Safeguarding officer jobs in milton keynes, york

Reporting to: Director of Policy and Engagement 

Direct reports: 1 x Scotland Policy and Public Affairs Manager and Legislative Lead, 2 x Policy and Public Affairs Officers, 1 x England Policy and Public Affairs Manager 

Location of work: Home-based. The post holder must be easily and quickly commutable to London and will require frequent meetings in London. The role may involve some irregular travel throughout England and Scotland to attend events and meetings.

Contract type: Full-time, 35 hours per week,  flexible hours may be considered. The role may require occasional evening and weekend work 

Contract Length: Permanent 

Salary: £54,500 - £56,500 

BACKGROUND

Our work has never been more needed. The latest research suggesting that the number of children and young people at risk of hunger has rocketed to 2.6 million* means that one in five children don't have enough to eat.When a child is too hungry to learn, when they’re aching for something to eat, they can’t concentrate. They can’t absorb information. Big feelings and worries can be impossible to control. They fall behind in their studies.

Magic Breakfast provide a nutritious and filling breakfast to over 300,000 children and young people every school day. We work with schools in areas of high disadvantage, helping staff target the children most in need without barrier or stigma.  Magic Breakfast are ambitious to grow our impact to remove hunger as a barrier to learning for all children and young people in the UK.

 This is an exciting time to join Magic Breakfast if you wish to make a difference to the lives of children as we work to influence both policy implementation, with the national rollout of primary-aged universal school breakfast, and legislative change, through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. There has also been commitment from the Scottish Government for a national breakfast scheme and we are seeking to expand our advocacy work into Wales. Magic Breakfast’s influence will be instrumental to ensuring school breakfasts are implemented in a way that is hunger-focused and barrier free.

In addition, thousands of secondary school children are at risk of losing their free school breakfasts from September next year. For many of these students, this is their only opportunity to have a nutritious meal before facing a demanding school day, including taking exams.  And for the very youngest, we know that the disadvantage gap begins before they even reach reception. With the Government commitment to another 100,000 places in school-based nurseries, early years is also a critical part of our advocacy work.

 Being part of the work of Magic Breakfast is your chance, together with parents, teachers and people across the UK, to demonstrate the power of school breakfasts and to shape the way forward to end morning hunger for good.

*Food Foundation Insecurity Tracker Jan 2025

JOB PURPOSE

The Head of Policy & Public Affairs will review, develop and implement our advocacy strategy and lead a team to influence the devolved legislatures across the UK to address child morning hunger, with a view to the underlying systemic causes of child poverty and hunger, by driving change through policy and legislation. The role operates at our ‘Head of level’ which is the most senior operational specialist level and provides both operational and strategic leadership.

This role will also provide wider leadership across the charity and input into organisational strategy development and planning as part of the Core Management Group. This role will ensure that the Policy and Public Affairs function is aligned to the wider strategic aims and outcomes of Magic Breakfast as well as the internal operational systems and delivery.

The strategic leadership will ensure an external and long term view, with an outward looking and forward thinking approach that builds thought leadership, relationships and partnerships, with positioning to anticipate and build on new opportunities to end child morning hunger for good.

It will require an experienced Policy and Public Affairs professional, with significant experience of high impact and demonstrable outcomes at a senior level in the field. The postholder will lead the policy and public affairs team to influence the Early Adopters Scheme, the national rollout of primary school breakfast provision in England and breakfast legislation in the Children’s Wellbeing Bill (CWB).

They will also develop, guide and lead plans to influence the Scottish government, particularly in the run up to the election in May 2026 and the influencing of manifestos; and will lead Magic Breakfast’s upcoming influencing work in Wales. 

In the external leadership that the role provides they will build relationships with politicians, political influencers, special advisors and civil servants to establish long-term, sustainable solutions to child morning hunger in the UK.

As a compassionate, people centric and inspiring leader they will work to enable their team to grow and develop in their skills ensuring they can step away from the detail whilst retaining accountability, build effective resource management and progression pathways. This role may manage external consultants where necessary, and work collaboratively with external organisations to amplify our voice and asks and strengthen our position as a thought leader. 

 KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

· Review and define the advocacy strategy for 25/26 in line both with moving political environment and Magic Breakfast’s influencing agenda, considering the systemic barriers to ending child morning hunger for good.

· Develop and maintain close relationships with the Department for Education and other key departments including Department for Health and Social Care and Treasury, to secure hunger and child focus as key priorities for breakfast provision.

· Develop, monitor and evaluate influencing plans for each devolved nation

· Support the development of influencing plans with coalition groups and organisations to influence school breakfast policy, commitments and implementation

· Review policy positions in Wales and Northern Ireland and define our advocacy approach, gaining external insights and analysing available research and data to shape the plan

· Develop a vision for advocacy beyond current demands, considering political appetite and gaining insight from lived experience communities and relevant sectors, to ensure that we are clear on future asks, and can build the foundation towards them.

· Work with Impact and Insights team to define future research needs to meet our longer-term advocacy plans

· Enhance and establish internal processes and ensure good internal information dissemination 

· Work closely with key internal stakeholders to shape advocacy work and support broader organisational objectives

· Embed learnings and develop a fail fast, learn fast culture in the team

· Coach, support and lead direct reports enabling increased professional development, strategic decision making, proactive project management and robust political influencing

· Contribute to and help shape the work of the Core Management Group to ensure ongoing alignment for in year implementation of the strategic plan and create integrated future year plans which meet organisational goals

· Monitor and review KPIs to monitor and measure both team and cross organisational performance, using the results to guide teams and surface learnings

· Assess areas of risk and escalate where necessary and according to policy

· Develop and monitor annual team budgets

General

• Work collaboratively across the organisation, building good working relations and providing ad-hoc support to other teams and members of staff

• Passion and commitment to Magic Breakfast’s aim of alleviating morning hunger as a barrier to learning for children in the UK.

• Help to maintain a positive working environment; keeping the vision of Magic Breakfast at the heart of everything we do. 

• Share Magic Breakfast’s commitment to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

• Establish and ensure existing Ways of Working are adhered to across team

• Adhere to all Magic Breakfast policies and procedures and ensure that all activity is compliant with current legislation, GDPR, data protection and child safeguarding requirements

• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the role

 PERSON SPECIFICATION

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

· Strategy development, demonstrating a deep understanding of how to craft, implement, and evolve strategies that align to operational outcomes for the Policy and Advocacy function as well as enabling our organisation strategy in our aim to end child morning for good.

· Stakeholder management and partnership building with extensive experience of engaging, influencing, and collaborating with diverse stakeholders, including senior political figures, policymakers, funders and sector leaders.

· Ability to confidently and flexibly deal with volatile political environment, anticipating potential developments and adapting to emerging situations to meet aims

· Highly experienced in developing and shaping policy positions, using insights, research and data sets to inform and guide decision-making

· Understanding and experience of the role of the broader external environment to shape policy asks and political influencing, including the implications of a policy ask in one sector on another.

· Experience of influencing key political events such as budgets, national elections and the legislative process.

· Significant experience of coaching, supporting and managing the development of a team, with the ability to make difficult decisions and challenge where needed to deliver the organisational strategy.

Desirable

· Experience of education, food insecurity, child poverty or childcare sectors

Skills and Abilities

• Effective leadership mentality with confidence to step away from the detail and delegate responsibility, enabling others to use judgements, make decisions, learn from failures and continuously improve.

• Analytical and evidence based decision making, with the ability to turn data and analysis into policy and advocacy related recommendations or outcomes for action.

• Effective planning, prioritisation and project management skills. Able to organise self and team to meet planned objectives and strategic direction with the ability to pivot and manage the unexpected.

• Strong, influential and impactful interpersonal and communication skills and to advocate for own specialism, department and Magic Breakfast's mission, effectively conveying the organisation's impact and needs to a wide range of audiences.

• Operational and financial acumen and analysis: understanding and practical application of knowledge as required around funding considerations, budget development and management, risk management, and ensuring systems in place for efficiency by setting and maintaining policy and procedural frameworks.

• An outward looking and forward thinking approach that drives a sense of curiosity, innovation and continuous improvement. Always thinking what can we learn from others, what new developments can be explored and what are the opportunities for the function to improve and grow with others too.

WHAT WE OFFER

At Magic Breakfast we value our employees and work hard to develop offer a supportive, respectful culture which enables everyone to bring their whole self to work.

Please find attached our job pack

APPLICATION PROCCESS

Should you wish to discuss the role before applying please email our People and Culture Team, recruitment @ magicbreakfast. com

Shortlisting - w/c 5th May

Interview 1 - 15th and 16th May

Interview 2 - w/c 21st May

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately, once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.

Are you an experienced product manager with excellent people leadership skills, seeking a challenge where you can make a real difference?

�� Location: Hybrid (expectation to travel for team days/as business requires)

⌚ Contract Type: Permanent, 35 hours per week

�� Salary: Starting from £64,866.26 - £71,352.88 dependant on experience

What is the Head of Product?

The Head of Product Management is a newly established role at MSI UK, responsible for driving product management through strategic business analysis and leadership. You will have extensive experience in this, or a similar role applying your product leadership experience to shape digital strategy, develop impactful healthcare products, and guide a team of 6 Product Owners.

The vision for Product Management in MSI UK as a healthcare organisation ensures digital, data, and technology solutions are strategically aligned, user-centric, and drive operational efficiency. This is a unique opportunity to apply your product expertise in a growing and critical healthcare organisation, driving the strategy and development of core digital products. In this role, you will shape impactful solutions that support over 110,000 clients annually.

The Head of Product Management will lead the Product Function with an iterative and agile approach, optimising operations by streamlining manual and complex processes. This role focuses on delivering intuitive, user-friendly digital platforms that enhance the client experience and drive business efficiency.

What can we offer you?

• �� Expenses incurred while traveling outside your base location will be reimbursed.
• �� Birthday Bonus with an additional day of annual leave dedicated to celebrating your birthday and long service recognition rewards programme
• �� Perks and discounts at over 4000 retail and hospitality outlets through the Blue Light Card

In addition to the perks outlined above, there are many more benefits alongside what is written above for you to enjoy. Find out more during your interview!

What you’ll be doing:

The Head of Product Management will drive the growth and maturity of a newly established team, ensuring digital products and services support healthcare delivery. This role shapes and executes a product strategy aligned with MSI UK's mission to enhance client care through innovative, user-centered, and data-driven digital solutions.

Responsibilities include:

• Define and communicate a product vision that aligns with strategic healthcare objectives.
• Lead the development, launch, and continuous improvement of digital solutions.
• Build partnerships, negotiate terms, and ensure vendors meet expectations and legal standards.
• Partner with internal and external teams to ensure alignment and adoption of digital products.
• Develop, motivate, and mentor a cross-functional team of product owners.
• Lead user research and leverage health industry trends and emerging technologies.
• Use data analytics to monitor performance and derive actionable insights.
• Provide clear reporting on product progress and outcomes to key stakeholders.
• Work with stakeholders to understand strategies and lead the development of digital roadmaps.
• Stay updated with health industry and technology innovations.
• Reporting: Implement and deliver regular reporting on product development progress and performance metrics.
• Support demand management and technical project management to ensure successful delivery of digital products and enhancements.

What we’re looking for:

• Extensive experience in product management and business analysis in agile environments, ideally in healthcare or charity sectors.
• Strong collaboration skills to foster cross-functional teamwork and a culture of test-and-learn innovation.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, able to engage stakeholders at all levels and translate complex problems into digital/data solutions.
• User-centric mindset with the ability to balance diverse stakeholder needs (e.g., clients, clinicians, operations).
• Proven leadership of cross-functional teams, with hands-on capability when needed.
• Experienced line manager with a focus on coaching, performance management, and team development.
• Strategic and analytical thinker with a passion for innovation and problem solving.
• Skilled in vendor and partner management and experienced in driving digital/product frameworks and continuous improvement.
• Strong prioritisation skills across diverse workstreams, with financial acumen and stakeholder management.
• Proven ability to measure and improve product performance (e.g., SLA, usage, scalability).
• Deep understanding of agile product lifecycle and technical concepts, able to communicate effectively with non-technical audiences.
• Knowledgeable in current/emerging digital tech, particularly AI, and how it supports strategic goals.
• Willingness to work flexibly, including occasional weekends and national travel.

Make a Change 

Make a Change is a community-wide, early response approach to people using abusive behaviours (or who are concerned that they might be) towards a current or ex-partner. The model has been developed by Respect in partnership with Women’s Aid Federation England, drawing inspiration from their Change that Lasts approach. It includes three strands: expert support programme for perpetrators with parallel support for survivors, workforce development and community outreach.

Improving the safety, freedom and wellbeing of adult and child survivors of domestic abuse is a key outcome for our work with perpetrators.  The Make a Change model is a multi-partner project offering local areas a framework for delivering perpetrator work. Where feasible, we aim to establish partnerships with local survivor domestic abuse service to deliver parallel support for survivors (referred to as Integrated Support Service) as part the expert support strand.

This is a new and exciting role within the Make a Change team. This exciting new role offers a unique opportunity to join our team at a pivotal moment.  As the first person to fill this position, you'll play a key role in shaping its development and collaborating with the team to define its future direction.  This is a fantastic time to join us as we grow, and you'll be an integral part of establishing this important function and contributing to our collective and continued success 

We are seeking a Make a Change Development Lead to drive the development and innovation plans for the model for 2025-28. This pivotal role will focus on enhancing the three core strands of Make a Change: Expert Support, Workforce Development, and Community Outreach.

This role requires innovation, leadership and collaboration with a range of stakeholders, ensuring these strands work seamlessly together to achieve meaningful, measurable outcomes for individuals and communities.

You will need to think long-term and understand how different components of the programme fit together. Strong leadership skills are necessary to guide teams, inspire collaboration, and make decisions that will influence both the direction of the programme and its day-to-day operations. You will have a passion for innovation and continuous improvement to develop and test new strategies, tools, and methodologies, ensuring that the programme remains dynamic and responsive to changing needs.

This is an exciting opportunity within a creative and proactive team, where members are encouraged to seek out and share learning. The role focuses on continuously developing our work with perpetrators, contributing to the growing evidence base on effective behaviour change and strategies to keep survivors safe. 

Context and Background

Every childhood is worth fighting for. This is our belief. It drives us. And it inspires our Communications team

to find ever-more creative ways to promote our work and share how people can get involved in making a

difference to children’s lives. Join us as a Strategic Marketing Manager and create work that means the

world.

The award-winning NSPCC Communications directorate is known for its talent, expertise and creativity in inspiring and challenging people to act on child abuse. We work collaboratively, both organisationally and across integrated communications disciplines, to deliver shared outcomes and measurable results through all available communications channels. 

We are looking for a skilled professional to join our Marketing and Planning team, which has a key role in driving awareness and understanding of our support for children, parents and professionals. We work closely with teams across the NSPCC to raise awareness of our vital services, behaviour change campaigns and income generation which helps us continue to fight for every childhood.

The Strategic Marketing Manager will focus on marketing to adults, in particular parents. They will lead a team of 3 to deliver our flagship behaviour change campaigns, Talk PANTS and Look Say Sing Play, working with colleagues across the organisation and external partners to expand the reach of our campaigns. They will lead on raising awareness of the NSPCC Helpline, that anyone can contact if they are worried about child and support wider priority campaigns that may include Brand and Online Safety. In addition, they will work closely with Income Generation, Services and Strategy and Knowledge on key projects and campaigns to ensure we are working together to maximise income and impact. 

The post-holder will have significant experience in leading insights-driven marketing strategies and campaigns that make an impact, from development through to delivery, overseeing a small team. They’ll be a great communicator, able to build effective working relationships and influence a range of stakeholders. They will be calm and measured to crisis coupled with an ability to make quick decisions. This individual will be highly collaborative in nature with a collaborative spirit in the immediate team and wider communications team. Alongside a desire to continuously learn and develop with a strong ambition to ‘make a difference’.

Job purpose

• The Marketing Manager will work closely with teams across the NSPCC to devise and deliver communications campaigns and projects across a range of disciplines. Specifically: 
• To lead the development and delivery of marketing and communications activity to promote behaviour change campaigns, Talk PANTS and Look Say Sing Play, NSPCC Helpline and other priority campaigns. 
• To line manage and support three roles (one senior officer, one officer and one coordinator) to achieve the wider team objectives. 
• To support and contribute to the Marketing and Communications planning process, particularly for our general public and parent audiences. 
• To evaluate communications activity in order to inform future activity.
• To contribute to the Communication Directorate’s purpose of ensuring that all communication is of
• an appropriate high standard, consistent with the NSPCC’s brand identity.
• To work efficiently with other teams and departments in promoting communications work, policies,
• campaigns and brand guidelines.

Key relationships - Internal

• Reports to the Associate Head of Marketing.
• Works closely with the Brand and Content team, Press, Services, Local Campaigns and Income Generation.
• Works closely with other teams across the NSPCC to deliver communications activity.

Key relationships - External

• External creative, media and research agencies and other partners.
•  

Main duties and responsibilities

• Lead a team to plan and deliver NSPCC’s flagship behaviour change campaigns, Talk Pants and Look Say Sing Play, managing both multi-channel paid marketing campaigns and utilise opportunities via owned/earned for promotion.
• To provide high quality marketing communications materials across a range of disciplines, working with relevant staff across the NSPCC.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation and external partners to expand the reach and impact of our campaigns.
• To develop insight-led campaigns and evaluate all marketing activity to make recommendations and improve future activity.
• To regularly share campaign plans and performance in senior forums.
• To keep abreast of relevant audience insight, competitor activity and best practice to inform campaign strategies and plans.
• Contribute to the Marketing & Communications planning process, ensuring strategic marketing plans are developed for our priority audiences. 
• To develop and maintain internal and external stakeholder and supplier relationships, identifying and incorporating best industry standards and establishing best practice.

Responsibilities for all Staff within the Communications directorate

• To behave at all times in a manner consistent with the NSPCC’s Values and Behaviours. 
• To actively participate in regular department and team meetings, contributing to strategy, discussions and decisions which will be beneficial to the NSPCC’s activities. 
• To maintain an awareness of own and others’ Health and Safety and comply with the NSPCC’s Health and Safety policy and procedures. 
• To ensure data used in relevant systems is current, accurate and reliable.
• To take personal responsibility for keeping up to date with NSPCC work to end cruelty to children, including security updates on project and service developments and general NSPCC news.
• A commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.

Person specification

1.A proven track record in developing and delivering high quality marketing and communications activities on behalf of large, national brands.

2.Experience of delivering strategic marketing and communications activities with a particular focus on inspiring behaviour change. 

3.Experience of stakeholder management, with ability to influence senior decision makers and align stakeholders with different viewpoints. 

4.Experience in co-ordinating and project managing, fast paced integrated marketing and communications campaigns with internal and external colleagues.

5.Ability to lead and manage paid media campaigns with an agency – including writing briefs, managing optimisation and delivery of key measures. 

6.An experienced communicator who has built highly successful relationships with a range of key stakeholders to deliver joint outcomes. 

7.Experience of briefing research and evaluation to enhance strategic planning.

8.Knowledge of marketing and communications trends (especially digital) and best practice and a passion for trying new and innovative approaches.

9.A personal commitment to ending cruelty to children.

10.Willingness to work flexibly in approach to work.

Ambitious, professional, committed and friendly.  That describes us.  If it also describes you and you have a passion for corporate fundraising, then we’re keen to hear from you.

We have 600 volunteers supporting unrepresented litigants in the civil and family courts in England and Wales, helping over 50,000 times last year.  At a time when legal support is increasingly limited, we have a vision that no one should have to go to court alone.  To make this vision a reality we have a focused fundraising strategy to ensure the charity has the resources it needs and our corporate partnerships are key.

We’re looking for a Corporate Partnerships Manager (Maternity Cover) to join our team, to steward existing partnerships and grow new connections, especially with those in the legal sector.  As well as running our Guardians’ network, you’ll arrange key supporter events and develop bespoke partnerships.

It’s a busy role and you’ll be supported by an assistant and a close working fundraising team. You’ll also be able to build on the firm foundations we already have in place. 

We’re open to applications from experienced corporate fundraisers, as well as corporate fundraisers ready to step up into managing the corporate income streams.

Interviews will be held on the 14th May 2025