Public affairs jobs

Team: Advocacy

Location: Remote with regular travel across Wales and UK - Must be a commutable distance to Cardiff

Work pattern: Mon-Fri, 7 hours per day. Occasional weekend or evening hours required

Salary: Up to £37,565.95 per year

Contract: Permanent

We are the UK’s largest cat welfare charity. All over the country, our passionate employees, volunteers and supporters are using their kindness and expertise to make life better for millions of cats and the people who care for them.

Will you join us and make life better for cats?

Responsibilities of our Advocacy and Government Relations Officer for Wales:

- Lead engagement with the Welsh Government and MSs

- Support engagement with the UK Parliament

- Monitor parliamentary activity daily and conducting online research

- Preparing position statements and responses to external policy developments

- Developing public-facing charity campaigns including online resources, organising events and delivering presentations

- Media spokesperson for Cats Protection

About the Advocacy team:

You will be working as part of the Advocacy & Government Relations team in the Advocacy & Influence Directorate. The team is made up of 11 members who work across the whole of the UK speaking up for cats. Our campaigns change laws to better protect the health and welfare of cats.

What we’re looking for in our Advocacy and Government Relations Officer for Wales:

- Experience of advocacy, public affairs or influencing work (which may include campaigns), ideally in Wales

- Lives within a commutable distance of Cardiff or willing to relocate to the area

- Experience of policy work and research

- Experience of dealing with high profile/ VIP individuals e.g. Ministers, MSs, MPs, MSPs, MLAs, Government Officials, Local Councillors and officers, corporate executives; professional organisations

- Proven ability to multi-task and work independently on own initiative, accurately and under pressure

- Resilience and an ability to deal with potentially upsetting topics

- Experience of effective use of social media and the internet in an advocacy/campaign context

- A confident communicator with good written and oral skills; and great people skills

- Excellent organisational skills with the ability to be flexible and adaptable

- Intermediate skills using Microsoft Office – Teams, Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint

What we can offer you:

- range of health benefits

- 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing with length of service

- Salary Finance, which empowers you to take control of your financial wellbeing

- Access to a wide range of internal and external learning and development opportunities

- A friendly and supportive team

- We are happy to wait for the right candidate, please still consider applying if you have several months’ notice period

- and much more, which you can learn about

Application closing date: 11th February 2026

Virtual interview date: 19th & 20th February 2026

Applications may close before the deadline, so please apply early to avoid disappointment. Please note, applications received after the closing date may not be responded to.

If successful, your recruitment journey will include:

1. Anonymised application form

2. Video screening

3. Virtual interview

Please note, the process may change slightly dependent on application numbers. We will inform you of any relevant changes.

Please email us if you require any adjustments to be made for you to complete your application or to participate in the recruitment journey.

Team: Advocacy

Location: Remote with regular travel - Must be a commutable distance to Edinburgh or Belfast

Work pattern: Mon-Fri, 7 hours per day. Occasional weekend or evening hours required

Salary: Up to £37,565.95 per year

Contract: Permanent

We are the UK’s largest cat welfare charity. All over the country, our passionate employees, volunteers and supporters are using their kindness and expertise to make life better for millions of cats and the people who care for them.

Will you join us and make life better for cats?

Responsibilities of our Advocacy and Government Relations Officer for Scotland/Northern Ireland:

- This role will cover both Scotland and Northern Ireland, the successful candidate will need to be able to travel between the two nations

- Lead engagement with the Scottish Government, the Northern Irish Executive, UK and local Government

- Support engagement with the UK Parliament

- Monitor parliamentary activity daily and conducting online research

- Preparing position statements and responses to external policy developments

- Developing public-facing charity campaigns including online resources, organising events and delivering presentations

- Media spokesperson for Cats Protection

About the Advocacy team:

You will be working as part of the Advocacy & Government Relations team in the Advocacy & Influence Directorate. The team is made up of 11 members who work across the whole of the UK speaking up for cats. Our campaigns change laws to better protect the health and welfare of cats.

What we’re looking for in our Advocacy and Government Relations Officer for Scotland/Northern Ireland:

- Experience of advocacy, public affairs or influencing work (which may include campaigns), ideally in Scotland/Northern Ireland

- Lives within a commutable distance of Edinburgh or Belfast or willing to relocate to the area

- Experience of policy work and research

- Experience of dealing with high profile/ VIP individuals e.g. Ministers, MSs, MPs, MSPs, MLAs, Government Officials, Local Councillors and officers, corporate executives; professional organisations

- Proven ability to multi-task and work independently on own initiative, accurately and under pressure

- Resilience and an ability to deal with potentially upsetting topics

- Experience of effective use of social media and the internet in an advocacy/campaign context

- A confident communicator with good written and oral skills; and great people skills

- Excellent organisational skills with the ability to be flexible and adaptable

- Intermediate skills using Microsoft Office – Teams, Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint

What we can offer you:

- range of health benefits

- 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing with length of service

- Salary Finance, which empowers you to take control of your financial wellbeing

- Access to a wide range of internal and external learning and development opportunities

- A friendly and supportive team

- We are happy to wait for the right candidate, please still consider applying if you have several months’ notice period

- and much more, which you can learn about

Application closing date: 11th February 2026

Virtual interview date: 5th & 6th March 2026

Applications may close before the deadline, so please apply early to avoid disappointment. Please note, applications received after the closing date may not be responded to.

If successful, your recruitment journey will include:

1. Anonymised application form

2. Video screening

3. Virtual interview

Please note, the process may change slightly dependent on application numbers. We will inform you of any relevant changes.

Please email us if you require any adjustments to be made for you to complete your application or to participate in the recruitment journey.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone with excellent strategic, analytical and leadership skills to join Impetus as an Investment Director and support us in our mission to transform the lives of young people.

The Investment Director (ID) is a key member of the Investment Team, playing a leading role in identifying, assessing, and supporting portfolio partner charities and other non-profit organisations to deepen their impact and scale their outcomes. This role works closely with other Investment Directors and Investment Managers to deliver external facing support to portfolio partners as well as internal projects to support the development of the investment model and portfolio strategy.

Investment Directors use strategic thinking, analytical rigour, and senior relationship skills to support a portfolio of amazing organisations that, together, will help shift the life chances and outcomes of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the UK.

About the Investment Team

The Investment Team is responsible for selecting portfolio partners, managing our charity investments and supporting our portfolio partners to improve and scale their impact.

The Investment Team also leads the Impetus Leadership Academy, a leadership development programme to support talent from ethnic minority backgrounds in the UK youth sector to progress into senior leadership roles.

The team is made up of 18 people, including former teachers, charity chief executives, charity impact leads, management consultants, social investment portfolio managers and impact consultants.  

The team is led by a Portfolio Director who sits on the Senior Management Team. The Portfolio Director has 5 direct reports: a Deputy Portfolio Director, three Sector Leads (who lead our work in School engagement, School attainment and Employment Sectors) and an Impact Lead. Sector Leads line manage 6 Investment Directors. Investment Directors line manage Investment Managers (currently 5). Investment Directors and Investment Managers tend to primarily focus on a sector but might have mixed portfolios, depending on need, experience and interest.

The Investment Team has a good track record of role progression. All four Leads and a number of our Investment Directors were promoted from within the team.

The team is passionate, rigorous, determined, creative and warm. We come from a range of backgrounds and bring a broad mix of perspectives.  We care deeply for our colleagues, our portfolio partners and the young people we serve.

About this role

We believe that all young people deserve to succeed in school and in work, whatever their background. As we enter a challenging time with rising inflation and a likely recession, our work feels more vital than ever before. We are pleased to be able to expand our team to support our growing portfolio of charity and non-profit partners, in order to reach and impact more lives. The role of Investment Director presents an exciting opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the charities we serve, the team itself and the whole of Impetus.  

Key responsibilities

Finding high potential charities and non-profit partners for our portfolio

• Identifying potential charitable organisations for investment 
• Leading in-depth due diligence process within the scope of a grant round, to assess and build partnership foundations with potential partners – covering leadership and governance, and their impact, scale, and partnership potential; 
• Modelling from first contact of origination, our approach to engaged and trust-based investment management support;
• Developing and presenting high quality investment propositions to our Investment Committee.

Managing partnerships with portfolio partners

• Managing relationships with partner Chairs and CEOs 
• Agreeing Service Funding Agreements, including appropriate annual investment milestones to allow for a clear assessment of re-investment potential at end of phase 
• Regularly monitoring and assessing partner progress / risks against milestones and making evidence-based recommendations on progression or exit to Leads, Portfolio Director and the Investment Committee
• Escalating key risks on performance, leadership and safeguarding 
• Conducting annual partnership review with Sector Leads and partner CEOs
• Working with Impetus Finance colleagues to ensure timely distribution of grant payments, in line with Service Funding Agreements. 

Supporting portfolio partners 

• Providing direct support to CEOs and senior colleagues on key strategic topics, using a mix of at least monthly one-to-one meetings and group facilitation to:
  • clarify theory of change,
  • define long term ambition,
  • develop growth strategy
  • achieve a step change in the delivery and performance management of outcomes,
  • strengthen leadership (individual and collective) and governance capabilities,
  • develop path to scale,
  • build financial resilience;
• Scoping and project managing pro bono capacity-building projects (in addition to providing direct management support). Ensure projects are delivered to a high standard and contribute to charity progression;
• Identifying engagement opportunities for our donors and supporters with portfolio partners that are aligned with the partner’s activities and do not distract or undermine their core work;
• Collaborating with the Impetus Philanthropy team to support the development of additional funding opportunities for portfolio partners, enhancing their ability to deliver impact at scale;
• Effectively leveraging the support of investment managers to advance the objectives developed for each portfolio partner that is managed by an Investment Director.

Support to Impetus

• Developing expertise about “what works” in the sector through cultivation and use of expert input and engagement as well as investigation into key research and evaluative literature;
• Contributing insights and learning from portfolio work to inform Impetus’ strategy, model and delivery;
• Contributing to internal priorities and working groups (e.g. team strategy discussions, digital improvement initiatives, or equity, diversity, and inclusion)
• Contribute towards Impetus’ public affairs and philanthropy objectives through input into case studies, research and policy campaigns, donor reports and fundraising events
• Sharing the learning from our work across the team, across the organisation and externally working within Impetus strategy and agreed forums
• Engaging in Impetus pro bono, communications, and advocacy events, and engage portfolio partners appropriately in these events.
• Where appropriate, line-managing and supporting Investment Managers on the team to grow and develop, and achieve their project, role and team objectives.

Person specification

Essential

• A commitment to Impetus’ mission.
• Senior level responsibility and a strong track record of building trust-based relationships with senior stakeholders, advising them on key strategic decisions, and challenging them in a respectful and collaborative manner.
• A talent for strategic thinking around complex issues.
• Strong financial acumen and analytical skills.
• Understanding of impact measurement and evaluation fundamentals.
• Tenacity and initiative.
• Ability to flex personal style to needs of charity and leadership.
• Growth mind-set to seek out and act on feedback.
• Proven ability to work independently, and to exercise good judgment.
• Strong planning and time management skills.
• Interest in partnering closely with charities that are doing what it takes to get better.
• A commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.

If you don't tick all these boxes, but still feel that you fit the profile, please apply anyway.

Desirable

• Experience in the non-profit (charity or social enterprise) sector, through work, as a pro-bono volunteer or Trustee capacity.
• Experience in consulting, investment management, senior charity management, or other in-depth grant making and advisory work.
• Knowledge and expertise in UK education or youth employability sectors.
• Board experience in private, public or third sector.
• Understanding of or experience with commissioning impact evaluations.

Annual leave: 33 days (plus eight bank holidays)

Benefits:

• enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave, and shared parental pay
• family-friendly policies
• 8% employer pension contribution (Aviva) 
• three x basic salary life assurance cover
• free health cashback plan (Medicash): employee cover plus up to four dependent children
• 24/7 virtual GP access (UK registered), plus access to Best Doctors
  free, confidential employee assistance programme (Medicash)
• access to a wellbeing app
• flexible working options including hybrid working, flexible working patterns such as part-time, compressed hours, and more*
• learning and development opportunities including bespoke training and access to LinkedIn Learning)
• commitment to employee health and wellbeing.
• we have a Menopause Friendly accreditation and are a Disability Confident employer

Join Dementia UK as a Policy Officer where you will play a crucial role in driving our long-term policy and influencing strategy in alignment with our 2025-30 strategic plan. As a member of our dedicated Policy, Campaigns, and Public Affairs division, you will lead and shape areas of public policy that affect the quality of healthcare delivered for people living dementia and their carers.

You will play a pivotal role in advocating for improvements to legislation, public policies, and statutory services on behalf of individuals affected by dementia in England. Reporting to the Policy Manager, yourresponsibilities will include monitoring and analysing policy developments while establishing external relationships with sector colleagues and central government. Working closely with the Insights and Evaluation team, Research team, and the broader Clinical Directorate, you will conduct and interpret both qualitative and quantitative research. Your findings will inform the creation of comprehensive public policy documents, reports, briefings, and consultation responses on behalf of the organisation.

The ideal candidate for this role will bring prior experience in public policy within a charity or public sector setting. You should possess a strong track record in policy making and influencing, with  proficiency in conducting qualitative and quantitative research. Effective communication skills will be essential, as you will need to adeptly negotiate and influence stakeholders to drive positive change.

If this sounds like you, join us in making a meaningful difference in the lives of those affected by dementia.

We would love to hear from you! 

Our culture

In addition to a competitive salary and a generous benefits package, we truly value our people. It’s important for us to create a working environment that looks after our workforce to support them in achieving their full potential. You will become part of a diverse and dedicated team who are supported to use and develop their skills. We recognise and value the key role you will play in delivering our strategic plans for the benefit of those living with dementia.

Our staff have a voice. Representatives from different roles and levels across the organisation positively contribute to and lead on our working groups around health and wellbeing, menopause, and equity, diversity and inclusion.

Dementia UK is proud to welcome everyone. We aim for a truly inclusive culture with talented, diverse teams that represent a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We celebrate difference and individuality and encourage everyone to join us and be their whole selves always.

Dementia UK is a Disability Confident Employer. 

By applying to join Dementia UK, you acknowledge that in the event you are successful for the role, any offer and your ongoing employment will be conditional on you having or obtaining the right to work in the UK.

*Please note that any decision on flexible working is based on business needs 

When you apply for a job at Dementia UK, we will collect certain information about you to process your application and assess your suitability for the role. Further details can be found in our privacy notice.

We are looking for someone with excellent communication and organisational skills to support with developing and communicating policy positions that contribute to the charity’s key strategic objectives.

In this dynamic role, you’ll work as a core part of the team and across the wider organisation to coordinate and draft responses to consultations and lead on responding to policy enquiries.

Your ability to influence and work together with others will help you to succeed as Policy Officer to learn from colleagues and external networks in order to contribute to policy positions, confidently represent Diabetes UK and influence others appropriately.

You will also be keen to seek out opportunities to develop your knowledge and skills and have an appetite to develop expert knowledge in particular policy areas.

Join us and be a part of something truly transformative. Together, we can change the narrative around diabetes and make a positive difference to the lives of people impacted by the condition.

The Organisation

Family Fund is the UK’s largest charity supporting low-income families raising disabled or seriously ill children and young people.

We help thousands of families every year with essential grants, services and practical support. But we do much more than that. We champion families’ voices, challenge inequality and help shape the conversation on disability, childhood illness and disadvantage. 

The Role 

This is an exciting opportunity to shape how Family Fund connects with people across the UK. As a newly created role, it offers real scope to define and develop the function, while playing a central role in strengthening the organisation’s voice and influence.

We are looking for a bold, creative Group Director of External Affairs to join our Senior Leadership Team. At a time when families need us more than ever, you will raise Family Fund’s national profile and influence, positioning the organisation as a trusted, evidence led voice on childhood disability, serious illness and the broader challenges facing low-income families. You will build and sustain strong relationships with policymakers, funders, and the public ensuring the organisation secures the visibility, support, and resources needed to drive lasting change for the families we serve.

You will lead an energetic, specialist team spanning communications, media, public affairs, partnerships and research, bringing these areas together through a joined up external engagement strategy that delivers real impact.

Some key responsibilities include:

• Lead our communications, media, public affairs, partnerships and research teams
• Raise Family Fund’s profile as a trusted national voice 
• Build strong relationships with policymakers, media, funders and partners 
• Help drive real change for families through influence and insight

Who we’re looking for 

We are looking for an experienced leader who loves the power of communication, influence and connection.

Key attributes will include:

• Senior experience in external affairs, communications or public affairs 
• A strong track record of influencing policy and engaging senior stakeholders 
• Experience leading teams and working at senior level 
• A warm, confident communication style and great relationship skills 
• A real passion for Family Fund’s mission and social justice

This is an exciting, high impact role with the chance to make a genuine difference to families across the UK. 

Candidate Briefing Pack

For comprehensive information about Family Fund, the role responsibilities and the person we are looking for, please download the Candidate Briefing Pack.

How to Apply

If you would like to apply for this fantastic opportunity, please provide the following with your application:

• An up-to-date CV
• A supporting statement of no more than 2 sides of A4, outlining your experience, motivations and suitability for the role.

All applications are being handled by our recruitment partner, Russam. All applications should be uploaded via the Russam website.

If you have any difficulty uploading your application or if you would like to have an informal and confidential discussion about the role, please contact Melissa Baxter - Managing Partner, Charities at Russam.

Closing date for applications: Monday 2nd February 2026
Initial interviews with Russam: 17th and 18th February 2026
Interviews with Family Fund: 4th, 5th and 6th March 2026

Flexibility will be provided if needed - do let us know as soon as possible if you are unavailable on these dates.

We commit to inclusion, equality and diversity and we welcome applications from all parts of the community. Family Fund is a Disability Confident Leader. We will invite to interview all disabled applicants who meet the requirements for the role. If you have a disability, and are happy to let us know, please highlight this in your covering letter. We have also signed the Armed Forces Covenant, and we welcome applications from the Armed Forces Community. 

Are you ready to bring client stories to life and make a real impact across a national charity?

Do you have the experience to build strong relationships with teams across StepChange and manage stakeholder needs to deliver stories that meet shared objectives?

Are you ready to take responsibility for how sensitive stories are sourced, protected and shared, ensuring every voice is treated with care and integrity? 

We’re looking for a Stories Officer to join our External Affairs team. In this role, you will help bring the experiences of people affected by debt to life, working with clients and colleagues to create authentic, impactful stories for campaigns, media, events and public communications.

What you’ll be doing

As Stories Officer, you will take ownership of StepChange’s storytelling function, working directly with clients and internal teams to ensure stories are delivered ethically, effectively, and in line with organisational objectives.

You’ll develop and maintain processes for sourcing, sharing, and managing client stories, balancing creativity with safeguarding and data protection requirements. You’ll work closely with colleagues across media, marketing, campaigns, partnerships, policy, research, and public affairs to deliver stories that meet their needs and help StepChange communicate with impact.

From interviewing clients with lived experience to co-creating materials for campaigns and public events, you’ll ensure every story is told safely, respectfully, and authentically. You’ll also help identify new storytelling opportunities.

This role is at the heart of StepChange’s External Affairs work. You’ll collaborate with a wide range of colleagues, manage ethical and safeguarding responsibilities, and help build a consistent, trusted approach to client storytelling across the charity.

About you

We’re looking for someone with experience in storytelling or content management within a charity or equivalent organisation. You’ll have hands-on experience engaging with people with lived experience and translating their stories into clear, compelling narratives.

Confident working with internal stakeholders, you’ll be able to manage multiple priorities, deliver stories that meet team needs, and maintain strong professional relationships across the charity. You’ll have a keen understanding of safeguarding, data protection, and ethical storytelling, ensuring that clients are always supported and respected.

You’ll be proactive, organised, and adaptable, with excellent verbal and written communication skills. A passion for storytelling and an interest in the debt advice sector will help you succeed and make a meaningful impact in this role.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Equality, diversity, and inclusion are incredibly important to us; we have a culture of belonging. We’re always looking to increase the diversity of our workforce to ensure we can provide the best service possible for everyone. It’s not just about the professional experience you bring – we’re interested in who you are and your potential. If there’s an adjustment to our recruitment process that would help you to be your best, speak to our team and they’ll be happy to help.

Location: Hybrid working between the Aldgate, London office and home.

A great opportunity has risen for a Policy Manager to support our ambitious external affairs team in influencing national and regional policy to drive improvements in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory conditions.  

Asthma + Lung UK is the only charity in the UK fighting for everyone with a lung condition, aiming for a world where everyone can breathe with healthy lungs. We fund cutting-edge research, provide advice and support for the 12 million people who will get a lung condition during their lifetime. We also campaign for clean air and for better NHS diagnosis and treatment.

You will lead a programme of proactive policy and influencing work covering a range of areas depending on organisational strategy and business planning, but likely to include: health inequalities, tobacco control and smoking cessation, the implementation of the NHS England 10 Year Plan, local health systems influencing, and support for the Taskforce for Lung Health working groups.

You will have excellent analytical skills, an understanding of the opportunities and challenges in the health policy landscape, and an understanding of how to effectively communicate and translate the challenges people living with lung conditions face into policy solutions. You will be organised, a good communicator and a team player. You will interact with colleagues at all levels across the organisation and have a great opportunity to develop your leadership skillset.

As well as a competitive salary, you’ll enjoy a range of benefits including 30 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), membership of a health cash plan, employee assistance programme, cycle-to-work scheme, interest-free annual season Travelcard loan and pension scheme. This is a fantastic opportunity to join an organisation committed to being the driving force behind the transformation of lung health.

This is a rewarding and varied part-time role at the heart of a national organisation working to improve life for the one in six people in England affected by a neurological condition.

As Administration and Membership Officer, you will play a key role in ensuring the Neurological Alliance runs smoothly, efficiently and professionally. You will support strong governance, effective membership engagement and well-run meetings and events, helping to ensure that lived experience, evidence and collective expertise shape health and care policy.

This is a practical, admin-led role with real responsibility and autonomy. You will manage day-to-day administration, support the Board and members, maintain accurate records and systems, and ensure financial and membership processes run effectively. In doing so, you will help amplify the voices of people affected by neurological conditions and our member organisations.

This role would suit someone looking for a meaningful, flexible part-time position where their work directly supports collaboration, influence and change. The role is home-based, with occasional travel for team meetings (around once every two months) and infrequent external meetings.

About you

You will be an experienced administrator who is highly organised, reliable and detail-focused, and who enjoys keeping things running well behind the scenes.

You will be comfortable working independently, juggling multiple tasks, and supporting colleagues, trustees and members. You’ll be confident using IT systems and databases, open to learning new digital tools, and interested in improving administrative processes over time.

You will bring a friendly, professional and collaborative approach, and share our commitment to inclusion, partnership working and improving outcomes for people affected by neurological conditions.

About us

The Neurological Alliance is the only collective national voice for more than 100 organisations working together to improve treatment, care and support for people affected by neurological conditions across England.

Our vision is a world where everyone affected by a neurological condition is supported to live life to the fullest.

Our mission is to unite and empower people affected by neurological conditions and our member organisations to influence health and care policy in England, so it reflects real-life experiences and ensures everyone can access the support they need.

We are a small, collaborative organisation with a strong focus on evidence, lived experience and impact. We are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, and to supporting staff wellbeing through flexible working, regular 1:1s, and opportunities for learning and development.

Our values

• Inclusive – we listen deeply, value every voice and welcome diversity
• Bold – we speak truth to power, grounded in lived experience
• Together – we achieve more through collaboration
• Leading – we champion the rights and needs of people affected by neurological conditions
• Insightful – we connect voices, data and evidence to guide better decisions

Key responsibilities

The role includes:

• Day-to-day administration and office management
• Supporting Board, committee and member meetings (scheduling, papers, minutes)
• Membership administration, renewals and fee collection
• Financial administration, including invoicing and use of Xero
• Managing shared inboxes and responding to routine enquiries
• Supporting the AGM, member meetings and events
• Maintaining accurate records, databases and systems
• Supporting website updates, communications and surveys

The salary for this role is £28,000 per year, pro rata.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are a Disability Confident employer and are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace. We actively encourage applications from disabled people and from people with lived experience of neurological conditions.

We will make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process and in the workplace to support you to do your best work.

We may close the application window early if we receive a high volume of quality applications.

Young Citizens is seeking a Business Development and Special Projects Lead to support a critical year of fundraising, income generation and partnership development. This role supports the special projects work with the CEO and will work with the senior team to lead on the income and visibility opportunities that unlock our delivery for our three-year strategy.

Your Role’s Purpose

Year 1 of this role will be focused on business model development, income generation and strategic partnerships. Working closely with the CEO and senior management team, you will help shape, test and secure new funding and commercial opportunities that position Young Citizens for long-term sustainability and impact. The special projects element includes supporting the developmental design of our future business model, charity strategy and public affairs work.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys building, creating and working at pace to achieve great results within a small team. You will be rapidly developing propositions, forging partnerships and converting ideas into credible, funded initiatives. You will play a central role in strengthening our relationships with funders, institutions, corporates and sector partners, while supporting wider organisational development projects.

Young Citizens works at the intersection of education, democracy and civic life, and this role offers a unique opportunity to influence how active citizenship is funded, delivered and embedded across the UK.

In Year 1, your primary focus will be to:

• Develop and drive income/fundraising with existing channels, including grant funding, partnerships and commercial activity.
• Build a strong pipeline of income opportunities, working closely with the CEO to convert prospects into funding
• Produce high-quality business cases, funding bids, proposals and presentations of our work
• Design and execute new funding models and partnership opportunities alongside the CEO’s updated strategic plan
• Lead staff member for strategic engagement with funders, corporates, policymakers and sector stakeholders.

Alongside this, you will contribute to priority special projects that support Young Citizens’ organisational growth and external positioning.

Who We’re Looking For

This role is not just open to traditional fundraisers or partnership managers. As long as you have the seniority and expertise leading results, you might come from a charity, social enterprise, consultancy, policy or start-up background. What matters most is your ability to confidently progress a pipeline of opportunities, build partnerships, generate income and deliver results.

We are interested in a wider pool of candidates with 5+ years in the working world, possibly from other start-ups or programme design focus instead of 'trad' fundraising roles'. If you are a high-performer who wants to focus on corporate partnerships, external relations and business success, this role may be right for you—talk to us.

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Entrepreneurial and proactive, with a strong interest in business development and income generation
• Confidently able to design and deliver on their ideas, instilling confidence and get results with high-level stakeholders
• Highly professional writer and communicator, able to produce strong proposals and pitch deck materials
• Commercially aware, with an ability to spot and shape fundable opportunities
• Excels at working closely with senior stakeholders including the CEO, able to predict needs and are responsive to what gets the best results
• Organised and adaptable, able to own multiple priorities in a small, fast-moving organisation
• Technically capable, making data systems like Salesforce easily integrated into their workflow
• Distinctly motivated and/or experienced in social impact, education, democracy or civic participation

Please note the pay scale of this role is determined by the demonststrable strategic seniority the person brings in managing others and organisational outcomes alongside technical role skills above.

Success in the first six months of this role will look like:

• Immediate management and confidence securing existing income contracts with corporate and funding partners of £200,000+
• Tactical, high-volume stakeholder engagement campaigns to increase sponsorship and new income opportunities
• Leading the development of improved business modelling, pricing structures and income streams that create a more sustainable base
• Operating with professionalism, improving processes and keeping organisational priorities at the forefront

Why join us?

• Make a real difference by helping deliver inspiring citizenship experiences to young people nationwide.
• Shape and strengthen the delivery of our flagship national programmes.
• Join a supportive, purpose‑driven team that values collaboration, flexibility, and doing great work together.
• Grow with us as we deliver our new three‑year strategy and embed smarter, stronger delivery processes.

If you're excited about making a tangible impact through high‑quality programme delivery, and want to contribute to a mission‑driven organisation, we’d love to hear from you.

A few useful notes to apply:

This is a 12 month fixed contract starting as soon as possible. 

• The closing date for applications is 11pm on Sunday 22 February 2026. We encourage you to apply ahead of the deadline, as shortlisting will begin on Thursday 12 February. However, as long as this advert remains live, first‑round interviews have not yet been finalised.
• Please submit a covering letter of no more than two pages outlining your interest in this role. Applications without a covering letter cannot be reviewed. We are unable to progress applications that do not demonstrate direct or clearly transferable experience.
• If you have any questions before applying, please contact our HR team.

For a full overview of the role and responsibilities, please see the job pack for more details.

Context and Background

The NSPCC’s purpose is to prevent the abuse and neglect of children across the UK.

The Strategy and Knowledge (S&K) Directorate exists to help shape the world around us - and what the NSPCC does - so that it reflects what we have learned and can help keep children safe from abuse.

The Directorate is responsible for organisational strategy, developing and influencing public policy, championing an evidence-based approach in all our work, developing innovative services and managing our knowledge and information.

This role within our Policy and Public Affairs team will assist in delivering our influencing campaigns asking for public support to persuade government to change laws and policies to better protect children and young people. This exciting role will play a pivotal part supporting the team’s work so we are able to deliver large-scale, impactful campaigns in support of the NSPCC’s policy priorities and our organisational strategy.

Job purpose

This role will support the planning, delivery and evaluation of the NSPCC’s campaigns to mobilise the public behind our influencing goals and galvanise decision makers to act. The postholder will:

• Support the development of our influencing campaigns to inspire new and existing supporters to take action to keep children safe - including through research to inform the planning of campaigns and the creation and dissemination of impactful communications such as emails, social posts and supporter actions.

• Assist the Influencing Campaigns team to manage and develop the campaigns database so it can grow to build a strong, active network of supporters helping us influence change.

• Support the team’s work to ensure the insights and voices of children, young people and those with lived experience are embedded in the design and delivery of our influencing campaigns

Key relationships - Internal

• Influencing Campaigns Manager for England/UK (line manager)
• Other members of the Influencing Campaigns team across the UK
• Policy and Public Affairs team across the UK
• All Strategy and Knowledge teams
• Teams leading brand, marketing and income generation campaigns
• Media and social media teams
• Participation and Lived Experience Advocates teams

Key relationships - External

• NSPCC campaign supporters
• Individuals and representatives from agencies and suppliers on campaigning activity
• Contacts in corporate partnerships representing the NSPCC’s campaigning work

Main duties and responsibilities

Supporting the Influencing Campaigns team day-to-day

o Managing the campaigns inbox and responding to supporters
o Assisting the Influencing Campaigns team by attending meetings with stakeholders (across the NSPCC and beyond)
o Monitoring and evaluating campaigns activity at NSPCC
o Tracking and evaluating campaigns “best practice” in other organisations (to enable competitor analysis)

Development of NSPCC influencing campaigns

o Supporting background research for the development of influencing campaigns o Assisting with planning and designing content across owned, earned, and organic channels
o Helping Influencing Campaigns Managers across the UK with the development of campaign tactics and interventions
o Supporting the Influencing Campaigns Managers across the UK with the development of the campaigns network

Delivery and evaluation of NSPCC influencing campaigns

o Writing and designing campaigns content including social posts, emails and actions

o Support with planning, organising and delivering events

o Liaison with participation and lived experience teams to ensure the insights and voices of children and young people are embedded in our influencing campaign activity

o Issuing or publishing campaigns content
o Monitoring and evaluating the success of NSPCC campaigns o Reporting to stakeholders on campaign activity

Responsibilities for all Staff within the Strategy & Knowledge Directorate

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

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

  adults at risk.

• To comply with all relevant NSPCC safeguarding policies

• A commitment to applying NSPCC Values and Behaviours to all aspects of work

• To maintain an awareness of own and other’s health and safety and comply with

  NSPCC’s Health and Safety procedures

• A sound understanding of and commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.

• To comply with NSPCC Diversity and Equality policies and practices and work in a

  manner which facilitates inclusion.

• To maintain and develop competence in the use of IT systems.

• To manage confidential and/or sensitive information in accordance with NSPCC

  policies and Data Protection and GDPR regulations

Person specification

1. Experience of supporting the successful delivery of influencing campaigns that have had an impact in changing laws and policies

2. Good understanding of the political landscape and policy making processes across the UK

3. Strong verbal and written communication skills including an ability to analyse, respond to and present complex information in clear, accurate and persuasive ways for a wide range of audiences

4. Excellent organisational skills with the ability to organise and plan own work and the work of others to deliver objectives on time

5. Understanding of how to measure campaigning actions and optimise delivery of campaigns

6. Demonstrable ability to establish, nurture and maintain effective relationships and collaborative work with a wide variety of colleagues and stakeholders

7. Experience of working with children and young people and/or those with lived experience as part of the delivery of influencing campaigns

8. Experience of working with media and social media teams to help create communications which support campaigning work

9. Commitment to the NSPCC’s mission to prevent cruelty and stop child abuse and neglect.

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.

Are you creative and organised? Do you want to work for an incredible cause and organisation? Do you have experience of juggling multiple projects?

If so, then we have the job for you. We're looking for someone to act as a bridge between strategy and delivery; to embed clear processes for briefing, planning and evaluation; develop and manage communications plans; improve coordination across teams; and champion a culture of collaboration, strategic alignment and best practice in our communications work. You will ensure that lessons learned are captured and shared across teams. Does this sound like the ideal job for you? If so, then please apply.

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, Mon-Fri

Duration: Permanent

Location: London - hybrid, 2 days per week London Office, to include Wednesdays (and preferably Thursdays)

Salary: £59,739.12 per annum - £73,014.48 per annum | Salary is offered in line with our pay framework and typically starts at the entry point of the band. Salary increases are considered annually and are subject to our appraisal and performance review process.

Job Purpose:

The Strategic Communications Planning Lead is accountable for ensuring that all communications activity across the organisation are strategically prioritised, coherently planned and effectively integrated to advance MSF UK’s strategic objectives, reputation, fundraising performance and advocacy impact.

Working in close partnership with senior leaders and heads of teams across departments, the postholder leads the organisation’s communications forward-planning process and comms calendar; establishes high-quality strategic briefing standards; and oversees the coordination of complex, multi-channel campaigns. They ensure that communications planning and delivery are aligned with organisational priorities, values and ethical standards, and that resources are deployed effectively to maximise impact.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience:

Strategic communications & planning

• Significant experience in strategic communications, campaigns or marketing roles within a complex organisation, ideally in the charity or international development/humanitarian sector.
• Strong understanding of audience insight, comms planning, and multi-channel communications (owned, earned and paid).

Project & campaign management

• Demonstrable experience in leading multi-stakeholder communications and campaigns from concept to delivery.
• Excellent organisational and documentation skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously under tight deadlines.
• Knowledge of project management methodologies (e.g. Agile, Prince2, or similar)
• Experience of setting and managing budgets and resource planning across departments.

Cross-organisational collaboration

• Experience of working collaboratively across teams and departments to achieve shared objectives.
• Experience developing or maintaining forward-planning systems, content calendars, or campaign management tools.
• Ability to lead through influence, fostering collaboration and alignment among senior colleagues.
• Skilled at facilitating meetings, building consensus and ensuring clarity of ownership and decision-making.

Communication & interpersonal skills

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distil complex information into clear, persuasive messaging.
• Confident in presenting ideas, chairing meetings, and communicating effectively with senior stakeholders.
• Strong relationship management skills, with diplomacy and discretion in handling sensitive or high-profile issues.

Analytical & problem-solving ability

• Able to assess communications performance using data and insights, and to translate learning into actionable improvement.
• Demonstrates sound judgement and the ability to make informed decisions in complex, fast-moving contexts.

Values

• Understanding of global health, humanitarian advocacy, or medical communications
• Commitment to the humanitarian principles and medical ethics of Médecins Sans Frontières
• Demonstrated understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion in communications and teamwork.
• High personal integrity and accountability.

Other

• Experience in the practical use of personal IT equipment and Microsoft Office 365 suite. The ability to effectively collaborate and communicate within a hybrid working environment utilising Teams, SharePoint, One Drive and Yammer.

HOW TO APPLY

Please apply on our website by submitting a copy of your CV together with a letter of motivation (please upload as one document) by the closing date. The letter of motivation should outline what you’d bring to the role and how your experience and skills meet the above accountabilities.

We encourage early applications as we reserve the right to close applications before the advertised closing date, or if a suitable candidate is found.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Closing date for applications: Monday 9 February 2026, 9am (GMT)

We look forward to receiving your application!

L&W is growing our research team and looking for a Head of Research to lead innovative, impactful research and evaluation projects across our focus areas of employment and skills.

This role will expand our capacity to win and deliver evaluation and qualitative research, while strengthening our methodological capability. We’re open-minded about what that means—but we want people who can go beyond standard process evaluations and basic qualitative approaches. You might have experience mapping and evaluating complex system-level change, applying realist evaluation methods, or developing co-design and participatory research projects. You will have have applied these while working alongside the practitioners and policymakers who need these insights to make decisions.

You will join a team that is enthusiastic about learning and improving, and a peer group of experienced qualitative and quantitative research leaders who you will work alongside.

If you have research consultancy experience and want to join a purpose-driven organisation that delivers real impact locally and nationally, we’d love to hear from you. But you might come from a different professional background and still meet our criteria. 

Location: Hybrid working: 40-60% in an L&W office. Our offices for this role are currently in Leicester and London, but if you are based elsewhere, please contact us to talk about how the role could work for you.

Team:Research and Development

Salary:£45,650-£59,080 per annum (pro rata), dependent on experience and location

Duration:Permanent

Working hours:0.6 to 1 FTE, with flexible working supported (eg, condensed hours, flexible start and finish times

Main Purpose

The Head of Research: Evaluation and Qualitative Methods is a new post for L&W – as we seek to deepen our capability and expand our capacity.

The post-holder will direct research projects across all of our areas of work, providing specific leadership and expertise in programme and system-level evaluations, and projects mobilising innovative or advanced qualitative methods (such as system mapping, co-design methods, ethnographic methods, creative methods and/or theory-based/realist evaluation).

They will work with the Head of Research: Employment and Better Work to develop the wider qualitative and evaluative skills of the wider research team.

They will also play a key role in leading and writing responding to tenders and working with colleagues to develop pro-active research proposals that fill key evidence gaps and respond to the interests of our funders. They will be a good relationship manager – who can understand what commissioners are interested in, and shape projects to deliver meaningful insights that solve the problems practitioners and policymakers face across employment and skills.

Duties and Responsibilities

Leadership and management

• Line manage members of the R&D team
• Co-lead the qualitative methods group at L&W: supporting the wider research team to develop their skills. 

Income

• Write and contribute to reactive and proactive funding proposals across L&W’s areas of work, with a specific focus on process and theory-based evaluations, and proposals using advanced/innovative qualitative methods
• Build relationships with current and potential funders
• Identify and build relationships with research partners

Impact

• Ensure that all projects under their direction generate meaningful insights and recommendations that respond to the real-world concerns and challenges faced by practitioners and policymakers
• Communicate insights clearly and effectively to funders and other stakeholders

Delivery

• Act as Project Director for research and evaluation projects: liaising with funders; shaping research proposals and plans; supporting project managers; leading project meetings; ensuring project margins are delivered effectively; carrying out research directly where appropriate
• Work with External Affairs team to develop appropriate comms and influencing plans for projects under your direction
• Use your research skills and experience to support the wider development of the Learning and Work team

Person Specification 

Expericence 

Experience of delivering and directing high-quality programmes evaluation and policy-relevant research: shaping research plans, working with funders and delivering meaningful insights -Essential 

Experience of responding to research and evaluation tenders and writing proposals. -Essential 

Experience of managing, supporting and developing researchers and research managers -Essential 

Experience of carrying out research and evaluation in the areas of employment and skills -Desirable

Skills

Advanced qualitative evaluation and research skills, eg. One or more of theory-based evaluation, ethnographic methods, creative/art-based methods, co-design methods, system-level evaluation -Essential 

Effective and efficient relationship management -Essential 

Clear and direct written communication style -Essential 

Knowledge

Knowledge of, and commitment to, L&W’s charitable aims and purpose -Essential 

Demonstrable knowledge in the areas of employment and skills policy and practice -Desirable

Learning and Work Institute works across the UK. Our work in Wales is led by a Cardiff based team, but all staff are required to follow the guidance set out in our Welsh language scheme when working in Wales.

About NCVO

We are the charities charity. For over 100 years, NCVO has stood shoulder to shoulder with communities, championing and celebrating voluntary action.

Our membership is made up of over 17,000 voluntary organisations across England, from small, grassroots community groups and social enterprises, to large, far-reaching charities.

We believe that communities are strengthened by voluntary action. We therefore want charities to thrive and be empowered to deliver for people and communities.

​​About the Voice & Impact directorate

This role sits within the Voice & Impact directorate, a team focused on amplifying the voices of charities in civil society and making positive change for the future. V&I comprises NCVO’s policy and public affairs team; communications, campaigns and marketing team; digital content team and membership and engagement team.

​About the Membership & Engagement team 

Membership and engagement is a newly evolved team that exists to grow, connect and convene NCVO’s membership. The team acquires roughly 1,400 new members a year and offers care and support to retain 90% of its current 17K members.

About the role

The member subscriptions officer manages the administration and finance of NCVO’s membership subscriptions. Key duties include running monthly renewals, issuing invoices, managing payments and reducing aged debt. The role involves regular use of NCVO’s CRM system to ensure accurate records and efficient processes.

The post holder will handle member enquiries, support new applications and maintain strong relationships with members. Working closely with NCVO’s Finance team, they will ensure timely direct debit collections and contribute to income tracking and forecasting.

This role is ideal for someone detail-oriented, numerate, and confident using databases, with experience in financial administration and customer service.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

NCVO is fully committed to equity, diversity and inclusion in our sector. We want this to be reflected in the diversity of the people who work for us and we welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and identities. We particularly welcome applications from under-represented groups in the voluntary sector and those with diverse, lived experience. As part of our commitment to employing disabled people, all disabled candidates who meet the minimum requirement for all competencies on the person specification will be guaranteed an interview.

​If you have access needs or require reasonable adjustments as part of the recruitment process, please let us know. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a pre-interview task and will have one week to complete the exercise. Interview questions will be shared in advance. 

NCVO is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from everyone. Charity No. 225922.

How to apply

For more information and to apply, please click on the Apply button.

If you have any queries regarding our vacancies or experience any issues downloading or submitting your application form, please email us.

Shortlisting date: 12 February 2026
Interviews: 25 February 2026

Benefits for NCVO employees

NCVO offers many attractive benefits including:

• 25 days’ annual leave (for full time staff and pro-rata for part-time staff) and office closure between 25 December and 1 January inclusive. After three years' service annual holiday increases to 27 days, and after five years to 30 days, (pro rata for part time staff)
• the option to purchase up to five more days each year
• Volunteering leave (pro rata for part-time staff)
• enhanced pay for sick/maternity/adoption leave
• subsidised gym membership
• season ticket loan
• generous employer pension contribution of up to 8.5% of salary, into our stakeholder pension scheme (linked to employee contribution)
• training and development opportunities.
• The opportunity to join Hospital Saturday Fund health cash plan for free at the basic level of cover, or at a reduced rate for other levels of cover
• 24-hour free and confidential employee assistance programme

We’re located a short walk from London King’s Cross station in a modern accessible building, overlooking Regent’s canal.