1,008 Jobs in Ickenham

Grants Manager

Salary: £40k | Full-time (35 hours per week) | 12-month fixed-term maternity cover

Location: London with hybrid working

Are you an organised relationship-builder with a passion for delivering high-quality funding programmes?

We are looking for a Grants Manager to support the delivery of a prestigious senior fellowships programme. You will manage the full grant lifecycle, working closely with applicants, reviewers, panel members and award holders to ensure an efficient, fair and inclusive funding process.

Key responsibilities

• Manage funding calls from application to award and grant closure.
• Act as the main contact for applicants and award holders.
• Coordinate peer review, panel meetings and selection processes.
• Prepare funding documentation, award letters and reports.
• Maintain accurate records, data and performance information.
• Contribute to continuous improvement and inclusive grant-making practices.

About you
You will have:

• Experience of Grants or Research Funding.
• Proficient in coordinating peer reviews and committee secretariat.
• Confident with producing funding documentation and reports.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Confidence working with data and administrative processes.
• The ability to manage multiple priorities and work collaboratively.

Closing date: 15 September 2026

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds.

We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.

We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.

Head of Fundraising
Salary:£50,798 FTE per annum
Contract:Fixed term to 28 February 2027
Hours:Full time, 35 hours per week (four days considered)
Location:Hybrid, with flexibility for candidates across the UK and attendance in London for key meetings and collaborative activities where appropriate.

Reporting to:Interim Executive Director

Help shape the future of environmental justice

AtWen, we believe that women, communities and the planet flourish when society is equitable, collaborative and caring. Our work sits at the intersection of women's lives, health, environmental justice and climate action, supporting communities to create lasting change while influencing the systems that shape our world.

We are entering an exciting new phase of growth, with ambitious plans, strong funding relationships and opportunities to expand our impact. We are looking for an exceptionalHead of Fundraisingto lead our fundraising strategy, strengthen existing partnerships and develop new sources of income that will help us achieve our vision.

This is a newly created senior leadership role with genuine ownership and the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy by strengthening fundraising systems, building organisational capability and shaping the future direction of income generation at Wen.

Why this role is interesting
You will:

• Lead the development and delivery of an ambitious fundraising and income generation strategy aligned with organisational priorities.
• Build and manage a strong funding pipeline across trusts, foundations, statutory, lottery, philanthropic and partnership income streams.
• Develop compelling funding propositions and personally lead major applications and bids.
• Identify new income opportunities and grow sustainable revenue across a diverse portfolio.
• Build strong relationships with funders, partners and key stakeholders, acting as an influential ambassador for Wen.
• Lead grant management, reporting, renewals and funder stewardship across the organisation.
• Develop robust fundraising systems, processes and forecasting to support long-term growth.
• Support and develop colleagues, helping to build fundraising confidence and capability across the organisation.
• Work closely with the Executive Team and Board to provide clear visibility of income performance, opportunities and strategic priorities.

We're looking for someone who brings

• A strong record of securing significant grant funding and developing successful fundraising strategies.
• Experience developing and managing funding pipelines, funder relationships and sustainable income growth plans.
• Success in securing income from a range of sources, including trusts and foundations, statutory funders and other institutional funders.
• The ability to develop compelling cases for support and translate organisational priorities into attractive funding propositions.
• Strong financial and organisational skills, including income forecasting and pipeline management.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to engage and influence senior stakeholders.
• The ability to combine strategic thinking with hands-on delivery.
• A collaborative leadership style and a commitment to equity, inclusion, intersectional feminism and environmental justice.

Benefits

• 25 days' annual leave plus bank holidays
• Annual leave increases with service
• 6% employer pension contribution
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Training and development opportunities
• Menstrual leave
• Time off in lieu
• Flexible and hybrid working

Join us

This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in a respected environmental charity at an exciting point in its development. You will help secure the funding, partnerships and long-term financial sustainability that enable Wen to deepen its impact and deliver meaningful change for women, communities and the environment.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly encourage applications from those who are underrepresented in the environmental sector. We believe that diversity of experience, perspective and identity strengthens our work and helps us better serve the communities we support.

We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.

Purpose of the Role

The Sessional Leader in Charge is responsible for leading youth club sessions, overseeing staff and volunteers, and ensuring that young people experience a safe and engaging environment. You will plan and deliver creative and developmental activities, support young people’s personal growth, and represent The OBC to partners and funders.

Key Responsibilities

● Session leadership including safeguarding and safety at all times

● Relationship building with young people aged 7 to 19 plus

● Programme planning using the NYA Youth Work Curriculum

● Personal and social development including referrals to external agencies

● Team management of sessional staff and volunteers

● Monitoring and reporting including participation data and outcomes

● Impact reporting through written reports and case studies

● Equality and inclusion across all sessions

● External representation on behalf of The OBC

Person Specification

Experience working with young people in youth work, education or community settings - Essential

Strong leadership and communication skills - Essential

Understanding of safeguarding and child protection - Essential

Ability to plan and deliver inclusive and engaging sessions - Essential

Youth Work qualification at Level 3 or above, or equivalent experience - Desireable

Knowledge of Southwark and issues affecting local young people - Desireable

Current First Aid and or Safeguarding certification - Desireable

Advice & Navigation Manager

6-Month Fixed-Term Contract (potential to extend)
28 hours per week (4 days)
Hybrid Working | North London
£30,310 per annum (pro rata salary based on £37,887 FTE)
ASAP Start
Subject to an Enhanced DBS check

A community-focused charity is seeking an experienced Advice & Navigation Manager to lead and develop a busy frontline service supporting individuals experiencing poverty, health inequalities, social isolation, housing challenges and other forms of disadvantage.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced service manager with a strong background in casework oversight, safeguarding, service quality and team leadership. Managing a team delivering advice, navigation and social prescribing support, you will ensure residents receive high-quality, person-centred services that make a genuine difference to their lives.
The Role A key focus of this position is the oversight and management of complex casework. You will ensure effective triage, caseload allocation, case progression and closure, supporting staff to deliver safe, timely and impactful interventions.

Alongside day-to-day service management, you will provide leadership to a team of advice workers, social prescribing practitioners and volunteers, ensuring high standards of practice, compliance and safeguarding. You will also work closely with health partners, statutory agencies and community organisations to strengthen referral pathways and improve outcomes for residents.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of advice, navigation and social prescribing services.
• Oversee casework management, including referrals, triage, caseload allocation, quality assurance and case progression.
• Support staff with complex cases, safeguarding concerns and complaints.
• Line manage and develop a team of frontline staff and volunteers through supervision, coaching and performance management.
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding, data protection, health and safety and organisational policies.
• Monitor service performance, outcomes and impact, using data and insight to support continuous improvement.
• Build and maintain effective partnerships across health, local authority and voluntary sector organisations.
• Contribute to reporting, service planning and the delivery of contractual and funding requirements.

About You We are looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• Significant experience managing advice, navigation, support, advocacy or community-based services.
• Strong experience overseeing complex casework involving vulnerable or disadvantaged individuals.
• Experience managing or supporting social prescribing, community health or welfare advice services.
• A thorough understanding of safeguarding, risk management and professional boundaries.
• Experience leading, supporting and developing teams through effective supervision and performance management.
• A track record of working in partnership with health, statutory and voluntary sector organisations.
• Experience using data and service insight to improve performance and demonstrate impact.
• Excellent communication, organisational and stakeholder management skills.

Desirable Experience

• Social prescribing within primary care or community settings.
• Service development, improvement or change management.
• Leading hybrid or community-based teams.
• A relevant qualification in advice, health, social care or management.

We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.

Are you looking for an exciting interim opportunity? Do you have experience in financial modelling? Are you a string user of Power BI.

My client is seeking an interim Senior Finance Business Partner (FP&A) to join their Commercial Finance team, partnering with key stakeholders to ensure the delivery of high-quality outcomes and impactful financial decision-making.

A key focus of this role is financial modelling - looking for someone who has experience of presenting to senior stakeholders, relevant business and financial reporting, alongside strong planning, budgeting and forecasting capability.

Main Responsibilities:

• Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders
• Conduct complex analysis and provide commercial insights to improve decision quality
• Presenting at a senior level and ability to explain in a straightforward way
• Confidence and credibility to influence senior stakeholders as well as strong cashflow experience.

My client is looking for:

• ACA/ACCA/CIMA or relevant qualification
• Experience of using Power BI
• Experience of presenting findings and reports to board level
• Strong cashflow experience and a good level of modelling experience

My client can offer a flexible approach to working, with 3 days a week going into the office based in central London and the rest working remotely. There is also a strong opportunity for this role to get extended.

Applications are under constant review and the post can close early if the right candidate is found. Please apply immediately if this role is of interest.

Senior Philanthropy Lead

We are seeking an experienced relationship-led fundraiser to grow high-value support, develop major donor relationships and help drive ambitious income growth.

Salary: £40,000-£44,000pa
Location: Remote – Travel required for donor meetings and events
Hours: Full time – Compressed Hours, 9 day fortnight also considered
Closing date:  24th September 2026 – CV’s will be reviewed on a rolling basis

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced major donor, philanthropy or partnership fundraiser to take a leading role in developing high-value relationships for a national Christian charity tackling poverty across the UK.

Reporting to the Head of Philanthropy, you will help shape and deliver the major donor strategy, driving sustainable, multi-year income growth and managing some of the charity’s most significant supporter relationships, including gifts of £10,000 to £100,000+.

You will lead and develop a small philanthropy team while building meaningful relationships with existing and prospective supporters and partners.

Key responsibilities include:

• Developing and delivering major donor strategy, growth plans, pipelines and KPIs
• Managing and growing a portfolio of high-value relationships
• Identifying and cultivating new donors, supporters and opportunities
• Creating compelling proposals, funding opportunities and personalised engagement plans
• Leading face-to-face meetings and representing the charity at high-level events
• Working with senior colleagues, including the CEO, to deepen supporter engagement
• Line managing and developing members of the philanthropy team
• Using CRM data and insight to track performance and identify opportunities
• Delivering agreed annual philanthropy income and engagement targets

About you

You may already be working in major donor fundraising or philanthropy, or you could bring strong partnership fundraising experience with the relationship-building and income-generation skills to make the move into this role.

You will bring:

• Strong major donor, philanthropy or partnership fundraising experience
• A track record of securing significant income through major gifts, partnerships or high-value relationships
• At least three years’ experience in fundraising, partnerships or relationship management
• The ability to build trusted, long-term relationships with people of influence
• Excellent communication, influencing and presentation skills
• Line management or people development experience
• Strategic thinking and the ability to manage pipelines, budgets and income forecasts
• The confidence to engage senior stakeholders and develop new opportunities
• Flexibility to travel across the UK, including occasional evening and weekend commitments

Above all, you will be a natural relationship builder who can inspire people, understand what motivates them and turn strong relationships into meaningful long-term support.

About the organisation

You will be joining a national Christian charity committed to tackling poverty and transforming lives. The organisation works alongside churches, supporters and communities to help people facing financial crisis and build a growing movement for change.

This is a collaborative, ambitious and deeply relational organisation where Christian faith is central to its mission and culture.

Other roles you may have experience of could include: Major Donor Manager, Philanthropy Manager, Partnerships Manager, Corporate Partnerships Manager, Major Gifts Manager, Senior Philanthropy Manager, High Value Relationships Manager, Major Donor Fundraiser, Strategic Partnerships Manager or Senior Fundraising Manager.

Please note: The charity can only consider applicants who presently have the right to work in the UK and all candidates must be personally committed to the Christian faith and be able to respect, uphold and work within our client’s Christian mission, values, culture and faith statements. This individual will represent and speak on behalf of a Christian charity and as such the Occupational Requirement for an active Christian faith is justified under the Equality Act 2010 Schedule 9, Part 1, clause 3.

#INDNFP

Head of People, Culture & Learning Women's EnvironmentalCharity

£50,798 pro rata | Initial 6-Month FTC | 35 hours per week | Hybrid, with remote working considered

Immediate start required. Please note that CVs will be reviewed and submitted on a rolling basis, therefore early applications are strongly encouraged.

Are you an experienced HR professional looking for an opportunity to combine your people expertise with meaningful, purpose-driven work?

Our client is a pioneering environmental charity working at the intersection of women, health, equity and environmental justice. Through an intersectional feminist approach, they support communities to take climate action, amplify underrepresented voices and drive systemic change.

This is a rare opportunity to join a respected, values-led organisation and play a key role in shaping its people, culture and learning agenda during an important period of organisational development.

Reporting to the Executive Director, you will become the senior people specialist and trusted adviser, providing expert guidance on employee relations, employment law, policy development, organisational culture and learning. Working closely with senior leaders and Trustees, you'll help strengthen people practice, build management capability and embed sustainable ways of working across the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead complex and sensitive employee relations matters.
• Provide expert employment law advice and guidance.
• Review, develop and implement people policies and processes.
• Coach and develop managers to confidently lead their teams.
• Drive organisational development, culture and leadership initiatives.
• Design and coordinate learning and development activity.
• Support senior leaders and Trustees with people-related governance and decision making.

About You We are keen to hear from experienced:

• Heads of People
• Senior HR Business Partners
• HR Consultants

You will bring:

• CIPD Level 7 qualification (or equivalent senior-level expertise).
• Significant experience in employment law and complex employee relations.
• Experience developing people policies, management capability and organisational culture.
• Strong stakeholder management, coaching and influencing skills.
• Excellent judgement, discretion and credibility.
• A commitment to equity, inclusion and values-led working.
• Availability to start at short notice and commit to an initial six-month contract, with potential for extension.

Why Join?

• Join an organisation at the forefront of environmental and social justice.
• Shape a newly created senior people role with genuine influence.
• Partner directly with senior leaders and Trustees.
• Help build lasting capability, culture and organisational impact.
• Flexible hybrid working, with remote working considered.
• Potential for the contract to be extended beyond the initial six-month term.

Please reply to this advert for further details.

We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.

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.

Harris Hill are thrilled to be working with a well-established community charity in North West London, seeking an experienced Interim Advice Manager to lead a vital advice service supporting people experiencing poverty, hardship and food insecurity.

Brent, London (Hybrid) | £36,565–£41,000 per annum
Fixed term until 30 September 2027, with possibility of extension

The charity provides frontline services that help people move from crisis towards greater stability and independence.

About the role

You will lead the Advice and Open ARMS services across multiple sites, managing staff and volunteers delivering advice on benefits, housing, debt and immigration.

Alongside overseeing day-to-day delivery, you will support service development, quality assurance and improvements to systems and processes. You will also maintain a small caseload and work closely with the Senior Leadership Team.

Key responsibilities

• Manage and support advice staff and volunteers, including supervision and performance management.
• Maintain a small caseload, supporting clients with complex needs.
• Ensure high-quality, compliant advice and effective safeguarding.
• Act as the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
• Lead on quality assurance, case checking, AQS audits and case management systems.
• Develop Advice and Open ARMS services in line with organisational strategy.
• Support funding applications, reporting and monitoring of outcomes.
• Manage the service budget and funder requirements.
• Support the induction, supervision and development of advice volunteers.

About you

You will be an experienced advice professional and confident manager, committed to supporting people experiencing hardship.

You will have:

• At least three years' experience in welfare advice or casework.
• Experience managing staff and volunteers.
• Experience handling complex advice cases and developing services.
• Experience with monitoring, evaluation and case management systems.
• Experience responding to safeguarding concerns.
• Knowledge of AQS or a similar quality framework.
• Excellent communication, organisational and IT skills.
• The ability to manage competing priorities and lead change.

Experience working with refugees and asylum seekers, AQS assessments, safeguarding training, budget management, fundraising or community languages would be desirable.

For more information, please submit your CV.

Please note, CVs are being reviewed on a rolling basis, and only successful applicants will be contacted with more information.

As leading charity recruitment specialists and a certified B Corp™, Harris Hill is committed to high and ever-improving standards of equitable and inclusive recruitment. We actively welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexuality and other protected characteristics.

Our client is a small, community-focused charity tackling poverty and food insecurity in one of North West London’s most disadvantaged communities. Their services aim to prevent hunger, fight poverty and build community by working with families living in poverty, asylum seekers and refugees and people experiencing homelessness and social isolation. At an exciting time of change, they are now looking to recruit an Interim Advice Manager to lead a busy multi-site advice service, supporting people with welfare benefits, housing, debt and immigration issues. Please note this is initially a fixed term contract until September 2027 with possibility of extension.

As Interim Advice Manager you will oversee the daily delivery of our client’s busy advice service, overseeing a small team of staff and volunteers, driving quality and compliance, and helping shape future service development. You’ll maintain a high quality of service by ensuring that the advice team and volunteers work to agreed standards and deliver against realistic grant agreements from funders and will also maintain a small caseload of clients. You’ll also work closely with the senior leadership team and the Head of Advice to support the implementation of new exciting initiatives and the expansion of the information and advice service.

To apply for this opportunity, you will have demonstrable experience of managing advice services within the charity/community sector. You will have a strong knowledge of welfare benefits, housing, debt or immigration and will be confident using case management systems and data. Overall, you will be an experienced advice professional, passionate about delivering high quality advice to a range of vulnerable people.

If you are interested in applying to this position, please submit your CV in the first instance. Should your experience be suitable, we will then reach out to you to advise next steps. Pleases note, this is initially a fixed term contract opportunity, so please only apply if you are available immediately or have no more than a 1 month notice period.

At Prospectus we invest in your journey as a candidate and are committed to supporting you with your application. We welcome candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds. Please let us know if we can help you with the application process in any way. We are more than happy to make any reasonable adjustments to enable all interested candidates to apply. If you have any disability and would like assistance please reach out directly.

Please note, the client is open to either full-time or part-time (4 days/days flexible) applicants. The role will be hybrid-working (with 60% based onsite in Brent).
 

We’re looking for an inspiring Head of Community Delivery to join our London-based team. This is a senior leadership role within our Delivery Team, where you’ll play a key part in shaping and delivering AllChild’s place-based programmes, ensuring they create meaningful and lasting impact across your region.

Across the UK, millions of children and young people are facing complex social and emotional challenges. AllChild works within local communities and wider support systems to identify and support children and young people most at risk of poor social, emotional and academic outcomes. Through our two-year Impact Programme, we help build a joined-up network of support around each child and family, working in partnership with schools, local services and community organisations.

For further information, please view the Job Pack.

To apply, please visit our website via the Apply button.

Closing date: 25 September 2026.

We recognise that candidates may use AI tools to support research and check grammar. However, we ask that all supporting statements and application responses reflect your own thoughts and experiences. Over-reliance on AI may limit our ability to assess your individual skills, critical thinking, and personal approach, which are important parts of our selection process.

Job role: Finance Officer
Salary: Circa £38,000 per annum
Contract: Full-time, permanent (34.5 hours per week)
Location: UK-based, predominantly remote, with attendance at the London office once or twice a month


We're looking for a Finance Officer to join a small and supportive finance team within a well-established not-for-profit organisation with an international reach. This is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys taking ownership of their work, building strong relationships with colleagues, and contributing to an organisation with a meaningful global impact. The role would particularly suit someone who enjoys working in an international environment and supporting financial activities across multiple countries and currencies.

As part of a supportive team, you will play a key role in ensuring financial operations run smoothly and accurately. You'll work closely with colleagues across the organisation, helping to maintain strong financial controls, support decision-making and enable important programmes and services to be delivered effectively.

As the Finance Officer, you will be responsible for:

• Managing day-to-day finance activities as part of a small finance team
• Preparing and processing UK and international payments
• Managing weekly payroll and supporting related processes
• Completing balance sheet reconciliations and maintaining accurate records
• Posting journals, including accruals and prepayments
• Supporting month-end activities and maintaining clear audit trails
• Assisting with funding transfers to programme partners across multiple countries
• Working with programme and grant teams on invoicing and finance queries
• Supporting budget holders and colleagues with financial processes and systems
• Providing guidance on purchase orders, coding and approval processes
• Investigating discrepancies and resolving reconciliation issues
• Identifying opportunities to improve processes and strengthen controls

To be successful in this role, you will have:


Essential

• Strong experience in a finance role with a good understanding of wider finance operations
• Experience preparing and reviewing profit and loss accounts
• Strong balance sheet reconciliation skills
• Good understanding of double-entry bookkeeping
• Purchase ledger experience within an international organisation
• Excellent attention to detail and experience managing financial data
• Ability to work independently and use initiative
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
• Confidence explaining financial information and processes to non-finance colleagues
• Experience supporting financial controls, compliance and audit requirements
• Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, VLOOKUPs and data analysis

Desirable

• Experience working in the charity, not-for-profit or wider voluntary sector
• Experience working in a multi-currency environment
• Experience using Microsoft Dynamics Business Central or similar finance systems

Why join?

• Predominantly remote working
• 34.5-hour working week
• 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing with service
• Generous pension contribution
• Healthcare cash plan and virtual GP access
• Employee assistance programme
• Group income protection and life insurance
• Volunteer day programme

We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.

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.

Applications for the Brent position are now closed. Applications for the Newham position are open until 22nd September. 

About the roles

Since 2018, the LRU has grown its membership to over 7,000 renters across London.  Through our six branches, we support renters to take action to transform the housing system.  Organising in communities, the LRU runs training, facilitates peer support, takes collective action and campaigns on local issues, to grow our power.

The purpose of this role is to support the growth and collective leadership of our branch members in and around the Brent branch or the Newham branch. This work will support the union’s fundamental goal of transforming the housing system, in alignment with our values and strategy agreements. The work will include recruiting and activating new members, and facilitating leadership from a broad base of renters, with a particular emphasis on working with those who face the worst impacts of the housing crisis. 

How we work at LRU

You will be part of the LRU staff team alongside 15 other staff, who work with members to build the power of the union by organising, campaigning, training and facilitating peer support and member solidarity actions.  We expect staff to uphold the union's values, and work together to implement collectively agreed strategies.  Each staff member has a line manager, and the staff team are accountable to the elected member Coordinating Group, and to each other.

Key decisions are held by branch and elected member Coordinating Group, with staff inputting into and facilitating these decisions.

Job description 

This role is varied, and can look different month-to-month.  This job description outlines some activities that you will be doing every month, and some activities that you will only do from time-to-time.

Building the power of the union

• Organising with a branch to identify and build a base building campaign or bigger dispute on an issue that aligns with our strategy, moves renters to action and builds the base of the branch, particularly among renters facing precarity and oppression. This includes supporting a branch to develop their organising plan, building teams, facilitating meetings, research, outreach, social media, action planning or anything else that helps build an effective campaign. Normally an organiser would only work on one main project or campaign within a branch.
• Providing support to members to set up and run teams, organise actions and make sure branch meetings and weekly meetings are welcoming and effective. Setting up teams or meeting structures might be the main project that an organiser works on before moving on to working on a bigger campaign.
• Recruiting and activating members. This includes carrying out regular outreach sessions with members and making weekly calls to follow up with new contacts. As much as possible, this will be linked to a branch’s main campaign and/or the union’s strategic priorities. 
• Participating in cross-staff regular outreach and calls sessions.  This can include weekly organiser call sessions, outreach sessions in other branches, and facilitating welcome calls.
• Supporting the branch to link its activity to the broader democratic structures of the union, including cross-union strategy, trainings and working groups, and upholding LRU values and agreements. 

Building leadership

• Building the skills and leadership of member organisers by having ongoing coaching 1:1s with 3-5 role holders and member leaders in the branch to support them to lead the branch, run teams and support others to become organisers. It will also occasionally include working with other staff to prepare and run skills training for members.
• Having organising conversations with members who face housing precarity or oppression to support them to get more involved in the teams in the branch.
• Making sure the database is kept up to date, including tracking engagement and recording call outcomes, and supporting members to use it.
• Responding to requests for support via the website. 

Building collective capacity

• Supporting members to develop, participate and mobilise as part of cross-union campaigns, to tell their stories and take part in communications work.
• Taking part in team meetings and participating in the staff Organising Team. 
• Joining staff working groups when capacity allows.
• Supporting democratic processes.
• Fostering collaboration between branches.
• Inputting into staff decisions and LRU strategy discussions.

Person specification

Essential 

• Strong interpersonal skills, and the ability build deep, trusting relationships across difference, and including people in distress
• Experience of recruiting and activating people through outreach activities (door-knocking, and street stalls) and 121 organising conversations
• Ability to empower and motivate our members to take action
• Experience of organising workplace or community-based disputes or campaigns, or collective fighting on material issues
• Self-motivated with the ability to prioritise tasks, work to deadlines, both independently and in a team
• Good written communication skills, from experience of different types of writing
• Experience of facilitating meetings or group activities, across differences
• Basic understanding of the housing system
• Ability to learn and use both legal and practical solutions to a variety of housing issues.
• Ability to hold yourself, and support those you’re organising with, when doing difficult work
• Experience of using digital databases for organising
• Committed to, and able to uphold LRU values and agreed strategies

Desirable 

• Good working knowledge of housing law
• Experience of developing campaigns
• Experience of coaching members or other staff
• Experience of developing and delivering training
• Good knowledge of the organising/social landscape in Brent or Newham
• Speaking any of the following languages at an intermediate or advanced level - Arabic, Somali, Portuguese

Applications for the Brent position are now closed. Applications for the Newham position are open until 22nd September.