Youth engagement jobs

Are you ready to join The King's Trust and step into a vibrant role where you'll build meaningful connections and nurture relationships with our extraordinary external delivery partners and volunteers, all in the pursuit of connecting with the young hearts and minds we're devoted to supporting? If the answer is yes, read on!

Take the lead in welcoming, training, and expertly managing a group of delivery partners and volunteers. Your mission will be to ensure that our young people have an exceptional experience and achieve those positive outcomes that change lives. You will also be kept engaged as you’ll be required to travel within your local area to support the delivery of programmes as well as programme visits.

Assist and support our delivery partners and volunteers in bringing The Trust's programmes to life. They'll rely on you for access to training, resources, qualifications, and guidance in adhering to our top-notch quality standards. You’ll also be our compliance hero, ensuring that our delivery partners and volunteers are up to speed with all the necessary policies that keep things running smoothly. You'll be our go-to person, ready to tackle any minor concerns or issues that come our way.

Your knack for precision will shine through as you meticulously record information and data on young people, volunteers, or partners. It's all about ensuring that each step of their journey is accurately documented in our systems and aligns perfectly with the requirements of our funding contracts and is at the forefront of championing Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. Your sheer enthusiasm and commitment will ignite some transformative action, sparking real change as we put those local plans into play and excel in achieving our EDI goals!

Do you have the creativity to facilitate best practice sharing, energise networking sessions, and throw sensational end-of-programme parties? Are you ready to step up and lead sessions with young people when the moment calls? Having a background in education or an understanding of the education system could be an advantage when joining some of our teams, it's like having an ace up your sleeve, whether you're familiar with the intricacies of the school year or you've walked in the shoes of a teacher.

If you are a strong communicator with sharp problem-solving skills and can transform ordinary moments into unforgettable events, you could be just the person we are looking for.

Expect the unexpected and embrace it. Come and be a part of our mission!

We are looking for someone to join our Young People Learning team to support the coordination of our programmes for young people across England and Wales.

We are looking for someone with a passion for empowering young people and understanding of school’s curricula in England and Wales to coordinate.  Your role ensures that operational delivery plans are implemented in your defined area, meeting all targets and KPIs.  There is a significant external remit, and you will be expected to pro-actively manage relationships with schools and Local Authorities, to support schools as they participate in our programmes.

You will monitor the quality and impact of our programmes, ensuring this is captured and fed back to our Facilitators and Young People Development Lead to ensure continuous improvement.  You will also be working together with the rest of the Young People Learning team to coordinate activity, such as Workshops, Dragons’ Dens and Awards, to ensure a clearly mapped out timetable.  To support the Young People Administrator in scheduling activity, you will be expected to pass-on details from schools and partners in a timely manner.

You will also have opportunities to work with colleagues across the business, for example colleagues in sales and partnerships, to implement delivery plans as agreed by external partners and funders.

In addition to the ongoing remit of the job description, the post holder will work towards individual goals/outcomes as agreed with the line manager and aligned to the annual organisational business plan.

Having the right mindset, attitude and approach is as important for us as having the right experience and skills.  We appreciate that the best person might not have all the listed criteria yet so if you feel your experience, skills and attitude will help you to make a great contribution in this role and you have the right mindset, we would welcome an application from you.

Key Responsibilities:

· Coordinating delivery of our programmes for young people, achieving allocated targets in England and Wales and complying with programme systems and procedures.

· Support the effectiveness of activities for young people by appropriately preparing facilitators and following up with operational stakeholders, such as teachers, after delivery to ensure sessions meet highest standards expectations.

· Support the delivery of successful events for our young people, such as Awards and Dragons’ Dens, and responsible for implementing plans, coordination and logistical arrangements.

· Ensure effective recruitment and retention of schools and young people, driving impact and engagement in allocated areas through developing and maintaining operational level relationships and customer service.

· Responsible for gathering and collating evaluation data and case study information during programme delivery and at events to evidence impact.

· Maintain up to date records on our CRM system, HubSpot, and impact data on Microsoft Forms and SharePoint.  

· Providing accurate management information and case studies for reporting to external stakeholders.

· Gathering intelligence and local insight, needs and funding opportunities to help inform the overall UK Young People sales and strategy.

· Work collaboratively with fellow Coordinators to lead the continuous improvement and innovation of processes and procedures, enhancing efficiency while developing your capability, confidence, and skills.

For a full set of criteria and information on how to apply please download the recruitment pack from our website.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead our Alumni Engagement team who provide support to an alumni base of almost 40,000 contactable alumni of the Sutton Trust programmes. These are generally young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds who move into highly competitive universities, courses and careers. The alumni community has grown rapidly over the past 3 years and now expects around 6-7000 new alumni to join each September. Engagement covers supporting their transition to university and into the workplace through communications, events and programmes. It also spans alumni volunteering, our Alumni Leadership Board, and working with our Development team towards alumni giving.

The role is dynamic and diverse, requiring you to be able to think strategically whilst devising and delivering on operational delivery plans, and we are looking for a confident and experienced team leader during a period of maternity leave.

This role is part of the Programmes Leadership Team and will work closely with the Director of Programmes, Head of Employability Programmes and Head of University Access & Digital on shaping the strategic direction of the team and its programmatic work. The role will also connect closely to the work of the Development Team as we look to devise and implement a segmented alumni giving scheme, as well as the Communications and Policy team, and may evolve to take on new projects over time.

Main duties

• Strategic leadership to alumni engagement, including:
  • Embedding alumni relations and programming across the organisation, ensuring alumni are considered or involved in all areas of the Trust’s work
  • Managing budget and project timelines to ensure projects are delivered effectively
  • Working with the wider programmes team to ensure a smooth transition for Sutton Trust beneficiaries between programmes and the alumni community

• Alumni Engagement and Volunteering:
  • Refining and communicating the alumni strategy across the Trust and to donors and external stakeholders
  • Growing the Sutton Trust alumni network and developing a long-term strategy for alumni engagement, including communications and events, identifying key areas of focus and setting out benchmarks and KPIs
  • Overseeing a suite of volunteering opportunities for alumni to give back to, and represent the Trust in (for example on programmes, with our funder base, in our research and policy work, or to benefit the alumni community)
  • Managing the online alumni platform (STA) and its integration with other platforms .
  • Overseeing the recruitment to and engagement of the Alumni Leadership Board and new Changemaker/Ambassador programme to build on our advocacy work, and ensuring effective engagement with the work of the Trust and the wider alumni community
  • Ensuring that the above complements a long-term plan which would enable alumni to fundraise for the Trust or make donations in support of the Trust

• Programme management and Alumni Support:
  • Support delivery of access to the workplace and employability programming for alumni alongside the Head of Employability Programmes
  • Overseeing the delivery of bursary support programmes (including the Opportunity Bursary funded by JP Morgan) by the Alumni Programmes Manager from recruitment to evaluation and reporting
  • Overseeing the delivery of a series of employer-led events (working with employer-facing colleagues across the Trust) across a range of industry sectors that support student access to workplace opportunities, and the chance to build employability skills (such as networking / interview skills etc)
  • Overseeing the development of content and activities to support young alumni transitioning to HE
  • Overseeing the evaluation and scoping for potential growth for alumni-alumni mentoring with the Alumni Connect programme (piloted in Spring 2025)
  • Ensuring appropriate systems and processes are in place to manage programmes and events for alumni

• Alumni Giving and Relationship Management
  • Working closely with the Development team to provide support for key funding partnerships including those that directly fund/ work with the Alumni team.
  • Working with the Director of Development/ Head of Philanthropy to input into a new strategy to build funding from our alumni
  • Working with the Development team to implement an ongoing segmented fundraising communications plan to build awareness of our need for funding and directing alumni to appropriate giving schemes depending on their life/career stage
  • Identifying potential mid to high level alumni donors and working with the Development team to cultivate
  • Representing the Trust and facilitating introductions via senior alumni for new and potential employer or delivery partners

• Team Management:
  • Leading the alumni team to ensure effective engagement of our alumni community, including line management responsibility, team meetings, pastoral support and appraisals
  • Line managing, motivating and proactively supporting the Alumni Programmes Manager and Senior Alumni Officer in their professional development
  • Working with Director of Programmes and Heads of Programmes on team management, culture and long term planning
  • Working across the organisation on cross-team projects, such as with the employer working group, youth voice, Changemaker pilot, alumni giving, and STO/STA platforms strategy.
  • Member of extended-SLT

• Other duties as necessary from time to time

Person Specification

We welcome applications from individuals who have experience in:

• Professional experience of alumni relations, or managing other similar membership communities, ideally within the education or charity sector.
• Has experience working within or an understanding of the not for profit sector and/or the education sectors;
• Experience of developing strategies, frameworks and operational plans to support alumni relations, programmes and events for young people, or equivalent
• Strong understanding of databases, data processes and experience using a CRM (ideally Salesforce)
• Experience in project management, monitoring and evaluation, managing budgets, financial control and administration
• Building relationships with significant, diverse stakeholder groups
• Experience of managing volunteers and volunteer stewardship
• Excellent verbal and written communication and strong analytical skills
• First-class interpersonal skills - a natural ambassador able to represent the Sutton Trust in a range of settings
• Working collaboratively across teams and within a small team
• Line management and leadership of a small team
• Adapting to new opportunities and trialling new initiatives
• Personable, flexible and discreet; able to fit in to a small team

We are also looking for an individual who:

• Has experience of building philanthropic support through alumni
• Is sympathetic to the aims of the Trust and its mission to address educational disadvantage;
• Has excellent attention to detail;
• Is eligible to work in the UK (see here for information about right to work)

Terms of Appointment

• • Contract: 13-month Fixed-term Maternity cover contract starting November 2025. Our ideal dates are from 1 November 2025 – 30 November 2026, however we can be flexible if needed for the right candidate.
  • Salary: £60,000-£64,000 per annum
  • Working location: Minimum of 2 office days per week
  • Office location: The Sutton Trust, 9th Floor, Millbank Tower, 21-24 Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP. Our home working policy gives staff the option to work from home for up to 60% of the time, with approval from their line manager.
  • Hours: The standard working hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday and may also be required to attend events / meetings outside of their normal working hours during weekday evenings and occasionally at weekends
  • DBS check will be required

Interviews

Applications should reach us by midnight, Sunday 20th July, with first round interviews held over Zoom on Tuesday, 29th July, and second round interviews held at our London offices on Tuesday, 5th August.

Safeguarding statement

The Sutton Trust believes that a child, young person or vulnerable adult should never experience abuse of any kind. We all have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people and to keep them safe. Therefore all posts undergo a safer recruitment process, including but not limited to, disclosure of criminal records where necessary and eligibility to work in the UK. We have procedures in place to promote safeguarding and a safe culture at the Trust.

Contextual recruitment

The Trust is committed to ensuring equality of opportunity and that all applicants receive equal consideration for employment. We strongly encourage individuals from all backgrounds, including those underrepresented at present at the Trust, to apply for this role. As such we particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities, Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ and from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds. We are committed to being an inclusive and welcoming place to work and know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for the young people we support.

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for disabled candidates throughout our recruitment process and during employment.

We also operate contextual recruitment at the Sutton Trust. Our application process gives you the option to include information about your background, such as whether you were eligible for free school meals, whether your parents went to university, or whether you attended a state school. For more examples and information on contextual recruitment, please see our website.

The Youth Endowment Fund 

Research Lead –Local Violence Prevention

Reports to: Head of Guidance and Reporting

Salary: £55,000

Contract: 2 years fixed term 

Location: Central London, Hybrid* 

Closing date: Tuesday 15th July at 12pm

Interviews: Week commencing 28th July 2025

About the Youth Endowment Fund 

We exist to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence. We do this by finding out what works and building a movement to put this knowledge into practice.

Last year, 244 people in England and Wales tragically died after being assaulted with a knife. Of these, 32 were children. Every child captured in these numbers is an important member of our community and society has a duty to protect them. Even when violence doesn’t strike directly, we know that the fear of violence has a terrible effect on children’s lives.

At the Youth Endowment Fund, we are working to create lasting change. To succeed, we must build a world-leading body of knowledge on the violence that affects young people and how it can be stopped. This means producing rigorous, relevant evidence — through synthesis, data analysis and in-depth research into young people’s lives. But knowledge alone isn’t enough. We must make it accessible and actionable: showing what works, how services need to change, and how the systems around them must adapt. And we must partner with the people who can make change happen — across policy, practice and local systems — to turn evidence into impact.

About the role

The Research Lead will lead the development of YEF’s research, resources and recommendations in our neighbourhood focus sector.

We focus our efforts on seven essential sectors: education, policing, youth justice, youth sector, children’s services, health, and neighbourhood. “Neighbourhood” refers to our work supporting local partnerships – such as Violence Reduction Units (VRUs), community safety partnerships or the new Prevention Partnerships - and hyper-local approaches like our neighbourhood fund. 

Their primary responsibility will be to develop a series of actionable and evidence-informed guidance and resources for use by local violence prevention partnerships. This will include self-assessment tools for partnerships to assess their effectiveness, tools for understanding the nature of local violence problems and how they could be solved, and resources to support partnerships to identify and safeguard vulnerable children. Creating these resources will require the Research Lead to collect insights and evidence from across YEF’s work and develop YEF positions on fundamental questions about violence prevention. If successful, the Research Lead could have an outsized impact on YEF’s strategy and mission.  

These resources will support YEF colleagues to deliver our new ‘Area Leaders Programme’ (ALP). This is a new programme which you will help form. It helps local multi-agency partnerships to find and implement the best ways to prevent violence. YEF is working directly with partnerships, providing high-quality professional development, tailored advice and support, system mapping, and a national community of practice. The ALP focuses on strengthening five key elements of effective violence reduction:

1. Building strong and accountable partnerships
2. Understanding local patterns of violence
3. Identifying and supporting children most at risk
4. Improving safety in high-risk places
5. Sharing best practice across agencies

Following a pilot in four areas in 2024/25, the programme will expand to 20 more areas over the next two years. This will lay the groundwork for wider national initiatives, such as the Young Futures Prevention Partnerships, and support implementation of the Serious Violence Duty. The Research Lead will develop resources and guidance for the ALP. As the programme is delivered iteratively, they will work closely with YEF programme leads and local partnerships to test, refine, and improve materials before wider rollout.

The Research Lead will be part of YEF’s Research team. The Research team is at the heart of our efforts to learn what works and put it into practice. We do this by developing the YEF’s funding strategy and creating free, highly accessible research summaries and actionable recommendations for policy makers, commissioners and practitioners. We’re a high-performing team which values intellectual rigour and getting to the truth, compassion for children, ambition about what we can achieve and humility about what we know. We love to discuss the latest developments in research methods, but we’re not just interested in research for its own sake. We want research to lead to actual changes in outcomes for children.

Key responsibilities

The Research Lead will develop a portfolio of impactful projects.

· You’ll lead the research team’s work in our local neighbourhoods and partnerships priority sector. You’ll become the YEF’s expert in this area. You’ll make sure we understand the key issues, stay on top of the latest research and are connected to the right people.

· You’ll ensure we produce accessible, evidence-based resources and guidance that local partnerships can use to develop more effective strategies. You’ll work with YEF colleagues to test, refine, and improve materials before wider rollout

· You’ll set the YEF’s research agenda for your sector. You’ll make sure we invest in research that fills important gaps in knowledge and leads to important changes. You’ll ensure that our strategy and decision-making are informed by the best available research. This is a great opportunity to influence large amounts of funding and direct it towards the most impactful projects.

· You’ll develop great relationships with experts and represent YEF in external meetings and events. You’ll promote evidence-based policy and practice by speaking at conferences and events.

· You’ll lead the development of evidence-based recommendations in your focus area. You’ll draw on research and expert insight to identify potential changes to policy and practice. You’ll design and develop innovative and impactful resources which support the application of your recommendations.

· You’ll take on other responsibilities appropriate to your role. This could include leading the publication of YEF’s evaluation reports or writing ad hoc briefings and evidence summaries for the Government and other partners.

About You

You are this sort of person:

· You want to play a significant part in reducing the level of violence affecting young people. You care about having an impact. This might mean you’ve worked directly with young people at risk of becoming involved in crime, for organisations that fund or deliver relevant programmes, or have conducted research on this topic.

· You share our belief that an evidence-based approach is our best hope of preventing violence. You’re fascinated by research, but you’re not just interested in research for its own sake. You want to achieve actual changes in outcomes for children.

· You know a lot about violence prevention, especially local partnerships and structures like VRUs or Community Safety Partnerships. You know the key ideas and debates, recent policy developments and key people. You’re comfortable talking about this topic with experts.  There are many ways to acquire this knowledge. You might have worked in a local authority or local violence prevention organisation, conducted research on them or learnt about them during a degree.

· You’re a confident reader of research and have strong critical appraisal skills. You know when research can be trusted and when it can’t and can confidently articulate your views on the strength of research. You might have gained this expertise through your academic studies, research or professional experience.

· You have at least three years’ experience working in a role that required you to think about research. This could include a range of roles in policy, academia, funding or practice.

· You write in a way that people easily understand. You have that rare skill of writing in plain English. You have experience of translating complex research findings into plain writing that everyone can understand.

· You have excellent project and time management skills. You can work independently, quickly and to a high standard. You have experience of managing contractors or budgets.

· You are good with people. You’re comfortable working with a wide range of people, including senior academics and other research experts, children and their families, practitioners and policy makers. You’re able to provide constructive challenges when required.

· You learn fast but remain humble. You like learning. You’re very good at synthesising information. You know how much you don't know and that you can always learn more.

· You work well in a team. You care more that good things happen than who gets the credit. You support your colleagues to produce excellent work.

· You’re committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. You believe and act in a way that celebrates and encourages a range of experiences, views and values.

While it’s not a criterion, we’re especially interested to hear from applicants who have lived experience of youth violence. 

It’s also important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background. 

Hybrid Working Details  

The office is based in Central London. Those living in and around London are expected to be in the office a minimum of 2 days per week. If you live outside of London and work remotely, you’ll be expected to work from the London office 2 days per month.

As part of our commitment to flexible working, we will consider a range of options for the successful applicant. All options can be discussed at interview stage.

To Apply 

To apply, please send a CV and cover letter, and complete the monitoring form click on "Apply for this" button by 12:00pm Tuesday 15th July 2025. 

When applying for this role, please ensure that your cover letter, within a maximum of 1000 words, covers the following questions below:

1. A clear example of a situation where you have translated research into actionable resources or recommendations.

2. A clear example of a situation where you’ve supported an external partner or colleague to apply research evidence to an important decision.

Interview Process 

Interviews will take place in the week commencing the 28th July 2025. 

There will be a task to prepare for in advance. 

PLEASE NOTE: We do not sponsor work permits and you will be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK. 

Benefits Include 

• £1,000 professional development budget annually 

• 28 days holiday plus Bank Holidays

• Four half days for volunteering activities

• Employee Assistance Programme – 24hr phone line for free confidential support • Volunteering days - 4 half days per year

• Death in service - 4 times annual salary

• Flexible hours. Core office hours 10am – 4pm

• Financial support including travel and hardship loans

• Employer contributed pension of 5% 

Personal Data   

Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for employment is successful and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you. We do not transfer your data outside the European Economic Area.   

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.

If you share our vision that ‘every young person is empowered to gain the confidence, independence and skills they need for a better and brighter future’ we might have the perfect role for you!

ThinkForward is recruiting Employment and Progression Coaches in London and Hounslow to join our SEND team delivering our unique programme supporting young people with mild to moderate learning disabilities into employment. We are open to freelance, fixed term, temporary, or more permanent contracts. If you are….

· Passionate about, and have experience in, supporting young people to make amazing decisions about their futures

· Committed to equity, diversity, anti-racist and anti-discriminatory practice

· Persistent, empathic and agile in your style of work and able to apply a coaching approach to the delivery of our programme

· Able to tell the stories of our work through data

· Confident in running one-to-one and group work sessions

· Knowledgeable of supported internships and supported employment, careers and the importance of tailored progression planning for young people

…then please read the job pack and job description attached for more information, before applying via CharityJob with your CV and cover letter.

London Youth Gateway is a sector leading service supporting 18-25 year-olds facing homelessness or rough sleeping across the capital. Our mission is to make sure young Londoners bounce back quickly and safely in times of crisis and to prevent or solve their homelessness for good. You will be playing a leading role in helping to shape the work of the partnership, its collaborative processes as well as its connections with each of the London local authorities.

This is a key role in our organisation, and we are looking for someone with demonstrable experience in partnership and stakeholder engagement who knows how to get and keep people on board to meet mutual or differing needs. The ideal candidate will be a confident communicator and persuasive negotiator with an eye for detail. You will be able to facilitate multi-agency meetings and collaboration, hold responsibility for regular reporting to the commissioner, and contribute to our broader policy and influencing work. We have big ambitions for an organisation our size, so we are on the look-out for someone who can work at their own initiative, support our different teams, and is not afraid to get hand-on with administrative tasks, while tuning into partner priorities and sniffing out great opportunities to connect.

 

The Youth Endowment Fund  

Programme Manager

Reports to: Programme and Impact Lead 

Salary: £44,200 

Contract: 18-month fixed term (Full-Time)

Location: Central London, Hybrid*  

Closes: Monday 14th July 2025 at 12pm

About the Youth Endowment Fund

We’re here to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence. We do this by finding out what works and building a movement to put this knowledge into practice. 

Last year, 244 people in England and Wales tragically died after being assaulted with a knife. Of these, 32 were children. Every child captured in these numbers is an important member of our community and society has a duty to protect them. Even when violence doesn’t strike directly, we know that the fear of violence has a terrible effect on children’s lives.

The Youth Endowment Fund exists to try and permanently change things. To succeed, we must build an exceptional body of knowledge about violence affecting young people and how we reduce it. This knowledge has to be both rigorous and highly relevant to those making decisions about how to support vulnerable young people. We need to find out what works and what doesn’t through evidence synthesis, data analysis and qualitative research into children’s lives. We need to convert this into highly accessible content on what works, how delivery organisations need to change their practice and how the systems they operate in need to be reformed. We then need to work with the right people that can make change happen, across systems, policies and practice, to have a real impact on reducing violence affecting children’s lives.

Key Responsibilities

Deciding which projects, we should fund and evaluate is key, as is making sure we deliver our funding and evaluations to the highest standards. Our Programme Managers are responsible for identifying, assessing, funding and supporting programmes designed to prevent youth violence.

Programme Managers at YEF come from all walks of life. We look for individuals who may have experience in the youth sector, children’s social care, policing, criminal justice, education or how to involve local residents in making decisions about their own neighbourhoods.

As a Programme Manager at YEF, you will work very closely with our evaluation team to make sure we learn from what’s being implemented and that the organisations we fund are prepared and excited to work with us to find what works.

To achieve this, you will:

· Make sure we choose the best organisations to work with by assessing funding applications, critically appraising delivery plans and budgets, getting to know potential grantees and conducting site visits. These assessments will help you form recommendations to our senior leadership team about which opportunities to pursue.

· Work closely with grantees, external evaluators and our own evaluation team to ensure that the activity we are funding will be evaluable. This requires you to support and advise grantees on how to work in the context of an evaluation – usually, a randomised trial (you don’t have to have experience working on a randomised trial in the past, but it helps!).

· Build strong relationships with our grantees and provide them with ongoing management and support through the life of their funding. You will also be responsible for monitoring the performance of grantees and ensuring targets are met and any project risks are effectively mitigated.

· Think carefully about how we find the best projects to fund and evaluate, ensuring we can best find what works to keep children safe. To do this you might need to work with colleagues to spot where there has previously been a lack of evidence about what works (we will help you with this!). You would project manage these projects so they are excellently delivered – on time, within budget, and to a high standard. You will help to determine what our commissioning processes aim to achieve and design grant application processes to achieve it.

· You’ll manage our engagement with potential grantees to make sure we are attracting a diverse and promising portfolio of organisations to apply.

· Report to our team and external stakeholders regularly on how well the projects we are funding are going, spotting where grantees need support and coming up with how we can best provide that support.

· Represent the Youth Endowment Fund at external events, including reporting and presenting to our Grants and Evaluation Committee, who approve all our funding decisions.

About You

You are this sort of person:

• You don't want your days to pass without making a difference. You want to play a significant part in a charity that is making a difference.
• You want to work in a job that makes young people safer. This issue matters to you. You don’t need extensive experience in grant making, you just have to be committed to learning it. You should be keen to learn about the sectors we work with, the challenges facing young people and what organisations face when implementing programmes.
• You have experience in one or more of the following areas: policing, education, criminal justice, social care or the youth sector.
• You have a strong understanding of challenges that organisations face in delivering projects. You must also be a really good project manager, great at managing and developing people and external stakeholders, energised by tackling complex problems and really care about the YEF’s mission to build evidence of what works. 
• You have incredible judgement. You are able to reach sound and considered judgements about the viability and suitability of applicants based upon our given criteria, often using detailed written and financial information, and are able to deliver constructive feedback to organisations. You can also identify when things aren’t going to plan and be proactive with sharing observations and recommendations.
• You are an optimiser. You look for solutions and think creatively to overcome challenges. You are curious, hungry to learn and always looking for ways to improve processes and increase efficiency and impact.
• You love well-designed systems. You are committed to designing and maintaining the best systems to make sure we manage our commissioning processes well. You know this is critical to effectively managing multiple, large-scale funding programmes and competing priorities.
• You are an excellent communicator. You have the ability to convey information clearly and effectively—both in writing and verbally. You understand the importance of strong communication in fast-paced decision-making and thrive in a busy, collaborative team environment.
• You win people over. People tend to warm to you and respect you. You have built good relationships with people at every level inside and outside the organisation and have managed large networks of stakeholders with different interests and priorities. You are excellent at customer service and can professionally handle issues that come up within your grant portfolio.
• You work very well in a team. You are not motivated by being the individual winner. You want the team as a whole to succeed. You don’t care who gets the credit as long as things get done.
• You are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. You believe and act in a way that celebrates and encourages a range of experiences, backgrounds and values.
  
  

While it’s not a criteria, we are especially interested to hear from applicants who have lived experience of youth violence.

We’re also keen to hear from applicants with a strong understanding of evaluation methodologies—particularly Randomised Control Trials (RCTs)—and experience either directly supporting or overseeing programme delivery within an evaluation context.

It’s important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background.

All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.

This position will require a DBS check to be performed, but a record is not a block to performing this role.

Hybrid Working Details 

The office is based in Central London, but you don’t have to be. Those living in and around London are expected to be in the office a minimum of 2 days per week. If you live outside of London and work remotely, you’ll be expected to work from the London office 2 days per month. As part of our commitment to flexible working we will consider a range of options for the successful applicant. All options can be discussed at the interview stage. 

To Apply 

To apply, please send a CV, and a cover letter answering the specific questions below, please also complete the monitoring form by clicking the "Apply for this" button by 12pm, Monday 14th July 2025.

 If you have specific expertise in any of our sectors, we want to hear about it in your cover letter.  Applicants must answer the following questions as part of their application to be considered.

Application Questions

1. The Programme Manager role involves overseeing several projects at once and juggling many different tasks simultaneously. Can you give us an example of where you’ve had several competing priorities, what project management techniques you used to stay on top of your tasks, and what the outcome was?

2. Can you give an example of when you have had to manage multiple partners in a project and resolve conflicting positions? Can you explain how you went about this and what the outcome was?

  Interview Process

This will be a one stage panel interview process. Interviews will take place in the week commencing 21st July 2025.

PLEASE NOTE: We do not sponsor work permits and you will be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK. 

 Benefits Include

· £1,000 professional development budget annually

· 28 days holiday plus Bank Holidays

· Employee Assistance Programme – 24hr phone line for free confidential support

· Volunteering days - 4 half days per year

· Death in service - 4 times annual salary

· Flexible hours. Core office hours 10am – 4pm

· Financial support including travel and hardship loans

· Employer contributed pension of 5%.

Personal Data

Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for employment is successful, and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you. We do not transfer your data outside the European Economic Area.

Spark Inside runs coaching programmes in prisons across London and the South East, to encourage rehabilitation and reduce reoffending. 

We are one of the first organisations to take life coaching to people living and working in prison and to use systems coaching to bring together staff and prisoners in UK prisons. Our expert coaches are qualified and trained professionals. In addition to developing and delivering innovative coaching programmes, we are also committed to working with parliamentarians and government officials to influence criminal justice policy, and shift the perception of people in prison, platforming their voices and highlighting their unlocked potential.

To achieve our ambitious strategy, Spark Inside is seeking a Communications Manager to help raise the charity’s public profile, build influence with policymakers, attract funders and commissioners, and ensure the lived experience of young people in the justice system shapes our messaging, campaigns and strategy.

You will work with the Head of Communications and Advocacy to deliver a programme of compelling external communications activities through digital, print, press and events in order to increase Spark Inside’s visibility and ensure our key messages are wide-reaching and impactful.

You will report to the Head of Communications & Advocacy and work closely alongside our Participation and Engagement Manager and Policy Lead, with line management responsibility for a part-time Communications Officer. You will also work with a range of external freelancers on design, film and print. You will build and maintain good relationships with colleagues across the whole Spark Inside team, offering support and advice as well as drawing on their expertise and insights to make our communications impactful and engaging.

While target-driven, you will have a supportive style and work in a highly collaborative way with colleagues across the organisation.

You will share a passion for our cause, and a commitment to high standards. You will be highly organized, enthusiastic and motivated, with a talent for building relationships and networking. You will be up to date on the latest digital tools and trends and able to harness them to take Spark Inside’s communications to the next level.

To find out more information about the responsibilities of the role and required experience, and how to apply, please see attached job description.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The Role

Are you ready to make a difference? Join us at Southside Young Leaders Academy (SYLA) as our Programme Officer! We’re looking for a dynamic individual bursting with energy and enthusiasm who thrives in a collaborative environment. In this pivotal role, you will play a key part in planning and delivering our innovative leadership and education programmes while contributing to the overall operations of our charity.

At SYLA, we are dedicated to addressing social and educational inequalities by empowering Black African and African Caribbean boys. Through our comprehensive character education, life skills training, and academic support, we nurture resilience and leadership skills that enable our young leaders and their families to flourish.

If you have a can-do attitude and a passion for supporting youth empowerment, we want to hear from you! Join our team and be part of a transformative journey.

To take on this exceptionally rewarding challenge, you will require:

• An understanding of the barriers faced by young people, particularly those from the demographics that we work with
• Experience working with children and young people
• Exceptional organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workload and take on a range of tasks in a fast-paced working environment setting
• Impeccable IT skills with the ability to confidently use spreadsheets, emails, and databases effectively
• Ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels in an organisation, work collaboratively as part of a team and liaise with external stakeholders in a professional manner
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently, showing initiative and delivering to tight deadlines
• Ability to understand and work with people from different cultures and backgrounds
• Ability to work flexibly and offer help to colleagues when needed
• Understanding of Data Protection and confidentiality
• High emotional intelligence, integrity and resilience
• Availability to work on Saturdays during term time

In return, you can expect:

• Flexible working including hybrid working
• 25 days annual leave (plus Bank Holidays), a bonus day on your birthday and discretionary company closure days between Christmas and New Year
• Pension with employer contribution
• Access to Employer Assistance Programme and wellbeing support
• A friendly, diverse, and supportive staff team and Board of Trustees

We are offering an initial 18 month contract for this post with the intention to make it permanent.

Job Description

See the attached Programme Officer application pack for full job description and person specification.

Closing date: 8.00am 22nd July 2025

Senior IDVA:

Youth Realities is a youth and survivor-led charity based in Barnet, addressing teenage relationship abuse through creative education and specialist, survivor-centred support.

Youth Realities aims to: 

• Reduce abuse within teenage relationships 

• Increase awareness of teenage relationship abuse through education

• Empower young people’s personal development & growth

• Provide advocacy and trusted support for young survivors

Our vision is a world where young people live free from relationship abuse and violence. Our mission is to end relationships abuse by working with young people to provide specialist spaces for prevention, intervention and healing.

The Childhood Trust is London's child poverty charity. We are dedicated to creating opportunities and brighter futures for the 700,000 children growing up in poverty in London. While we work to alleviate today’s impact of poverty, we support children and families to build pathways to become happier, healthier, safer and more resilient, breaking the cycles of inequity. Listening to and engaging with young people who have experience of living in poverty, is critical to ensuring our efforts truly reflect their needs and aspirations. 

As a grant-making charity, we award funding to charities actively supporting children in poverty across the capital. This funding is made possible thanks to the partnerships we build with corporate organisations, other trusts and foundations, philanthropic individuals and families, and public donations. 

Volunteers are a vital part of The Childhood Trust’s work. Through our Transforming Spaces programme, they deliver direct support to children affected by poverty and the communities that support them across London. They also have the potential to grow our internal capacity so that we can reach our ambitious vision to scale our work and ensure that every child in London is well prepared for life. 

As The Childhood Trust’s Volunteer Manager, you’ll be responsible for volunteers across the organisation. Your role will include oversight of the corporate and community volunteers who take part in our Transforming Spaces programme. You will work closely with colleagues in the fundraising team to create a positive and inspiring experience for corporate volunteers. 

Key to this role will be working with the Head of Volunteering and Community Programmes to embed volunteering across The Childhood Trust. You will lead on developing a diverse and inclusive volunteer base of skilled and specialist individual volunteers, fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment where they feel valued and connected to the mission. 

Our organisation takes pride in offering key benefits such as flexible working arrangements, 25 days annual leave per year and enhanced maternity provisions. We are also deeply committed to the development and growth of our staff, providing opportunities to enhance skills and achieve career goals. Plus, you’ll be joining a dedicated and passionate team that truly makes a difference.

We will be holding interviews on 28th July 2025.

We are seeking a compassionate, visionary, and strategic Chief Executive Officer to lead Mermaids through the next stage of its evolution, dedicated to improving the lives of gender-diverse children and young people, and those who are important to them. As CEO, you will be responsible for driving the charity’s mission, shaping its strategic direction, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality, affirming support services. You will act as a visible and credible advocate for trans and 
gender-diverse youth, build strong relationships with stakeholders, and influence public policy and sector practice. Working closely with the Board of Trustees, you will oversee a small committed team, ensure robust financial management with the Chief Operating Officer, and lead fundraising efforts to secure a sustainable future. This is a unique opportunity for a values-driven leader who brings both strategic acumen and a deep commitment to equity, inclusion, and lived 
experience. 
Service Delivery:
• Provide strategic and operational leadership across all service delivery areas, including support line services, group work,  advocacy, external communications, and policy.
• Ensure services are high quality, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of trans and gender-diverse children, young people and the special people in their lives.
• Lead the continuous improvement and development of service delivery models, ensuring impact, effectiveness, and alignment with the charity’s mission.
• Champion a culture of safeguarding, accountability, and young person-centred practice throughout all service delivery. 
• Act as the organisation’s Safeguarding Lead, with oversight of on-call, safeguarding training, and ensuring appropriate escalation mechanisms are in place.
• Oversee the design and implementation of advocacy and policy activities, ensuring the charity’s voice is informed by lived 
experience and is impactful at local and national levels.
• Act as a visible and hands-on leader for frontline teams, providing support, supervision, and inspiration to staff and 
volunteers.
• Monitor performance, outcomes, and feedback to ensure services are meeting objectives and delivering positive change 
for beneficiaries.

Governance:
• In partnership with the board of trustees, set and articulate our vision, mission and strategy, and keep this under continual 
review.
• Lead the development and implementation of Mermaid’s strategic plan, ensuring sustainability and growth.
• Liaise with the board of trustees to ensure the charity’s governance, structure, policies and procedures are appropriate 
and effective, taking remedial measures and implementing change as necessary. This includes supporting board 
development.
• Work closely with the Chair and Board of Trustees to support strong governance and informed decision-making.
• Provide accurate and timely reporting on organisational performance, risks, and impact.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory guidance and legislation, including the Charity Commission and the Fundraising 

Finance & Fundraising:
• Working with the Chief Operating Officer and the Board of Trustees, ensure Mermaids has robust, deliverable fundraising 
and finance strategies in place, and subsequent action plans are embedded throughout the organisation to support their 
delivery.
• In partnership with the Chief Operating Officer, ensure Mermaids has robust finance, HR, IT, data privacy and governance processes and procedures are embedded.

People and Culture:
• Line manage senior staff including the COO and service delivery managers.
• Foster a positive, collaborative, inclusive internal culture that values lived experience and wellbeing.
• Continue work to embed a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion across the organisation, as well as a focus on accessibility.
• Work to define and drive trans-centred leadership across the organisation, including ensuring that the organisation is a trans-positive, supportive employer.

External Engagement and Advocacy:
• Represent Mermaids publicly, including acting as the key spokesperson and strategic policy stakeholder, ensuring 
organisational awareness of the external landscape and the changing needs of trans children, young people and their 
families, and advocating for these needs to be met.
• Lead communications strategy, and lead press engagement by responding to media inquiries, interviews, press conferences and media events.
• Lead on stakeholder engagement, including with funders, supporters, community partners, and policy influencers.
• Advocate for the rights and needs of trans and gender-diverse children, young people and the significant others in their lives at a national level.
 

We’re looking for a Finance and Operations star to support the team across finance administration, HR processes, compliance, and operational logistics. You’ll be a key part of the smooth running of the team that enables us to carry out our work making change with young people!