Youth collective senior manager jobs in birmingham, west midlands

We are looking for a Senior Relationship Manager to work in a dedicated Programmes and Grants directorate, working at the heart of Youth Futures Foundation.

Key responsibilities:

• You will be central to our work in the delivery of innovative and impactful grant-making.
• You will lead on the delivery of key, new and existing funding programmes, relationships and portfolios, sourcing and making recommendations on complex and strategically important requests for funding and building effective relationships with our grant holders.
• You will also work closely across our Impact and Evidence, Employer Engagement and Public Policy & Communications teams to ensure successful applicants are supported to deliver high quality, impactful projects that will build the evidence base of “What Works” to support the most disadvantaged young people into good jobs.
• The Senior Relationship Manager will also work with the Head of Programme & Grants to support the line management and development of Relationship Managers and Senior Grants Officers as required.

This role is on a 12 month fixed term contract and can be based at any of our hubs located in Birmingham, Leeds or London. We currently operate a hybrid model of two-days per week in the office and three-days from home.

How to apply:

For more information and a full job description, please download the Recruitment Pack. Apply via our website.

Due to receiving high volumes of interest in our opportunities, this vacancy may close earlier than the advertised deadline. To ensure your application is considered, please submit it as soon as possible

The Research Manager will work in a small team that is responsible for commissioning and managing high quality, robust social research, and for synthesising and disseminating evidence of what works to support the most disadvantaged young people into good jobs.

About the role:

The Research Manager will support all aspects of Youth Futures research, from project development to impact.

This will include:

• helping to develop our research strategy
• identifying research questions alongside colleagues in Youth Futures
• working closely with our research partners and suppliers so that projects are delivered on time and to budget; and ensuring that all research outputs are consistently high quality and make clear, practical and impactful recommendations for practice and policy.

This role can be based at any of our hubs located in Birmingham, Leeds or London.  We currently operate a hybrid model of two-days per week in the office and three-days from home.

How to apply:

Apply via our website. A full job description and person spec can be found in the job recruitment pack. 

Due to receiving high volumes of interest in our opportunities, this vacancy may close earlier than the advertised deadline. To ensure your application is considered, please submit it as soon as possible.

• Drive a climate action movement influencing institutional investors
• Support interconnected organisations to create powerful change
• Remote in Europe - United Kingdom, France, Brussels, or Germany preferred

The Sunrise Project

The Sunrise Project is a global network of independent organisations, that has adopted a unique model of combined strategic grant-making and campaigning, with a common mission to scale social movements to drive the energy transition beyond fossil fuels.

The Sunrise Organising Labs (SOL) is Sunrise's movement-building engine, powering all global programs to scale power in service of our goals while also nurturing long-term ecosystem development. SOL equips our teams and partners to map power, recruit influential constituencies, and build organising capability. SOL also informs and strengthens partnerships and grantmaking: analysing ecosystem capacity and designing targeted interventions to strengthen it. By investing in recruitment, leadership, collaboration, and learning, SOL ensures our movement is equipped, connected, and resourced to win systemic reforms.

Benefits & Culture

Sunrise has a dynamic and nimble organizational culture that supports its people to thrive, believing that diversity of experiences and perspectives builds stronger strategies, teams, and movements. The following benefits are in place to help achieve that;

• Generous package in line with experience and with international expectations
• Liberal annual, parental, birthday, solidarity, and cultural leave
• Commitment to professional development planning
• Coaching, performance reviews & management feedback
• Intermittent travel with advance notice may be required

Indicative salary ranges: £79,230 - £82,277 (UK); €92,376 - €97,850 (France); €120,000 - €124,062 (Germany)

The Role

This role serves as the strategic lead of the European ecosystem, including the UK, overseeing strategies to ensure this powerful movement is growing, is supported, and is being nurtured across communities, countries, leveraging and building power with key actors.
This role understands the nuance of targeted campaigns, how to win them, the context of the big picture, and then designs strategies to intersect the short and long term to build actionable plans for maximum impact.

Working collaboratively across Europe and globally, you will lead the development and implementation of Europe's movement strategy – understanding our campaigns, leading power mapping, understanding constituency and context needs, running experiments, and distributing grants. You will create and recruit new partnerships and groups from new and diverse constituencies, growing their skills and capacities.

Skills Required

You don’t need experience in fossil finance or climate – you can be a leader in your own field of environmental or social justice, such as trade unions, faith or youth groups, community organisations, worker bodies, etc. You’re a strategic, experienced, and collaborative campaign leader and relational organiser, with a passion for winning campaigns and growing regional movements. You have a nuanced understanding of how systemic change happens and can take a long-term view of power and power building in order to deliver short term wins. Your career includes creative corporate and political regional and local campaigns, including winning or iterating on campaigns through diverse stakeholder strategies.

You enjoy working across the political spectrum, or different theories of change, and understand what it takes to build trust, nurture creativity and unleash the potential of individuals and groups. You are adaptive, flexible, and respectful and highly self-driven. You definitely have the following:

• Demonstrated experience building a movement or organisation which has influenced systemic change
• Leadership experience in a similar role and an understanding of the European political landscape
• Project management, training, facilitation, and coaching expertise
• Demonstrated experience in organising and developing leaders in constituency-based organisations
• Strong and evidenced relationships with European power building organisations and other influential groups
• Your own working rights for your European location

If you meet all or some of the requirements, or are unsure, please submit an expression of interest as The Sunrise Project values diversity and recognizes lived experience. Your expression of interest should include a cover letter, responding to the skills required above, and a resume. Please quote #1352163. Alternatively, contact Lois Freeke from NGO Recruitment in Melbourne, Australia to request a full information pack at: +61 (0) 3 8080 8978. 

About the role

This hands-on leadership role combines operational excellence with strong interpersonal skills. Reporting to the Director of Design and Technology, you'll manage a team of Project Managers whilst working closely with senior leadership to oversee project delivery, financial planning, organisational systems and growth.

You'll implement best practices for data management, risk management, and compliance in a collaborative way that supports our mission-driven work.

About us

Act Build Change is a transformative organising school that makes community organising and collective care methods accessible to everyone who wants to end injustice.

Since 2019, we've supported over 150 collectives and organisations across the UK and Ireland, working with those with disabilities, migrants and refugees, young people, carers, working class communities, LGBTQ+ collectives, those living in poverty and the intersections across those identities.

Our work includes delivering training and resources, supporting communities to navigate difference and change, and providing coaching for organisers and movement leaders.

Key responsibilities

Project management

Oversee project delivery across our organisation, ensuring quality and efficiency:

• Develop frameworks for project tracking and reporting.

• Manage and develop a team of project managers, providing resources and support.

• Monitor budgets and timelines across internal and external projects.

Financial management

Ensure financial sustainability and responsible resource management:

• Support financial planning and reporting with our board and senior leadership team.

• Oversee invoices, expenses and budget adherence.

• Assess financial risks and manage potential challenges.

Systems and processes

Build and maintain operational infrastructure that enables our effectiveness:

• Develop strategies, policies and procedures with our senior leadership team.

• Maintain and oversee our systems for efficient project tracking.

• Ensure agreed standards are met across our team and resolve operational issues.

Organisational growth

Drive strategic growth and development:

• Develop business strategies for growth across products, services and recruitment.

• Analyse our data to support strategic goals and tracking.

• Support our recruitment efforts and staff policy development.

What we’re looking for

Essential experience and skills

• Proven operations leadership experience, including managing teams and complex projects.

• Strong project management and delivery track record across multiple initiatives.

• Financial management expertise including budgeting, forecasting, and resource allocation.

• Experience with recruitment, performance management, and policy development.

• Experience with data management, reporting, and operational systems.

• Comfortable learning and adopting new technologies and processes quickly.

• Excellent communication skills, including ability to navigate difficult conversations professionally.

• High attention to detail and meticulous approach to operational standards.

• Ability to work remotely and manage diverse responsibilities with autonomy.

What we’d love to see

• Experience across different organisation types and sizes.

• Flexibility to work with different methodologies and systems.

• Risk management and compliance background.

• Comfortable representing the organisation to external stakeholders.

• Track record of implementing operational improvements and efficiencies.

Personal qualities

• You approach challenges with patience and understanding, able to communicate directly when needed whilst maintaining positive relationships.

• You're confident in your expertise but remain open to different perspectives and collaborative problem-solving.

• You take personal accountability seriously and help build a culture where others take ownership of their work.

• You enjoy working in a collaborative team environment and building positive relationships across the organisation.

• You're aligned with our mission and values and are motivated by creating positive social change.

What we offer

Salary and benefits

• £49,500-£62,000 salary, depending on experience.

• Permanent contract with option for 4 or 5 days per week (salary and benefits will be pro-rated).

• Over 30 days of leave, including 25 days of annual leave, one day off for your birthday, one week off in August for learning and rest, plus Christmas close.

• Pension scheme and enhanced parental leave and sick pay.

Working arrangements

• Fully remote working (must be within 4 hours of central London).

• Access to office space in London when needed.

• Co-working space expenses available for those based outside London.

• Occasional travel to London may be required (up to twice a month), with expenses covered.

• Team away days around the UK (up to four times a year), with expenses covered.

• Full equipment and tech support provided.

Growth and impact

• Direct contribution to building people's power and making positive social change.

• Collaborative, mission-driven work environment with impact across the UK.

• Professional development opportunities including training and events (assessed on an individual basis).

• Clear growth pathway in an expanding team.

How to apply

Please note: this role is for UK-based candidates who have the right to work in the UK.

What to send

• Your CV (max. two pages).

• A supporting statement answering the questions below (max. two pages).

• Both documents as PDFs attached to your email.

Questions to address

• Describe a time you led operational improvements in a complex organisation. What was your approach and what were the results?

• How would you approach building operational systems for an organisation that values collaboration and accessibility?

• What attracts you to this role at Act Build Change specifically?

Next steps

• Submit your application by Fri 11 Jul 2025.

• First round interviews will begin from the week of 28 Jul 2025.

• The role will start from Oct/Nov 2025.

We are a neurodiverse and intersectional team. We’re committed to providing equal opportunities for everyone of all backgrounds. If there is anything you need us to do to support you in the application process please let us know as soon as possible.