Youth programmes manager jobs in Edinburgh

This is an exciting opportunity to join the schools directorate at Money Ready as we expand our immersive financial education programme in primary schools and build out a similar, immersive secondary school programme. Money Ready has a high performance culture with an emphasis on objectives, focus and ambition. It is the largest financial education charity in the UK and is highly regarded across the sector.

In the schools directorate, we have an objective to create an evidence-based blueprint of how to deliver high quality financial education in schools across the UK for the government, which can be rolled out to every school in the country. The unique elements of our programme are that we only work with member schools serving communities of greater disadvantage, we see the same children every year throughout their school life, and we have commissioned The Policy Institute at Kings College London to carry out an independent, longitudinal study to track the impact of our work. This is a unique study and in its fifth year it is showing a medium sized positive impact on our primary school children.

Permanent | Full-time 

Salary: £58,560 – £71,480 per annum

Hours: 35 per week

Location: Home-based with regular national travel 

Job reference number: 1766

Help shape the future of Cranstoun’s services 

Cranstoun is a social justice and harm reduction charity supporting and empowering people to live healthier and safer lives. Each year, we support more than 45,000 people through services including substance use, criminal justice, domestic abuse, housing and services for children and young people. 

Following a successful five-year strategy and significant growth, we remain ambitious about the difference we can make. As we enter our next phase, we are investing in the leadership and operational capability needed to support our continued development. We are now recruiting an Assistant Directors of Service to join our senior management team.

This is a significant senior leadership role offering the opportunity to lead substantial service portfolios while helping shape how Cranstoun’s services are led and delivered across the organisation. 

The role

Reporting to the Director of Operations, you will lead a substantial portfolio of complex commissioned services and senior operational managers. 

You will lead eight services with nine direct reports, spanning substance use and services for children and young people. You will have clear accountability for ensuring services are safe, effective and well-led, with strong contractual performance, financial sustainability and positive outcomes for the people and communities we support. 

You will provide operational grip and evidence-based assurance, strengthen safeguarding and management accountability, build effective relationships with commissioners and partners, and ensure risks and underperformance are identified, escalated and addressed early. 

You will also work collectively with fellow senior operational leaders to embed a One Cranstoun approach, strengthening common standards, sharing learning, developing leadership capability and improving quality and resilience across our services. 

What you will be accountable for 

As an Assistant Director, you will take senior operational accountability for: 

• Safe, effective and well-led services – ensuring strong safeguarding, quality, operational risk management and service user outcomes.  
• Contractual performance – ensuring services deliver against contractual requirements and KPIs, with strong commissioner relationships and timely action to address underperformance.  
• Financial sustainability – maintaining strong financial oversight, effective workforce management and oversight of the sustainability of individual contracts.  
• Evidence-based assurance – using reliable performance, quality, workforce and financial information to identify risks and drive improvement.  
• Collective organisational leadership – working beyond individual portfolio boundaries to build consistent standards, stronger leadership and shared ways of working across Cranstoun.  

You will lead and develop senior operational managers, set clear expectations and create a culture in which support and accountability operate together. 

You will also lead and contribute to service mobilisation, transformation, workforce planning and continuous improvement. 

Who we are looking for 

We are looking for established senior operational leaders with substantial experience leading complex commissioned services and geographically dispersed teams. 

You will bring a strong track record of: 

• leading safe, high-quality services for people with complex needs;  
• safeguarding, quality and operational risk management;  
• contract and performance management;  
• managing significant service budgets and improving financial performance;  
• building effective relationships with commissioners, regulators and strategic partners;  
• leading service improvement, mobilisation and organisational change;  
• developing senior operational managers and addressing underperformance; and  
• using performance, quality, workforce and financial information to provide assurance and drive improvement.  

You will need to combine strategic leadership with operational pragmatism, understanding the detail when necessary while maintaining oversight of performance, risk, quality and sustainability across a complex portfolio. 

Above all, we are looking for collaborative, credible and values-led leaders who can support and challenge in equal measure, build leadership capability and bring people together around common standards and organisational priorities. 

Specialist experience 

For this role, significant senior leadership experience within substance use services is essential, including experience of leading CQC-regulated provision and maintaining high standards of quality, safety and regulatory compliance. 

You will also need a strong understanding of safeguarding and the governance required to deliver safe and effective services for children and young people. Direct operational experience of Children & Young People services would be valuable, but we are equally interested in candidates who can demonstrate strong safeguarding and CYP governance experience alongside substantial substance use leadership. 

This permanent appointment offers the opportunity to provide long-term leadership to a significant portfolio and help shape the future development of Cranstoun’s services. 

Be part of Cranstoun’s next chapter 

Our successful five-year strategy has seen Cranstoun grow considerably, extending our reach and the range of services we provide. We remain ambitious and innovative, committed to developing services that respond to the changing needs of people and communities. 

As we look to the future, we are investing in the leadership, operational capability and organisational infrastructure needed to support our continued development, strengthening operational governance, consistency and assurance across our services. 

This role offers the opportunity to do more than manage established portfolios. You will help shape the future of our services and build an Operations Directorate characterised by high standards, clear accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement. 

Find out more 

Please refer to the accompanying recruitment pack for the full Job Description, Person Specification and details of the application process.

Please note: All posts are subject to an Enhanced DBS check.

How to Apply:

For more details and to apply, please visit our website via the apply button. Please quote the appropriate Job Ref in all correspondence.

Applicants must be able to provide satisfactory evidence of their right to work in the UK at the application stage.

Sponsorship is not available for this post. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK that does not require employer sponsorship for the duration of the appointment.

Closing date: Sunday 20 September 2026.

We are an inclusive employer, committed to promoting equality and diversity in all areas of our work. 

Registered Charity No: 1061582

The Role 

Thank you for the interest in this role – it is an exciting one. 

You would be joining us at an exciting point in our journey as we reach the midpoint of our ambitious five-year Evolve strategy, following the launch of our new identity as the Leadership Skills Foundation. Over the next two and a half years, we will continue working towards our goal of reaching 200,000 young people annually across through education and community leadership programmes, while cementing our position as the trusted voice for leadership skills development. 

This role will play a significant in making that happen via: 

• Identifying and securing new customers.

• Retaining and growing income from our current customers. 

• Building relationships that drive programme registrations. 

• Using data and insights to adapt approaches and drive efficiency. 

Looking ahead, with a new identity for the organisation and new programmes and partnerships emerging, this role requires a dynamic storyteller who can confidently identify the needs of our customers and clearly demonstrate the value our programmes can offer. 

You'll be a proactive and confident development professional, skilled at spotting opportunities and transforming these into tangible outcomes. You'll thrive on creating and delivering development and engagement plans that directly support our departmental income goals and customer service objectives. With a passion for building strong relationships, you'll bring excellent communication and presentation skills to every interaction. 

Previous experience in a business development, or sales role is essential as well as good knowledge of the education systems in the UK. Ideally you will be based within or near the West Midlands, South West or Wales due to potential travel requirements in these regions.

Please note: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. The Leadership Skills Foundation cannot offer visa sponsorship. 

Role summary: 

 Role purpose: 

Retain and grow relationships with existing centres through tailored engagement strategies that drive programme registrations and increase impact. 

• Identify and convert new opportunities through proactive outreach, lead generation, and effective nurture tactics to deliver new business income. 

• Deliver excellent customer service, ensuring a high-quality centre experience that builds trust and long-term loyalty. 

 Key responsibilities: 

 Retain and grow existing centre relationships 

• Manage a portfolio of existing centres, ensuring regular and meaningful engagement aligned to their needs, delivery patterns, and growth potential. 

• Deliver against annual centre income targets by supporting centres to continue and expand programme delivery. 

• Develop and implement tailored engagement plans that reflect sector priorities, sector and programme maturity, and centre feedback. 

• Analyse Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards to identify retention risks, spot growth opportunities, and respond to trends with proactive support. 

• Coordinate requalification conversations and re-engagement activity to sustain long-term partnerships. 

 Generate and convert new business 

• Identify and research high-potential leads across your allocated sectors (e.g., secondary, Wales, community, international schools) using BI and CRM insights, sector intelligence, and marketing-generated activity. 

• Plan and deliver proactive outreach activity via a Sector, Segment and Region Development Plans. 

• Build and maintain a personal pipeline of prospects and log progress regularly updating conversion insight and forecasts. 

• Support new centre onboarding, from initial conversations through to registration and early delivery support. 

• Collaborate with Marketing on lead nurture campaigns, sales funnel activities, and content that targets sector-specific priorities. 

Deliver outstanding customer experience 

• Proactively communicate and engage with customers to support their delivery of Leadership Skills Foundation programmes. 

• Serve as a primary point of contact for your centres, responding promptly and professionally to queries, issues, and feedback. 

• Ensure every interaction reflects the Leadership Skills Foundation’s values. 

• Proactively use our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to maintain consistent and accurate records of communications, registrations, and engagement history. 

• Support customer feedback collection and contribute to the analysis of satisfaction and improvement opportunities. 

• Champion a customer-first mindset and share insight to improve performance against our customer experience objectives. 

Use data, systems, and insight to drive decisions 

• Regularly review and report on programme performance, income data, and registration trends for your assigned centres and sectors. 

• Use BI dashboards and management reports to inform your planning, prioritisation, and stakeholder engagement. 

• Report on your own progress against KPIs and contribute to departmental performance reviews and forecasting activities. 

• Use our CRM systems and workflow as a planning and prioritisation tools to anticipate risk and drive quality interactions and personal efficiency. 

 Collaborate across teams and support innovation 

• Work closely with key teams to plan and coordinate campaigns, messaging, and respond to customer feedback. 

• Feedback insight from centres to inform programme development and sector-specific improvements. 

• Contribute to team planning meetings, training sessions, and department-wide initiatives. 

• Support the induction of new team members and contribute to a collaborative, learning-focused team culture. 

 Skills, experience, and knowledge 

 Essential 

Previous experience in a customer supporting role, with an emphasis on relationship management and customer experience.  

• An understanding of education systems in the UK. 

• An understanding of initiating prospect engagement, business development strategies and meeting sales targets. 

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills. 

• Experience of working on own initiative and being a self-starter. 

• Confidence in presenting externally to customers and partners. 

• Experience of working with CRM systems, sales forecasting tools, and Management Information systems. 

• Analytical thinking and evaluation skills, with the ability to interpret data and performance metrics to support decision making. 

• Ability to present information concisely using Microsoft Office programmes. 

• An ability to network, influence and build relationships with key stakeholders andcustomers. 

• An ability to convert external relationships into long standing customers results. 

 Desired 

 Previous experience in a sales environment. 

• An understanding and passion for leadership skills development and the value it provides for young people and centres. 

• Excellent customer service skills. 

• An understanding of awarding bodies and their operating landscape. 

We’re an award-winning charity running local learning centres in the heart of the communities where the young
people we support live. Our centres provide a high-impact education programme which includes practical learning support, pastoral care, and motivational and confidence-building activities for young people aged 7-18. Our aim is to enable students from the least advantaged neighbourhoods to realise their ambitions and achieve their wonderful potential.

As the UK’s leading university access organisation, our staff team is helping over 60,000 young people each year at its 46 learning centres and extension projects across England and Scotland, and we plan to scale-up our provision to 50 centres over the coming years.

We are looking for graduates who will enjoy working each day with young people and who will thrive in a frontline, community-based, fast-paced and rewarding role. You will be taking up a permanent role as an Education Worker on IntoUniversity’s Graduate Scheme, helping to change the lives of young people.

We believe that our Graduate Scheme is one of the most exciting in the charity sector, an excellent career opportunity with exceptional training and hands-on experience, opportunities for promotion, and the chance to work with young people and colleagues who will challenge and inspire you.

The role at a glance

Contract: Full-time, permanent

Start date: As soon as possible

Application deadline : 9am Friday 11th September 2026

Interview day (online): Friday 18th September 2026

Please ensure you are available on these dates

Working hours
Mon and Thurs: 09:30-18:00
Tues, Weds, Fri: 09:00-17:30

(Some additional weekend & unsocial hours will be required)

Education Workers are based at one of our IntoUniversity learning centres and work directly with young people, schools and families on a daily basis. It is therefore not a hybrid role and is based full-time in our centres

Location

IntoUniversity Craigmillar

The role requires intermittent travel in your region (usually within the day). Periodic travel out of the area is also required e.g. to London, this may include occasional overnight stays. 

Salary

£29,050 per annum.

Annual leave
33 days (inc bank & public holidays) (pro rata for part-time staff) + 3 closure days (two in December and one in July) + additional length of service entitlement (one day per year of service, up to 5 days)

Job Description

Job Title: Senior Marketing Officer – Mass

Participation Fundraising

Directorate: Engagement & Fundraising

Team/Department: Supporter Led Fundraising

Date: August 20206

Context and Background

The NSPCC’s mission is to end cruelty to children by fighting for every childhood.

To carry out its charitable work the NSPCC relies on the fundraising support of

people across the UK for 90% of its income. Within Engagement and Fundraising

our aim is to provide maximum resources for the NSPCC, providing the best

possible supporter experience.

Mass Participation Fundraising is an important acquisition and income stream in

the NSPCC’s Engagement and Fundraising strategy, managing the delivery of a

portfolio of Third Party Events and Schools Fundraising products, as well as

stewarding supporters looking to do their own fundraising activity for the charity

(‘DIY’ fundraisers).

We are looking for a skilled Senior Marketing Officer, who will work across these

audience streams to coordinate marketing activity. This role will focus specifically

on marketing to mass audiences to reflect the breadth of audiences who take part

in Mass Participation Events. This includes parents, grandparents, professionals

who work with children, those with a personal connection to our charity, or simply

those who care deeply about children.

We are looking for a collaborative, enthusiastic marketing professional who has

experience delivering insights-driven marketing strategies that make an impact.

You’ll be a great communicator, able to build effective working relationships and

influence a range of stakeholders. You’ll be able to work independently and will

have a track record of successfully juggling multiple projects and competing

priorities to meet strict deadlines. You will also have experience working across

paid, owned and earned marketing channels.NSPCC

Job purpose

The role of the Senior Marketing Officer is to work with the Mass Participation

Team to coordinate and deliver the planning, execution and evaluation of events

fundraising marketing campaigns across all channels.

• Adopting a holistic view of all Mass Participation Team’s marketing to

ensure consistency, and will have a good understanding of how this fits with

the organisation’s strategic goals.

• Working with colleagues in the Mass Participation Team to strategically

manage the planning and coordination of events marketing across owned,

earned and paid channels, ensuring that all campaigns and activities are

integrated, informed, planned and evaluated, and that participation and

income targets are reached.

• Supporting stakeholder teams with strategic thinking during marketing

planning and delivery. This includes championing an audience-led

approach to ensure all communications targeted at mass audiences are

relevant and useful.

Key relationships - Internal

• Reports to the Associate Head of Mass Participation Fundraising

• Works closely with all members of the Mass Participation Team,

including sub-team managers and event fundraisers

• Works closely with other teams within the Engagement & Fundraising and

Brand and Marketing directorates to deliver integrated marketing plans.

Key relationships - External

• External media agency partner

• Freelance creatives – graphic designers, photographers, videographers.

EVERY CHILDHOOD IS WORTH FIGHTING FORNSPCC

Main duties and responsibilities

• Manage an integrated marketing approach across owned, earned and paid

channels to achieve participation targets and agreed KPIs, working closely with

event and product managers.

• To ensure maximum effectiveness and efficiency of mass participation marketing

activity through application of best practice campaign management.

• To take ownership of paid media campaigns for mass audiences in partnership

with our media agency partner. Tasks include the planning and optimisation of

activity across channels like pay-per-click and paid social media advertising.

• Be thorough and agile about monitoring campaign results and evaluating

campaigns, using insight to make informed decisions and determine future

marketing plans.

• To support with content creation where appropriate – this could include

copywriting, creative briefing, webpage updates, email marketing and photoshoot

coordination.

• Regularly benchmark against external fundraising marketing activity, keeping

abreast of current and emerging brand and marketing knowledge and practice and

equipping the team with knowledge and skills as appropriate.

• To work closely with staff across other departments to ensure marketing plans are

integrated and audience-led, in line with the organisation’s Supporter Centricity

Programme.

• To develop and maintain internal and external stakeholder and supplier relationships,

identifying and incorporating best industry standards and establishing best practice.

• To provide financial administrative support to budget holders, planning, forecasting

and tracking spend, and processing invoices and placing orders, in line with NSPCC

policies and procedures.

Responsibilities for all Staff within the Income Generation Directorate

• A commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and

adults at risk.

• To be responsible for updating databases and supporter information systems on a

regular basis in line with Data Protection legislation and NSPCC policy and

procedures to ensure all records are up-to-date and accurate.

• To actively participate in regular department and team meetings, contributing to

strategy, discussions and decisions which will be beneficial to the NSPCC's

development of fundraising activities.

• To maintain an awareness of own and others' Health and Safety and comply with the

NSPCC's Health and Safety policy and procedures.

• To take personal responsibility for keeping up to date with NSPCC work to end cruelty

to children, including securing updates on project and service developments and

general NSPCC news and also ensuring that the fundraising teams do likewise.

EVERY CHILDHOOD IS WORTH FIGHTING FORNSPCC

Person specification

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Proven experience delivering complex, multi-channel marketing

campaigns from planning through to delivery and evaluation, ideally in the

charity, not-for-profit or public sector

Highly developed written and verbal communication skills to deliver ideas

and activity updates to a range of stakeholders, and audiences, in a clear,

inspiring and confident way.

Well-developed ability to build, manage and develop relationships with

internal and external stakeholders in order to achieve and influence

project outcomes

Knowledge of digital and offline engagement and marketing techniques,

including digital media, social media, content marketing, email marketing

and paid advertising.

Excellent understanding of and empathy with the motivations of

supporters, and experience of working with clearly defined audience

segments.

Excellent understanding of recruitment and retention marketing

techniques, in order to achieve ambitious participation targets.

Well-developed numeracy skills to facilitate recording, interpreting,

analysing and presenting performance data to a range of stakeholders,

including those without a strong foundation of marketing knowledge.

Passionate about audience-led marketing that improves supporter

experience, with a personal commitment to the NSPCC’s values and

safeguarding principles.

Ability to plan and manage your own work, identifying conflicting demands

and establishing clear priorities to meet agreed objectives with a

willingness to work flexibly.

Proven ability of demonstrating initiative and creativity to achieve desired

outcomes.

EVERY CHILDHOOD IS WORTH FIGHTING FORNSPCC

Safer Recruitment

As an organisation, we are committed to creating and fostering a culture that promotes

safeguarding and the welfare of all children and adults at risk.

Our safer recruitment practices support this by ensuring that there is a consistent and thorough

process of obtaining, collating, analysing and evaluating information from and about candidates

to ensure that all persons appointed are suitable to work with our children and adults.

The recruitment and selection of our people will be conducted in a professional, timely and

responsive manner and in compliance with current employment legislation, and relevant

safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance.

Our principles:

• Always seek to recruit the best candidate for the role based on merit including their

skills, experience, motivation and competencies. Our robust recruitment and

• selection process should ensure the identification of the person best suited to the role

and the organisation.

• Committed to diversity and equality of opportunity and will interview all applicants

(internal and external) who self-declare at application as having a disability and who

• meet the minimum requirements in the person specification of the vacancy they are

applying for.

• We will make reasonable adjustments at all stages of the recruitment process in order

to enable successful candidates who declare disabilities to start working or

• volunteering their time with us.

• Any current member of staff or volunteer who wishes to apply for vacancies and is

suitably qualified will be considered and addressed fairly and objectively based on

their merit.

• As an organisation committed to safeguarding, we will ensure all under 18's joining the

organisation will have ongoing risk assessments to ensure their role and

• activities are safe and appropriate.

• All documentation relating to candidates will be treated confidentially in accordance

with the GDPR legislation.

We are looking for experienced social workers to help take the Weekenders programme into its next chapter. You will join a small, ambitious charity and play a central role in growing a relational, child-focused programme across England.

THE OPPORTUNITY 

• Salary: starting from £40,000, subject to experience

• Hours: full time, 37.5 hours per week

• Location: home-based within England, with regular team co-working and travel

• Contracts: one permanent post and two 18-month fixed-term posts

• Flexibility: occasional evening or weekend delivery, usually around once per month

• Travel: across England, including occasional overnight stays; reasonable expenses are covered

ABOUT NOW FOSTER

Now Foster brings together social work, service design, lived experience and innovation to transform fostering in England. Our vision is to bring many more wonderful people into fostering so that more children and young people can experience stable, meaningful relationships with caring adults.

We are a small team with big ambitions. We value creativity, collaboration, learning and continuous improvement, and we work with partners who share our determination to do better for children and families.

ABOUT WEEKENDERS 

Weekenders is our flagship programme. We recruit and support weekend foster carers – known as Weekenders – who build regular, long-term relationships with children and young people supported by local authorities. It is about showing up, making a difference and becoming an adult a young person can count on.

The programme is entering an exciting period of growth. We are expanding our partnerships with Regional Care Cooperatives, Fostering Hubs and local authorities across England, currently including London, the South West, North West and North East.

THE ROLE – Lead delivery, develop people and stay close to practice

As a Weekenders Programme Manager, you will turn our ambition into consistently excellent delivery. You will lead the day-to-day support of applicants across an agreed portfolio of areas, making sure prospective Weekenders receive a warm, responsive and motivational experience and that our partners can rely on us to deliver what we have agreed.

This is a people-management and delivery role with a strong connection to practice. You will line-manage Journey Guides, manage a network of independent social workers (ISWs), lead our prep group training and undertake some intro chats yourself.

The role does not carry a statutory caseload. It does carry real responsibility for safeguarding, practice quality, operational oversight and relationships across a growing, geographically distributed programme.

Delivery Leadership: Lead programme delivery

• Take day-to-day responsibility for Weekenders delivery across an agreed portfolio of Fostering Hubs and local authority partners.

• Turn partnership agreements and local processes into clear applicant journeys, with roles, handovers and timescales understood by everyone involved.

• Plan capacity across Journey Guides, ISWs, prep group training and your own direct work so that delivery keeps pace with demand.

• Monitor applicant progress, identify delays or risks early and work with colleagues and partners to find practical solutions.

• Maintain a consistent Now Foster experience across regions while adapting thoughtfully to local contexts.

People Management: Manage and develop Journey Guides

• Provide reflective one-to-one and group supervision, clear objectives and timely feedback.

• Allocate work fairly, monitor workloads and create the structure needed for responsive applicant support.

• Coach Journey Guides in relationship-based, strengths-based and motivational conversations, using observation, role play and practice review where helpful.

• Support sound judgement, safe practice and professional boundaries, addressing performance or wellbeing concerns early and constructively.

• Build a connected team culture in which people share learning, ask for help and take ownership.

Practice Oversight: Manage ISWs and assure practice quality

• Build and maintain a reliable pool of qualified, registered ISWs to undertake initial home visits and teach on prep group training days.

• Coordinate ISW recruitment, onboarding, availability, allocation and briefing in line with our safer recruitment and practice arrangements.

• Set clear expectations for the quality, timeliness and tone of home visits, written outputs, training and feedback.

• Review quality, provide constructive feedback and address concerns promptly, while forecasting capacity and arranging cover.

Training: Plan, staff and lead prep group training

• Own the planning and delivery of prep group training across programme areas, including schedules, venues or online delivery, materials, communications and staffing.

• Facilitate and teach on prep groups, modelling inclusive, relational and reflective practice.

• Brief and support ISW co-facilitators so sessions are coherent, well-paced and grounded in the realities of fostering.

• Make sure applicants can reflect meaningfully on children's needs, safer caring, trauma-informed care, cultural matching and working with fostering services.

• Ensure observations and training feedback are recorded sensitively and on time, and use feedback to strengthen future delivery.

Relationships: Stay close to applicants and partners

• Undertake some intro chats, particularly where additional experience, judgement or continuity is needed.

• Step into complex applicant situations or difficult conversations without taking over work appropriately held by Journey Guides.

• Develop trusted operational relationships with Fostering Hubs, Regional Care Cooperatives, local authority fostering teams and other partners.

• Work through differences or blockages constructively, combining persistence with curiosity about other people's pressures and perspectives.

Programme Addurance: Safeguarding, quality and improvement

• Promote a strong safeguarding culture and ensure concerns are recognised, recorded and escalated appropriately.

• Maintain accurate, timely records and use pipeline data, feedback and practice observations to understand performance and improve delivery.

• Contribute to the development of tools, guidance, communications and digital workflows as Weekenders grows.

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR – Experience, judgement and a strongly relational approach

Essential

You will need a recognised social work qualification and current registration with Social Work England. Beyond that, we are looking for someone who can combine strong practice judgement with people leadership and operational oversight.

You will thrive in this role if you have

• People-management experience – line-managing, supervising or developing staff, including giving feedback and supporting performance and wellbeing.

• Operational leadership – experience leading a service, programme or complex workflow with multiple people, deadlines and handovers.

• Children's services experience – in fostering, children's social care or a closely related setting, with a sound understanding of safeguarding and professional accountability.

• Training confidence – experience planning and delivering engaging adult learning, workshops or group training.

• Partnership skills – experience building productive relationships across organisational boundaries and working through operational challenges.

• A relational approach – able to hold warm, purposeful and appropriately challenging conversations with people from a wide range of backgrounds.

• Strong organisation and judgement – able to prioritise, delegate, manage dependencies and recognise what needs closer oversight or escalation.

• Digital and data confidence – comfortable using CRM and workflow systems, interpreting delivery information and turning insight into action.

The way you work matters

• Children first – you keep children's needs, relationships and long-term outcomes at the centre of decisions.

• Warm and reflective – you build genuine relationships, remain curious about your own impact and welcome feedback.

• Courageous and accountable – you name concerns, make decisions, follow through and own mistakes.

• Collaborative – you share learning generously while maintaining clear accountability.

• Adaptable – you are comfortable in a small, ambitious organisation where roles and systems continue to evolve.

Bonus points for

• Lived experience of the care system.

• Training or experience in motivational interviewing, systemic practice, coaching or another relational approach.

• Experience of foster carer recruitment, initial visits, assessment, prep groups, panel or post-approval support.

• Experience commissioning, coordinating or quality-assuring ISWs, associates or other independent practitioners.

• A practice educator, adult-teaching or training qualification, or substantial equivalent experience.

• Experience scaling a service across regions or working with a dispersed team and multiple delivery partners.

• Project, budget, contract, risk or resource-management experience.

• Experience of co-production, service design or continuous improvement.

WHAT IS IN IT FOR YOU

Joining Now Foster means being part of something different. We are small, ambitious and innovative, and you will have genuine influence over how Weekenders grows. You will stay close to practice and impact without carrying a statutory caseload.

You will join a supportive, collaborative team that cares about doing excellent work in a sustainable and humane way. We work a 37.5-hour week and trust people to manage their time with balance. The programme sometimes requires evening work, weekend training days or travel, and we flex working time around those commitments.

• Salary from £40,000.

• 28 days of annual leave plus bank holidays.

• Home-based working with regular co-working and team days.

• Travel and reasonable work expenses covered in line with Now Foster policy.

• The tools and technology you need to work effectively.

• Workplace pension scheme

• The opportunity to help build a bold, lasting and more relational approach to fostering.
   

We know strong candidates do not always meet every desirable criterion. If the purpose of the role excites you and your experience gives you a strong foundation for the essentials, we encourage you to apply.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS – Key dates and how to apply

• Applications close – Sunday 20 September 2026 at 23:30
• First-round interviews – Online planned for Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 September 2026
• Role play – For candidates progressing to the second round, before the second interview. 30 mins, completed online with one of our Weekenders.
• Second-round interviews– In person planned for Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 October 2026 (reasonable travel expenses covered)

Early application is encouraged. We may close the advert before 20 September if we receive a sufficient number of strong applications.

HOW TO APPLY

Please apply through the Charity Jobs listing by the closing date. Candidates invited to interview will receive further information about the format and preparation in advance.

You must have the right to work in the UK. Appointment is subject to current registration with Social Work England, a satisfactory Enhanced DBS check and our other safer recruitment requirements.

We recognise that candidates may use generative AI tools to support their application. This is acceptable, but your application must remain an authentic reflection of your own experience and motivation. Please tell us if and how you used AI as part of preparing it.

As a small charity unfortunately we do not have capacity to respond to unsuccessful candidates or offer feedback at the application stage. Please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion if you do not hear from us before the interview dates.

OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUALITY 

Now Foster is committed to being an equal opportunities employer. We celebrate diversity and actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and experiences. Recruitment decisions are made using fair, objective and transparent criteria, and we will make reasonable adjustments so the process is accessible.

If you want to help grow a pioneering programme, develop a thoughtful team and create more lasting relationships for children and young people, we would love to hear from you.

Youth Programmes Officer – West Midlands 

SALARY: £18,731 pro-rata including holiday pay, based on a working pattern of 30hrs/week across 4 or 5 days, and 39 weeks/year. £26,700 FTE

LOCATION: Homebased with travel within West Midlands (mainly Wolverhampton and Telford) 

HOURS: 30hrs a week, working term time only (39 weeks/year).The hours and days of coverage may be negotiable for the right candidate and experience. 

CONTRACT: Permanent

Ideal opportunity if you enjoy working with young people and want to help them be the best they can be. 

Flexible and rewarding position within a dedicated and supportive team, working together to develop teamwork, leadership, and employability skills that inspire the next generation to aim high. 

Are you looking to join an exciting organisation that’s truly making a difference?

The Jon Egging Trust are seeking a highly motivated individual with experience of working with young people, to plan and deliver inspiring teamwork, leadership and employability programmes in the West Midlands. The role involves liaising with school staff, local partners (including the Military and local businesses) and volunteers to ensure programmes meet the needs of our young people and is supported by the Regional Manager, Midlands. You will be joining a fantastically motivated and committed team of workers who are all passionate about improving the lives of young people through our specialist youth programmes.

The successful candidate will be based from home with a requirement to travel to partner schools and business sites in and around Wolverhampton and Telford. Fuel expenses are paid and travel time is included as part of working hours. Working with secondary schools to provide early support programmes, core delivery time is usually within the school working day and during school terms only. All other working hours can be managed with flexibility by the post holder to ensure that all administrative tasks are completed as required.

Across the JET team we cultivate a culture of inclusion that respects individual strengths, views, and experiences. We believe that our differences enable us to be a better team – one that makes better decisions, drives innovation, and delivers better outcomes for our young people. We welcome applicantswhatever your background and whatever your stage in life, so if you arereturning to the workforce after a period away,or even seeking a change of pace, please get in touch. 

About the Jon Egging Trust (JET)

At JET, we support vulnerable young people to get back on track and realise their potential; more than 30,000 young people right across the UK to date, and there’s so much more we can do. We’re an organisation that really values its people and we’re immensely proud that our team culture is based on caring and raising each other up.

Our benefits package includes:

• Flexible working

• Enhanced annual leave

• Homeworking allowance 

• Occupational pension scheme

• Occupational sickness scheme

• Special paid leave provision

• Enhanced family leave 

Download the Candidate Information Pack 

Read our Applicant Privacy Notice 

Child and adult at risk protection policy statement 

The Jon Egging Trust is committed to providing a safe and positive environment for everyone involved in its services and activities. The Trust takes its extended moral and legal duty of care very seriously in relation to children, young people, staff and volunteers. We seek to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children and to protect them from harm or abuse when they engage in any of our activities.JET expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. The suitability of all prospective employees or volunteers will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment. 

To apply 

Please complete our online application form. LINK TO ATS 

The closing date is Sunday 13th September at 23.30 hrs 

Formal Interviews to be held via Teams plus an in-person session delivery at one of our partner schools in West Midlands week commencing 21st September 2026, location to be confirmed.

Questions? 

Contact through our website. 

Please note:

Due to our anonymised recruitment process, if your application is not shortlisted, we are unable to provide personalised feedback. 

To become an employee at JET, you must be able to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK and a satisfactory DBS check – enhanced with children's barred is required for this role. 

As part of our safer recruitment process, all candidates invited to a final interview will also be required to complete a confidential self-disclosure form, which allows any relevant information to be discussed in line with our safeguarding policy. 

The young people, children and families that we support are at the heart of everything we do at Mermaids.  The work that we do has significantly expanded and we now need a highly effective and experienced Youth Advocacy Manager to join the organisation.  The Youth Advocacy Manager plays a crucial role in empowering trans youth, advocating for their rights and fostering inclusive  and supportive communities where they can thrive.  This role is a core part of our management team and will drive the organization to ensure that youth voice is centred across all of our work.

Mermaids is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applications from those with lived experiences (directly or indirectly) and/or close ties to the LGBTQ+ community. We actively support and encourage people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences to join us and shape what we do. We are particularly keen to receive applications from BPOC (black and people of colour) and/or disabled and trans candidates.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced relationship fundraiser to join Kids and play a key role in growing our philanthropic income. If you are passionate about building meaningful donor relationships and creating lasting impact for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), we'd love to hear from you.

Philanthropy and Relationships Manager

Location: Home-based with regular travel for face-to-face meetings
Hours: 36 hours per week (flexible working arrangements can be discussed at interview)
Salary: £35,000 per annum

About the Role

We're looking for an ambitious and motivated Philanthropy and Relationships Manager to lead the development of our major donor programme. Building on recent strategic recommendations, you will develop and deliver a sustainable fundraising programme that grows support from mid-level and major donors.

Working closely with the Head of Fundraising and colleagues across the organisation, you will identify, cultivate and steward high-value supporters, creating compelling opportunities for them to invest in Kids' mission. You will play a vital role in securing significant gifts and developing long-term partnerships that help children and young people with SEND achieve their full potential.

This role offers the opportunity to shape and grow a portfolio of supporters while helping to create a culture of philanthropy across the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and Planning

• Develop and implement a measurable strategy for philanthropic growth.
• Work closely with the Head of Fundraising to strengthen and embed a culture of philanthropy across Kids.
• Collaborate with colleagues to identify, cultivate and solicit major donor prospects.
• Provide guidance and support to colleagues on donor engagement and relationship management.

Relationship Management

• Build, manage and strengthen relationships with existing supporters.
• Understand donor motivations and create tailored engagement plans that inspire long-term support.
• Represent Kids at networking and cultivation events, building visibility and awareness of our work.
• Work collaboratively with service delivery teams to demonstrate the impact of donor support.

Prospect Development

• Manage and grow a mid-level giving programme.
• Develop and maintain a strong pipeline of prospective donors through research, identification and outreach.
• Build and manage a portfolio of mid-level and major donor prospects.
• Work with the Events Manager to deliver engaging donor cultivation events.

Income Generation and CRM Management

• Take ownership of individual income targets and contribute to wider fundraising goals.
• Manage donor pipelines, forecasting and reporting through Donorfy CRM.
• Monitor performance and identify opportunities to maximise income growth.

Donor Communications

• Develop compelling cases for support and impact reports.
• Create personalised communications and proposals that align with donors' interests and motivations.
• Deliver a high-quality donor experience that encourages long-term engagement and investment.

About You

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• Proven success in networking and relationship building that has resulted in financial support.
• Experience securing new gifts and developing new donor relationships.
• A strong track record of building and managing fundraising pipelines and supporter portfolios.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence and engage high-value supporters.
• Experience using CRM systems and data to manage donor relationships, forecasting and reporting.
• Strong budgeting and financial forecasting skills.
• Experience researching and identifying prospective donors.
• Confidence engaging and influencing senior stakeholders, including CEOs, trustees and decision-makers.
• The initiative and resilience to build new relationships from the ground up.
• A genuine passion for improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND and their families.
• An understanding of the policy and influencing landscape affecting children and young people with SEND.

Why Join Kids?

At Kids, you'll be part of a dedicated team committed to creating brighter futures for disabled children, young people and their families. This is an exciting opportunity to shape a growing philanthropy programme, develop meaningful supporter relationships and secure transformational gifts that make a lasting difference.

Apply today and help us create life-changing opportunities for children and young people with SEND.

For further details about the role, responsibilities and requirements, please refer to the full Job Description attached.

We encourage early applications as we reserve the right to close this vacancy ahead of the advertised closing date if we receive a high volume of suitable applications

The Bridge Group is currently seeking a Partnerships and Development Manager to support our work as a leading independent research and advisory charity promoting socio-economic inclusion through evidence, insight and collaboration.

For over a decade, the Bridge Group has worked with organisations across sectors, asking the right questions, uncovering what works, and turning data-led insights into meaningful change.

Our vision is an education system and a labour market where background is no barrier – and everyone, wherever they started in life, has the chance to realise their potential.

To help us move into the next ten years with energy, vision and a healthy funding portfolio, we are looking to engage a new fundraising and business development professional to help us develop our fundraising strategy and seek out new sources of income.

We would particularly welcome your application if you:

• Have at least 3 years’ experience of working in a fundraising or a similar role that covered at least two of the following areas:
  • proposal and/or grant application development
  • client or donor liaison
  • philanthropic fundraising (from individuals and/or foundations)
  • promotional content writing.
• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Enjoy networking and relationship-building and would be comfortable representing the charity and its values to clients, partners and potential funders.
• Have a strong understanding of the charity sector and fundraising networks and mechanisms.
• Have experience of project, programme or funder portfolio management.
• Would welcome a remote-working role with occasional travel, and are happy to work as part of a small team.  

If you’re interested in applying, please visit our website at the link below. Applications from people who come from a lower socio-economic background or historically under-represented group are particularly encouraged. We are also inclusive of people who are neurodivergent, or have a health condition or a disability, and would make reasonable adjustments for this at both the interview stage (please specify in your application) and, should your application be successful, in the workplace.

Online interviews are planned for the week commencing 05 October 2026.

Citizens UK 

Citizens UK is the UK’s biggest, most diverse and most effective people-powered alliance. We bring communities and local organisations together to work on issues that matter; from campaigning for zebra crossings on dangerous roads, to reforming the immigration system, to the Living Wage campaign. We have a track record of winning change through hundreds of local and national campaigns. We know everyday people have the ability to shape the world around them. We believe that through developing local leaders, we can drive nationwide change and create community-led solutions to big and small problems.

Living Wage Foundation 

The Living Wage movement began in 2001, after Citizens UK brought together communities in East London to discuss poverty and low pay. The campaign grew in momentum and soon required a mechanism to recognise employers who wanted to join the movement, which saw the establishment of the Living Wage Foundation in 2011.

Still part of Citizens UK today, the Living Wage Foundation continues to work with community organisations to make sure the voices of both workers and businesses are part of the Living Wage movement. We now work with over 16,000 employers, benefitting over 475,000 people and winning over £3bn of better wages for people who need it most.

Citizens UK works with a broad base of institutions across the political spectrum. At the Living Wage Foundation, we take the same deliberately broad-based approach and accredit all organisations who pay the real Living Wage to their directly and indirectly employed staff and are committed to tackling in work poverty.  As a team we work across a range of industries and sectors to achieve this mission. We seek pragmatic coalitions in order to progress specific campaigns, and partnership around a particular issue such as Living Wage, does not imply an endorsement of broader purpose and policies.

Purpose 

At Citizens UK, our organisers and project staff work within communities to develop leaders, strengthen organisations, campaign for change and organise across difference. There are various project roles and operational, communication, finance and HR roles that support the organisation and project staff and organisers to deliver on this mission and work. This work is rewarding and can be challenging; it requires a personal commitment to inclusion, a willingness to listen and disagree respectfully, and an interest in working in an organisation where our staff, member institutions and leaders will come from a diversity of backgrounds and often hold views that may be very different from our own. More information about how we operate within this context and build trusted relationships across difference can be found on our website and is covered in induction. Onboarding and navigating this relational culture, and type of work, is supported by line managers and further training. 

Main Responsibilities 

We are looking for a highly motivated and organised individual to coordinate our accreditation scheme. The role will work with our network of employers, and support new organisations through the accreditation process. 

The Programme Officer will support our work across the South East and support our managers to grow and deepen engagement with Living Wage Employers through our associated schemes. You will help to ensure our resources and publicity materials are well written and up-to-date, and to coordinate events to grow our employer network. 

Working as the Programme Officer for Citizens UK, reporting to a Programme Manager, your main responsibilities will include: 

Contribute towards the achievement of CUK and LWF’s strategic objectives

Understand how the role contributes to LWF’s purpose and the core mission of CUK

Reliably implement CUK’s and LWF’s policies, procedures, and values in own work

Work with CUK community organisers and leaders to promote civic engagement with and ownership of the Living Wage campaign 

Feed into the LWF strategy and objectives development 

Living Wage Accreditation 

• Support key contacts at potential LW Employers through the accreditation process, from dealing with initial enquiries to guiding them through the employer journey, to checking and processing their accreditation 

• Develop rewarding relationships with key employers, industry, and campaign partners within our networks to build interest in the Living Wage and deliver a high-quality experience to our accredited employers 

• With support from the wider team, develop plans and strategies to grow the number of accreditations in specific regions or industries 

• Collate and disseminate Living Wage criteria and policy issues through both internal and external facing guidance, whilst reviewing and monitoring its suitability 

• Support the development and implementation of projects to promote and grow Living Wage accreditations and develop the quality of service offered 

Build and manage projects and achieve work targets effectively

Successfully progress projects and tasks incl. tracking performance and expenditure 

Deliver agreed areas of the LWF’s work plan and leading on agenda items to report into team meetings.

Support the growth and development of new and existing Living Wage schemes incl.  Recognised Service Providers, LW Funders, LW Places, Living Hours, Global Living Wage and Living Work Consultancy 

Deliver personal work targets on time and to standard: 

• Respond to telephone and web-based enquiries by providing advice and support to employers and supporters 

• Provide administrative support for all aspects of the accreditation journey, incl. processing accreditations, recognitions, and renewals 

• Maintain LWF data on systems, incl. Salesforce employer database

• Support the maintenance of our systems to ensure efficient processes and develop reporting mechanisms for effective monitoring and evaluation of our impact and progress against plans 

• Coordinate and administrate Steering, Advisory or Leadership Groups as required, incl. coordinating agendas, sending out timely papers, taking minutes and following up on actions 

Learning &expertise

Keep abreast of new developments in the accreditation space

Apply new learning to work and respond effectively to feedback 

Work collaboratively with the LWF and franchise teams to share learnings and experience and ensure that we are meeting the expectations of our network and stakeholders 

Develop and manage external relationships 

Effectively develop and support a range of external relationships 

Respond effectively to queries or requests from stakeholders 

Engage with a diverse range of external stakeholders to support and develop projects as required 

Communications 

Communicate effectively within the LWF; ensuring that messages are reliably passed to those who need to know 

Represent the LWF coherently in writing and verbally 

Events and Communications 

• Plan and organise events to celebrate and grow our network of LW Employers, incl. playing an active role in the delivery of LW Week and assisting colleagues with event logistics 

• Represent and speak on behalf of the LWF at internal and external meetings and events 

• Develop or feed into employer resources incl. marketing materials, blogs, reports, templates, and guides 

Develop and manage internal relationships 

Work effectively with colleagues across Citizens UK 

Work collaboratively within the LWF team and actively participate in the team to ensure we meet the expectations of our network and stakeholders 

Generate income and resources

Contribute to plans and proposals to grow sources of income/resource.

Take personal responsibility for the careful stewardship of LWF’s resources 

 Personal Specification 

(D) Desirable, (E) Essential 

 Experience 

• Comprehensive experience in an administrative role (E) 

• Experience of building positive relationships (E) 

• Experience of learning, managing and updating Salesforce or similar databases (D) 

 Key skills and knowledge 

• Excellent time management skills with the ability to juggle a wide range of competing demands (E) 

• Understanding of database and systems management (E) 

• Ability to take in and interpret information and present in a succinct manner(E) 

• Excellent communication skills, both verbally and written, combined with the ability to liaise with senior stakeholders, both online and in-person (E) 

• Ability to act on own initiative to introduce and develop new systems as appropriate (E) 

• Strong attention to detail (E) 

• Strong IT skills to include MS Office and database software (E) 

• Understanding of the policy and campaign landscape in the UK (D) 

Personal qualities & values 

• A strong commitment to social justice and alignment with the Living Wage Foundation’s mission and Citizens UK’s values (E). 

• A proactive approach to all areas of work with a ‘can do’ attitude and a flexible approach to work demands (E) 

About the application process 

We work within diverse communities bringing people together. In line with our Inclusion value, we would love to see applications from LGBTQIA+ people, people from racialised communities, people living with disabilities and people of faith, all to better represent the communities we work in. We want our employees to have the working conditions that allows them to fully participate, be able to be their best authentic selves and thrive doing so, and we have employee networks to support staff. Even if you don’t quite meet all the required criteria still consider applying, as we invest in our employees and support them to develop the skills and knowledge required to deliver their role. 

For questions and reasonable adjustments regarding your application including information in a different format, or our recruitment process, please email us.

Interviews will be in person in the South of England region, week commencing 5th October – in person most likely at Head Office in Whitechapel.

Experience of designing, delivering and improving participation, voice, involvement or lived experience programmes with children or young people is an essential requirement for this role. Please see the person specification below for all essential requirements before applying.

Role title: Voice Manager

Reporting to: Head of Impact and Innovation (note that this role will work collaboratively across the organisation to drive this agenda on lived experience being embedded through the charity) 

Location of work: The post holder will be home-based, with office visits required approximately once a month, and department/organisational away days which will be discussed with Line Manager. The role may involve some occasional irregular travel to attend events and meetings throughout England and Scotland.

Contract type: Ideally full time, 35 hours per week, although flexible hours may be considered. The role may require occasional evening and weekend work. 

Contract length: Permanent 

Salary: £43,500 

Background

For more than 20 years, Magic Breakfast has been helping children and young people start the day with the nourishment they need to learn, grow, and thrive. But the impact of breakfast goes far beyond food. Every morning, we help pupils arrive at school feeling valued, included, and ready to reach their potential.

Today, 2.1 million children across the UK are at risk of hunger, the equivalent of four pupils in a classroom of 30. Working with schools in disadvantaged communities across England and Scotland, Magic Breakfast is committed to ensuring no child is too hungry to learn. One breakfast at a time, we are helping children and young people build brighter futures.

This is a pivotal moment to join Magic Breakfast. Governments in both England and Scotland have committed to expanding access to free school breakfasts, recognising the vital role they play in children’s wellbeing and attainment. Yet significant gaps remain. Pupils in secondary schools, alongside younger children in nursery and early years settings, are still at risk of starting the day hungry. Hunger does not begin at age five, nor end at age 11, and neither does our mission.

By joining Magic Breakfast, you will become part of a passionate, ambitious organisation driving lasting change for children and young people across the UK.

Job Purpose 

Magic Breakfast has already begun developing its approach to embedding children and young people's voiceas outlined in ourorganisational Nourishing Futures strategy and business plan, launched in 2025. Alongside this, a Lived Experience strategy and roadmap set out the plan to ensure child and youth voice is heard at all points in our decision making.This role will operationalise that roadmap, strengthening the systems, standards, capability and accountability needed to embed participation across the organisation. 

The Voice Manager will lead the development and delivery of Magic Breakfast’s approach to lived experience voice, with a particular focus on children and young people. They will ensure that the processes, policies, practicalguidanceand organisational capability is in place to enable the views, experiences and priorities of children and young peopletoshapethe organisation. 

This is a new roleat Magic Breakfast, responding to our Nourishing Futures strategy with a vision of a UK where every child is nourished, empowered and thriving.It’sa dynamic, matrix role, that works with teams across the organisation and will evolve over time, initially seeking to develop and embed new practices and approaches,which will impacton the culture and practices of the organisation.Previous experience of working ina similar role is vital as this role will provide lead counsel on child and youth participation across the organisation. 

The role holder will provide expert advice to colleagues across the organisation, helping teams embed meaningful, safe,inclusive and non-tokenistic participation in their work.The aim is for children and young people from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences, including those who may face barriersto engaging,are able to influence Magic Breakfast’s work.Anessential part of this role will be ensuring that,as well as the necessary internal infrastructure, the culture and mindset is in place to support the wider strategic aims. 

Key Responsibilities 

Voice leadership and organisational practice 

• Shape and operationalise Magic Breakfast’s children and young people’s voice function, ensuring it is aligned to organisational strategy, business planning and evaluation, safeguarding requirements and EDI commitments. 

• Reviewand maintain organisational guidance, processes andparticipation infrastructure that supportschildren and young people’s participation, includingconsent, accessibility, safeguarding,risk, recognition (e.g.remuneration), feedbackloopsand ethical storytelling. 

Organisational capability-buildingand support 

• Provide specialist advice to internal teams on when and how to involve children and young people, for examplein decision-making, service development, policy influencing, communications, fundraising,researchand evaluation. 

• Develop and deliver training, resources and reflective learning opportunities that help staff understand the importance of children and young people’s voice and build confidence in applying participatory approaches. 

• Work closely withourPeople and Culture team to embed voice and participation learning into wider performance expectations, ways of working, internal culture and learning,and development pathways. 

• Chair,coordinateor contribute to internal working groups that bring colleagues together to embed children and young people’s voice across teams and projects. 

• Champion a culture of listening, accountability and continuous improvement, highlighting whereand howchildren and young people’s views have influenced decisions to provide positive reinforcement of actions. 

Participation, engagementand co-design 

• Design,pilotand develop participatory approaches(such as regional lived experience panels, pupil panels, advisory groups, workshops, focus groups, creative consultation methodsand digital activities) for engaging children and young people,and support organisation-wide adoption. 

• Ensure participation approaches are accessible and inclusive for children and young people with different needs,experiences and communication preferences, including those who may be less likely to engage through traditional methods. 

• Ensure appropriate feedback loops are in place,s oparticipants and contributors understand how their views have shaped decisions, proposals, policy asks, breakfast provision or further research priorities. 

Safeguarding,ethicsand risk management 

• Ensure all voice and participation activity is delivered safely and in line with Magic Breakfast’s safeguarding, data protection, health and safety,consentand risk management policies. 

• Ensure children and young people are appropriately prepared, supported and followed up before, during and after participation activities, including signposting to support where needed. 

• Be an active member of the internal Safeguarding Committee, proactively flagging issues and developing or updating anyappropriate processes, whilst supporting a shift in approach from compliance to culturally embedded. 

• Support colleagues to develop appropriate risk assessments for online and in-person participation activities, and where needed, escalating concerns in line with organisational processes. 

• Support colleagues to apply ethical and inclusive approaches to gathering,analysingand using children and young people’s views, particularly where sensitive personal experiences may be shared. 

Insight and Influence 

• Develop and maintain approach to measure participation, influence, reach,qualityand impact, ensuring alignment with Magic Breakfast’s existing evaluation and reporting cycles. 

• Represent Magic Breakfast in external working groups,coalitions and participation networks, sharing learning and bringing sector insight back into the organisation. 

• Support funder conversations and proposals where required by clearly articulating Magic Breakfast’s ambitions,approachand impact in relation to children and young people’s voice. 

• Promote organisational learning by sharing participation insights, emerging themes and examples of influence across teams, helping to strengthen practice and decision-making. 

• Commission or manage external support, suppliers or partners where needed,ensuring quality of work 

Person Specification 

Essential knowledge and experience

• Experience of designing,deliveringand improving participation, voice, involvement or lived experience programmes with children or young people. 

• Experience of applying safeguarding, consent, confidentiality, data protection and risk management processes in participation or engagement activity. 

• Experience of managing projects or workstreams from design through to delivery, monitoring,learningand reporting. 

• Experience of facilitating workshops, focus groups, panels or advisory groups, both online and in person. 

• Experience of translating qualitative insight into clear findings, recommendations,reportsor resources for different audiences. 

• Experience of developing or managing place-based, community-ledor regional engagement structures. 

• Experience of developing guidance, tools,trainingor resources that support others to adopt good practice. 

• Experience of building trusting,appropriateand inclusive relationships with children and young people from a range of backgrounds and experiences. 

• Experience ofmatrixworking across teamsand influencing decision making 

Essential skills and behaviours  

• Strong understanding of meaningful,ethicaland non-tokenistic participation, co-designand lived experience practice within the UK. 

• Good understanding of safeguarding, emotional wellbeing, healthy boundaries and inclusive practice when working with children and young people. 

• Strong facilitation skills, with the ability to create inclusive spaces, encourage participation and manage group dynamics or challenging conversations sensitively. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to make complex information clear,accessible and engaging for different audiences. 

• Ability to work with data and evidence to develop metrics,monitor progress and report impact. 

• Commitment to equity,diversityand inclusion, and to reducing barriers to participation for children and young people. 

Desirable Knowledge, experience and skills 

• Experience of child or youth voice activity in schools, education, youth work, anti-poverty, food insecurity, health, socialactionor charity settings. 

• Experience of supporting children and young people to engage with policymakers, funders, media,campaignsor public-facing opportunities. 

• Experience of working with community partners, local authorities, combined authorities, youth organisations, faithgroupsor other trusted local intermediaries to support inclusive participation. 

General requirements 

• Willing and able to travel across the UK for school visits, workshops,eventsand partner meetings. 

• Willingness to work occasional evenings or weekends where participation activity requires it, with time off in lieuinline with organisational policy. 

• Enhanced DBS check may be required depending on the final design of the role and level of direct work with children and young people. 

APPLICATION PROCCESS

You can access our job pack and more information about Magic Breakfast via our website. 

Should you wish to discuss the role before applying please email our People and Culture Team (hr @ magicbreakfast. com)

Shortlisting: w/c 31st August

Interview 1: w/c 14th September

Interview 2 and Informal Panel: w/c 21st September

Due to the high volume of applications, this role is likely to close early and we reserve the right to do so. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately, once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications. 

Salary: £40,000 per annum
Reporting to: Chief Operating Officer
Start Date: September 2026

About The Skill Mill

The Skill Mill is a social enterprise that provides employment opportunities for young people with criminal convictions. Through paid work in environmental projects, horticulture and grounds maintenance, we help young people develop skills, confidence and positive futures while creating benefits for local communities and the environment.

Our programmes bring together Supervisors, Youth Justice Services, employers, Pathways Advisors and local partners to support young people into sustainable education, training and employment.

The Role

This is an opportunity to help shape and strengthen the delivery of The Skill Mill across the South.

As Regional Operations Manager, you will ensure young people receive a high-quality and consistent experience throughout their time with The Skill Mill. Working closely with Supervisors, Youth Justice Services, Pathways Advisors and the Commercial Sales Manager, you will oversee day-to-day operations, support programme delivery and ensure projects run safely, effectively and to a high standard.

You will play a key role in creating the conditions for young people to succeed by supporting frontline teams, building strong partnerships and ensuring programmes deliver positive outcomes for the young people and communities we serve.

What You'll Do

Support High-Quality Programme Delivery By:

• Managing the day-to-day operation of The Skill Mill programmes across the South.
• Supporting Supervisors to deliver safe, effective and impactful work programmes.
• Monitoring programme activity and resolving operational challenges.
• Ensuring compliance with organisational policies, procedures and health and safety requirements.
• Maintaining high standards of delivery across all sites and projects.

Build Strong Partnerships By:

• Working closely with Youth Justice Services, Pathways Advisors and local partners.
• Supporting collaboration between operational teams and commercial projects.
• Acting as a key point of contact for stakeholders across the region.
• Representing The Skill Mill at partnership meetings and local events.
• Strengthening relationships that create opportunities for young people.

Monitor Performance and Impact By:

• Tracking programme delivery and performance against agreed targets.
• Monitoring progress towards social impact and employment outcomes.
• Preparing reports and updates for the Senior Management Team.
• Supporting the development of systems that measure quality, efficiency and impact.
• Using data and feedback to improve programme performance.

Support and Develop Teams By:

• Providing guidance, support and mentoring to Supervisors.
• Identifying training and development opportunities.
• Promoting a positive, collaborative and accountable culture.
• Supporting teams to deliver the best possible outcomes for young people.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for someone who can bring people together, support high-quality delivery and help create opportunities for young people to thrive.

You'll have:

• Experience in operational, service or project management.
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience coordinating multiple workstreams, teams or projects.
• Excellent organisational and problem-solving skills.
• Knowledge of safeguarding and working with vulnerable or disadvantaged young people.
• Strong IT and reporting skills.
• A commitment to The Skill Mill's mission and values.

Desirable:

• Experience in social enterprises, youth justice, employability or community-based services.
• Experience managing commercial contracts or operational delivery programmes.
• Understanding of outcomes-based commissioning.
• Health and Safety qualification or relevant practical experience.

What We Offer

• The opportunity to help shape services that improve outcomes for young people.
• A supportive and committed leadership team.
• Flexible working arrangements.
• Training and professional development opportunities.
• The chance to contribute to a growing social enterprise with a proven track record of creating social and environmental impact.

Why Join The Skill Mill?

Every day, you'll help ensure young people have access to meaningful employment, skills development and progression opportunities. By supporting the teams that work directly with young people, you'll play an important role in helping them build brighter futures while creating positive change in local communities.

Work where it matters most, achieve what matters more 

Be part of a team where passion meets purpose, as we work together where the challenge is greatest to change the lives and build the futures of children and young people. 

We're looking for a talented Strategy Manager to help deliver our ambitious 2025–2030 strategy.

Working within our Transformation team, you'll lead high-impact projects, provide insight that drives decision-making, and partner with senior leaders to solve complex challenges. From developing business cases and strategic recommendations to analysing data and driving organisational improvement, you'll play a key role in shaping the future direction of the Trust.

This is a varied role that combines strategy, project delivery and data-led decision-making. You'll lead projects from concept to implementation, turning complex information into clear recommendations and ensuring initiatives deliver meaningful outcomes.

You'll work closely with senior stakeholders across the organisation, providing challenge, insight and support while helping to improve processes, drive performance and deliver our strategic priorities.

This role is a full time, all year-round role, mainly home-based working with travel to our head office in Birmingham and our academies as required. If you're excited by this opportunity but are considering a different way of working, such as a secondment or another flexible arrangement, we'd love to hear from you and discuss the possibilities.

About you

You're a commercially minded problem-solver with strong analytical skills and a track record of delivering projects in complex environments.

You'll be confident working with data, influencing senior stakeholders and managing multiple priorities. You have excellent communication skills, strong Excel and PowerPoint capability, and the ability to translate analysis into practical action.

Experience in strategy, consulting, transformation or organisational improvement would be advantageous, as would experience within education.

Why work for Ormiston?

Our vision is to create a school system where every child thrives, regardless of background. Our people are at the heart of our approach – they are our greatest asset.

We exist to provide the best learning opportunities every day, in every school for every child. It is the people and teams in our Trust who make this a reality and ensure we have the greatest impact. If you join us at Ormiston, whatever your role, you can be sure of a role with purpose and meaning. 

Ormiston, where every member of staff enjoys… 

• The opportunity to build on the legacy of those who came before – being part of one of the longest standing Trusts, created with the sole purpose of enabling children and young people to thrive 
• Working for a Trust nationally recognised for its impact on disadvantaged children – a rewarding, stimulating career where staff are challenged to be the best they can be, for the pupils we are proud to serve 
• Being part of a team and community where you belong – receiving bespoke and holistic support from a well-resourced and ambitious network of experts and professionals that work at the heart of communities 
• A supportive environment to grow your career – an extensive professional development programme, alongside flexible working arrangements and generous benefits 

Benefits that care for you 

We value your hard work and dedication, and we’re committed to ensuring you feel supported, both professionally and personally so that you are in the best position to make the most impact for the children and young people in our schools. 

When you join us at Ormiston, you can be certain that your work will have purpose and meaning. You can also expect robust and holistic support from us to enable you to excel in your role.

You will have access to an attractive benefits package including:

• 30 days annual leave (rising to 32 days after 5 years’ service)
• Generous pension and life cover
• Access to health and well-being programmes, including counselling service.
• Discounts on retail, travel, and leisure through our benefits platform. 
• Free and confidential legal, tax and health 24/7 helpline.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Automatic pay progression.
• Flexible working arrangements.

And much more as part of a leading multi-academy trust. 

If you're excited by this opportunity but are considering a different way of working, such as a secondment or another flexible arrangement, we'd love to hear from you and discuss the possibilities.

The closing date for applications is 9am on 18 August with interviews taking place shortly after. 

Early applications are encouraged as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early should a suitable candidate be found. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.