Finance And Office Administrator Jobs in Home Based

JOB PURPOSE

There has never been a more challenging time for refugees. At UK for UNHCR we are determined to be as effective and inclusive as we can to mobilise resources to support vital work for displaced people.  We aim to share the refugee experience to inspire hope and compassion with our supporters and key audiences in the UK.

As our Director of People, you will provide strategic leadership and direction for human resources and organisational development, ensuring the charity remains a top-tier employer that attracts, retains, and develops talent. This is a key leadership role, where you will drive organisational culture, ensure compliance with UK employment laws, and foster an inclusive and high-performing workplace aligned with the charity's values and goals. Reporting directly to the CEO and sitting on the Senior Management Team (SMT), this is an exciting opportunity to be the first Director of People for the charity, which has grown rapidly since its inception in 2020. You will have the opportunity to shape your future team, which currently includes a Senior Manager of HR & Ops who is interim and some support from our Operations Officer.  

This is a part time position - 3 or 4 days per week.

If you think you have the relevant skills and crucially, the passion to support the refugee cause, please apply.  We welcome applicants from minority ethnic and protected groups.
 

WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO

United Kingdom for UNHCR is the United Nations Refugee Agency’s national charity partner for the United Kingdom. We generate public awareness and funds to protect refugees through UNHCR’s humanitarian operations across the world.

Our supporters include UK private individuals, communities, corporate partners, trusts and foundations. The funds we raise help UNHCR deliver emergency relief such as shelter, medical care and basic supplies to people fleeing conflict and persecution, as well as healthcare, education and livelihoods opportunities for those who remain displaced over the long term.

Nobody chooses to be a refugee, but we can all play a part in their protection, and we want those who work with us to share our values and passion for the cause.
 

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING 

We strongly value diversity and recognise that it is critical to our success and the cause that we serve. We are committed to providing an inclusive environment for all who work with us and strongly welcome applications from diverse backgrounds, particularly those with lived experience of being a refugee, asylum seeker, internally displaced person, or a stateless person.  

UK for UNHCR is proud to have an Inclusion Network as well as a Diversity & Inclusion Working Group. Our Inclusion Network team work to create safe spaces that brings colleagues together for events, discussions and learning experiences that celebrate and support diversity and tackle barriers to inclusion. The Diversity & Inclusion Working Group is a group of colleagues focusing on tasks that drive action in the implementation of our D&I (Diversity & Inclusion) Approach. 

We are also open to flexibility in many different ways, including an element of working from home and flexible hours. Please don’t be afraid to speak to us about this at the interview stage, so we can explore what’s possible.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic HR Leadership:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive People & Skills Strategy aligned with the charity’s mission and goals.
• Develop the annual budget and manage expenditure for all areas of responsibility. 
• Lead the creation of a positive organisational culture, promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels.
• Advise the CEO and senior leadership on HR issues, trends, and best practices.
• Champion staff well-being, engagement, and development, ensuring a culture of continuous learning and growth.
• Represent the charity at external HR and humanitarian forums, conferences, and events.
• Work closely with the Board of Trustees and lead in the management of the Board’s Remuneration Committee.

Recruitment and Talent Management

• Oversee the recruitment and onboarding process, ensuring the charity attracts diverse and qualified candidates.
• Develop talent retention strategies, ensuring the charity is an employer of choice in the humanitarian sector.
• Implement learning and development programmes to nurture leadership, enhance skills, and ensure compliance with sector-specific training (e.g., fundraising / line management skills, safeguarding, data protection).

Performance and HR Compliance

• Oversee performance management systems, ensuring they are fair, transparent, and supportive of staff development.
• Ensure compliance with UK employment legislation, including employment contracts, grievances, disciplinary procedures, and workplace policies.
• Provide oversight of health and safety regulations, safeguarding standards, and risk management across all organisational levels.
• Responsible for maintaining and continuousy improving the charity’s HR software system and other HR platforms.
• Ensure compliance with data protection laws for all HR related information.
• Use data to generate insights, inform decision-making and improve processes.

Employee Engagement and Culture

• Lead on creating a culture of collaboration, empathy, and shared commitment to the charity’s values.
• Design and implement employee engagement initiatives to enhance job satisfaction and motivation.
• Ensure effective communication channels between leadership and staff, including regular staff surveys and feedback mechanisms.

Key Skills and Experience

• Proven experience in a senior HR leadership role in the UK charity sector.
• Solid understanding of UK employment law and most recent best practices.  A commitment to continuous professional development in this area.
• Strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with experience implementing organisational change in this area.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex employee relations issues sensitively and effectively.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence and inspire at all levels of the organisation.
• Level 7 CIPD qualification (or equivalent) highly desirable.
• Experience working in international agencies or NGOs highly desirable. 
• Understanding of refugee issues and/or experience working with vulnerable communities would be a significant advantage.

Personal Attributes

• Empathy and a strong commitment to the humanitarian values of the charity.
• Leads with integrity, accountability, and a collaborative approach.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to deliver practical and impactful solutions.
• High emotional intelligence, able to foster trust and build strong relationships across diverse teams.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to make a real impact in a growing charity with an international mission.
• Flexible, hybrid working environment.
• Comprehensive benefits package, including pension contributions and a focus on well-being.
• Ongoing professional development opportunities.

WHY JOIN UNITED KINGDOM FOR UNHCR?

You will be part of a high performing agile team of talented people, all committed to build solidarity and raise funds for refugees and displaced people worldwide. You will be working in a flexible, supportive and inclusive environment, where your work will be recognised and appraised. 

What else?

Wellbeing 

• 28 days’ leave per annum plus bank holidays (or pro-rata for part time).
• Employee Assistance programme providing 24/7 access to online GP, mental health support and virtual wellbeing. 
• Hybrid and Flexible Working.
• Access to 100s of perks with discounts on everyday purchases.
• Office wellness perks.
• Discount on gym memberships. 
• Staff socials.

Financial

• Pension scheme with an employer contribution of 8%.
• Non-contributory group life assurance scheme.
• Non-contributory Income protection scheme.
• One-off contribution towards homeworking set up.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental, and adoption pay.
• Enhanced sick pay scheme. 

Development 

• Comprehensive training and continuing development opportunities.
• Individual training budget. 

HOW TO APPLY

If you have the relevant skills and the passion to use them to support refugees, please apply by completing our application form which is available in the documents section of our online portal.   

Closing date: Midnight, Monday 21st October. 

First interviews: w/c 4th November

Second interviews: w/c 11th November

If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to the application or hiring process that may better facilitate your participation, please contact us using the email address provided when you click through to our online portal . We will make every effort to respond to your request for assistance as soon as possible.

We are recruiting a Policy and Campaigns Manager to take forward our work on household debt. This role plays a key part in our campaign to end the UK’s household debt crisis.

Over ten million people in the UK are now ‘overindebted’, meaning they are behind on bills or are finding their debt repayments a heavy financial burden. The crisis has been growing over the last decade but has increased dramatically because of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. More and more people are now borrowing to cover bills and essentials.

Our campaign combines community organising with national level campaigning and advocacy work to bring the voices of those most affected by the debt crisis to the fore in debates on policy solutions. You will use your policy and campaigning expertise to help ensure the people most impacted by problem household debt have a say in influencing the policies that affect them. You will work on issues such as the growth in council tax debt and bailiff use, the huge build up in energy debt as a result of the cost of living crisis and making insolvency policy and practice fairer and more accessible so more people can get out of debt.

You will be a key member of our household debt project team, working alongside the Head of Campaigns, Head of Policy and Advocacy, Digital Campaigner and Lead  Organiser.

We are looking for someone with great policy analysis and advocacy skills, a strong campaigning mindset, and a passion for social justice. We are not expecting you to already be an expert in all aspects of the role or in household debt policy but are looking for someone with the potential to develop quickly. Crucially, you will also need to appreciate why taking a community organising approach and building the power of people affected by debt is important, though you do not need to have experience in community organising.

This role will require some evening and weekend working, though this will be infrequent.

We strongly value diversity and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds. We would particularly like to encourage applications from women and non-binary people, people of colour, people who identify as LGTBQIA+ and people who identify as working class or have done in the past. If you have a question about location or any other aspect of the role, please do get in touch.

Action for Conservation is a grassroots charity using pioneering approaches to inspire and empower young people from diverse backgrounds, between the ages of 12 and 24, to become the next generation of environmental leaders. We're looking to appoint a Senior Programmes Manager - North West (Maternity cover) to help us shape and manage our programmes for young people nationally and lead our work in the North West.
 

Key terms

Start date: as soon as possible
Starting salary: £36,749.45 - £40,773.98 depending on location and experience
Contract: Fixed-term for 12 months, with possibility to extend this if needed
Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week
Evening and weekend work: Regular evening and weekend work, including residential work, will be required. Time off in lieu (TOIL) can be taken for overtime worked.  
Location: Remote or Manchester/London/Bristol (hybrid) - to be agreed with the successful candidate 
Travel: Regular travel to Manchester and the North West of England will be required where this is not the jobholder’s usual place of work, as well as occasional national travel for meetings

About the role

This opportunity comes at a unique and exciting time in the evolution of our charity, as we look at how we continue to grow our work sustainably and deepen the connections between our youth and land-based work streams.

As Senior Programme Manager, you will have the opportunity to shape our work nationally as well as lead our programmes in the North West of England, enabling us to grow our reach, deepen our impact and ultimately deliver our mission. Your work will ensure that across our programmes we offer young people meaningful and impactful opportunities to take action for people and the planet and have a voice in shaping the future of our landscapes. 

You will work closely with and report to the Head of Impact and Programme Operations. You will also line manage the other regional Programme Managers and a team of two Programme Coordinators in the North West, and will collaborate with the Land-Based Projects and Policy Lead and the Land-based Project Coordinator at the intersection of our youth programmes and land-based work.

With support from your manager and in consultation with the other regional Programme Managers, you will translate our annual programme strategy into a robust cross-regional implementation plan covering both programme design and operations and make tangible improvements to enhance efficiency and impact across our regions. You will also be responsible for ensuring that our programmes are delivered as planned, to a high standard in line with best practice and cohesively across regions, and that regional objectives and targets in the North West are achieved.

The ideal candidate will be a highly capable and experienced project/programmes manager and team leader with a proven track record of motivating and supporting others to achieve the best possible outcomes for your team and your programmes. 

Key responsibilities

• Lead Action for Conservation’s work in the North West, ensuring that regional targets and objectives are achieved and supporting the expansion of our programmes and projects in line with our organisational strategy.

• Support the cross-regional planning and management of our programmes to ensure that programmes are delivered on time and to budget, to a high standard and cohesively across regions. 

• Line manage the other regional Programme Manager and the North West Programme Coordinators, providing leadership, guidance and support as needed.

For a full job description and person specification please see the Recruitment Pack.

Why work with us?

You’ll be joining a young, mission-driven team who truly love what they do. Working with young people is always rewarding, sometimes challenging and never boring, and you’ll get to experience first-hand the positive impact that your work has. We work hard whilst maintaining a positive work-life balance and spend lots of time outdoors. In 2023, we were recognised by Escape the City as one of the top progressive places to work from over 13,000 nominations, after a rigorous assessment across six criteria, including Mission, Impact, People, Planet and Innovation.

Some of the benefits of working at Action for Conservation include:

• 25 days of annual leave plus public holidays, plus one additional day for each year served up to a maximum of 30 days
• Up to 5 days of professional development leave and up to 4 paid volunteer days each year
• A workplace pension with 3% employer contributions
• Access to flexible working to help you maintain a healthy work-life balance
• Regular team and organisational away days in the great outdoors
• Joining a growing organisation with the possibility to progress within the team as opportunities arise
• A robust training package and a bespoke development plan to support your progression and career aims  
• Opportunities to share your voice and shape the direction of our work, ensuring that our content is relevant and reflective of your interests and the issues facing your community
• Seeing the impact of what you do, as you transform young people's lives

Our commitment to diversity

Diversity is one of our core values as an organisation and we are committed to creating an inclusive working environment where diversity is valued and there is equality of opportunity. We also recognise that the climate and ecological crisis disproportionately impacts minority and/or marginalised communities – yet these voices are largely underrepresented in the sector. Currently, the environmental sector is the second least diverse in the UK, with just 4.8% of employees from ethnic minority backgrounds. If the environmental movement is to succeed in creating a greener future that supports society as a whole, we need diverse voices at the heart of our programmes. We therefore encourage people from demographics that are currently underrepresented in the environmental movement to apply. 

Guaranteed interview scheme

We particularly encourage applications from people from ethnic minority backgrounds or living with a disability or long-term health conditions. We will offer an interview to any candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds or living with a disability who opt into our Guaranteed Interview Scheme when applying and who meet the essential criteria for this role.

How to apply

The deadline for applications is Sunday 27 October 2024 at midnight. Please click on 'Apply' to complete the online application form.

First interviews will be held remotely in the week commencing 04 November. Second interviews will be held in the week commencing 11 November.

If you would like further information, support with access requirements, such as an adjustment to the application or interview process, or an informal chat, please contact us by email.