Jobs in Blackheath

As MCF's Policy and Advocacy Lead, you will have the opportunity to bring your skills and passion for creating change at an exciting time for the sector. With a growing network and community, MCF has been the infrastructure charity to British Muslim-led charities since 2007. Join our impactful and diverse team as we support our organisations and those that rhey serve.

Job role: Policy and Advocacy Lead

Employer: Muslim Charities Forum (MCF)

Salary: £37,500 - £39,375 per annum (Dependent on experience)

Hours: Full-time, 36 hours per week, Mon – Fri, in-office

Position: 24 month Fixed Term Contract

Location: London SE1 (nearest stations Waterloo and Lambeth North) 

Closing date for applications: 28th February 2025 5.00pm

Further information and to apply:

Please read the full Job Description and Person Specification 

Background: Muslim Charities Forum (MCF) is the UK network for British Muslim-led Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations. MCF seeks to support, connect, and represent these organisations so that they can all experience the blessings of the collective. Through our network we support almost 300 charities and community organisations.

We aim to collectively build a more accountable, transparent, and efficient British Muslim-led Voluntary and Community Sector, to improve our ability—both as individual organisations and as a sector—to contribute to a more just and sustainable world. With the support of our member organisations and the strategic investors of MCF, we work with a wider network of partners that includes non-member NGOs, regulatory bodies, civil society partners, academics and over key stakeholders in the sector.

Job Purpose: This post is kindly supported by City Bridge Foundation.

MCF has a small team, but our impact is far-reaching. Following a period of expansion, MCF is seeking an innovative, motivated and passionate individual to lead on its advocacy capacity building work, sector-wide advocacy work, and delivery of its strategic policy work.

The primary purpose of the role is to build capacity in Muslim-led Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations with differing scales of operating and programmatic focus areas. There will be a particular focus on those Muslim led organisations based in London.

You can expect to be leading on some of the areas as a priority in this role:

• Engaging in outreach with Muslim-led Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations.

• Producing relevant policy and advocacy capacity building materials suitable for those involved in Muslim-led Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations.

• Delivering capacity building engagements with those involved in Muslim-led Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations.

• Hosting roundtables and other group engagements to learn more about the policy and advocacy priorities of Muslim-led Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations.

• Strategically Managing a programmatic budget to outsource elements of MCF’s policy and advocacy capacity building initiatives.

• Building relationships with a range of stakeholders from across the Voluntary and Community Sector, Private Sector, and Public Sector to support capacity building initiatives with Muslim-led Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations. This is an exciting role overseeing MCF’s Policy and Advocacy Unit.

In addition to the above, you can also expect to be involved in:

• Monitoring the media for commentary relevant to the British Muslim led Voluntary and Community Sector and preparing responses on behalf of MCF.

• Engaging with parliamentarians and other key public sector stakeholders by representing MCF at a range of engagements.

• Leading MCF’s Policy and Advocacy Unit’s strategy and delivering associated outputs.

PERSON SPECIFICATION:

You will be passionate about driving positive cultural change in the Muslim led Voluntary and Community Sector by encouraging more productive engagement with public sector stakeholders.

You will be agreeing to, and working in alignment with MCF’s ethical principles, mission areas, and strategic priorities.

You will feel are energised by the prospect of becoming an expert within a small team, collaborating with a range of other skilled and talented colleagues within the sector.

You will feel comfortable with upholding a high degree of confidentiality, as the role is privy to sensitive discussions and being in environments where you have access to confidential information.

You will feel confident in fulfilling the key responsibilities listed in the sections below.

Advocacy Capacity Building:

• Directly communicating and interacting with Muslim-led Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations.

• Effectively managing relationships with Muslim-led Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations. • Proactively responding to requests for guidance and/or support on policy and advocacy related matters.

• Drafting briefings, primers, training materials and other capacity building materials to enhance understanding of policy and advocacy amongst key stakeholders.

• Scheduling and hosting roundtables and other events.

• Build and manage methods of two-way learning between British Muslim-led Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations and key public sector stakeholders.

• Building relationships with associates and other contractors focusing on matters relevant to advocacy, campaigning, political activity, political processes, research, or any other matters.

• Managing an advocacy capacity building programme.

• Managing a budget and seeing to the delivery of its associated projects.

• Representing MCF at public engagements hosted by Parliamentarians, Combined Authorities, Local Authorities, and other public sector organisations interacting directly with Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations.

• Building relationships with key stakeholders at different levels of public sector organisations. Broader advocacy, political engagement and external influencing:

• Support the CEO and the rest of the MCF team by developing policy reform suggestions supported by appropriate forms of evidence.

• Support activities to maintain MCF as a thought-leader and trusted source of guidance for policy and advocacy matters relevant to the British Muslim-led Voluntary and Community Sector.

• Identify opportunities to further develop MCF’s policy and advocacy strategy to fulfil MCF’s mission areas and strategic priorities as an infrastructure organisation.

• Coordinate activities to deliver outputs aligned with MCF’s policy and advocacy strategy.

• Monitor developments from the public and other sectors relevant to British Muslim-led Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations reported in the media, and draft appropriate responses.

• Provide guidance to MCF members and other organisations on navigating policy issues.

• Host and participate in MCF member roundtables, working groups and other events to learn more about their policy priorities and provide guidance where relevant.

• Coordinate research projects to develop bodies of evidence on matters relating to the Muslim-led Voluntary and Community Sector.

• Support the delivery of MCF’s advocacy campaigns and associated campaign activities.

• Commission external research and analysis to gather evidence to support MCF’s campaigns.

• Represent MCF in media engagement opportunities or requests for information from media stakeholders.

• Represent MCF at a range of events and other external engagements. 

Please note: This role is based in our office in London SE1, Monday to Friday (closest Tube stations Waterloo or Lambeth North). Remote working is not possible with this post due to the nature of the work. 

We are unable to sponsor applicants for visas. Applicants must be resident in the UK and have the Right To Work.

Successful applicants will be subject to relevant reference and identification checks.

Due to the volume of applications, we may be unable to respond to all candidates. If your application is short-listed, we will get in touch. If you have not heard from our team within 8 weeks, please assume your application has not met the criteria on this occasion.

No agencies please.

Thank you for your interest in Muslim Charities Forum. We look forward to receiving your application.

Are you ready to help support the Ministries of the Church as it seeks to facilitate the whole people of God?

The work of the Ministries team provides support to all Ministries within the United Reformed Church through the work of the Ministries and Accreditation Committees. In this role you will work closely with the Secretary for Ministries as part of a small team and within the wider Discipleship team.

You will be educated to degree level, or equivalent experience. You are already working or volunteering in a ministries or mission orientated environment and have experience of leading projects as part of a team. You have excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to advocate and inspire people. Evidence of participation in discipleship development or other lifelong learning would be a distinct advantage.  

We can offer you a flexible and friendly working environment; working from Church House and from home.

If you are interested in working with us and can meet the job requirements, please visit our job page to download the application form. We are not accepting CVs for this role. 

Closing date: 12 noon, Monday 3 March 2025

Interviews: Wednesday 19 March 2025

*In accordance with the Equality Act 2010: Part 1, Schedule 9, there is a genuine occupational requirement for the post holder to be a practising Christian.

The Senior Finance Manager is a new role at Bite Back and will lead our financial management, practices and policies. We are a relatively new non-profit, established in 2019, and have now grown to a staff team of nearly 30 people with a turnover of £2.3 million. 

Bite Back was initially housed within the umbrella of our founder’s company, the Jamie Oliver Group, and in the past 18 months we have decoupled our finances and operations and become a fully independent non-profit. We have further work to do to strengthen our financial management as part of this independence and to support our growth. We are increasingly receiving restricted funds and contracts for service and expect this type of funding to grow this year.

It is an exciting time for a Senior Finance Manager to join the team and be involved in the strategic and operational development that we need to support Bite Back through its next phase of growth. 

Responsibilities

The Senior Finance Manager is responsible for:

Statutory Reporting

• Work alongside the Finance and Administrative Executive to support the Director with financial reporting for the audit in line with SORP regulations. 

• Coordinate with the Finance and Administrative Executive to prepare all schedules for the annual audit and support the relationship with the auditors.  Co-ordinate all audit, accounting and taxation services.

• Carefully monitor VAT applicable earnings, and provide appropriate forecasts to ensure statutory VAT registration obligations are met.

• Completion & submission of Annual Returns for Charity Commission and Companies House.

• Lead with the pension providers to resolve issues, and ensure that all pension deductions are paid within the statutory period after deduction. 

• Prepare and submit Gift Aid claims as required. 

Financial Management

• Support the Director with the preparation of quarterly management accounts and associated narrative reports for the board of trustees, attending and minuting finance sub-committee meetings. 

• Work closely with the Finance and Administrative Executive and the Director to ensure efficient financial management for Bite Back, making recommendations on systems, controls and processes to resolve challenges and ensure robust and accurate financial governance. 

• Accountability for all month end processes resulting in accurate monthly Management Accounts, restricted fund reports and updated cash flow. Support the extended leadership team to monitor budgets and financial performance. Investigate and explain variances of budgets to actuals.

• Work with the Director and the extended leadership team to forecast income and expenditure quarterly and annually. 

• Ensure effective processes are in place for resource allocation, cost control and performance monitoring. 

• Work with the Director to research, identify and implement tech based solutions that strengthen controls and drive efficiencies across expenses management and invoicing approvals to deliver an improved financial service for our team and suppliers.

• Lead on the control of costs throughout the organisation and work closely with the Operations and Contracts Manager to ensure that all procurement offers best value.

Financial Policies and Controls

• Ensuring that there are financial policies and procedures in place that cover all areas of the team’s governance and compliance responsibilities. 

• Manage the charity’s finances alongside the Finance and Administrative Executive and the Director to ensure good financial controls are in place and that sound and appropriate practices are maintained.

• Work closely with the People and HR Manager to support the relationship with the outsourced payroll provider, ensure accurate and timely payment of staff. Complete monthly reconciliations and journals for payroll.

• Oversee the monthly credit card reconciliations for the team, following up with the Finance and Administrative Executive as needed for internal coding and sign off as well as managing the credit card platform. Be the point of expertise on the credit card use policy, advising team members and monitoring compliance. 

Revenue Generation and Monitoring

Work closely with the Grants and Fundraising Manager, Director and CEO to:

• Monitor all income and grant payments, keeping the relationship leads informed of any payment delays and liaise with them on queries. 

• Provide close and compliant management of restricted revenue, ensuring appropriate cost allocations.

• Support the preparation of funding budgets and the production of financial grant reports, ensuring strategies are implemented that demonstrate value for money across Bite Back’s activities and services.

• Support relationships with funders and ensure grants are accounted for in terms with the grant agreement.

• Any other duties as reasonably required.

Skills / Experience

We recognise that the list below is broad and we realise that the “ideal candidate” doesn’t really exist. What we will be looking for as we evaluate applications is demonstrable experience in at least some of these, and evidence of capacity to build skills in other areas. Please don’t be put off applying for one of our jobs because you can’t demonstrate every skill. If you're passionate and excited about working for us, and possess the main skills and experience we are looking for, go ahead and apply. You could be just what we are looking for!

The ideal candidate would have the following experience and qualities:

• Relevant accounting qualification e.g. CIMA or equivalent with minimum 2/3 years post qualification experience. 

• Strong understanding of accounting procedures legislation and an understanding of charity SORP.

• Comprehensive knowledge of Excel, Google sheets and familiarity with typical accounting packages such as Xero, Quickbooks or other similar. 

• Demonstrated track record of financial management experiences including budgeting and financial reporting to a leadership team. Ability to analyse financial information and present this in a suitable format for the audience.

• Good understanding of the principles underpinning financial planning in non-profit environments and ways to demonstrate impact and value for money.

• Effective communication skills, including written, and the ability to convey complex financial information to a non-financial audience.

• A proven track record in charity management and a good understanding of the environment in which charities operate.

• Payroll, PAYE and pensions policies, processes and legislation. 

• Good understanding of the principles underpinning financial planning and of demonstrating impact and value for money.

About Us: The Woodland Trust is the UK's leading woodland conservation charity and is dedicated to creating a world where trees and woods thrive for both people and nature. Our mission involves engaging and inspiring individuals to contribute toward tackling the nature and climate crisis through the protection, restoration, and creation of essential woodland habitats.

THE ROLE
•    This is a key role in our Wales Communication & Engagement team which works with other Volunteer Development Officers across the Trust to help deliver on the volunteering strategy for the region.
•    The role will support compliance including record keeping, induction and training, as well as develop new opportunities based on regional priorities and deliver a range of communication and face to face activities to create a safe and positive volunteering experience.
•    You will run a range of activity to develop effective communication methods including writing articles, delivering events, supporting peer to peer support and shared learning so volunteers are engaged and feel valued.
•    You are responsible for being the link between the National Volunteering Team and regional volunteer managers to ensure that managers feel supported and volunteers have a meaningful, safe and enjoyable experience. 
•    You will lead on regional recruitment of existing and new roles, in line with regional priorities to ensure volunteer roles are appropriate and support the needs of the Woodland Trust. 
•    This role is based in Wales and will require the successful candidate to travel around the country.
•    This is a 3 year fixed term contract, 22.5 hours per week
•    This role may require an enhanced DBS check as part of our pre-employment checks.

THE CANDIDATE
•    Hands on experience working with volunteers and volunteer managers including recruitment, training and managing volunteers with positive outcomes.
•    Experience in working across a range of teams at a regional level to support existing and develop new volunteering opportunities, ensuring the support of volunteering to undertake activities in a positive, fun and safe way. 
•    You’ll have experience in developing new volunteering opportunities in line with regional and national strategies.
•    You’ll have a collaborative approach, with the ability to work with multiple teams, building relationships with both internal and external stakeholders effectively. 
•    You’ll know how to deliver effective events including promotion, risk assessments for indoor and outdoor environments.
•    Strong communication skills, both written and verbally being able to liaise with internal and external stakeholders, especially volunteers using a variety of methods to suite the audience. 
•    This role does require regular travel around Wales. A full UK driving licence is required. 

Our Organisational Nature enables us to better understand what it means to be part of the Woodland Trust, empowering us to make an impact, every day. We want you to be able to role model our values; ‘Grow Together’, ‘Focus’, ‘Explore’ and ‘Make it Count’ to ensure each of us plays our part in helping to protect, restore and create our woods and trees.

Benefits & Wellbeing: Joining our team means you'll be a big part of tackling environmental and climate issues. We take good care of our employees, offering support and training opportunities. We also offer:
•    Enhanced Employer Pension
•    Life Assurance
•    Flexible & Hybrid Working Options
•    Generous Annual Leave
•    Enhanced Parental Pay
•    Employee Assistance Programme

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: The Woodland Trust embraces diversity and inclusion. We want our team to reflect the UK's diverse community. We support people from all backgrounds to apply, especially those who are under-represented.

Application Advice: Even if you don't meet every requirement of the role, we would encourage you to apply. Your enthusiasm for the environment and our core values—Grow Together, Explore, Focus and Make it Count—are what matter most. We also keep our candidates’ personal details hidden from the hiring managers, so they do not see your CV until shortlisting is completed. Make sure that your Personal Statement clearly shows your experience and passion for the role.

Apply Now: If you're ready to make a difference and grow with us, send in your application today. We might close the job opening early if we get a lot of applications, so it's a good idea to apply soon. We look forward to hearing from you and working together to make a positive impact on our planet.

Interviews will be held online via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday 12th March 2025.

The Welsh Translation for this ad can be found on our Main Job Page.