Lead Jobs in Birmingham

SOS Children’s Villages UK is part of a global federation, founded in 1949. SOS Children’s Villages exists to ensure that each child and young person grows up with the healthy relationships they need to become their strongest selves. Working in over 130 countries, we are the world’s largest non-governmental organisation focused on supporting children and young people who don’t have, or who are at risk of losing, parental care.

We are now recruiting for a new role of Advocacy and External Relations Manager reflecting our ambitions to use our voice and expertise to ensure children and young people without, or at risk of losing, parental care around the world are more visible, better supported and their rights protected.

This exciting and strategically important new role is pivotal in helping SOS Children’s Villages UK achieve our advocacy objectives as part of our new 2025-2030 strategy. A confident and proactive advocacy professional, the Advocacy and External Relations Manager will plan and carry out a broad range of activities, identifying and pursuing opportunities to further our advocacy aims.

This individual will:

• develop both internal (SOS Children’s Villages Federation) and external peer and UK government relationships
• engage in relevant spaces to ensure that the needs of children and young people without parental care are reflected, and that SOS Children's Villages’ profile and reputation is enhanced.
• devise and lead advocacy campaigns and create persuasive and engaging advocacy content and materials.
• work alongside two other new colleagues, as a key part of delivering a new knowledge ‘Hub’.
• help to develop new partnerships and relationships, and use the insights and evidence gained through the ‘Hub’ to craft advocacy recommendations, connecting with policy makers and other relevant stakeholders, to influence changes to policies and approaches around the protection of children.

We are looking for a self-motivated individual, who combines exceptional networking and relationship-building skills with strong organisational ability, and deep knowledge of the UK political landscape and advocacy tactics and approaches, ideally within an international development setting.

If you are a dynamic advocacy professional who is looking for an exciting new challenge within a friendly team, then this could be for you!

To Apply

Please read the full job description within the Candidate Pack, and submit a copy of your CV and a covering letter.

The deadline for applications is Sunday 17th November at 17.00 UK time. We reserve the right to close the application process early if a successful candidate is found.

Please note: The post-holder must be UK-based. We are unable to provide employment sponsorship if required and unfortunately cannot progress applications without the required right to live and work in the UK on a permanent contract.

You will be attracted to this role because of:

1. You have an affinity to the cause - if you understand bipolar, this is a change-driven organisation where you can achieve impact and be close to the work that matters to you.
2. There’s a high chance of success - the £3.5 million figure is ambitious but realistic, based on a extensive research.
3. There is a momentum of growth - 95% since 2019 and the third highest in the mental health sector.
4. You will be personally responsible for this success.
5. You will succeed at a broad professional level.

The Director of Fundraising be responsible for developing and implementing a fundraising strategy. This will include the day-to-day management of the existing fundraising team and championing fundraising at senior management level and with the Board.

The ideal candidate will have:

- 5 to 10 years of fundraising experience, including managing a fundraising department.

- Proven track record of achieving a step change in income generation

- Experience of two of the following fundraising methodologies: Grants, Corporate, Community and events, Legacies, High net worth individuals or Commissioning

Evidence of continuous professional development in fundraising together with management experience and/or qualification is essential. As is strong digital skills, with a track record of maximising the use of CRMs and excellent business writing skills.

Must have good internal and external interpersonal skills, be an inspirational leader and capacity to represent Bipolar UK at a senior level.

An affinity to bipolar will be an advantage

Crisis is the national charity for people experiencing homelessness. In 2024 we embarked on our new 10-year strategy for ending homelessness. We know it is not inevitable. We know together we can end it.

This is a new and exciting role at Crisis Skylight Birmingham to join a team of experienced and highly skilled staff supporting homeless people move into their own long term sustainable tenancies. 

About the role 

As Housing Procurement Officer, you will join our team in Birmingham at an exciting time, delivering an outstanding property procurement service across the private and social rented sector. Working alongside our team of lead worker coaches you will identify appropriate matches of tenants and homes. It’s a role requiring commercial acumen and creativity as you partner with both Social and Private landlords and our members. You will work collaboratively with partners, coaches and staff across the organisation to ensure tenants receive the support they need to sustain their homes and landlord relationships are nurtured. There is scope for development of the role and plenty of support. It’s a fantastic opportunity to make the role your own and shape it from the beginning.

Location: Crisis Skylight Birmingham, 25 Heath Mill Lane, Deritend, B9 4AE 

About you 

To be successful in this role you will need to demonstrate the following skills, experience and knowledge: 

• Experience of sourcing, procuring, and allocating accommodation and making tenancies work for tenants and landlords. 

• Knowledge of the Birmingham (and surrounding areas) housing market and the barriers and opportunities faced by people moving out of homelessness and into housing. 

• Understanding of housing law

• Developing, building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders 

• Experience of working in a lettings and housing procurement environment

• Creative approach to solving problems. 

• Showing resilience when dealing with difficult situations

• A self-starter who can work on their own initiative.

Please see the full Job Pack linked below, for a full list of requirements for this role. We realise that long lists of criteria can be daunting, and you may not want to apply for a role unless you feel 100% qualified. However, if you feel you have relevant examples to answer the screening questions, we encourage you to apply.

We believe diversity is a strength, and our aim is to make sure that Crisis truly reflects the communities we serve. We are actively working towards our organisation being a place where everyone can thrive and make their best contribution to our mission of ending homelessness for good. We know that the more perspectives, voices, and experiences we can bring to this work, the better. We particularly welcome applications from people who have lived experience of homelessness, and people from all marginalised groups, communities, and backgrounds. 

Working at Crisis 

Our values, Bold, Impactful, Collaborative and Equitable, are at the heart of everything we do as we continue in our mission to end homelessness.

Our staff, members and volunteers are vital to getting the right government policies in place, providing breakthrough services, and building a supportive community. We’ll lead by example to nurture a positive and ambitious workplace guided by ending homelessness.  

As a member of the team, you will have access to a wide range of employee benefits including:  

• A competitive salary. Please note, our salaries are fixed to counter inequity, and we do not negotiate at offer stage. 

• Interest free loans for travel season ticket, cycle to work, and deposit to secure a tenancy.  

• Pension scheme with an employer contribution of 8.5%  

• 28 days’ annual leave (pro rata) which increases with service to 31 days and the option to purchase up to 10 additional days leave.

• Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental, and adoption pay. 

• Flexible working around the core hours 10am-4pm  

• Wellbeing Leave to be used flexibly.  

• And more! (Full list of benefits available on website)  

Alongside our excellent staff benefits, we will support your ongoing development to build your skills, experience, and career.  

When you join us, you will have the opportunity to join our staff diversity networks, which aim to champion issues across the organisation, enable staff to be their authentic and best selves and contribute to making Crisis a truly diverse organisation.

How do I apply? 

Please click on the 'Apply for Job' button below. Our shortlisting process is anonymised as part of our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. We do not ask for CVs, instead we ask you complete the work history section and answer the screening questions for us to be able to assess you fairly and objectively. At least two members of staff score all applications.

Closing date: Sunday 17 November 2024 (at 23:59) 

Interview date: Tuesday 26 November at Crisis Skylight Birmingham 

Can I use Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology for my application? 
We strongly discourage applicants from using AI technology at any stage of the recruitment process. This is so we can run a fair, transparent process which gives all applicants an equitable chance of success. We want to hear about your own experience and perspectives in your application and if shortlisted, during the interview too. 

Accessibility  

We want our recruitment process to be as accessible as possible. If you need us to make an adjustment or provide additional support as you apply for a role, please email our Talent Acquisition team to discuss how we can help.  

Team: Innovation

Location: Remote

Work pattern: 21 hours working each Wednesday, Thursday & Friday

Salary: Up to £24,817 per annum (pro rata of £41,363)

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 Senior Innovation Officer:

• Leading collaborative innovation cycles and sprints using an insight led innovation approach to develop new products and optimise existing activity
• Support the Innovation Manager to deliver overall Marketing and Income Generation targets by working across the directorate to manage innovation and new product development
• Identify, plan and develop new opportunities from end to end; from insight gathering and analysis to conducting pilots and stakeholder management
• Support the development of an innovation culture, building a culture of audience led decision making and supporting all Marketing and Income Generation teams to incorporate the innovation process and techniques into their work

About the Strategy, Knowledge & Innovation team:

• We sit within the Strategy, Knowledge & Innovation team
• Our team is responsible for shaping and building innovation across our directorate to deliver income growth and drive awareness across a diverse audience
• We currently have a team of 4, 5 once vacancy is filled

What we’re looking for in our Senior Innovation Officer:

• Experience of working within Fundraising
• Experience of supporting the delivery of an Innovation Strategy
• Significant experience of project management including stakeholder management & innovation projects
• Ability to manage and prioritise a high workload and multiple complex issues and tasks in a changing environment with tight deadlines
• A good working knowledge of fundraising disciplines

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
• and much more, which you can learn about

Interested? Here’s how to apply:

Application closing date: 12th November 2024

Virtual interview date: TBC

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 you’re enthusiastic about this opportunity but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway and demonstrate how your experience is transferrable.  You may be just the right candidate. 

If successful, your recruitment journey will include:

1. Anonymised application form
2. Virtual interview via Microsoft Teams

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

The Policy and Campaigns Manager is responsible for leading on CLAPA’s campaigning and policy work across the UK.  This is a new direction for CLAPA and a key part of the role will be to develop a clear strategy and action plan to ensure a focused and targeted approach to this area of work.   

The post-holder is responsible for ensuring that work is delivered to the highest standard and that the wider staff team and board of trustees are kept informed on progress and development.

We currently have an exciting opportunity for a Training and Support Worker to lead and support The Mason Foundation’s future growth and development by providing and delivering training to a variety of audiences.  The role is home based - with requirement to travel (ideally, candidates will be located in the ‘South Central’ area of England, including Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, and surrounding areas).  Hours - 30 -37.5 hours, available as a part-time or full-time position. 

Through our programmes we reduce inequalities, empower communities, and drive meaningful, sustainable change.The Mason Foundation delivers people centred services, projects and training, through its specialist wellbeing and employment programmes including:

· The Mason Mile – supporting inclusive, community led starting point physical activity centred around ‘1 Mile’

· Propel - supporting young people with learning disabilities, into meaningful and sustainable employment.

· Bespoke Community Impact Projects – supporting and empowering communities to co-develop and deliver impactful and meaningful change.

As the Training and Support Worker, you will play a pivotal part in the development of our programmes and training, through sharing partner insight, understanding the latest evidence and landscape of workplace inclusivity and keeping abreast of other providers in this space. You will be required to travel regularly to deliver face to face training within the community, education settings and workplaces.   

You will have a track record of working within learning, development, community engagement or similar, ideally with experience of supporting communities with additional needs.

You will be a strong, passionate, and inspiring facilitator, driven to deliver impactful training. You will be a skilled communicator, confident in using a variety of methods to engage and empower others from a broad range of backgrounds and settings.

You will be a team player and understand the need to work seamlessly in collaboration with multiple agencies including local authority, corporate and third sector partners, to help ensure high quality delivery of our services, to our communities.

The Training and Support Worker will need to embrace a ‘make it happen’ working environment, with constant dedication and a passion for making a difference as part of a committed charity, supporting disadvantaged communities.

In return, you get to work for a great, growing charity with like-minded people with a competitive salary.

All offers of employment are conditional upon you signing the contract of employment and:

· Two satisfactory references

· Proof of attainment of qualifications

· Evidence of your right to work in the United Kingdom; and

· If applicable, satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Proposed Week of Interview: w/c 18th November 2024

The Mason Foundation is an equal opportunities employer and proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We positively encourage applications from candidates regardless of sex, race or ethnicity, nationality, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, or belief, marital or civil partnership status, parental or carer status, education, socioeconomic background, pregnancy or maternity, or any other characteristic protected under equality legislation. 

We are especially keen to encourage and welcome applications from people currently under-represented within the organisation, these include but are not limited to those from the LGBT+ community, people with disabilities, and candidates who are Black or People of Colour. Those with disabilities meeting the minimum requirements for the post will be shortlisted and reasonable adjustments will be made to ensure they are not disadvantaged during the interview process.

About StreetVet

StreetVet is a fast-growing national charity, committed to providing free vet care to the pets of those experiencing homelessness and to keeping pets and owners together to maintain their unbreakable bond. StreetVet relies on its team of over 400 vet and nurse volunteers in 23 locations around the UK to provide free veterinary treatment, funded by grants, corporate and private donors and partners. Since inception in 2016 the charity has treated nearly 3,000 pets and has won numerous awards including the Vet Trust Award for the Most Trusted Veterinary Charity, Purina Better with Pets Prize and Homeless Link Excellence Award for Excellent Support.

Title: Head of Volunteering

Duration: Permanent, full-time Reporting to: CEO

Responsible For: All StreetVet volunteers

Works With/Key Contacts: Colleagues across the organisation, volunteers, potential volunteers

Location: Home - remote working with regular travel to outreach locations and, as necessary, recruitment events

Contracted hours: 37.5-hour work week (flexible working available)

Holiday: 25 days per year plus national holidays

Salary: £35,000 - £43,000 depending on experience

Main Purpose of the Role

The Head of Volunteering will manage, develop and grow StreetVet’s Volunteer programme. They will have overall responsibility to recruit, onboard, induct, train, support, communicate with, develop and recognise volunteers as well as ensure good governance and compliance. The Head of Volunteering will act as an ambassador for volunteering across all StreetVet locations and externally. The Head of Volunteering will monitor and evaluate the impact of StreetVet’s volunteering programme and will identify and assess opportunities to develop the programme further.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the StreetVet Volunteering Strategy

• Lead and manage the day-to-day operation of the volunteer programme across all locations and work with the clinical team to ensure appropriate and robust processes are in place to provide suitable and high-quality care for the animals StreetVet work with.

• Develop and grow the volunteer programme to continually improve the volunteering experience at StreetVet.

• Review and refine all volunteer processes, policies and documentation to improve standards and ensure compliance.

• Oversee the recruitment and retention of volunteers, including the review and maintenance of all volunteer-related data, ensuring that it is compliant with data protection and GDPR principles.

• Oversee the development and provision of effective induction and learning and development activities appropriate for volunteer roles, working with key contacts across the charity and liaising with existing volunteers as required.

• Work to ensure all volunteers are aware of and adhere to StreetVet’s policies on safeguarding and working with vulnerable individuals.

• Develop effective methods of communicating with volunteers about their volunteering and the activities of the wider charity and provide opportunities for volunteers to communicate with each other.

• Oversee the development and provision of volunteer reward and recognition activities.

• Deal appropriately with escalated issues around volunteering, using tact, diplomacy and mitigating reputational and other risks that might be involved. This may include working in conjunction with management on issues that involve staff, as well as sensitively managing and, on occasion, terminating volunteer agreements when deemed appropriate.

• Establish and develop relationships with key stakeholders across the charity to ensure a consistent and best practice approach to volunteering across our locations and central volunteer team.

• Provide advice and guidance to staff that work with volunteers to ensure they receive appropriate support and development.

• Ensure effective use of the volunteer database and other tools to record, produce and analyse metrics on volunteer involvement, recruitment, retention and other relevant KPIs.

• Produce outcome and impact reports for both internal and external stakeholders on a regular basis.

• Keep up to date with current developments in the volunteering sector, including undertaking benchmarking and accreditation e.g. Investing in Volunteers standard. Maintain and develop good relationships with similar organisations in the sector and represent StreetVet at external conferences/meetings as relevant.

• Manage budgets and resources related to the volunteer programme.

The above job description is intended to be an outline of the duties and responsibilities for this role. This is not an exhaustive list, and it is likely to change over time. You may be expected to undertake other duties that are commensurate with this role and grade.

Please see full job description for essential experience required.

About Reall

Reall’s vision is housing markets that work for people, prosperity and planet. Reall is improving the lives of under-served households in African and Asian cities by building and increasing access to green resilient homes. We create the conditions for families to secure their own homes. Globally, there are 1.2 billion people without somewhere decent to call home. Working across our priority markets, including Kenya, Nigeria, India, Pakistan and beyond, Reall has a commercially and environmentally viable solution that drives macroeconomic development and catalyses pathways to net zero.

We have been pioneers and thought leaders in the global affordable housing space for more than 30 years and to date we have improved the lives of over three million people, created over 200,000 jobs, brought clean water to half a million people and delivered sustainable sanitation to over a million.

The Role

This role will lead on the production of monthly management accounts and other financial reports in relation to projects and programmes, assisting in the preparation of annual budgets as well as the maintenance and development of systems to deliver the most effective finance support to the organisation.

To be successful in this role, you will need:

• An ability to work in a complex finance role, with strong technical knowledge of statutory, management and financial accounting.
• Experience in providing variance analysis of actual spend against budget and forecast to assist with financial planning.
• Experience in month end processes, cash flow reconciliation, accruals and reconciliation of the purchase ledger
• Experience of working in foreign currencies.
• Excellent financial analysis skills & attention to detail.
• Ability to evaluate, analyse and improve financial systems and processes.

Why work at Reall?

With a modest UK-based team, Reall is an organisation driven by efficiency, with significant ambition and a track record of success.

Our internal operations are underpinned by a culture of psychological safety, promoting trust, curiosity, and confidence.  This means that staff feel secure to speak their minds, tackle challenges creatively, and can never be described as risk averse.

A committed investor in its staff, Reall promotes an environment of conscious diversity in all its forms.  You’ll be joining a high-performing, cohesive team with its sights firmly on global impact.

Reall is committed to equality and diversity and is proud to be an equal opportunities employer.  We positively encourage applications from those who are suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion, or belief, as Reall believes a diverse and inclusive workforce is vital for our organisation and will lead to greater results and enhance our way of working.

What We Offer

In return for your skills and experience, we offer:

• A competitive salary and total reward package
• 33 days' annual leave plus an additional day off on your birthday. Increasing by 1 day every year for every year of service
• A comprehensive benefits package including an enhanced Pension offering, including death in service coverage along with a generous Maternity and Shared Parental Leave provision
• Access to a Reward portal, which provides high street discounts and a cashback reward scheme in popular online and retail outlets.
• A dynamic and supportive work environment including on-site health and well-being support through access to an Employee Assistance Programme which provides confidential support to colleagues. Along with access to funded training and further career development.
• More details are available in job description and person specification, which are available by clicking through as you apply for this role. 

Salary – £35,000 - £40,000 per annum dependent on experience

Working hours – Normal office hours are 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. We are open to flexible working patterns subject to the objectives and outcomes of the role being met. We are currently working hybrid with blended office and homeworking with the ability to work up to three days from home most weeks.

The closing date for applications for is 3rd November 2024

Please note that you must have the right to live and work in the UK to be eligible to apply for this role.

If you would like further information please contact us through the recruitment portal with your questions or contact details and a member of our team will contact you.

Our ideal candidate will be a digital expert. You might have experience from the public, private or third sector or as a freelancer.

You will understand audiences and be a great writer for digital channels. You will be at home with the technical jargon of the digital world but be able to interpret and translate this for colleagues across the charity, cutting through piles of data to spot what is important.

This is a revamped, highly rewarding role, reflecting a renewed emphasis that we place on our paid media, and your work will be transformational working within a friendly and hardworking team committed to keeping children safe from sexual harm.

Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and protecting the vulnerable adults, children and young people that we work with. As such, all posts are subject to a safer recruitment process including the disclosure of criminal records and vetting checks. We ensure that we have a range of policies and procedures in place which promote safeguarding and safer working practices across our services.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We believe in creating a positive environment where our differences are respected and each of us feels valued for our contribution. Showing respect and consideration to all is part of our values and at the core of our culture.

As an inclusive employer, all qualified candidates will be considered regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or belief, age, socioeconomic background, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity and caring responsibilities, marital status, nationality and disability including invisible disabilities and neurodiversity. As part of our safer recruitment process we actively remove bias from applications i.e applications are anonymised prior to sharing with the recruiting panel and equal opportunity monitoring forms are removed from applications on receipt and retained by HR for analysis reporting.

Birmingham Hospice are opening more shops and as a result is looking for a new Retail Area Manager to join it’s Retail Area Manager Team.

Our charity shops raise vital funds for Birmingham Hospice.  The generosity of our donors and shoppers plays a crucial role in supporting the community, helping us to provide care for local people living with a terminal diagnosis and for their families. 

We are looking for a highly motivated and commercially focused individual, with experience of area management.  Experience of the charity retail sector would be a real bonus for this role.

You are a self-motivated, enthusiastic, positive creative thinker, who feels comfortable working both autonomously and as a great team player.  You should have experience of delivering income generation, growth and results, through effective people management and engagement, collaboration and confidence in leading by example when required.

This is a hands-on role that is fully involved in all aspects of the retail business from stock generation to new shop openings, health and safety, and commercial acumen, to successfully develop new business strategies along with managing recruitment, training, and inspiring and motivating shop teams and our large team of volunteers to maximise sales, control costs, and deliver excellent customer and colleague experiences.

You will be exposed to a fast paced, varied and exciting role, with opportunities to get involved in helping set and run new initiatives, in a dynamic and growing retail charity chain.

Most importantly, though, you will have a passion for retail, amazing people skills, and the drive and tenacity to succeed working with both an employed and volunteer workforce.

If this sounds like the role for you then we’d love to receive your application. 

EVENTS OFFICER

Closing Date: 15 November 2024

Interview date: 25 November 2024

Department: Income Generation & Marketing

Hours: Full time

Duration: Permanent

Salary: Pay Band F £23,042 – £29,961 per annum

We are looking for a dedicated, enthusiastic Events Officer to join our Income Generation Team.

Are you an experienced, event fundraiser who enjoys building long lasting relationships with charity supporters and wanting to make a difference?

If so then we have a fantastic opportunity for you to join the fundraising team as our Events Officer.

Working to support the Birmingham Hospice brand, this varied role will lead on the delivery of a diverse portfolio of events and challenges including fun runs, adrenaline seeking challenges and in memory events. The successful candidate will have a friendly and engaging personality and enjoy speaking to charity supporters face to face, over the phone and via email.

Reporting directly to the Senior Events Manager this role will work to grow the income generation and profile of the charity through effective administration, supporter engagement and marketing of the events calendar, ensuring maximum participation and income is achieved. This role will allow you to use your creativity to proactively seek new income generation opportunities through event management. You will be a highly organised and motivated individual with excellent time management and written and verbal communication skills. The ideal candidate will have experience of managing a portfolio of events with proven success of reaching and exceeding participant and income targets. You should also have knowledge and experience of working with a range of external suppliers and volunteers and have a proven ability to build relationships at all levels. Experience of using CRMs systems is also advantageous.

We are seeking a dynamic and passionate Training and Engagement Manager to join our Education team, working primarily in London and the South East. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in education and a proven track record of delivering impactful training programs. You will also have experience of engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, developing and delivering a sales pipeline and working as part of a team to deliver targets. If you are a motivated self-starter with excellent communication skills and a passion for making a difference in the lives of young people, we want to hear from you!

Main Role & Responsibilities

As our Training & Engagement Manager: London & South East, you will be an active member of our Programmes team and work across our portfolio of programmes with particular focus on the Education programme. 

You will be responsible for stakeholder engagement, developing relationships and promoting Ygam training in London & the South East. You will recruit suitable delegates to workshops, working closely with a range of stakeholders from the education sector. 

You will provide training both face to face and online, with responsibility for delivering our assured workshops and promoting our work at conferences and events. You will also be able to demonstrate the impact of your work by collating case studies and evidence, supporting the programme's achievements.

Please note that this role will involve regular travel in London & the South East, and occasional travel across the UK.

We are seeking a dynamic director of member support and development, to lead a team that supports, inspires and champions hundreds of community groups across Britain, engaging people with their local railways and delivering empowering community projects. You’ll be helping communities to come together, take action and have a voice on sustainable and inclusive transport and development.

About this role

This role couldn’t be more crucial to who we are and what we do: putting our members and their local communities at the forefront, empowering them to achieve their goals, and ensuring we and our partners are listening to and learning from their insights.

As a member of our senior leadership team, reporting to our chief executive, you will manage, lead and develop our support and development team, with nine passionate and knowledgeable staff.

Your job is to ensure the team excels and thrives in its work supporting and developing our membership to increase its impact, in line with our strategic goals and members’ locally-determined plans and ambitions. This includes nurturing togetherness, positivity and innovation, ensuring strong collaboration with our other teams, external partners and funders, and bringing new opportunities into community rail, while sharing its insights and experiences.

It’s an exciting time to be joining community rail, with the movement expanding, increasingly influential in rail and transport development, a burgeoning evidence base, and growing recognition of its relevance in tackling the climate crisis and social inequalities.

Main responsibilities:

1. Manage, lead, support and develop our support and development (S&D) team, ensuring effective delivery and performance against our aims, objectives and plans, and ensuring the team’s work is well-planned, coordinated, evidenced and reported;
2. Lead on the development, delivery and regular review of a strategy and annual plans, targets and budgets for the S&D team, engaging the team and our funders effectively in this process, drawing on member, partner and Board input, and aligning with our overarching strategy;
3. Nurture a member-orientated, empowering, positive approach in the S&D team, in line with our values, ensuring high-quality provision of support, advice and signposting, balancing proactiveness and responsiveness, and being attentive to members’ needs and input, as well as wider contexts and opportunities;
4. Help our team to show positive leadership and provide intelligent, effective support, training and development services to our members around community engagement and empowerment, social inclusion and diversity, sustainable and healthy travel and socio-economic development – including by listening to members, continually developing the team’s knowledge, skills and networks, and enabling the team to signpost, refer to and collaborate with organisations with useful expertise/services;
5. Coordinating with our other teams, forge and maintain strong external partnerships, especially leading on those that help us support our members better and bring them opportunities, such as with train operators, corporate partners, third sector organisations, and at operational level with devolved/regional/combined authorities;
6. Continually monitor and develop the S&D team’s performance and impact, including using member, partner and colleague feedback, supporting staff to consider and maximise effectiveness, driving innovation and efficiencies, and developing ways to assess and evidence our impact, especially as our membership continues to grow;
7. Manage our activity supporting the creation and development of new or emerging community rail partnerships, station groups and community stations, and our support for those undergoing major change or challenges, ensuring this is carefully balanced with existing members’ needs;
8. Ensure our members’ voices, experiences and insights can be effectively used by our other teams and external partners, in their delivery, planning and strategic influencing work, especially ensuring that case studies, stories, examples and views are fed through to our communications, policy and events activity;
9. Play a key role in our liaison with and reporting to our own funders, and other major funders of our members, including ensuring effective monitoring and evaluation of our S&D work, collating good evidence of our own and our members’ impact, and maintaining a robust awareness of and ability to advocate on opportunities and risks in community rail;
10. As a member of our senior leadership team, work closely with senior colleagues and across the organisation, and liaise with our Board as relevant, to co-ordinate and manage the delivery of our overarching strategy, reinforce our values, ensure the whole team is engaged with our mission and purpose, and to show external leadership across our members, partners and beyond.

Skills and competencies:

1. Strong leadership and management skills, including a track record in managing, developing, drawing on and getting the best from a multi-faceted team, and working in and driving positive change in a complex, rapidly-evolving environment;
2. Significant experience and demonstrable experience in community engagement and community-led projects, ideally from both professional and voluntary positions, and ideally experience in supporting and advising community initiatives;
3. Experience in successfully planning, developing, delivering and evaluating programmes with positive social outcomes, including reporting to funders;
4. Experience working collaboratively and forming mutually-beneficial partnerships and professional networks, ideally with experience of developing corporate partnerships and/or funder relationships;
5. An understanding of how to evidence and increase social impact, particularly in relation to community development, empowerment and sustainability;
6. Awareness of and a strong commitment to community empowerment, social inclusion, social justice and sustainable development, with a good grasp of the importance of public transport and sustainable travel, and community-led action, to these agendas;
7. Excellent communication skills, articulate and assertive, with the ability to work constructively, diplomatically and persuasively with stakeholders at all levels and handle challenging situations;
8. Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines while dealing with competing priorities, and an evidenced ability to support a team to do so;
9. IT literate and competent using Office applications, the internet and CRM/database/recording systems;
10. Appropriate qualifications and professional development demonstrating knowledge and skills in line with the above, and a commitment to ongoing learning and development.

Other information

As you will be home-based and managing a dispersed team, we are flexible about your location. However, you will be expected to travel to our office in Huddersfield for in-person full-team meetings quarterly, and you will need to bring your team together at a central location with similar regularity in between. On top of this, attendance at occasional in-person events and partner meetings, and visits to members to learn more about community rail and assist the team, will be important. We therefore welcome applications from those with decent public transport links, not too far from a railway station to enable journeys to be made sustainably.

This is a full-time position, 37 hours per week. We use a flexi-time system, with the core hours 10am-3pm, and we are committed to being a flexible, supportive and understanding employer. This is a permanent position with a probationary period of six months.

Community Rail Network is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from disabled people and Black, Asian and other minoritised groups, who meet with the skills and competencies for this role. We will provide reasonable adjustments for interviews as required.

Youth Futures Foundation is the What Works Centre for youth employment. We exist to address the significant disparities in youth employment for marginalised groups. We want to ensure that all young people can access and keep good quality jobs.

We are looking for a Senior Grants Officer who will be a key role within the grants team, supporting Relationships Managers and the Head of Grants in the delivery of innovative and impactful grant-making. You will lead on the delivery of key funding relationships and portfolios, making recommendations on complex and strategically important requests for funding and building effective relationships with our grant holders. You will also work closely across our Impact and Evidence, Employer Engagement and Policy & Communications teams to ensure successful applicants are supported to deliver high quality, impactful projects that will build the evidence base of “What Works” to support the most disadvantaged young people into good jobs.

This role can be based at any of our hubs located in London, Birmingham or Leeds.  We currently operate a hybrid model of two-days per week in the office and three-days from home.

We offer flexible working and consider alternative patterns of work (open to Job Share requests).

For more information, please download the job recruitment pack.

The young people we aim to serve – and the challenges they face - are all unique. We are looking to build a team that reflects this diversity. Our commitment to inclusion across race, gender, age, class, religion, identity, and experience forms the cornerstone of our work. We are an equal opportunities, Living Wage and Disability Confident employer and encourage applications from a diverse range of backgrounds representative of our communities.  We offer a welcoming and inclusive workplace, where employees are encouraged to have a voice.