year).
• Support introductions to potential members, partners and stakeholders.
• Attend and occasionally speak at Heart of the City events on an ad hoc basis.

The Chair will contribute to ad-hoc requests including:

• Sharing their views on responsible business in interviews for our newsletter, social media or webinars
• Championing our work at other external events and meetings, on social media and on their own biographical profiles

About you
We do not expect one person to fulfil all specifications but would welcome applications from individuals who are able to demonstrate most of the following:

Experience & Knowledge

• Senior Executive experience in the Corporate, Charity or Public sector.
• Strong understanding of SMEs, their motivations and challenges.
• Strong commitment to sustainability and responsible business practices.
• Proven track record of setting strategic direction and leading senior teams.
• Well-connected senior network across businesses.

Skills & Attributes

• Excellent chairing, facilitation and sound judgement in complex situations.
• Strong strategic thinking with the ability to align resources to long-term mission and impact.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, able to engage audiences from SME leaders to senior stakeholders.
• Strong ambassadorial and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent listening, questioning and consensus-building abilities.

Commitment

Commitment to Heart of the City’s mission, values and responsible business agenda. Willingness to devote the time and energy required to fulfil the role effectively.

Closing application date
Midnight on 27 September 2026

Interviews
Trustees aim to meet with the candidates in the week commencing 12 October 2026.

Inclusive Boards is delighted to be supporting Oaklea Trust in their search for their next Chair of Trustees. 

About Oaklea Trust

The Oaklea Trust is a charitable organisation whose purpose is to give vulnerable people the opportunity to live and work as independently as possible within their community. Established in 2002 and based in Cumbria, County Durham and Northumberland, we support disabled, disadvantaged and vulnerable children and adults. Our charitable work supports people of all ages who have Learning Disabilities, Physical Disabilities, Mental Health needs, and/or Dementia.

The Oaklea Group is made up of the charity, Oaklea Trust, and its commercial arm, Right2Work. Together, they support people and communities to learn, develop and thrive through person-centred care and support, learning opportunities, and pathways into employment.

This is a unique opportunity to help lead a values-driven organisation that supports people and communities across the North of England to learn, develop and thrive.

About the Chair opportunity

As Chair, you will energise and empower the Board and the Group as a whole. You will foster a culture of openness, collaboration, and constructive debate. You will inspire confidence and ensure the highest standards of governance, integrity and accountability. 

You will also help shape the Group’s future impact, supporting our mission to reduce inequality and create opportunities for people and communities to thrive. Through your strategic insight and advocacy, you will help extend our reach, strengthen partnerships and ensure more people can access the care, support and opportunities they need and deserve.

The Chair of the Oaklea Board of Trustees will:

• Ensure the Board functions effectively
• Guide Oaklea Trust’s strategic direction
• Ensure governance oversight
• Represent Oaklea Trust internally and externally
• Evaluate and support the Chief Executive
• Champion the leadership of Committees

We are seeking a new Chair of Trustees who can bring the following experience and capabilities to the role. We recognise that lived experience can offer valuable insights that greatly enhance a role like this, especially when combined with professional expertise.

Experience/Background:

• Experience of strategic leadership and governance within an organisation of equivalent size and complexity to Oaklea Trust, ideally within a Group structure. 
• A track record of driving growth and innovation, with the ability to apply insight to support the achievement of Oaklea Trust’s strategic objectives. 
• Understanding of the challenges associated with leading and delivering regulated services and the management of the associated risks.
• Ability to constructively challenge and hold space for compassionate and constructive conversations.
• Financial and commercial acumen, including experience in financial planning, oversight, risk management, and the establishment and monitoring of systems of control and accountability. 
• Ability to scrutinise and manage financial risk, ensuring long-term financial sustainability and safeguarding against fraud. 
• Ability to open doors, build networks and maximise opportunities with a range of stakeholders, funders and partner organisations.
• Previous trustee and/or Chair/Vice Chair experience is desirable.