Chief Operating Officer (Flexible Volunteer Role)

Chief Operating Officer (Volunteer Role)

SUNSHINE Charity – Ending Loneliness for Londoners and Beyond

Do you believe no one should feel alone?

At SUNSHINE Charity, we’re a grassroots, volunteer‑powered start‑up building something bold, hopeful, and deeply human — a movement to end loneliness for Londoners and, one day, far beyond. We’re at the very beginning of our journey, and the foundations we lay now will shape everything we become.

To build a strong, stable, and compassionate organisation — one capable of real, lasting impact — we need someone extraordinary.

We need you!!!

Why This Role Matters

Loneliness is silent, but its impact is loud. It affects mental health, physical wellbeing, confidence, and hope. Every day, thousands of people in our city feel invisible — and SUNSHINE exists to change that.

But meaningful change requires more than passion. It requires structure. It requires systems. It requires operational leadership that ensures everything we do is safe, effective, and sustainable.

As our Chief Operating Officer, you will help build the engine that powers SUNSHINE. Your leadership will ensure our people, services, and projects run smoothly — today and as we grow.

Your work will help someone feel less alone.

What You’ll Lead

This is not just a role — it’s a chance to build something meaningful from the ground up.

You will:

• Design and oversee SUNSHINE’s operational framework, ensuring we run efficiently, ethically, and sustainably.

• Develop systems, processes, and policies that support volunteers, services, and organisational growth.

• Work closely with the CEO and leadership team to turn strategy into action.

• Support and coordinate teams across the charity, ensuring clarity, communication, and alignment.

• Lead on risk management, safeguarding, compliance, and quality assurance, ensuring we operate safely and responsibly.

• Build a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement across the organisation.

• Help shape the long‑term operational vision, ensuring SUNSHINE can scale with confidence and compassion.

This is a role for someone who believes operations are not just logistics — they are the foundation that makes impact possible.

Who You Are

You’re someone who:

• Loves bringing structure, clarity, and organisation to ambitious missions.

• Believes deeply in kindness, connection, and purpose.

• Has experience in operations, leadership, project management, or organisational development.

• Thrives in start‑up environments where initiative, creativity, and adaptability matter.

• Understands how to build systems that support people and empower teams.

• Wants to help build something that will grow long after the first foundations are laid.

• Is motivated by purpose — by the chance to make a difference that truly matters.

Most importantly, you’re someone who wants to help create a future where no one feels alone.

Why Join SUNSHINE?

Because this is your chance to:

• Shape the entire operational backbone of a brand‑new charity.

• Build systems that help people connect, grow, and thrive.

• Work alongside passionate, hopeful, determined people.

• Know that your leadership directly helps end loneliness.

• Be part of something bigger than all of us.

Your structure will help someone feel supported. Your systems will help someone feel safe. Your leadership will help someone feel less alone.

We Need You — Now

We are at the beginning of our journey, and strong operations will be the lifeline that helps us grow. If you’ve ever wanted to use your skills to create real, lasting change, this is the moment.

If your heart is saying “yes,” then you have a heart of gold — and we want to hear from you.

How to Apply

Please submit your CV and a short statement about why this role speaks to you. We welcome people from all backgrounds, experiences, and walks of life.

Come help us bring SUNSHINE into the lives of those who need it most.

Together, we can end loneliness.

Together, we can bring the sunshine back.