School partner jobs in haringey, wiltshire

TreeHouse School is an Ofsted “Outstanding” SEN School for children and young adults aged 3-19 with a primary diagnosis of autism (most of whom have additional learning, social, emotional, communication, health and care needs). 

Our Ambitious approach ensures that, through our curriculum and delivery, we focus on delivering quality of life outcomes for our children and young people.

We are proud to announce that we have retained Ofsted "Outstanding" (June 2024) in all areas. Please do read our Ofsted reports on our website.

We have an exciting opportunity for a passionate, qualified SEND Teacher to join us on our ambitious journey. Your day to day role will include delivering creative and person-centred lessons to up to 8 learners in a pre-formal class.

We will consider ECT's for this role and welcome both Primary and Secondary teachers to apply.

Why join us?

• Term time only role
• Free healthy breakfast available every day
• Working with Autism/learning disability industry experts across our school and our charity
• Autonomy in your role – You have the freedom to be creativity and get to see first hand our learners progress and achieve their goals and aspirations (as well as your ideas coming to life in the classroom).
• Mental health and wellbeing are at the core of everything we do; The SLT practise “compassionate leadership”.
• Continued professional development and training including a wide range of in house and external training courses.
• Annual staff recognition awards.
• Eye test vouchers, season ticket loans and a cycle to work scheme (plus a bike shed outside the school).
• Employee Assistance Programme: to help you balance your work, family, and personal life.
• Access to physiotherapy.
• On-site parking is available

Your role:

• Provide excellent delivery, teaching and course leadership to learners across TreeHouse School.
• Safeguard and promote the welfare of the children and young people we support.
• Work with pupils to ensure they receive a service that delivers the outcomes specified in their individualised learning, person-centred plans.
• Prepare and deliver schemes of work, lesson plans, assignments and assessments in line with departmental and awarding body requirements.
• Work collaboratively with allied health professionals as part of a trans-disciplinary team.

Our learners are mostly pre-verbal or use assistive communication systems to make their needs understood and follow different pathways depending on their needs and strengths, these are pre, semi and formal and you can read more on our website.

(Please refer to our JD and FAQ document attached to our website for more details).

Closing date: Sunday 11th of May

Shortlisting date: Monday 12th of May

Interviews date: Monday 19th of May and Friday 23rd of May

Start date: September 2025

Assessment: You will be asked to attend a formal interview (45 minutes - 1 hour) and you will conduct a Micro Teach (20-30 minutes) with a group of pupils. 

Ambitious about Autism is fully committed to equality of opportunity and diversity andwe warmly welcome applications from all suitably-qualified candidates. We welcome applications regardless of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion

or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, disability, or age. All applications will be considered solely on merit.

Ambitious about Autism is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check. As part of our Safer Recruitment checks, an online search maybe carried out in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education.

The Safeguarding responsibilities of the post as per the job description and personal specification. Whether the post is exempt from the rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendment to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2021. This means that when applying for certain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected', so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS Filter Guidance.

Please identify your notice period and salary expectation in your cover letter.

Note: Unfortunately we cannot support applications from international candidates at this time

As one of the largest federated charities in the UK, with arguably greater reach into the lives of families and educational settings than any other non-Government organisation, Parentkind is on a bold and urgent mission: to support, champion, and empower parents to be partners in their children’s education and wellbeing. To help deliver this, Parentkind's fundraising efforts helped grow Parentkind's income from £1.5m to £10m (including in-kind donations) between 2022 and 2024.

Although best known for our support of almost 24,000 Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), Parent Councils, and Schools, helping them build strong school communities whilst they raise over £130 million each year to enhance children’s education, our work stretches far beyond the school gates. Parentkind is building a powerful movement that recognises parental engagement not as a nicety, but a necessity.

In recent years, families have faced a series of compounding challenges: the cost-of-living crisis, rising child poverty, and deepening educational inequality. These pressures have left many parents struggling to meet basic needs—let alone feel confident engaging in their child’s learning journey.  Parentkind has responded to this moment with compassion, agility and purpose, through a series of transformative campaigns, resources, and partnerships. Our recent transformational journey has seen Parentkind’s network grow by more than 70% of schools, and the income Parentkind has delivered both for itself and for its members by more than 550%. 

Our No Cold Child initiative, launched with FatFace, stepped in to address a stark statistic: over 150,000 children in the UK do not own a winter coat due to poverty. Through our trusted relationships with schools, we distributed 10,000 warm, high-quality coats worth £600,000 to the children who needed them most. Shortlisted for two Business Charity Awards, the campaign has been praised not just for providing warmth, but for restoring dignity, inclusion, and school readiness to thousands of children.

Our collaboration with Asda on Cashpot for Schools is another example of unlocking support at scale. This innovative community-led funding model allows shoppers to nominate and fund their local schools simply through everyday spending. In just the last year, this campaign has generated £5.78 million for schools—supporting everything from basic classroom supplies to vital extracurricular programmes and pupil wellbeing initiatives. Also shortlisted for a Business Charity Award, it is already a model for community-driven philanthropy.

Meanwhile, our All Dressed Up campaign—developed with World Book Day and Rubies Masquerade—confronted the often-overlooked issue of financial exclusion on key celebration days. More than 100,000 free dressing up costumes worth £1.34 million were delivered to children from low-income families. By enabling participation in events like World Book Day, we helped spark imagination, joy, and belonging for children who might otherwise feel left out—boosting self-esteem and supporting a positive connection to learning.

Alongside these national campaigns, Parentkind supports families year-round through a growing suite of programmes designed to inform, prepare and empower parents. Our Be School Ready programme offers crucial guidance and confidence to parents preparing their children for the leap into primary education. With a mix of practical advice, developmental tips, and reassurance, through the distribution of 135,000 copies of Be School Ready and an online campaign, it supports families at one of the most formative moments in their child’s life.

We also deliver a wide-ranging series of live expert webinars and parent-friendly resources, covering topics such as managing anxiety, supporting special educational needs, navigating school transitions, and building home-school partnerships. These resources—developed in consultation with experts and rooted in lived parent experience—equip families to feel informed and empowered, no matter what challenges arise.

This month, we launched our Parent-Friendly Schools Accreditation Programme, designed to formally recognise schools that go above and beyond in fostering positive, inclusive relationships with parents. The accreditation celebrates schools that actively listen to parent voices, make engagement easy and accessible, and embed family partnership in their culture. It is a practical and inspiring tool to drive long-term change in the sector and offers a roadmap for schools wanting to strengthen their community.

Our work is grounded in evidence. Every year, we conduct the UK’s largest parental engagement study: the National Parent Survey. In 2024, over five thousand parents participated, providing invaluable insight into what families think about the education system. The findings are fed directly into government consultations and have already influenced national debates on school funding, attendance, mental health support, SEND provision, and curriculum reform. We believe passionately that parents must not be the missing voice in education policy—and we work tirelessly to ensure their views shape the decisions that affect their children’s lives.

Today, through Parentkind’s federated network of more than 130,000 parent and teacher volunteers, our work impacts the lives of millions of parents, carers, teachers and children throughout the UK through our membership, programmes, advocacy and campaigns. But we know we can—and must—do more.

We’re looking for someone with passion, purpose, and creativity—someone who understands that a warm coat, a World Book Day costume, or a parent’s voice at the table can all be catalysts for lifelong change.

This is an exciting opportunity to join our growing Fundraising Team and play a leading role in shaping a brand-new trust fundraising programme from the ground up. We’re looking for someone with experience in securing income from trusts and foundations—someone who’s a confident communicator, both in writing and in person, and who brings a curious and strategic mindset to prospect research.

You’ll help craft compelling cases for support and develop a portfolio of proposals and reports that showcase the impact of our work—amplifying the voices of parents and schools and demonstrating how Parentkind is driving positive change. Strong attention to detail is essential, along with the ability to manage multiple priorities and work independently.

If you believe, like we do, that when parents matter, children succeed, we’d love to hear from you.

You’ll have:

• Proven experience in trust and statutory fundraising, securing five- and six-figure grants.
• Demonstrable success in developing compelling proposals and reports for funders.
• Strong relationship management skills with a track record of stewarding long-term partnerships.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to convey impact effectively.
• Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Knowledge of the education, family support, or community development sectors.

You’ll get:

• To join a fast-moving charity with an exciting future
• To build your own team, playing a key role in driving forward the charity’s strategy and shaping our fundraising activity
• Remote working full-time with a great online team culture
• 25 days holiday in addition to UK public holidays.

How to apply

A full candidate pack is attached on this listing. To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter outlining your motivations for applying for the role and how you meet the Person Specification.

Interviews will be held on a rolling basis via video conference.

Parentkind is committed to a policy of equal opportunities and we ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and equally.  We would be grateful if you would complete the equal opportunities monitoring questions when applying online to help us check that we are carrying out our policy of equal opportunities for all people.  The information will be kept confidential and will be separate from your application.  It will have no bearing on your application.

Parentkind is committed to meeting the needs of applicants with disabilities.  Please let us know if you require any adjustments to your application or interview process.

Unifrog’s mission
 

We’re on a mission to level the playing field when it comes to young people finding and applying for their next step after school. We're achieving this by bringing all the available information into one single, impartial, user-friendly platform that helps students to make the best choices, and submit the strongest applications. We also empower teachers and counsellors to manage the progression process effectively.
 

Our outlook is global - we work with schools and universities all over the world, from the US to New Zealand, and from Italy to Hong Kong. We want to make it so that young people can compare every opportunity taught in English, wherever it is in the world, and have all the support they need to make successful applications.
 

We have a clear social purpose, and we’re hugely ambitious. We already work with over half of UK secondary schools, and hundreds of international schools. We are growing rapidly in terms of the number of our customers, in terms of how much they use our platform, and in terms of the breadth of products we offer (check out this video to hear more about the Unifrog platform).
 

Our team is at the heart of our business and is integral to our success. We work hard to foster a culture of openness, happiness and innovation, and we commit to helping every individual learn and grow so that they can reach their full potential. We want to hire talented people, whatever their background. If you are excited by our mission and are ready to work hard, please don’t hesitate to apply. We look forward to hearing from you!
 

We believe in the power of diversity. If you are from an ethnic minority background, we would like to strongly encourage you to apply. In advance of applying, if you have any questions about working at Unifrog, please get in touch with Mhairi (details on our website).
 

The role and your key responsibilities

As a Partner Success Lead your role is to provide world class customer service to our partner base of over 2,500 schools and colleges. You will be responsible for onboarding our new schools and supporting our existing schools to make the most of the Unifrog platform. Solutions and customer service focused, you will make sure that all interactions with Unifrog are prompt, positive and successful. 

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Partner management
  • Being the first point of contact for enquiries from our existing 2,500+ partners.
  • Onboarding our new schools by setting them up on our platform and making sure teachers and students are ready to get the most out of Unifrog.
  • Continually improving our onboarding materials and processes using feedback from our partners.

• Partner training and support

  • Training staff remotely on how to use the platform.
  • Troubleshooting issues and providing on-the-spot support via phone, email and video calls.

• Ad hoc tasks

  • Leading on and supporting a variety of other projects across other parts of the business during quieter periods.
  • Proactively working to foster a sense of community amongst our Unifrog partners and always thinking about how we can promote the sharing and embedding of Unifrog best practice across our partner schools.
  • Supporting the team with general admin. 

What we’re looking for

• Excellent customer service

• Strong organisational skills

• Ability to work well under pressure

• Confident working independently but happy to ask for support when it’s needed.

• Excellent phone manner

• Keen attention to detail

• Interest or experience in the education sector an advantage

• Proactive attitude and willingness to get stuck in.

You will be joining a team of highly motivated people who are passionate about our mission of helping students to find the best next step for them after school. If this excites you and you’re an energetic person who is willing to learn, we’d love to hear from you.

Working together

You’ll work alongside three other Partner Success Leads, our Work Experience Lead, and the Head of UK Partner Success. You’ll also have daily contact with people on our data, marketing, sales, finance, and account management teams.

Benefits

Head to our jobs page for a full list of the excellent benefits we offer our team.

• Join one of ‘the best organisations to escape to’ and help transform careers and destinations in schools. 

• Become part of a committed, dynamic, and growing company. We want to build our team for the long term: if you do well, we will do our best to make sure you want to stay at the company for a long time.

• Professional development is important at Unifrog. You will define your own 6-month objectives and will be supported by your line manager and the rest of the team to achieve them. You will have an annual training allowance to spend on what you need to grow and progress.

• Influence the company’s direction: we love to promote great ideas, wherever they come from.

Key details

• £31,430 per annum (Grade A) plus a share in a company-wide performance bonus.

• Full-time.

• Working hours are 8:30am to 4:30pm or Monday to Thursday, and 8:30am to 4:00pm on Friday.

• 28 days paid holiday per year (plus bank holidays).

• Split your time between home and our office in Hoxton, London (a minimum of 2 days per week).

• Start date: as soon as possible, though we will be flexible for the right candidate.

• If you require reasonable adjustments or want to discuss any details about the role before applying, please contact Mhairi (details on our website).

• We can only consider candidates who have the right to work in the UK.

Application process

Deadline: 10:00 AM (BST) on Thursday 8th May 2025

Stage 1: Application form (~1 hour)

• Visit our website to upload your CV and complete the questions and tasks below. Please note that we do not review CVs at this stage of the application process, so please be as specific as possible about your experience.

• i. With reference to examples of your recent experience, what would make you an excellent candidate for this role? (250 words) 

• ii. Our Partner Success Team can receive hundreds of emails and calls each day. How would you manage your time effectively, while maintaining world-class customer service? (250 words)

• iii. You receive an urgent phone call from a partner school reporting a technical issue that is hindering their use of Unifrog. They are feeling frustrated and are looking for immediate assistance. How would you handle this situation to provide prompt and effective support? (250 words)

Stage 2: Phone task (15 minutes)

Stage 3: Video call interview (1 hour)

• Standard Q&A from a panel of three, including questions about your experiences and how these relate to the role, and scenario questions based on common situations you might face (plus time for your questions)

• Phone interviews will be held throughout the application window. Video call interviews will be held w/c 19th May 2025.

Your answers are an opportunity to let us know more about your motivations and experience. While we understand that candidates might want to use AI to improve parts of their application, we strongly encourage you to write your answers independently.

Please note, we compare all answers to an AI generated answer. Where we suspect AI has been used to write the majority of the answer, this will be taken into consideration when scoring.

Inclusion and diversity at Unifrog
 

• Within the company we try to foster a culture of innovation, and a happy working environment, both because this is the right thing to do, and because we think this results in the most effective team. To this end we believe in open communication, celebrating successes, supporting each other, not being afraid to be wrong or to fail, and promoting good ideas wherever they come from.

• As a platform that supports teachers and students from a huge variety of backgrounds it’s important that our team and leadership reflects this diversity. This is something we are actively working towards and prioritising. We want to embed diversity, equity and inclusion across everything we do, continually evaluating policies and practices to make sure they are inclusive and equitable.

• To make sure everyone’s voice is heard and people have the opportunities to learn to be better allies in the workplace, we encourage the team to share what they’re celebrating, facilitate training and group discussions, and seek regular feedback about what more the company could do to help people feel included.

• To ensure that our recruitment process is consistent and fair, we anonymise your application and therefore do not see your name, personal, educational or professional background. We also randomise the order of responses so that it’s less likely that a candidate is advantaged or disadvantaged by where their answers appear compared to other candidates. 

Unifrog’s mission
 

We’re on a mission to level the playing field when it comes to young people finding and applying for their next step after school. We're achieving this by bringing all the available information into one single, impartial, user-friendly platform that helps students to make the best choices, and submit the strongest applications. We also empower teachers and counsellors to manage the progression process effectively.
 

Our outlook is global - we work with schools and universities all over the world, from the US to New Zealand, and from Italy to Hong Kong. We want to make it so that young people can compare every opportunity taught in English, wherever it is in the world, and have all the support they need to make successful applications.
 

We have a clear social purpose, and we’re hugely ambitious. We already work with over half of UK secondary schools, and hundreds of international schools. We are growing rapidly in terms of the number of our customers, in terms of how much they use our platform, and in terms of the breadth of products we offer.
 

Our team is at the heart of our business and is integral to our success. We work hard to foster a culture of openness, happiness and innovation, and we commit to helping every individual learn and grow so that they can reach their full potential. We want to hire talented people, whatever their background. If you are excited by our mission and are ready to work hard, please don’t hesitate to apply. We look forward to hearing from you!
 

We believe in the power of diversity. If you are from an ethnic minority background, we would like to strongly encourage you to apply. In advance of applying, if you have any questions about working at Unifrog, please contact Mhairi (details on our website). 

 

The role and your key responsibilities
 

As an Account Manager, your role is to make sure that all partners in your area make the most out of the Unifrog platform. You’ll build and maintain excellent working relationships with your partner schools and colleges, and provide expert guidance on how to embed the platform across all year groups.

You will cover your own area of the country with occasional travel to your partner schools and colleges (on average 1-2 days per week).
 

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Work with schools and colleges to provide resources and strategies which maximise staff and student engagement with Unifrog, identifying and promoting best practice across partner schools.

• Deliver targeted training sessions to staff within our partner schools and colleges via workshops and presentations, delivered remotely or in person.

• Work with your partner Area Manager to improve Unifrog engagement and achieve a sky high resubscription rate.

• Monitor and analyse usage across partner schools and colleges; identifying partners that need additional support to use the platform effectively.

• Listen to teachers and students about how we can improve our customer service and the Unifrog platform.

• Attend conferences and run CPD events on behalf of Unifrog.

What we’re looking for

• Strong communication skills – written, over the phone and on video calls.

• Track record of excellent relationship management.

• Extremely well organised.

• Keen attention to detail.

• Active listening and objection handling skills.

• A background and interest in education would be an advantage.

• Proactive attitude and willingness to get stuck in.

You will be joining a team of highly motivated people who are passionate about our mission of helping students to find the best next step for them after school. If this excites you and you’re an energetic person who is willing to learn, then we’d love to hear from you.
 

Working together

You’ll work closely alongside an Area Manager in your region, and with our Partner Success team to provide the best service to your schools and colleges. You will be part of a fantastic team of Account Managers, and line-managed by a Senior Account Manager. 

Benefits

Head to our jobs page for a full list of the excellent benefits we offer our team.

• Join one of ‘the best organisations to escape to’ and help transform careers and destinations in schools. We’re also a certified Great Place to Work.

• Become part of a committed, dynamic and growing team. We want to build the team at Unifrog for the long term – if you do well, we will do our best to make you want to stay at the company for a long time.

• Professional development is important at Unifrog. You will define your own 6-month objectives and will be supported by your line manager and the rest of the team to achieve them. You will have an annual training allowance to spend on what you need to grow and progress.

• Influence the company’s direction: we love to promote great ideas, wherever they come from.
  
   

Key details
 

• £37,306 per annum pro rata (Grade B), plus commission, car allowance, and a share in a company-wide performance bonus. 

• OTE £43,000 (pro rata).

• Maternity Cover - fixed term up to 12 months.

• 28 days paid holiday per year (plus bank holidays) (pro rata).

• Working hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Thursday, and 9:00am to 4:30pm on Friday.

• Full UK driving licence and access to a car is essential.

• All travel expenses covered.

• Candidate must be based in Nottinghamshire or Leicestershire.

• Home based with some travel to schools and colleges in the East Midlands.

• Start date: w/c 18th August 2025.

• To discuss any details about the role before applying, please contact Mhairi (details on our website).

• We can only consider candidates who have the right to work in the UK.

Application process

Deadline: 10:00AM (BST) Friday 16th May 2025.
 

Stage 1: Application form (~1 hour) ✍️

• Visit our website to upload your CV and complete the questions and tasks below. Please note that we do not review CVs at this stage of the application process so please be as specific as possible about your experience.
   

i. With reference to examples of your recent experience, what would make you an excellent candidate for this role? (250 words)

ii. Tell us about a time when you have had to build a relationship with someone when it was particularly challenging. What was your approach? (250 words)

iii. You notice that one of your partner schools is not engaging with Unifrog across the whole school. How would you approach the situation to maximise staff and student engagement with the platform and resources? (250 words)

Stage 2: Phone task (15 minutes) 

• A short role play task over the phone. We will schedule these tasks throughout the application window.

Stage 3: Video call interview (1 hour) 

• Short demonstration of a Unifrog tool (resources will be provided) (20 mins)

• Standard Q&A from a panel of three, including questions about your experiences and how these relate to the role, and scenario questions based on common situations you might face (plus time for your questions) (40 mins).
   

• Video call interviews will be held on w/c 26th May 2025.

Your answers are an opportunity to let us know more about your motivations and experience. While we understand that candidates might want to use AI to improve parts of their application, we strongly encourage you to write your answers independently. 

Please note, we compare all answers to an AI generated answer. Where we suspect AI has been used to write the majority of the answer, this will be taken into consideration when scoring.

Inclusion and diversity at Unifrog

• Within the company we try to foster a culture of innovation, and a happy working environment, both because this is the right thing to do, and because we think this results in the most effective team. To this end we believe in open communication, celebrating successes, supporting each other, not being afraid to be wrong or to fail, and promoting good ideas wherever they come from.

• As a platform that supports teachers and students from a huge variety of backgrounds it’s important that our team and leadership reflects this diversity. This is something we are actively working towards and prioritising. We want to embed diversity, equity and inclusion across everything we do, continually evaluating policies and practices to make sure they are inclusive and equitable.

• To make sure everyone’s voice is heard and people have the opportunities to learn to be better allies in the workplace, we encourage the team to share what they’re celebrating, facilitate training and group discussions, and seek regular feedback about what more the company could do to help people feel included.

• To ensure that our recruitment process is consistent and fair, we anonymise your application and therefore do not see your name, personal, educational or professional background. We also randomise the order of responses so that it’s less likely that a candidate is advantaged or disadvantaged by where their answers appear compared to other candidates. 

Having begun as a two-person part time project with the modest goal to development of some resources to support listening practices, the School for Synodality has grown to become a hub of encouragement and support around synodal practices within the Church in England and Wales and an important voice in the international conversation about the implementation of synodality. This growth has necessitated stronger working partnerships, growing our capacity and systems. To ensure the limited capacity of our directors is best utilised we’re looking for an operations manager to join are team to support smooth running of the project and development of its vision. 

The School for Synodality Operations Manager will be central to the operational and administrative functions of the School for Synodality, including overseeing the work of the Administrator and Communications Specialist and supporting projects and partnerships with diocese, local church communities and other stakeholders across the Church. The role requires someone who understands the Catholic Church and is committed to fostering collaboration for the vision of the School for Synodality. 

The successful candidate will need to be comfortable working in a remote, flexible context and working alongside part time staff and volunteers with limited capacity. 

The employer of this role will be Northampton Diocese.

This role is an exciting opportunity for a passionate and organised person to join our growing charity, to support our Membership Programme Manager and the development of the Membership, in driving forward our mission to transform kids’ health through school food and food education.

Who we are

Chefs in Schools is a young, ambitious charity that’s rapidly growing. Our mission is to improve kids' health, through improving school food & food education. Working in areas of high deprivation, we support and train schools and their kitchen teams to serve the best, freshest and tastiest food possible, alongside meaningful food education. We share our learning and resources freely, aiming to inspire and enable others to follow our lead.

We’re backed by some of the biggest names in food and have ambitious targets to ensure every child has access to incredible school food and food education, setting them up for life with the skills and knowledge to feed themselves well.

About you and the role

This role is key to helping us grow and empower our school and chef partners through our Membership. You’ll work closely with the Programme Manager and Procurement Manager to improve the membership offering and build a strong community of schools, chefs, and suppliers.

Your work will be varied, from managing membership administration to building supplier relationships and helping with communication between schools and stakeholders. As the membership grows, you’ll work with the team to help improve the support, networks, and systems available to members. You’ll also help with ensuring suppliers meet safety standards, deliver great produce, and offer reliable service.

In addition, you’ll assist with organising our member events, from planning and logistics to coordinating attendees and making sure everything runs smoothly.

You will be a confident communicator who is happy gathering information from our team, suppliers and school chefs, with an ability to translate data for the continued improvement of the membership. The role will cover everything from basic administration tasks, to visiting schools, helping to create resources and supporting our procurement processes. 

The responsibilities, skills and experience listed below are intended to give you an idea of what we need for this role. If you don’t meet every requirement but feel you would be able to work with us to deliver the majority of them, we urge you to apply anyway. We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, and for us the most important ‘experience’ is passion for our mission. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds, especially those from underrepresented communities, to apply.  

We want to get to know you at the interview and understand we can do this best if you’re at ease. We’re an inclusive employer and work hard to create a welcoming working environment for everyone, including appointing a neurodiversity champion to help us identify how we can make our work environment work for everyone. If you need adjustments to the interview process please let us know.

Key responsibilities:

• Manage membership administration, including onboarding new members, staying in touch regularly, coordinating internal support for membership needs, and tracking renewals.

• Support the creation of resources, guides, and training materials for members.

• Assist with the planning and delivery of events, training days, and conferences for members and stakeholders. 

• Help grow the membership by contributing to its development, identifying new partners that align with our mission, and supporting our efforts to expand.

• Support the Procurement Manager with preparing and delivering compliant procurement processes, from drafting documents to reviewing submissions.

• Work alongside the Procurement Manager to build strong relationships with partner chefs, identify new suppliers, and understand produce requirements.

• Manage supplier relationships, including visiting suppliers, checking accreditations, conducting research, and ensuring due diligence.

• Gather, analyse, and report data to support and help grow the membership.

• Provide general administrative support for the membership team, such as organising meetings, booking rooms, and taking minutes.

• Proofread and format documents as required.

• All other tasks as reasonably required - we’re a supportive, collaborative team who are all unafraid to jump in and support each other when needed.

Essential skills & experience:

• You have an interest and belief in our mission, to improve kids' health through improving food and food education in schools.

• You are organised, methodical, strong on detail and data-driven

• You have experience managing a diverse workload and are able to map out deadlines and plan ahead.

• You have strong administrative skills and are comfortable managing processes, scheduling meetings, minute-taking, and formatting documents.

• You are a strong communicator with experience working with multiple stakeholders.

• You have the ability to listen, understand and interpret customer requirements 

• You are self-motivated, customer-focused and driven.

• You are confident using technology and are open to learning new digital systems and tools.

• You are passionate about food and want to make an impact.

Desirable:

• You have some experience planning events, training, or networking activities.

• You have some membership experience, including developing relationships and supporting membership needs.

• The ability to contribute to the creation of training materials or resources that add value to the membership programme.

• An understanding of the challenges and opportunities of working in school food and school catering work environments

• A basic understanding of food supply chains or the food industry, especially in schools and catering.

• Familiarity with data reporting tools, dashboards, or visualisation software

• Knowledge of procurement processes, including preparing tender documents, assessing suppliers, and carrying out due diligence.

• You are curious, keen to learn and enjoy problem solving.

Benefits

You would be joining a friendly, supportive team who works hard but believe in a healthy work/life balance. We seek a diverse range of perspectives, skills, experience and knowledge. Joining a small, collaborative team means you’ll be able to contribute to and draw on various projects and strategic insights.

We offer 33 days of holiday per year including bank holidays with 3 additional office closure days over the Christmas period, a Cycle to Work scheme, hybrid working, enhanced parental leave, and free access to the CODE app for discounted restaurants & hospitality venues. We are committed to developing our team and will support you with relevant training opportunities including £250 towards elective training and development of your choice.

We also offer Bupa Dental Insurance, Income Protection Insurance, as well as access to the Aviva Smart Health Platform which offers health benefits including free rapid access online GP appointments, free counselling and wellbeing support.

Application process

In line with our commitment to ensuring a fair and unbiased recruitment process, we invite candidates to answer a series of questions related to their day-to-day job. Please click on the Redirect to Recruiter link to answer the questions and submit your application along with your CV.

We recommend that you develop your answers offline and copy them in when you’re ready to ensure you don’t lose your work if interrupted.

Your answers will go through our sifting process: all answers will be anonymised, randomised and then reviewed by a panel of reviewers. A long list of candidates will then additionally have their CVs reviewed. Successful candidates will be invited to attend an in-person interview at our office in Brixton, London to take place on Fri 16th May 2025 and will include a 60-minute interview, a 15-minute administrative task, and a 30-minute informal chat with a team member.

Expected duration of this application process: 4-6 weeks

As we work with children & young people, an offer of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and DBS clearance, in line with our safeguarding policy. 

We are looking for engaging, passionate and experienced freelance facilitators to join a growing team delivering our programme for over 500 young people across more than eighteen schools for the 2025/26 academic year!

You will have the opportunity to collaborate with some outstanding teachers and our ace team of facilitators on delivering our school programmes, all of which centre around the environment, storytelling, self-care, self-awareness and social action.

If you are excited about the prospect of joining a team that is positively impacting young people's lives, apply now!

Please see the job description document on our Opportunity Hub for full details of the role and requirements.

Details of the role

We welcome applications from people interested in working freelance (1-3 days a week) during the 10-month workshop period for the 2025/26 academic year. This role will commence in September 2025; however, an October half-term start date could be agreed upon for the right candidate.

Remuneration

Freelance delivery rates for the 2025/26 Ambassadors Programme are:

Desk work, feedback and review: £160/day

Facilitation & curriculum design: £195/day

Location

A significant portion of the work will be conducted in London-based partner schools, requiring the ability to travel regularly. There may also be a limited number of residential weeks with young people throughout the year. To fulfil the requirements of this role, there may be occasional in-person touchpoints with the team outside of London, for which reasonable travel and accommodation expenses will be reimbursed.

We welcome applications from everyone who meets the criteria and strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as a member of a minority community in the UK.

Deadline for applications - 23:59 Sunday 4th May

Here are five reasons why you should join Ambition Institute’s 12-month teacher training programme:

Learn with England’s largest professional development provider
We are England’s largest professional development provider for teachers and school leaders. In 2024/25 1 in 10 teachers and leaders in state-funded schools currently developing professionally with Ambition.​ When your programme is complete, you also have the option to progress your career further and move on to our two-year training for Early Career Teachers, which will help you develop your expertise.

Train in school: You’ll do most of your training in one school. This gives you immediate opportunities to put the theory you’ve learned into practice in a classroom, supported by teaching experts.

Be guided by a mentor: To ensure you’re supported throughout your training, we match you with an experienced teacher who will guide you every step of the way.

Benefit from blended learning: You’ll get the high-quality academic training you'd expect to get from a university combined with immersive, classroom learning.

Become a qualified teacher. After successfully completing the programme, you’ll achieve qualified teacher status (QTS) and a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) accredited by Liverpool Hope University, enabling you to start your career in teaching straight away.

Eligibility:

To be eligible, you will need:

· An undergraduate bachelor's degree with honours, or equivalent.

· A GCSE grade 4/C or above in English and maths, or equivalent.

· Primary school trainees will need a GCSE grade 4/C or above in science, or equivalent

· By the start of the training, successful candidates must have permission to work in the UK full-time for the duration of the programme.

Locations available for our training currently include: 

North East England, North West England, South East England, South West England, Midlands, East of England and London. Use our map tool to filter to a location that suits you.

Tuition fees:

All trainees will need to pay tuition fees unless you are a salaried trainee - salaried places are limited. Tuition fees are £9,535 for full-time study and £7,145 per year for part-time study. If you are eligible for a student loan in the UK, you can get a student loan to cover these costs, as well as a maintenance grant up to £13,762.

If you want to train as a secondary trainee teacher, you may be able to apply for funding to cover the costs of your tuition fees through a bursary or scholarship, which you would not need to pay back.

Funding:

We offer a few salaried placements, but if you do not choose a salaried teacher training course, and depending on your subject choice, you may be eligible to receive funding through a bursary or a scholarship up to £31,000, which you do not have to pay back. You can learn more about all the teacher training funding options via our ‘Cost’ tab here: Initial Teacher Training Programme: Train to Teach course | Ambition Institute

Option of part-time training:

A part-time option is also available over two years, but not all our school partners offer this option. Again, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button to see which of our partners are providing this.

Application Process

1. Application: The first step when applying is to select which of our partners you want to train with. You can do this by clicking the ‘Apply’ button and navigating to our partner map tool to choose your preferred school partner in the region suited to you. You will then be able to register with this partner and complete our short application form. Alternatively, you can follow the same link and just register your interest in our programme for now and we’ll be in touch with more details.
2. Interview: Our friendly team at Ambition Institute will assess your application and if you are eligible, will pass your application to your preferred school partner. You will then be invited to attend an interview. The interview will involve five questions and one task.
3. Offer: If you are successful at the assessment stage you will be provided with a conditional offer. Please note the conditions of the offer are dependent on you completing the relevant pre-programme checks.

About Ambition

A great teacher changes the future every day. They can be the critical factor in a child’s success, especially for those who have had a tough start in life. At Ambition Institute, we support teachers and school leaders at every stage of their careers, helping them to keep getting better. We are a charity providing training and professional development based on the most rigorous research and evidence about what really works. Together, we’re shaping the future of education to give every child the best start in life.

Ivy Rock Partners is proud to be working in partnership with King’s College London, a world-renowned institution, to recruit a passionate and collaborative Associate Finance Business Partner.

This is a fantastic opportunity to step into a role that blends financial analysis, strategic partnership, and stakeholder engagement in a dynamic and purpose-driven academic environment.

The Role

In this pivotal role, you’ll work closely with the faculties of King’s Business School and King’s Education, supporting them with insightful financial reporting, forecasting, and strategic analysis. As an AFBP, you’ll act as the go-to financial adviser for key stakeholders, ensuring sound financial decision-making across a diverse and impactful portfolio.

You’ll be supported by Senior Finance Business Partners while also taking ownership of significant reporting cycles and playing a central role in shaping future budgeting and forecasting.

What You’ll Do

• Partner with faculty and operational leaders to advise on financial strategy and performance
• Deliver robust financial reports, forecasts, and variance analysis
• Help develop business cases and financial models for new initiatives
• Guide stakeholders through budgeting and financial planning
• Identify risks and opportunities, recommending practical financial solutions
• Champion finance at the heart of decision-making

About You

• Part-qualified or newly qualified accountant (ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA, or equivalent)
• Strong experience in management accounting and financial planning
• Excellent communication skills—able to make the complex simple
• Experience working with a variety of stakeholders in a collaborative way
• A naturally analytical, curious, and enthusiastic problem-solver
• Proficient in Excel and confident with financial systems
• This role offers not just challenge and variety, but a real opportunity to make an impact in higher education and support world-class teaching and research through excellent financial management.

Benefits Include:

• 30 days annual leave (not including bank holidays)
• Generous pension scheme
• Flexible hybrid working model
• An inclusive, supportive and forward-thinking team culture
• Central London office location (Lavington Street), with excellent transport links
• Commitment to development and internal career progression

Ready to play a key role in a forward-thinking finance team at one of the UK’s top universities? Please get in contact with Charlotte Dow for a confidential conversation about the role.

Financial Controller (Ark and Ventures)

Reports to: Finance Director for Ark and Ventures

Location: Currently operating hybrid working in our West London Office

Contract: Permanent

Pattern: Full Time (standard hours 9am – 5.30pm)

Closing date: 05/05/2025

1st stage interviews: w/c 05/05/2025 (virtual)

2nd stage interviews: w/c 12/05/2025 (in person)

Salary: £60,000 to £75,000 (depending on experience)

About the role:

This is a vital and high-profile role for us and requires a person with strong technical skills and the power of independent thought; meticulous organisational skills and attention to detail; and drive to constantly develop new and improved ways of working. The successful candidate will be a qualified and committed accountant, ready to lead financial control for Ark’s central Finance team.

The Financial Controller will be mainly responsible for ensuring the highest standards of financial control are met across Ark, its subsidiaries and the various external ventures Ark supports. Within this, the role will be responsible for the processing and reporting of financial accounting data for Ark and its related entities, day-to-day cash flow management and compliant statutory returns (including VAT).

The Financial Controller for Ark and Ventures will report into Finance Director for Ark and Ventures. This role is currently operating hybrid working in our West London Office on a permanent basis working full time.

First-round interviews will take place virtually w/c Monday 5th May and second-round interviews will take place in person w/c Monday 12th May.

Key Responsibilities:

• Staff management including training and regular appraisals. The team currently consists of two Finance Officers. Also supporting two business partners.
• Provide up-to-date financial information and technical advice to Ark management and the Venture teams, including cash management.
• Lead the year-end process, including creation of annual accounts for Ark and its related entities (excluding Ark Schools) and overseeing the audits.
• First review of monthly management accounts.
• Take responsibility for the year-end audit and preparation/supervision of draft statutory accounts for the Group and 5 subsidiary entities in accordance with Charities SORP, Companies Act and UK GAAP. Liaise with auditors and ensure timetable and deadlines are met
• Management and oversight of the month-end process to ensure timely period close, including approval of all manual journals posted to the accounting system.
• Review and approval of balance sheets control account reconciliations, including bank reconciliation, petty cash, purchase ledger, staff loans, credit card, and Payroll accounts.
• Responsible for the day-to-day management of the Group’s cash flow and Treasury and preparation of performance reports for the Ark Management Team and Finance and Risk Committee.
• Set-up and maintenance of PS Financials (accounting system) and Concur (invoice and expense system), including maintaining workflows in accordance with the Scheme of Delegation.
• Relationship owner for Lloyds (banker), including set-up of Commercial Banking Online and credit cards in accordance with the Scheme of Delegation. Responsible for maintaining all bank accounts and mandates.
• Responsibility for writing and maintaining finance policies and processes, including the financial Scheme of Delegation, and ensuring these are freely available to all relevant staff.
• Accounts Payable Lead ensuring all suppliers are paid on time. Responsible for processing weekly BACs runs and authorisations in line with the Scheme of Delegation.
• Manage insurance provision for the Ark Group.

Key Requirements:

• Right to work in the UK.
• Professional Accounting Qualification (at least 3-years post-qualification).
• Educated to degree level or equivalent.
• A record of Continuing Professional Development activities.
• Audit experience.
• Hands on experience of producing statutory accounts.
• Experience of VAT, including international and/or construction industry scheme reverse charge, ideally in a charity context.
• Advanced level IT skills and ability to make effective use of standard software packages, e.g., Microsoft Words, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Staff management.
• Knowledge of the latest Charities SORP and Companies Act.
• Understanding and/or experience of working across a Group structure with a variety of business activities.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, influencing and relationship building skills at multiple levels.
• Self-motivated with excellent time-management skills and the ability to plan, manage and prioritise a varied workload, and to take responsibility for issues through to resolution.
• High attention to detail, proactive, confident, independent thinker and an enthusiastic ‘can do’ attitude.
• Ability to effectively present financial information at the appropriate level.
• Ability to challenge and influence assertively and cooperatively.

Benefits:

• Our hybrid working model aims to offer the best of both worlds, striking the right balance between in-person collaboration and remote working. You will work a minimum of two days per week in our state-of-the-art office in West London allowing you to connect with colleagues, with the flexibility to work remotely, or in the office over the remaining days
• In addition to our current hybrid working arrangements, employees can request to work fully remotely for up to 10 working days a year, whether this be in the UK or abroad
• Our flexitime policy allows you to work your hours around our core hours of 10.00 - 16.00, helping you prioritise your work-life balance and personal commitments
• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service up to 30 days after 3-years’ service. This entitlement is pro rata for part time employees. This entitlement excludes bank holidays
• Full office closure between Christmas and New Year
• As an Ark employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to
• Access to high-quality professional learning throughout your career, offering both face-to-face sessions and a bespoke online learning platform
• Access to Ark Rewards scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers, interest-free loans available for season tickets or a bike, gym discounts offering up to 40% off your local gym and free eye tests.

About Us:

Ark is an education charity that exists to make sure that all children, regardless of their background, have access to a great education and real choices in life. Our network of 39 schools reaches traditionally underserved communities in Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth. We educate 30,000 pupils and have nearly 3,000 teaching staff across our network. We also incubate and scale innovative ventures, which we roll out beyond our network of schools for the benefit of teachers, pupils and the education system as a whole. Current Ventures include Ark Curriculum Plus, which equips teachers with the subject expertise needed to ensure students succeed, and Ark Start, a growing chain of nurseries offering affordable, high-quality early years education.

Recently, Ark moved to new offices at EdCity – a unique not-for-profit development in West London, in partnership with Hammersmith & Fulham council. EdCity is designed to bring mission-aligned organisations together to focus on improving the lives of children, especially through education. It offers leased offices, a range of venues for training and events, and an innovation hub for the education sector to connect, collaborate and learn together.

Diversity and Inclusion:

We aim to build a diverse and inclusive organisation where everyone – staff and students – can do their best work and achieve their full potential. We want to reflect and represent diverse perspectives across our organisation because we know that doing so will make us stronger and more effective. To know more about Ark’s diversity and inclusion commitments, please click on this link.

Safeguarding statement:

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies. In order to meet this responsibility, its academies follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants.

Ark requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, before appointment, to disclose any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Non-disclosure may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment - this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred. To read more about Ark’s safer recruitment process, please click this link.

Please note we will be reviewing applications on an on-going basis and this role may close earlier than advertised depending on the level of response. We strongly encourage to submit your application at your earliest convenience.

We are seeking a full-time Primary Science Mentor to join our team of experts. Through your knowledge of and passion for primary science education, you will inspire transformational change in schools.

You'll be home based and able to support schools in one of the following regions: East Midlands, North East England, North West England or South Wales Valleys.

About the Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT)

PSTT is a registered charity with a clear vision – we want to see excellent teaching of science in every primary classroom in the UK. We believe it is vital that children are engaged and inspired by science from an early age. We want to draw on their natural curiosity to help them explore, understand and ask questions about the world around them.

We’ve built a Primary Science Teacher College of over 200 outstanding teachers; each helping to shape and influence science teaching across the UK. We produce great resources that improve how science is taught and planned. We organise engaging professional learning events for teachers, and work with partner organisations to further enhance how science is taught. Our 2023-28 strategy is building on these strengths to reach more teachers across a more diverse range of schools.

We’re dedicating our most intensive efforts to areas of the UK requiring most development in primary science. Our Priority Areas initiative is being piloted in 30 schools, and in September 2025 we plan to launch this programme in a further 30 schools. Our Regional Mentors have worked with more than 3,000 schools across England, with exceptionally positive feedback.

Job summary

There are two parts to the Primary Science Mentor role. The majority of the role will focus on strengthening primary science teaching and leadership by leading our second Priority Areas initiative. Through their knowledge of and passion for primary science education, the successful candidate will inspire transformational change in schools taking part in this project. They will build close working relationships with participating schools and create a vibrant and exciting learning community based on mutual support and the sharing of expertise.

The remaining hours in the role will be as a Regional Mentor: joining PSTT’s growing team of primary science experts who provide bespoke support directly to individual schools, multi-academy trusts and other school groupings and organisations. This includes developing and delivering training in a variety of contexts, including online; working individually with Science Leaders; being a leading voice, expert and advocate for primary science (both regionally and nationally); and creating partnerships with other organisations that support science within the region.

A crucial part of the role is to ensure collection of appropriate data for both Priority Areas and Regional Mentor activities, so that we can evaluate our work against intended outcomes.

Key facts about this role

Salary

PSTT band E(ii): starting salary £49,149. A cost-of-living increase will be applied on 1 September 2025; amount TBC.

Pension and benefits

Employer pension scheme, sick pay and maternity/paternity/adoption pay as detailed in our pay and reward scheme

Location

Home based in either the East Midlands, North East England, North West England or the South Wales Valleys.

Travel

The job requires extensive travel to schools within the Primary Science Mentor’s working region, and sometimes beyond that region (including occasional meetings at PSTT’s Bristol office). Expenses will be reimbursed.

Line manager

Director of Regional Programme

Start date

1 September 2025. Potential for some work prior to 1 September to support with identification and recruitment of schools (to be discussed at interview).

Contractual basis

2 years

Hours

35 hours per week (full time), usually worked between Monday-Friday. You may occasionally be required to work during evenings and weekends.

Annual leave

28 days (of which 3 must be taken during the Christmas closure period) plus public holidays

About the role

You will be based in the North East and as a key part of our schools team, help to lead, support and advise the regional team of school Pathways Coordinators, embedding the MCR programme in schools in the region.  You’ll need to be highly motivated to ensure that all care-experienced young people and those experiencing disadvantage are supported to find, grow and use their individual talents and that their education, employment choices and life changes outcomes are maximised.

Key responsibilities:

• Provide support, development, training, management and motivation to MCR staff in schools

• Support school integration of the programme and a consistently high quality standard of programme delivery

• Develop and support partnerships with the Local Councils, further and higher education institutions, local business and all MCR stakeholders

• Provide analysis of programme performance, impact and development

About you

• Experience of developing and effectively managing teams and programmes

• Self-motivated and skilled at motivating others

• Experience of or strong interest in working or volunteering in the third sector

• Experience of working within or in collaboration with secondary schools

• Excellent communication and presentation skills

• Attention to detail and ability to prioritise

About us

MCR Pathways is an award-winning charity established in Glasgow in 2007.  Our mentoring programme is now delivered in schools across the whole of Scotland as well as South East England.  We are delighted that we are now launching the MCR programme in the North East of England and we are committed to helping the region’s most vulnerable young people gain self-confidence, identify their skills and recognise and fulfil their potential. Our vision is for all young people to experience equality of education outcomes, career opportunities and life chances.  Our mentoring programme has profound impacts on school pupils in their confidence, wellbeing and post-school progression. MCR Mentors are volunteers who make and experience a life-changing difference.  You will be joining a friendly and supportive team who love what they do and enjoy working with each other.  We model our values and many of us are also mentors ourselves.

Benefits of working for MCR Pathways include:  33 days annual leave in first year rising to 38 days from 2nd year of employment, additional day off for your birthday,  Life Assurance - 4 x salary,  Living Pension Employer.

This is an opportunity to take on a new leadership position in a unique educational charity. As part of our succession planning, Number Champions is recruiting a CEO to take on all management of the charity and to help the board define and deliver its strategy. This will be our most senior staff position.

Background - Number Champions

We train volunteers to use games and other creative activities in primary schools in one-to-one sessions with children to help them gain confidence and skills in maths. This support helps put children on track to achieve their full potential in a world where numeracy is a vital building block. Over half the children we support are from disadvantaged backgrounds, which is where the need is greatest.

Founded in 2018, we have already helped over 1,500 children. We now have 115 volunteers running weekly sessions. This year they are helping 334 children in 38 partner schools across London, and we plan to continue to grow organically every year to support more children.

Our vision is not just that we grow in scale, but that through our example other organisations copy our model, and that eventually all primary school children will have access to volunteer support in maths.

CEO role

The CEO will be a new permanent role, reporting to our founder Chair and to the board of trustees. You will take on all aspects of managing our award-winning charity and drive the board process of setting and delivering strategy. This will include financial management of the charity and involvement in fundraising. This is in the context of our succession plan, whereby our Chair will hand over the executive responsibilities which he currently exercises on a pro bono basis. This is to allow us to recruit a new Chair within two years.

You will line manage the Head of Operations - our current senior employee, who manages our other two staff. The role will be part time for the equivalent of 3 days a week.

Location

You will work mainly remotely, although you will be expected to attend periodic meetings in London. We therefore require candidates to live within commuting distance of Central London, giving maximum flexibility for both the employee and the charity.

Person specification

Candidates must be able to show previous success as a member of the Senior Leadership Team of a charity. You should be a collaborative worker able to build productive working relationships with people throughout the charity and beyond. As continuing our growth is a strategic goal, we need you to have experience in marketing.

We have a high-performing staff team, and a key requirement is that you are able to continue to develop the team. You therefore need the interpersonal skills to keep the existing staff motivated, productive, and appreciated. You will also require the confidence to implement changes you identify as important. As you will take over all the executive responsibilities of the charity’s founder Chair, you will also need the sensitivity to navigate any resultant issues.

The full role and person specification is attached to this advertisement.

If you believe you are a good candidate but you do not meet the exact requirements we have set, please do apply explaining why you are well qualified.

Potential

There is huge potential for you to develop the charity to support many more children while maintaining or improving quality of delivery. You will also have the opportunity to identify and achieve additional strategic goals.

In parallel, you will be able to progress your own career in an organisation with a positive culture, whose trustees, staff, and volunteers are passionate about improving children’s educational and life chances.

We hope that you will be motivated to apply to our role.

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.