Performance manager jobs in alnwick, northumberland

Job purpose

To support and deliver effective communications, including marketing and digital engagement activities, which raise awareness of Dementia Carers Count and foster connections with our community of carers, campaigners and donors. Your work will help us reach and support more carers, raise funds and campaign for changes which will ensure that no dementia carer feels isolated, invisible or alone. 

Key responsibilities  

•Understand our cause, linked issues, and how these are publicly perceived 

•Horizon scan to spot social and news trends as well as potential influencer targets 

•Manage our social platforms, keeping abreast of media and public zeitgeist about our cause and related issues. You will design and deliver paid advertising campaigns and monitor, respond, share, engage, comment on posts, according to our guidelines and with responsibility for reputation management 

•Share audience insights with colleagues to ensure effective stewardship of all our defined audiences 

•Support development of media relationships. You will curate press and media lists and respond to media queries, with shared out of hours responsibility.

•Draft statements and press releases and pitch ideas for articles and features, developing copy as needed and tracking coverage 

•Support user-led story telling as part of content creation, including interviewing carers about their experiences and identifying opportunities to share carers’ voices in our materials 

•Draft website copy and develop assets for digital use and printed materials which communicate our key messages and brand and which support specific campaigns 

•Review and monitor evaluation and reporting metrics to provide regular and campaign-based management information relating to the success of digital and media activity 

•Support effective cross-organisational internal communication 

•Adhere to all relevant legislative and regulatory obligations relating to marketing, digital and communications 

•Carry out other duties commensurate with this post as requested. 

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease. Brain Tumour Research is determined to change this. 

Their vision is to find a cure for all types of brain tumours. To achieve their mission, they are looking for a Community Fundraiser who will proactively engage with supporters, community groups and volunteers across the West Midlands to join their team of 12 Community Fundraisers across the UK.

The Community Fundraiser (West Midlands) is responsible for providing support and guidance to fundraisers within their communities to achieve their ambitions and ultimately raise vital funds for Brain Tumour Research. This is achieved through a wide variety of activities such as helping supporters to make the most of their own fundraising, engaging participants with externally organised events such as the Great Birmingham Run, and encouraging communities to get involved in events organised by Brain Tumour Research such as Wear a Hat Day and Walk for Hope. The Community Fundraiser will be the face of Brain Tumour Research in the area, providing excellent stewardship to existing supporters, and building great relationships with new supporters.

This post has been vacant since Autumn, and as such needs a fundraiser with confidence and capability in fundraising to join the team, provide donor love to the loyal supporters in the area, and approach developing the areas potential with energy and enthusiasm. If you have fundraising experience and are keen to join a charity with ambition and an amazing supporter base, then this could be the role for you.

Please note the successful candidate will need to live within the region (Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire and Gloucestershire), have access to a car and be willing to travel around their region. If you are not currently based in this area, please clarify if you have plans to relocate.  

Application notes 

Please download the Candidate Info Pack provided for further information about the role, timelines and next steps.

To progress your application, please follow instructions in the pack to organise an informal screening call. Please note, we cannot shortlist candidates who have not had a screening call. 

As this role has been vacant for some time, we are running rolling interview to see suitable candidates as they apply. Interviews will be kept to one stage, and organised to suit the candidate, where possible. Don’t delay – apply today! 

About Open Cages

Open Cages is a UK-registered charity fighting animal suffering. We are part of an international organisation, Anima International. To achieve our goal we use scientific evidence, careful reasoning, and draw upon decades of collective experience. Just in the last few years, we have successfully helped improve the lives of hundreds of millions of farmed animals in the UK.

We are impact-oriented and use a wide array of tools to make the world a better place. Our current toolkit includes:

• Investigations which reveal the reality hidden behind the walls of factory farms
• Negotiations with companies to encourage them to eliminate cruel practices from their policies
• Advocacy to secure legal milestones for animals

At Open Cages we won’t stop until we end animal suffering. We would like to invite you to join us and help us achieve this goal.

What do you gain by working at Open Cages?

• Meaningful work – you will help build a world free from animal suffering
• Time – you will be able to focus full-time on helping animals
• High degree of flexibility – the work is almost totally remote and you will organise your working hours and workflow yourself
• Trust – we expect you to make mistakes as a given and learn from them
• Autonomy – you will experience freedom and independence in your decision-making
• Transparency – you will have access to the work and decisions of others
• Honest work culture – you will know what your colleagues are doing and what they really think
• Knowledge – you will learn and receive support from people who have been fighting for animals for many years
• Opportunity to grow – you will learn every day and be encouraged to experiment beyond your skill set
• Ability to influence the organisation – we encourage our people to openly speak their mind and thus you will be able to impact what kind of organisation we are
• A laugh – animal advocacy can be dark at times, we think that having a fun atmosphere is key to balance this
• Transparently set compensation – Our salaries are not negotiable and are based on a transparent algorithm that is the same for each role

Following a 3-month probation period, you will transition to a fixed-term contract. Upon successful completion of this term, you will be offered a permanent employment contract. A minimum salary of £39,695.24 gross (our salary base for people resident in the UK) will apply from the beginning of the probationary period. The salary base may change due to your previous experience related to the position, or your experience in animal advocacy (+3% for each year). In addition, the salary increases with your seniority in Open Cages according to the following model:

+ 7% – for every year worked at Open Cages during the first 5 years of work

+ 5% – for every year worked at Open Cages during the next 5 years of work

+ 3% – for every year worked at Open Cages during the next 5 years of work

+ 2% – for every year worked at Open Cages during the next years of work

About your role

We are a small and ambitious early-stage organisation with two full-time team members. Our current objective: to help the 1 billion chickens raised annually in the UK. By joining us as our first employee focussed on operations, you will help lay the foundations of the organisation as it prepares for rapid scaling, not only increasing our impact for animals now but by also helping to shape the organisation we want to become. If you have an engineering mindset, like to organise things (ideally in spreadsheets), and navigate through novel problems, it’s time to use your strengths for animals. Whilst it may sound challenging, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of making a historic change for those who cannot stand up for themselves. Someone has to pick up that challenge, and we hope it will be You.

To help the billions of animals trapped on factory farms, we need an organisation that is expertly designed and not weighed down by inefficiencies. In this role your first task will be to help us manage, monitor and speed up our internal processes such as accounting, finances, payments, staff operations, donor management and event planning.

We can accommodate to you

Due to the broad scope of our work, there is no simple description of the perfect employee. There may also be certain areas where you are stronger than others, and we are open to fitting the role around you. We are looking for a generalist rather than a specialist. However, you do need to have some particular strengths such as conscientiousness and an analytical mind. Ideally, some day, you will be able to lead a team of your own and transfer your knowledge to them.

No previous experience is required for this role. While experience will be valued (and reflected in the salary), we welcome applications from both seasoned professionals and passionate newcomers who align with our organisational culture.

What do we require from you?

• Strong belief in the mission of our organisation. Working for us should not be thought of as a ‘career step’. We want people who are motivated by our mission above all.

• Flexible availability. We think of ourselves as a small startup. The fate of the organisation rests on a handful of highly motivated advocates who want to do something ambitious with their lives. We want to maintain the intensity of our current operating culture, so you should expect to work the occasional weekends and late evenings.

• Not being an asshole. We expect you to treat others with respect, decency and compassion – even the occasional adversaries.

• A preference for hard work. Activism is our passion and one of the main motivations in life. To fit our culture, you have to be a person that is proactive and enjoys work.

• Growth mindset. Nobody knows how to fix the world, so we need you to keep learning. We constantly strive to be better at our activism, but also as people.

• Strong interest in a high-feedback culture. We have a culture of honest and direct communication. We talk openly about our strengths and weaknesses on a daily basis because we want to be the best. You will know what your colleagues really think of you and be encouraged to speak your mind.

• Ability to reason and communicate your thinking, especially in written form. In order to thrive in our organisation you must be able to think carefully, try to back up your ideas with reasonable evidence, and above all be open to being proven wrong and changing your mind.

• Fluency in English. You will be working in a UK-based organisation which will require constant communication with English speakers.

• Ability to work in the UK. This offer is open to candidates who are either currently UK-based, or are willing to move to the UK for the job. We are happy to do whatever we can to help you in relocating, depending on your needs and our ability. If you have any questions about what we can help with, don’t hesitate to write to us!

You do not need to be vegan or vegetarian. While all of our events provide only plant-based meals, we are open to anyone who wants to fight for a world that is free from animal suffering. We won’t turn down any help.

What will you do?

• Build culture – you will help build and reinforce our culture, so we never lose what makes up the strength of Open Cages.

• Embrace reality – you will make it your mission to understand the world as it is rather than as you would like it to be.

• Manage activists – you will manage and work with teams of both employed and voluntary activists.

• Experience frustration – you will feel frustrated about things you could do better or things that are not working in the organisation or your team, and use this frustration as an opportunity to refine and elevate our organisation.

• Question ideas – you will question common knowledge, especially your own ideas, so that our results are always as good as they can be.

• Optimise your performance – you will continuously deepen your knowledge – both about particular areas of animal advocacy and about how the world works – and enjoy this process.

• Prioritise action – you will act even when there is not sufficient data.

• Abandon projects – you will change your objectives when it makes sense, no matter the time already invested.

• Respect and trust others – you will be there for others and trust their intentions. You will support them when they succeed and when they fail.

• Seek information independently – you will be responsible for acting very independently which will require you to obtain and verify data.

• Make mistakes – you will embrace your mistakes without being ashamed with the desire to learn from them.

• Oversee employment – you will oversee payroll, staff contracts, and employment matters and payments.

• Manage and optimise finances – you will be in charge of our income and expenses. This will include making sure that we have efficient and accurate accounting, and that we have enough income to achieve our goals.

• Help ensure legal governance – you will help submit our annual accounts to the charity commission and ensure compliance with all legal duties, such as making tax payments.

• Manage supporters – you will handle communication with our supporter base and manage donors, primarily through email.

• Improve team coordination – you will worry about how to make the team more effective and help us work better together by improving structure, tools, and internal processes.

• Build and improve tools – you will spot inefficiencies and opportunities in our processes – such as our newsletter and payments software – and improve them, for example by building automation tools.

• Plan events – you will handle logistics and planning for internal and external events such as recruitments, training, and team building activities.

• Obsess over speed – your job will not be to simply manage internal operations, but to reduce the organisation’s time spent on them so that it becomes faster and more efficient.

Do you think this role is too challenging and you're not fit for it?

You may be thinking that this role would be interesting for you, but you won’t make the cut. 

We encourage you not to worry and fill out the application nonetheless, especially if you meet our requirements (even on a basic level) and you think this position could bring you a lot of joy. Leave the judgment about your competence to us. You may even learn something useful along the way.

We prepared support materials to help you through the application process. We'll also be hosting informational webinars about this role and our recruitment process – click ‘Redirect to recruiter’ to see the website for more details.

Harris Hill are delighted to be working with a national charity to recruit for the Fundraiser (Direct Fundraising) in order tosupport the growth and development of direct fundraising activities, including face to face recruitment and telephone fundraising campaigns.

As a Fundraiser you will:

• Support the Senior Fundraisers in growing direct fundraising activities.
• Assist in the planning and execution of direct fundraising campaigns, including the setup of new fundraising agencies and campaigns.
• Conduct mystery shopping and call listening to monitor the quality and compliance of fundraising activities carried out by external agencies, ensuring they meet expected ethical and regulatory standards.
• Ensure campaigns adhere to compliance standards and best practices.
• Monitor performance metrics, income, and expenditure.
• Advocate for the mission, ensuring that fundraising activities align with values.
• Collaborate with other departments and external agencies to drive success.

To be successful, you must have experience:

• Highly developed written communication skills to understand, interpret and present complex information in a clear and persuasive way for a range of audience
• Have strong ability to record, analyse, and present financial data in an accurate and impactful way.
• Have experience using Windows based software like Excel, Word, and email, to carry out tasks and projects.
• Willingness to travel across the UK for mystery shopping and engage with external agencies to ensure high standards of fundraising.
• A collaborative spirit and the ability to work effectively within a dynamic team.
• Self-motivated, enthusiastic and well organised professional

Salary: £28,337 - £31,485 + allowances

Contract type:Full-time, permanent

Location- London, hybrid  (1-2 days in the office) or remote 

 Closing date: 16th May at 8am

Interview: TBC

Recruitment process: Cv and Supporting Statement 

If this sounds like you, then please do get in touch ASAP!

Unfortunately, due to resource capacity, we will only contact candidates that are shortlisted for interview. Therefore if you do not hear from us within 2 weeks of the closing date please note your application has been unsuccessful.

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

About Free to Run

Free to Run’s mission is to advance gender equity globally through running. We are a registered nonprofit/nongovernmental organization that has been operating community-led programs for adolescent girls and young women since 2014. We are known for delivering long-term, youth-led, progressive running, leadership, rights, and health programs directly to girls and young women living in protracted conflict zones. However, the longer-term impact of our work is building enduring social change - decreasing barriers to public participation, increasing women in leadership, and making power structures more equitable and inclusive. Free to Run identifies as an organization working at the intersections of feminism, human rights, development, and humanitarian interventions.

The organization is in a position of significant growth, in terms of our strategy, reach, impact, and operating budget. In 2024, we embarked on a new three-year strategic plan that positions us to reach 50,000 people by 2026. We will meet this goal through our work across three strategic pillars: direct service (EMPOWER), capacity building for local, women-led NGOs (EQUIP), and building a global movement of activists who are passionate about gender equity and running (MOVE).

Position Overview

A new role within the organization, the Philanthropy Officer, Trusts and Foundations is responsible for identifying, building, and managing a (new) portfolio of trust, foundation, and grant funders from identification to stewardship, developing high-quality proposals, budgets, and reports. Alongside ownership of this portfolio, the Philanthropy Officer, Trusts and Foundations will support the broader Free to Run team with prospect research and assist with applications and reports for institutional/transformational funders.

This position offers a high degree of flexibility and would suit a proactive self-starter with a strong ability to self-manage to achieve goals and a demonstrated passion for the work of Free to Run.  This is a unique opportunity for an experienced trusts and foundations fundraiser to build and grow a new, high-potential portfolio from the ground up, with strong support from program and leadership teams.

While some support for larger institutional grants is part of the role, we are particularly seeking applicants with experience managing and growing portfolios of charitable trusts, private foundations, or family foundations, rather than institutional grant management alone.

This role reports to the Director of Development and Communications and is a part-time (20 hours per week), fully remote position. While Free to Run is registered in the U.S., our team is based around the world.

Core Accountabilities
 

1. Create and manage a portfolio of trust and foundation donors at the four- to five-figure level (60%)

• Take primary responsibility for developing, growing, and building strong relationships with a portfolio of trust/foundation/grant funders through the full donor cycle.

• Take an active role in meeting and exceeding annual income targets by developing strategies to maximize foundation and grant funding, regularly assessing progress, and reporting to senior management.

• Develop a formal pipeline of foundation funding opportunities for Free to Run

• Develop compelling, high-quality funding applications tailored to donor requirements, leveraging program data and impact narratives.

• Work with the Programs team to oversee budget tracking and reporting requirements for grants, ensuring accurate fund allocation, compliance with donor requirements, and timely submission of financial and impact reports.

• Collaborate with the global Free to Run team to identify and develop new funding opportunities and projects

2.  Support the process of donor qualification and prospect research (15%)

• Use research tools to support the ED and Development Team with in-depth prospect research profiles for individual major donor prospects, family foundations, and other prospective funders

3. Provide support to the Free to Run team with institutional grant applications (20%)

• Monitor grant tracking tools to identify and qualify new opportunities for institutional or transformational grants

• Keep up to date with the funder landscape and giving trends across multiple geographies 

• Support the ED and Programs with the development of grant applications, project budgets, or other related materials where needed

• Work with internal stakeholders to lead organizational grant tracking within the donor database (EveryAction), ensuring accurate documentation of all interactions, proposals, and gifts.

4.  Engage with the Free to Run Team (5%)

• Participate in weekly 1 on 1 meetings with manager

• Participate in performance planning, goal setting, and evaluation activities

• Liaise with key staff across functions of this position

• Attend team meetings and participate in strategic planning and evaluation meetings

Location

• This is a fully remote position that can be carried out from anywhere in the world. Travel may be required occasionally to attend fundraising events or organizational/donor meetings.
• For candidates outside the U.S., this role will be offered as an independent contractor position, allowing for flexible working hours and location.

Working Hours

• This position is a part-time role at 20 hours/week. The role offers a high degree of flexibility, although working hours may occasionally fluctuate outside regular core hours to attend meetings across time zones. 

Compensation

• The full-time equivalent (FTE) salary for this role is $45,000–$50,000 USD per year (approximately £35,500–£39,500 GBP based on current exchange rates). The actual salary will be pro rata based on 50% FTE, i.e., $22,500–$25,000 per year, and will be paid in USD.

Experience and Competencies

Below is what we are looking for as we evaluate applications.  Candidates don’t need to have all these experiences and competencies but should be able to display strengths across multiple areas. 

Language: 

• English (full fluency required, written and spoken)

Experience

• 3+ years of experience successfully managing a portfolio of charitable trusts, private or family foundations, or similar funders, with a proven track record of securing and stewarding gifts in the $5,000–$100,000 range

• Direct experience crafting tailored funding applications, budgets, and impact reports for US, UK, or international philanthropic funders, in collaboration with Programs teams

• Confidence in independently managing the full donor lifecycle — from prospecting and cultivation to application, reporting, and stewardship

• A demonstrable track record of developing long-term relationships with grantmakers or major donors

• Experience in prospect identification and research using relevant tools and databases

• Familiarity with the funding and donor landscape in the UK, EU, North America, and/or MENA region

• Experience using a CRM system for fundraising (EveryAction or similar) to manage donor records, track proposals, and support donor stewardship

Skills and Competencies

• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to write compelling and persuasive cases for support

• Ability to effectively convey the impact of social justice, gender equity, and the power of running, hiking, and outdoor sport in driving positive change

• Ability to think creatively and spot opportunities for new or increased funding

• A results-oriented mindset with the ability to self-organize, meet deadlines, and deliver on goals

• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with people from diverse racial, ethnic, geographic, religious, sexual orientation, gender, and generational backgrounds

• Interest in international girls’, women’s, and human rights or running/outdoor sports 

Free to Run is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We don’t just accept differences — we celebrate, support and thrive on them for the benefit of our team, our programs, and our organizational strength. We are proud to be an affirmative action employer, committed to diversity, equity and inclusion of ALL people in our hiring and employment practices. We encourage applications from people who have non-dominant identities based on race, ethnicity, migration status, ability, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, etc.

The Fundraising and Communications Officer is a vital member of the Membership and Development team, responsible for engaging and communicating with Humanists International's members and the wider public, with a strong focus on fundraising. This role involves developing and implementing communication and fundraising strategies, managing social media channels, creating compelling content, and utilizing AI tools to optimize outreach and fundraising effectiveness, particularly in engaging standard value supporters.

Key Responsibilities:

Fundraising and Development:

• Develop and implement fundraising plans and campaigns, with a focus on strategies to engage and cultivate standard value supporters.

• Create compelling content for fundraising appeals, ensuring alignment with Humanists International's values and mission.

• Analyze fundraising data to identify trends and opportunities for improvement, using AI-driven analytics where appropriate to understand standard value supporter behavior.

• Implement strategies to cultivate and steward relationships with donors, with a focus on upgrading standard value supporters.

Membership Communications:

• Manage all membership-related communications, including the monthly newsletter, ensuring content is engaging, informative, and promotes fundraising opportunities to standard value supporters.

• Establish and maintain a strong online presence through existing social media accounts (e.g., Twitter, Facebook) and by creating new accounts on platforms like Instagram and BlueSky.

• Develop and implement social media strategies to increase engagement and reach, with targeted campaigns for standard value supporters.

• Respond to inquiries and engage with members online, fostering a sense of community among standard value supporters.

• Utilize AI tools to schedule posts, analyze social media performance, and identify target audiences within the standard value supporter segment for fundraising.

Campaigns:

• Invest time and effort in relaunching the "End Blasphemy Laws" campaign, developing engaging content and promoting it across various channels to maximize fundraising and awareness, with specific strategies for standard value supporters.

• Support other campaigns led by Humanists International, contributing to their communication strategies and execution, with a focus on integrating fundraising elements and engaging standard value supporters.

Content Creation and Publication:

• Produce high-quality written and visual content for various platforms, including the website, social media, newsletters, fundraising appeals, and reports, tailored to appeal to standard value supporters.

• Support the Chief Executive in writing the annual report, ensuring it effectively communicates the organization's achievements and impact to all supporters.

• Use AI tools to assist in content creation, including generating initial drafts, optimizing content for different platforms, and ensuring consistency in tone and style, particularly for communications targeting standard value supporters.

Collaboration and Support:

• Work closely with the Advocacy and Membership Development teams to ensure consistent messaging and effective communication of Humanists International's work, with a focus on integrating fundraising into all communications with standard value supporters.

• Provide communications support to Young Humanists International, assisting with their campaigns and initiatives.

Planning and Strategy:

• Work with the Chief Executive Officer to develop a comprehensive annual communications and fundraising plan that aligns with the organization's strategic goals, with specific strategies for standard value supporters.

• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of communication activities and make recommendations for improvement, using data and AI-driven analytics to assess engagement and fundraising outcomes among standard value supporters.

Person Specification:

Essential:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages to different audiences, including standard value supporters.

• Strong understanding of social media platforms and best practices, with experience in using social media for fundraising.

• Experience in creating engaging content for online and offline channels, including fundraising appeals.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

• Strong organizational and time management skills.

• Commitment to the values of Humanists International.

• Demonstrable experience and comfort using AI tools for content creation, social media management, or data analysis, with a focus on fundraising applications.

Desirable:

• Experience in campaign development and execution, with a focus on fundraising campaigns targeting specific donor segments.

• Graphic design skills and experience with design software.

• Knowledge of website content management systems.

• Familiarity with the international human rights landscape.

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual with a can-do attitude to join our Fundraising & Engagement Team and help raise vital funds for children with cancer. You don’t need previous fundraising experience—just strong organisational skills, creativity, a talent for building relationships, and a genuine passion for making a difference and raising money for charitable causes. 

In this varied role, you’ll support the planning and delivery of fundraising events, care for our amazing supporters, and assist with individual, community, and corporate fundraising activities. You’ll gain hands-on experience across multiple fundraising areas, playing a key role in ensuring the smooth delivery of the team’s work through excellent administrative and project support. 

This is a hugely rewarding opportunity for someone looking to take their first step into the charity or fundraising sector, or to build on existing experience. If you’re ready to learn, grow, and be part of something meaningful—we’d love to hear from you! 

Who are we looking for? 

To succeed in this role, you will need to be passionate about fundraising and demonstrate key qualities that will help you thrive in a dynamic and supportive environment.

The ideal candidate will have:

• A keen interest in fundraising with a willingness to learn and develop as a professional fundraiser (and if the opportunity arose, a willingness to study for a Level 3 Fundraising Apprenticeship over 13 months)

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to provide excellent supporter care and build relationships. 

• A positive, enthusiastic and results-driven attitude with the ability to work on your own initiative or as part of a team. 

• IT literacy with knowledge of Microsoft packages.

See our Recruitment Pack for the full role description and specification and for more information about the charity.

Location: Home-based, ideally located in London or within a short commutable distance. Regular travel to the London office is a key requirement of the role, with occasional national travel also expected. 

Interviews: 20 May 2025 (London Office)

Safeguarding: As a safeguarding charity whose work and practice are underpinned by safeguarding principles to protect children and young people and enhance their welfare, we always work in accordance with legislation, statutory guidance, and best safeguarding practices. All our roles require a basic criminal record check.  

Promoting equality and diversity: We actively encourage applications from those with lived experience of neuroblastoma and/or other childhood cancers. As an equal opportunity employer, we also welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates, regardless of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy, maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. 

We are looking to appoint an exceptional individual to join our team of six Strategic Partnership Advisors across England. In this role, you will support key partners, including Active Partnerships, National Governing Bodies of Sport, local authorities, and leisure providers to become more effective in their role of enabling more disabled people to be active.

You will possess a strong understanding of the sport and activity sector, including its operations, and be able to advocate for improvements that help more disabled people become active. Additionally, you will be aware of the broader systems and barriers that disabled people encounter in sports and activities, as well as organisations such as disabled people’s user-led organisations and various charities, to build relationships and foster effective cross-sector partnerships.

We are looking for an individual with experience of working strategically at a place based and/or locality level within the South West region. Someone who can positively influence local developments, systems and investments to tackle the inequalities disabled people face in sport and activity through inclusive practice.

The successful candidate will work remotely from home and be based in the South West region. This role will involve travel across the region and occasional travel to our Loughborough and Manchester offices.

This role is full-time (36 hours) and permanent.

We offer 26.5 days of annual leave, including birthday leave, plus bank holidays. Activity Alliance also closes between Christmas and New Year which means that employees are not expected to work during this time and they are not required to use their annual leave allowance to have this time free from work.

Activity Alliance currently offers the following benefits:

• Hybrid working
• Time off in lieu
• A contributory pension scheme (employee 6%, employer 9%)
• Childcare vouchers
• Cycle to work scheme
• Eye care
• Employee engagement initiatives such as away days
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme
• Menopause policy
• Enhanced sickness pay
• Group Income Protection
• Death in service
• Training and development opportunities

Research Associate - National Youth Agency

Contract: 12-month Fixed Term Contract (with potential to extend)
Hours: Full-time - 37 hours per week 
Salary: £30,000 – £35,000 per annum, dependent on experience
Remote: This role is 100% homebased with occasional travel for staff residentials and other events.

What we do

As the national body for youth work, the NYA has a dual function. We are the professional statutory and regulatory body (PSRB) responsible for qualifications, quality standards, and safeguarding for youth work and services in England. In line with our charity mission and aims, we also champion youth work through research, advocacy, campaigns, and programmes.

We work in partnership and believe in collaborative leadership, listening to youth workers and the youth work sector so that we can understand their needs and respond to the challenges they face. We are ambitious for youth work and for young people and integrate youth voice and influence across our work

About the Role

This is an exciting opportunity to join our Knowledge Team, working alongside two existing Research Associates and a Data Analyst. 

You will be integral in delivering research, data, and insights that support organisational development and programme delivery across NYA.

We are looking for an experienced mixed-methods researcher with a strong understanding of social research and evaluation approaches. Ideally, you will have experience working in or alongside the youth sector and be confident using both qualitative and quantitative methods.

You’ll need to be flexible, proactive, and a strong communicator, able to explain complex ideas to varied audiences. 

This role is ideal for someone looking to make a tangible difference through evidence-led approaches that shape policy, practice, and impact in youth work.

Key responsibilities for this role will include:

• Designing and delivering research projects using a range of methods including surveys, interviews, and focus groups.
• Supporting the development of the NYA research and data hub, including external research collation and data visualisation.
• Leading on evaluations to meet funder requirements and contribute to NYA’s growing evidence base.
• Analysing data from NYA programmes to support impact measurement.
• Promoting evidence-based practice across NYA and the wider youth sector.
• Communicating findings clearly through reports, briefings, and presentations.
• Managing research projects and collaborating with internal and external partners to deliver on time and to quality.
• Responding to internal and external research enquiries.

The ideal candidate will have experience in social research, familiarity with various research methodologies, and the ability to communicate complex findings to diverse audiences. 

Please refer to our Candidate Pack for more information on the role and the requirements.

Why Work for NYA?

NYA operates as a people-first organisation, prioritising the well-being and needs of its employees.

NYA offers an exceptional flexible working approach which encourages our team to balance professional responsibilities with their personal life.

A remote based team, spread across England, fostering inclusivity and diverse talent. Despite geographical distances between team members, NYA maintains a highly motivated and connected team through the optimisation of digital tools.

NYA is committed to supporting the continual personal and professional development of our team and helping them achieve their ambitions.

We provide 25 days leave plus 8 days, life assurance scheme, 5% employer pension contribution and a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme via Spectrum.life with unlimited specialist support available to all NYA employees.

How to Apply:

Please download our applicant pack to find out more about the role and requirements

To apply, please submit the following via our online application platform by 11:59pm on Monday 12th May 2025:

A detailed CV setting out your career history, with responsibilities and achievements in line with the person specification in the About You section. 

A covering letter (maximum two sides) highlighting your suitability for the role and how you meet the requirements in the

About You section. 

We will request data for our EEDI monitoring purposes, providing this is optional.

Please note: the covering letter is an essential part of the application process and will be assessed as part of your full application. We use AI detector software, so cover letters or CV’s with over 30% AI generated content with be disregarded. We understand that AI tools can offer support to candidates who have learning differences, which is why we will accept applications with some AI assistance. CV’s will not be accepted without a cover letter.

The National Youth Agency is an equal opportunities employer. 

At NYA our inclusive culture means that we embrace individual differences and understand that we need a diverse team to achieve our organisations mission. 

We wish to recruit candidates from all backgrounds to ensure our team reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve. We encourage applications from anyone regardless of disability, ethnicity, heritage, gender, sexuality, religion, socio-economic background and political beliefs but we particularly welcome applications from global majority candidates and those from other minoritised ethnic groups in the UK as they are currently underrepresented in our team.

Youth Work changes lives

Which is why we’re committed to ensuring that as many young people as possible get to benefit from it. As the national body for youth work in England, the National Youth Agency (NYA) exists to champion its transformative power.  We believe all young people should have the opportunity to benefit from the life-changing impact of extraordinary youth workers and trained volunteers.

We help to grow youth work provision in ways that keep it effective, relevant, safe and engaging, to help millions of young people reach their potential and thrive. We do this by providing guidance, support, advice, training and staff development opportunities for youth workers and youth work organisations. At the heart of everything we do are young people themselves. We work hard to ensure their voices are integrated into all our work, to develop provision that truly meets their needs.

REF-221126

About Open Cages

Open Cages is a UK-registered charity fighting animal suffering. We are part of an international organisation, Anima International. To achieve our goal we use scientific evidence, careful reasoning, and draw upon decades of collective experience. Just in the last few years, we have successfully helped improve the lives of hundreds of millions of farmed animals in the UK.

We are impact-oriented and use a wide array of tools to make the world a better place. Our current toolkit includes:

• Investigations which reveal the reality hidden behind the walls of factory farms
• Negotiations with companies to encourage them to eliminate cruel practices from their policies
• Advocacy to secure legal milestones for animals

At Open Cages we won’t stop until we end animal suffering. We would like to invite you to join us and help us achieve this goal.

What do you gain by working at Open Cages?

• Meaningful work – you will help build a world free from animal suffering
• Time – you will be able to focus full-time on helping animals
• High degree of flexibility – the work is almost totally remote and you will organise your working hours and workflow yourself
• Trust – we expect you to make mistakes as a given and learn from them
• Autonomy – you will experience freedom and independence in your decision-making
• Transparency – you will have access to the work and decisions of others
• Honest work culture – you will know what your colleagues are doing and what they really think
• Knowledge – you will learn and receive support from people who have been fighting for animals for many years
• Opportunity to grow – you will learn every day and be encouraged to experiment beyond your skill set
• Ability to influence the organisation – we encourage our people to openly speak their mind and thus you will be able to impact what kind of organisation we are
• A laugh – animal advocacy can be dark at times, we think that having a fun atmosphere is key to balance this
• Transparently set compensation – Our salaries are not negotiable and are based on a transparent algorithm that is the same for each role

Following a 3-month probation period, you will transition to a fixed-term contract. Upon successful completion of this term, you will be offered a permanent employment contract. A minimum salary of £39,695.24 gross (our salary base for people resident in the UK) will apply from the beginning of the probationary period. The salary base may change due to your previous experience related to the position, or your experience in animal advocacy (+3% for each year). In addition, the salary increases with your seniority in Open Cages according to the following model:

+ 7% – for every year worked at Open Cages during the first 5 years of work

+ 5% – for every year worked at Open Cages during the next 5 years of work

+ 3% – for every year worked at Open Cages during the next 5 years of work

+ 2% – for every year worked at Open Cages during the next years of work

About your role

We are a small and ambitious early-stage organisation with two full-time team members. Our current objective: to help the 1 billion chickens raised annually in the UK. By joining us as a campaigner who focuses on communications, you will work on the frontlines by shining a light on the hidden suffering of animals trapped on factory farms, and mobilising the public to take action. Your first task will be to help us convince the UK’s largest food businesses to improve their chicken welfare policies, primarily through crafting media stories and marketing campaigns that capture the hearts and minds of the public.

While this may sound challenging, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a historic change for those who cannot stand up for themselves. Someone has to pick up the fight, and we hope it will be You.

We can accommodate to you

Due to the broad scope of our work, there is no simple description of the perfect campaigner. There may also be certain areas where you are stronger than others, and we are open to fitting the role around you. We are looking for a generalist rather than a specialist. However, you do need to have some particular strengths such as resilience, persistence, creativity, and critical thinking. Ideally, some day, you will be able to lead a big team and transfer your knowledge to them.

No previous experience is required for this role. While experience will be valued (and reflected in the salary), we welcome applications from both seasoned professionals and passionate newcomers who align with our organisational culture.

What do we require from you?

• Strong belief in the mission of our organisation. Working for us should not be thought of as a ‘career step’. We want people who are motivated by our mission above all.
• Flexible availability. We think of ourselves as a small startup. The fate of the organisation rests on a handful of highly motivated advocates who want to do something ambitious with their lives. We want to maintain the intensity of our current operating culture, so you should expect to work the occasional weekends and late evenings.
• Not being an asshole. We expect you to treat others with respect, decency and compassion – even the occasional adversaries.
• A preference for hard work. Activism is our passion and one of the main motivations in life. To fit our culture, you have to be a person that is proactive and enjoys work.
• Growth mindset. Nobody knows how to fix the world, so we need you to keep learning. We constantly strive to be better at our activism, but also as people.
• Strong interest in a high-feedback culture. We have a culture of honest and direct communication. We talk openly about our strengths and weaknesses on a daily basis because we want to be the best. You will know what your colleagues really think of you and be encouraged to speak your mind.
• Ability to reason and communicate your thinking, especially in written form. In order to thrive in our organisation you must be able to think carefully, try to back up your ideas with reasonable evidence, and above all be open to being proven wrong and changing your mind.
• Fluency in English. You will be working in a UK-based organisation which will require constant communication with English speakers.
• Ability to work in the UK. This offer is open to candidates who are either currently UK-based, or are willing to move to the UK for the job. We are happy to do whatever we can to help you in relocating, depending on your needs and our ability. If you have any questions about what we can help with, don’t hesitate to write to us!

You do not need to be vegan or vegetarian. While all of our events provide only plant-based meals, we are open to anyone who wants to fight for a world that is free from animal suffering. We won’t turn down any help.

What will you do?

• Build culture – you will help build and reinforce our culture, so we never lose what makes up the strength of Open Cages.
• Embrace reality – you will make it your mission to understand the world as it is rather than as you would like it to be.
• Manage activists – you will manage and work with teams of both employed and voluntary activists.
• Experience frustration – you will feel frustrated about things you could do better or things that are not working in the organisation or your team, and use this frustration as an opportunity to refine and elevate our organisation.
• Question ideas – you will question common knowledge, especially your own ideas, so that our results are always as good as they can be.
• Optimise your performance – you will continuously deepen your knowledge – both about particular areas of animal advocacy and about how the world works – and enjoy this process.
• Prioritise action – you will act even when there is not sufficient data.
• Abandon projects – you will change your objectives when it makes sense, no matter the time already invested.
• Respect and trust others – you will be there for others and trust their intentions. You will support them when they succeed and when they fail.
• Seek information independently – you will be responsible for acting very independently which will require you to obtain and verify data.
• Make mistakes – you will embrace your mistakes without being ashamed with the desire to learn from them.
• Strategise – it is not easy to change the world. As a campaigner you will ask yourself endless questions. You will be responsible for campaign strategy which requires careful planning and the ability to think ahead.
• Try again and again and again – the decision makers we want to convince often don’t want to improve animal welfare, others may simply not have time for you. You will need extreme persistence in order to gain traction with companies.
• Take risks – negotiating in a high stakes meeting, attending a farming conference, organising a protest, taking hundreds of videos of a retailer’s chicken products for a BBC story (yes, we did this!) – in this role you will need to be comfortable with stepping out of your comfort zone.
• Conduct research – you will spend many hours online gathering information, working with investigators and lawyers, or delivering chicken products to a lab in Germany (we did this too).
• Create marketing content – you will produce graphics and videos for social media, and utilise marketing tools to reach millions of people.
• Work with the media – you will engage with journalists, write press releases, pitch stories and be animals’ voice on the radio and TV.
• Mobilise advocates – you will write emails to our supporters and motivate them to take action with us. You will also organise and run street actions like protests and stunts.
• Connect with diverse audiences – you will need to talk about the suffering of animals to very different groups of people that compose our society. To do that effectively, you will need to understand their perspective and be a good, empathetic communicator.
• Ask for support – you will help us fundraise to increase our impact.

Do you think this role is too challenging and you're not fit for it?

You may be thinking that this role would be interesting for you, but you won’t make the cut. 

We encourage you not to worry and fill out the application nonetheless, especially if you meet our requirements (even on a basic level) and you think this position could bring you a lot of joy. Leave the judgment about your competence to us. You may even learn something useful along the way.

We prepared support materials to help you through the application process. We'll also be hosting informational webinars about this role and our recruitment process – click ‘Redirect to recruiter’ to see the website for more details.

About Open Cages

Open Cages is a UK-registered charity fighting animal suffering. We are part of an international organisation, Anima International. To achieve our goal we use scientific evidence, careful reasoning, and draw upon decades of collective experience. Just in the last few years, we have successfully helped improve the lives of hundreds of millions of farmed animals in the UK.

We are impact-oriented and use a wide array of tools to make the world a better place. Our current toolkit includes:

• Investigations which reveal the reality hidden behind the walls of factory farms
• Negotiations with companies to encourage them to eliminate cruel practices from their policies
• Advocacy to secure legal milestones for animals

At Open Cages we won’t stop until we end animal suffering. We would like to invite you to join us and help us achieve this goal.

What do you gain by working at Open Cages?

• Meaningful work – you will help build a world free from animal suffering.
• Time – you will be able to focus full-time on helping animals.
• High degree of flexibility – the work is almost totally remote and you will organise your working hours and workflow yourself.
• Trust – we expect you to make mistakes as a given and learn from them.
• Autonomy – you will experience freedom and independence in your decision-making.
• Transparency – you will have access to the work and decisions of others.
• Honest work culture – you will know what your colleagues are doing and what they really think.
• Knowledge – you will learn and receive support from people who have been fighting for animals for many years.
• Opportunity to grow – you will learn every day and be encouraged to experiment beyond your skill set.
• Ability to influence the organisation – we encourage our people to openly speak their mind and thus you will be able to impact what kind of organisation we are.
• A laugh – animal advocacy can be dark at times, we think that having a fun atmosphere is key to balance this.
• Transparently set compensation – Our salaries are not negotiable and are based on a transparent algorithm that is the same for each role.

Following a 3-month probation period, you will transition to a fixed-term contract. Upon successful completion of this term, you will be offered a permanent employment contract. A minimum salary of £39,695.24 gross (our salary base for people resident in the UK) will apply from the beginning of the probationary period. The salary base may change due to your previous experience related to the position, or your experience in animal advocacy (+3% for each year). In addition, the salary increases with your seniority in Open Cages according to the following model:

+ 7% – for every year worked at Open Cages during the first 5 years of work

+ 5% – for every year worked at Open Cages during the next 5 years of work

+ 3% – for every year worked at Open Cages during the next 5 years of work

+ 2% – for every year worked at Open Cages during the next years of work

About your role

We are a small and ambitious early-stage organisation with two full-time team members. Our current objective: to help the 1 billion chickens raised annually in the UK. By joining us as a campaigner you will be both strategising and spending time on the frontlines, by talking to the biggest companies, producing investigative reports and giving media interviews. Your first task will be to help us convince the UK’s largest food businesses to improve their chicken welfare policies through public and behind-the-scenes advocacy. While this may sound challenging, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a historic change for those who cannot stand up for themselves. Someone has to pick up the fight, and we hope it will be You.

We can accommodate to you

Due to the broad scope of our work, there is no simple description of the perfect campaigner. There may also be certain areas where you are stronger than others, and we are open to fitting the role around you. We are looking for a generalist rather than a specialist. However, you do need to have some particular strengths such as resilience, persistence, creativity, and critical thinking. Ideally, some day, you will be able to lead a big team and transfer your knowledge to them.

No previous experience is required for this role. While experience will be valued (and reflected in the salary), we welcome applications from both seasoned professionals and passionate newcomers who align with our organisational culture.

What do we require from you?

• Strong belief in the mission of our organisation. Working for us should not be thought of as a ‘career step’. We want people who are motivated by our mission above all.
• Flexible availability. We think of ourselves as a small startup. The fate of the organisation rests on a handful of highly motivated advocates who want to do something ambitious with their lives. We want to maintain the intensity of our current operating culture, so you should expect to work the occasional weekends and late evenings.
• Not being an asshole. We expect you to treat others with respect, decency and compassion – even the occasional adversaries.
• A preference for hard work. Activism is our passion and one of the main motivations in life. To fit our culture, you have to be a person that is proactive and enjoys work.
• Growth mindset. Nobody knows how to fix the world, so we need you to keep learning. We constantly strive to be better at our activism, but also as people.
• Strong interest in a high-feedback culture. We have a culture of honest and direct communication. We talk openly about our strengths and weaknesses on a daily basis because we want to be the best. You will know what your colleagues really think of you and be encouraged to speak your mind.
• Ability to reason and communicate your thinking, especially in written form. In order to thrive in our organisation you must be able to think carefully, try to back up your ideas with reasonable evidence, and above all be open to being proven wrong and changing your mind.
• Fluency in English. You will be working in a UK-based organisation which will require constant communication with English speakers.
• Ability to work in the UK. This offer is open to candidates who are either currently UK-based, or are willing to move to the UK for the job. We are happy to do whatever we can to help you in relocating, depending on your needs and our ability. If you have any questions about what we can help with, don’t hesitate to write to us!

You do not need to be vegan or vegetarian. While all of our events provide only plant-based meals, we are open to anyone who wants to fight for a world that is free from animal suffering. We won’t turn down any help.

What will you do?

• Build culture – you will help build and reinforce our culture, so we never lose what makes up the strength of Open Cages.
• Embrace reality – you will make it your mission to understand the world as it is rather than as you would like it to be.
• Manage activists – you will manage and work with teams of both employed and voluntary activists.
• Experience frustration – you will feel frustrated about things you could do better or things that are not working in the organisation or your team, and use this frustration as an opportunity to refine and elevate our organisation.
• Question ideas – you will question common knowledge, especially your own ideas, so that our results are always as good as they can be.
• Optimise your performance – you will continuously deepen your knowledge – both about particular areas of animal advocacy and about how the world works – and enjoy this process.
• Prioritise action – you will act even when there is not sufficient data.
• Abandon projects – you will change your objectives when it makes sense, no matter the time already invested.
• Respect and trust others – you will be there for others and trust their intentions. You will support them when they succeed and when they fail.
• Seek information independently – you will be responsible for acting very independently which will require you to obtain and verify data.
• Make mistakes – you will embrace your mistakes without being ashamed with the desire to learn from them.
• Try again and again and again – the decision makers we want to reach often don’t want to improve animal welfare, others may simply not have time for you. In this role you will need extreme persistence in order to gain traction with companies.
• Build relationships – you will need social competence as you try to build trust and work with company executives to make progress for animals.
• Strategise – it is not easy to change the world. As a campaigner you will ask yourself endless questions. You will be responsible for campaign strategy which requires careful planning and the ability to think ahead.
• Take risks – negotiating in a high stakes meeting, attending a farming conference, organising a protest, taking 500 videos of a retailer’s chicken products for a BBC story (yes, we did this!) – in this role you will need to be comfortable with stepping out of your comfort zone.
• Conduct research – you will spend many hours online gathering information, working with investigators and lawyers, or delivering 50 chicken products to a lab in Germany (we did this too).
• Create engaging content – you will produce emotive graphics and videos for social media, factual reports and data-driven briefings for journalists and politicians.
• Work with the media – you will engage with journalists, write press releases, and give the odd interview.
• Mobilise advocates – you will write emails to our supporters and motivate them to take action with us. You will also organise and run street actions like protests and stunts.

Do you think this role is too challenging and you're not fit for it?

You may be thinking that this role would be interesting for you, but you won’t make the cut. 

We encourage you not to worry and fill out the application nonetheless, especially if you meet our requirements (even on a basic level) and you think this position could bring you a lot of joy. Leave the judgment about your competence to us. You may even learn something useful along the way.

We prepared support materials to help you through the application process. We'll also be hosting informational webinars about this role and our recruitment process – click ‘Redirect to recruiter’ to see the website for more details.