Role overview
Trustee — Programmes
About us: Could you help us get millions of separated children Back to Family?
Orphanages don’t protect children, they harm them. Put simply: the last thing an orphanage can provide is the first thing a child needs - someone to love them.
Right now, 5.4 million children around the world are locked away in orphanages — even though over 80% of them are not orphans. Orphanages expose children to abuse and trafficking, and physical and psychological trauma that can last a lifetime. A century of evidence shows that the bond between a child and their family is what every child needs to grow, thrive and be safe.
The role
As our Programmes Trustee, you will bring senior international development or humanitarian programmes expertise to our Board, helping to strengthen the quality, scale and impact of HHC's work across nine countries. Working closely with our Chair, CEO and Director of Global Programmes, you will contribute to our ambitious 2030 goal by:
- Programmes leadership — drawing on your senior experience to provide strategic oversight and constructive challenge on HHC's programme delivery, quality assurance and evidence base, helping ensure our work delivers real and lasting change for children and families.
- Systems change — advising the Board and Executive on how to drive and sustain national-level care reform across the diverse contexts in which HHC operates, including fragile and conflict-affected settings.
- Humanitarian financing — supporting HHC's ambitions to transform how the humanitarian sector finances work addressing children in orphanages and those at risk of family separation, drawing on your understanding of macro-level financing mechanisms and how they can be influenced.
- Safeguarding and risk — contributing to the Board's oversight of the risk, regulatory and safeguarding context for an international organisation working directly with vulnerable children and families.
Who we are looking for
You will bring senior leadership experience in a programmes function within an NGO, multilateral organisation, government body or major funder — particularly in work with marginalised children, families and communities. Beyond that, we are looking for someone who brings:
- A track record of overseeing or leading programmes at scale across multiple countries or regions, including in lower income, middle income or fragile and conflict-affected settings
- Extensive experience of programme strategy, quality assurance, monitoring, evaluation and learning, and of using evidence to drive decision-making
- A sound understanding of the international development and humanitarian sector, including donor landscapes and the operating environment for international NGOs
- Experience of working in partnership with local government and other stakeholders to bring about systems change
Above all, you will share our belief that every child deserves to grow up in the love and safety of a family, and our commitment to driving that change with courage, integrity, excellence and being deeply human.
What we offer
This is a voluntary, unremunerated role. In return you will:
- Engage with our work across nine countries
- Contribute to systemic change at global scale, helping to shape the future for separated children worldwide
- Be part of an organisation approaching its 2030 goal — a worldwide consensus that orphanages have no place in any child's life
Time commitment
The role requires approximately 12–18 days per year, comprising:
- Four Board meetings per year (in person, London or virtual)
- Five subcommittee meetings per year (virtual), as a key member of our Programmes, Advocacy, Research and Accountability Committee (PARAC)
- An annual two-day awayday, which may take place in one of our countries of operation
- Additional time for preparation, ad hoc queries and induction in your first year
The initial term of office is three years, with the possibility of two further three-year terms by mutual agreement.
Closing Date: The final cut off for applications is 17.00 UK time on Thursday 8 October 2026 so please get in touch if you have the right skills, experience and passion for our cause.
To apply, please upload your CV and a brief covering letter indicating why you are interested in joining the Hope and Homes for Children Board and how your experience, skills and values map to the requirements of this role.
Diversity
Hope and Homes for Children actively encourages equity, diversity and inclusion, and we look to recruit a diverse range of people to reflect the communities in which we live. We are keen to see a diverse membership of both the trustee body and committees as we believe diversity brings us closer to our mission of eliminating orphanages.
Thank you for considering this role. Every child deserves to grow up in the love and safety of a family
Contract type
Volunteer
Hours
12 - 18 days per annum
Salary
Voluntary (expenses paid)
Thank you!
Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Submit your application as normal and our system will anonymise it for you. Your personal information will be hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
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.
Applicants must submit a CV and a cover letter explaining how they meet the role description and the person specification.
Interviews will be arranged and conducted via Microsoft Teams.
Interview dates are agreed with the applicant.
Non Charity Employer
21 - 50
To promote equity in health, to combat disease, and to improve the quality of, and lengthen, the lives of the people in Africa and the Diaspora.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.