Specialist jobs in aberdare, rhondda cynon taff

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. 

We’re Hiring: Director of Fundraising, Marketing & Communications
UK (Remote) | Full-time | £60,000
Apply by: Monday 28th April 2025

Cerebra is the national charity dedicated to improving the lives of children with neurological conditions and their families. With bold plans to double our income by 2027, we're investing in innovation, building strategic partnerships, and growing our national voice—and we’re looking for a dynamic Director of Fundraising, Marketing & Communications to lead the way.

In this pivotal executive leadership role, you’ll:

✨ Drive our income growth through diverse and sustainable fundraising strategies
✨ Lead high-impact campaigns that inspire and engage a growing supporter base
✨ Elevate Cerebra’s brand to amplify our reach, influence and voice nationally
✨ Foster a high-performing, collaborative and innovative team
✨ Develop ethical commercial partnerships that create long-term impact
✨ Be a champion for families of children with neurological conditions

You bring:
✅ A strong track record in senior fundraising and income generation
✅ Experience developing partnerships and leading marketing/communications strategy
✅ Outstanding stakeholder engagement and programme management skills
✅ A passion for ethical, inclusive leadership and social impact

We offer a competitive salary and excellent benefits, including 29 days holiday (plus bank holidays), pension match up to 6%, £300 home-working allowance, and the opportunity to work for a cause that truly matters.

To apply, send your CV and a short letter (max 800 words) outlining why you’re a great fit.

Interviews:

• Online (Teams): Tuesday 13th May
• In-person (Bristol): Tuesday 20th May

Join us in creating a better world for children with neurological conditions. Let’s do something extraordinary—together.

We are an equal opportunities employer. If there is anything you need to support you to take part in an interview please let us know. 

In line with our commitment to safeguarding, a full DBS check will be required of the successful candidate.

The Noah’s Ark Charity supports the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales in providing world class care, helping to ensure the best outcome and experience possible for children and their families.

Scope of role

The digital marketing officer is a new role within the communications and engagement team, reflecting the charity’s strategic ambitions to shape and improve our digital approach.

We are a friendly, creative, and supportive team, responsible for raising awareness, demonstrating impact,  growing the brand and supporting both our  fundraising colleagues and our committed community of fundraisers, donors and volunteers to raise as  possible in aid of our nations children’s hospital.

As digital marketing officer you will play a key role in developing and implementing our digital strategy, working closely with the fundraising and wider comms and engagement team to deliver tangible results.  It is also an exciting time to join our team, as this role will begin at a critical point in the redevelopment of our website. The digital marketing officer will play a vital part in the ongoing rollout of the site.

Working closely with the wider charity team, this new position offers a real opportunity to help develop and grow the charity’s positive impact on the lives of children and families.

Person specification

We are seeking a digital marketing officer with extensive experience in a digital marketing role, including SEO, paid search and display advertising, paid social media and email marketing

This is a great opportunity to join a small but highly motivated team.

For the full person spec and job description, please see our website.

Winston’s Wish is a digital first organisation leading the way in Digital Transformation across the Bereavement sector. This role is new and exciting and will play a vital part in helping Winston’s Wish turn up the dial across our Mass Participation strategy.

The Head of Mass Participation Fundraising is responsible for overseeing our mass fundraising team. Leading the Events, Community and Individual Giving teams to maximise income and to introduce and lead on a new and exciting mass participation programme. Developing outstanding supporter relationships and delivering long-term sustainable income through innovative, audience led fundraising.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES  

Specific Duties 

Leadership

• To lead and inspire the Mass Participation team fostering a collaborative and high performing culture that delivers against income and objectives
• Provide clear and supportive leadership that motivates staff to achieve, develop and grow in their roles
• Undertake quarterly reviews for all direct reports

Mass Participation Fundraising

• Lead the development of all fundraising products, propositions and community and events, to effectively acquire and engage our mass audience target markets
• Use innovation and donor and market research to help define and shape Winston Wish’s Mass fundraising offer
• Lead the development of a robust lottery programme
• Work collaboratively with the Director of Income Generation to develop an approach to Gifts in Wills and legacy marketing
• Maximise income, by overseeing the development of key income sources, including community, challenge events, in memoriam and regular giving programmes
• Drive an innovation-focused culture, constantly evolving our product offerings to expand the charity’s reach and impact
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge on sector and market trends, the legal environment impacting on public fundraising and ensure compliance with standards determined by Fundraising Regulator
• Lead on the development and execution of acquisition strategies to meet agreed targets
• Lead on the development and execution of retention, conversion and upgrade strategies to ensure donor LTV and sustainable income

Strategy, Planning and reporting

• Develop and execute bold strategies to grow the charity’s mass participation portfolio, optimising supporter journey and maximising income generation
• Work with the Director of Income Generation and the Head of Mass Participation Fundraising to develop the annual budget, including leading on monthly performance reports and contributing to quarterly reforecasts and reporting against KPI’s and milestones
• Oversee the development of supporter journeys and stewardship of all mass audiences and key community relationships to maximise retention and ensure long-term income growth

Collaboration

• In collaboration with the Marketing Communications team, oversee the development of compelling integrated fundraising acquisition and engagement plans
• Liaise with trustees’ internal stakeholders to develop Mass fundraising activity, and contribute to reporting for trustees and SLT as required
• Manage key agency relationships to deliver successful fundraising

All Staff 

• Contribute to the vision and mission of Winston's Wish; whilst embedding the values into your daily work activities. 
• Promote equality of opportunity, diversity and anti-racism in accordance with Winston’s Wish policies. 
• Contribute to the overall success of the charity’s fundraising needs by providing case studies, attending events and adding value to the experience of our supporters as required.
• Contribute to the brand and reach of the charity by working alongside our Marketing & Communications Team when relevant press opportunities arise or when required for social media and online content (including the use of photography).    
• Work to objectives, targets and work plans agreed with your line manager. 
• Undertake specific projects and other ad hoc duties agreed with your line manager, fulfilling any deadlines, reviews and reporting procedures required. 
• Take an active part in the Quarterly review process and participate in training agreed with your line manager. 
• Recognise and champion the lived experience of children and young people with bereavement within your work.
• Ensure the health and safety of all colleagues, volunteers and visitors in accordance with Winston’s Wish policy. 

PERSON SPECIFICATION  

Essential 

• A proven track record in mass participation or public fundraising roles leading on the development of new, successful programmes
• Demonstratable strong strategic planning skills and the ability to develop and implement long-term strategies to achieve fundraising targets and enhance the charity's mission
• Proven leadership and people management skills, with experience in overseeing multi-disciplinary teams. Essential experience includes team leadership, staff motivation, setting clear objectives, and fostering a collaborative work environment
• Experience in effectively developing, managing and reporting complex income and expenditure budgets
• Exceptional communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence at senior levels and excellent written skills
• Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder management skills
• Excellent analytical skills, making informed and balanced decisions or recommendations, understanding the impact of decisions
• Experience of engaging supporters, volunteers and the public
• Understanding of the importance of delivering a positive supporter experience and experience in creating and delivering stewardship plans
• A proven track record of using data and insight to make effective decisions
• Experience of identifying and delivering innovative approaches
• Significant knowledge of the fundraising events and mass participation sector and understanding of the needs of participants
• A proactive and results-driven mindset.

Desirable  

• Experience in managing, supporting, developing and motivating colleagues in a digital first organisation
• Experience of salesforce or other similar CRM systems
• Evidence of continued professional development

Recruitment Timetable

• Application deadline: Monday 28th April 2025
• Interviews: w/c 5th May 2025
• Interview location: MS Teams

Winston’s Wish reserves the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications for the role before the closing date.

Winston’s Wish is a digital first organisation leading the way in Digital Transformation across the Bereavement sector. This role is new and exciting and will play a vital part in helping Winston’s Wish turn up the dial across our high value fundraising.

The Head of High Value Fundraising is responsible for delivering and significantly growing income from Corporate Partnerships, Philanthropy and Trusts and Grants. Leading a team of committed fundraisers, you will develop a robust strategy that delivers mutually beneficial partnerships, outstanding supporter relationships and long-term sustainable income.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES  

Specific Duties 

Leadership

• To lead and inspire the high value team fostering a collaborative and high culture that delivers against income and objectives
• Provide clear and supportive leadership that motivates staff to achieve, develop and grow in their roles
• Undertake quarterly reviews for all direct reports

High Value Fundraising

• Cultivate and maintain relationships with high-value donors, ensuring effective solicitation, stewardship, and follow-up to secure significant contributions (six-figure gifts)
• Build and maintain a portfolio of Trust & Grants supporters. Responsible for researching, approaching and developing compelling applications with a focus on ensuring Trusts & Grants provide a long-term, diverse and sustainable income stream
• Lead the development and stewardship of the Philanthropy board to identify and secure transformational (6-7 figure) gifts and the development of the Business development Board to open opportunities with Corporate Partners
• Write and design a compelling case for support that is tailored to our High Value audiences
• Build a portfolio of corporate partners, including securing high-value, multi-year partnerships. You will work with the team to grow this income stream from prospecting, approaches, applications, pitches, stewardship and providing excellent account management
• Lead on planning and delivering successful high value cultivation events

• Represent Winston’s Wish at fundraising events and meetings with internal and external stakeholders

Strategy, Planning and reporting

• To create and implement a strategy including corporate partnerships, trusts & foundations and major donors
• Lead on developing and delivering effective stewardship journeys and cultivation plans
• Produce regular reports on fundraising activity, analysing performance against targets, and identifying areas for improvement and growth.
• Work with the Director of Income Generation and the Head of Mass Participation Fundraising to develop the annual budget, including leading on monthly performance reports and contributing to quarterly reforecasts and reporting against KPI’s and milestones
• Undertake research and make use of tools to identify potential High Value partners.

Collaboration

• Work closely with the Director of Income Generation, Head of Mass Participation Fundraising, SLT and other teams to maximise high value fundraising opportunities
• Work with the Marketing team to deliver urgent and compelling high value messages tailed for the different audiences
• Work with the Trustees to build networks and increase the reach of Winston’s Wish

All Staff

• Contribute to the vision and mission of Winston's Wish; whilst embedding the values into your daily work activities. 
• Promote equality of opportunity, diversity and anti-racism in accordance with Winston’s Wish policies. 
• Contribute to the overall success of the charity’s fundraising needs by providing case studies, attending events and adding value to the experience of our supporters as required.
• Contribute to the brand and reach of the charity by working alongside our Marketing & Communications Team when relevant press opportunities arise or when required for social media and online content (including the use of photography).    
• Work to objectives, targets and work plans agreed with your line manager. 
• Undertake specific projects and other ad hoc duties agreed with your line manager, fulfilling any deadlines, reviews and reporting procedures required. 
• Take an active part in the Quarterly review process and participate in training agreed with your line manager. 
• Recognise and champion the lived experience of children and young people with bereavement within your work.
• Ensure the health and safety of all colleagues, volunteers and visitors in accordance with Winston’s Wish policy. 

 PERSON SPECIFICATION  

Essential 

• A proven track record in high-value fundraising, including securing 6-7 figure donations from high-net-worth individuals, trusts, foundations, and businesses
• Track record of converting cold prospects to planned gifts of 6-7 figures
• Demonstratable strong strategic planning skills and the ability to develop and implement long-term strategies to achieve fundraising targets and enhance the charity's mission
• Proven leadership and people management skills, with experience in overseeing multi-disciplinary teams. Essential experience includes team leadership, staff motivation, setting clear objectives, and fostering a collaborative work environment.
• Experience in effectively developing, managing and reporting complex income and expenditure budgets
• Exceptional communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence at senior levels and excellent written skills
• Experience of successfully engaging trustees and/or senior volunteer committees to drive philanthropic income.
• Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder management skills
• Strong networking skills with the ability to engage with diverse stakeholders
• A proactive and results-driven mindset.

Desirable  

• Experience in managing, supporting, developing and motivating colleagues in a digital first organisation
• Experience of salesforce or other similar CRM system
• Evidence of continued professional development 

Recruitment Timetable

• Application deadline: Monday 28th April 2025
• Interviews: w/c 5th May 2025
• Interview location: MS Teams

Winston’s Wish reserves the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications for the role before the closing date.

Home Based within Essex or Hertfordshire

Closing date: Tuesday 6th May

Phone Interviews: W/C 28th April & W/C 5th May

Panel interviews: Tuesday 13th or Wednesday 14th May

Today, 12 children and young people will be diagnosed with cancer. We’ll stop at nothing to make sure they get the right care and support at the right time.

Change lives in a life-changing career

When a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer, their whole world can feel like it’s falling apart. Independence is taken and confidence is stolen. Stability no longer exists. The future suddenly feels uncertain.

The impact of cancer on young lives is more than medical. That’s why we exist. Our specialist social workers help children and young people with cancer and their families navigate the emotional and practical impact of cancer. We remove barriers, solve problems and prioritise wellbeing. And we stop at nothing to make sure they get the right care and support at the right time.

We challenge the systems and policies that surround children and young people, we highlight gaps and campaign for change. Because we know what a better future could look like. And we know what we need to do to make that future a reality. We need to push harder, reach further and work smarter. And we need the right people on our team to help us get there. People like you.

About the role

We’re looking for a Fundraising Engagement Manager with great personality and team ethic to join our Regional Fundraising team.

This is a role of variety, opportunity and innovation, and we are looking for someone who embraces change and constantly strives to achieve more.

You will maximise income for Young Live vs Cancer by coaching our supporters to reach their goals, whilst seeking out new fundraising opportunities for your geographical area. This role sits within the ‘Regional Engagement’ team and we need someone with natural customer service skills who wants to deliver a legendary experience to all of their supporters. Your team of supporters will range from volunteers and individuals, to groups and local corporates.

We are lucky enough to have some of our most committed supporters in the area, but there is still so much opportunity to grow support across the counties. You will have an incredible opportunity to build relationships with not only those who have been supported by the charity, but our incredible services team members who support children and young people treated out of University College Hospital and Great Ormond Street hospital.

Candidates should live within Essex & Hertfordshire, in one of the following postcodes: Essex: CM; CO1-9; CO11-16; IG (except IG11); RM & SS and Hertfordshire: AL1-10; CM21-23; EN6-8; EN10-11; HP1-4; SG1-14 & WD.

Candidates who live outside of these areas should highlight an intention to relocate to the area in their covering letter for their application to be considered 

This role is subject to a criminal record check. In the event of a successful application a basic record check will be completed.

What will I be doing?

No two days are the same at Young Lives vs Cancer. So, summarising your ‘day to day’ isn’t easy. Here are some of the main things you’ll be doing, but you’ll find more details in our Role Details document.

• To plan, monitor and report on your budgeted income with a constant eye on contingency planning to ensure annual targets are achieved
• To steward our most committed supporters and deliver legendary supporter experience
• To be a key, valued member of your regional team and UK wide team.
• To identify, cultivate and secure partnerships and donations within your area
• To work with your local service team/s to build and maintain strong and effective working relationships
• To be the first point of contact for service user families, to offer opportunities to them and their networks to engage with the wider charity as they would like I.e. fundraising, volunteering, sharing their story

What do I need? 

• A proven track record of delivering amazing customer experiences
• Experience of relationship management in either a charity or corporate setting
• Ability to work within a financial target-based setting, and experience of reaching/exceeding set targets
• Demonstrable experience of winning new business
• Experience of managing own workload
• Proven ability to manage/complete projects
• Able to ‘make the ask’ for support and to influence/negotiate
• Have a full UK driving licence and access to a car (including business insurance)
• Have a sufficient Broadband connection

Diverse perspectives and unique skillsets are at the heart of Young Lives vs Cancer. If you're passionate about making a positive impact and eager to learn, we encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet the criteria and person specification fully. Your potential is what matters most to us, and we’re committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment to help you develop.

The key skills we’re looking for in this role are:

• Natural storyteller
• Strong prioritisation skills
• Great communicator
• Great at spotting opportunities
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Compassion
• Integrity
• Team player

What will I gain?

For people to reach their full potential, they need the right environment. As a member of Team Young Lives, you’ll be made to feel supported, valued and appreciated. Here’s how we do it:

• Flexible working: we’re open to working hours outside of 9 - 5 and we can talk through your flexibility requirements at interview stage
• Wellbeing days: four days a year to do what works for you – from catching up on training to going for a walk
• Generous annual leave allowance
• Great family/caring leave entitlements
• Enhanced pension
• Access to our employee savings scheme

To find out more about our benefits package, have a look on our website.

Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

At Young Lives vs Cancer, we recognise that opportunities for too many people remain a condition of their sex, ethnicity, class, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation – or a combination. This has never been acceptable to us as an organisation. We don’t just accept difference, we value it, celebrate it, nurture it and we thrive because of it.

We’re on a journey to be reflective of the diverse children, young people and families we support. We know we aren’t there yet, and we’re passionately committed to taking actions and making changes to be a truly diverse, inclusive and equitable organisation. This includes taking anti-oppressive action and removing barriers in our recruitment practices. We particularly welcome applications from members of minoritised communities. Our Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging strategy will tell you more.

We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. CVs can be uploaded, but we won't be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to fully complete the work history sections of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly and objectively.

Recruitment process

We will be shortlisting applications on a rolling basis. We will hold informal telephone interviews w/c 28th April and w/c 5th May and if invited  to panel interview, these will take place on 13th or 14th May.

Accessibility

We’re committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we’ll always aim to be as accommodating as possible.Please let us know in your application form of any adjustments or access requirements we could make to help you with the application process and interview.

To arrange an informal chat, please contact Alex O'Connell.

#ShowTheSalary #NonGraduatesWelcome

About Open Cages

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

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

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

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

What do you gain by working at Open Cages?

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

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

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

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

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

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

About your role

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

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

We can accommodate to you

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

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

What do we require from you?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What will you do?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Key responsibilities:

Income Generation

• Drive online income generation through effective use of digital fundraising platforms, social media, and supporter journeys.
• Optimise and manage digital giving platforms, such as Funraisin, to increase donations and supporter engagement.
• Expand and enhance peer-to-peer fundraising, ensuring fundraisers have the tools and motivation to maximise income.

Digital & Social Media

• Increase digital reach and visibility, making sure fundraising messages are seen and acted upon.
• Leverage social media fundraising tools, such as Elovate (CommittedGiving), to improve donor retention and engagement.
• Use AI-powered tools to streamline prospect research, automate content personalisation, and optimise donor engagement.
• Develop and execute strategies to convert social media and website visitors into long-term donors.

Support & Collaboration

• Provide guidance and digital tools to e-volunteers and fundraising champions, enabling them to spread AvMA’s fundraising messages and attract donations.
• Analyse and report on digital fundraising performance, using insights to refine strategy and improve return on investment.
• Contribute to digital income diversification, exploring new revenue-generating opportunities such as online retail or supporter-driven fundraising products (e-commerce experience desirable).

Other Duties

• To undertake other duties as required commensurate with this post.
• To travel as necessary for events and fundraising activities

About Open Cages

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

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

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

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

What do you gain by working at Open Cages?

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

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

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

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

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

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

About your role

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

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

We can accommodate to you

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

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

What do we require from you?

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

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

What will you do?

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

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

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

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

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

Advocacy Manager

Location – Remote from the UK with regular travel to Manchester and London

Starting Salary - £40,416 per annum (plus contributory pension)

MAG saves lives and builds futures by working with others to reclaim land contaminated with the debris of conflict, to reduce the daily risk of death or injury for civilians, and to create safe and secure conditions for development. MAG shared the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize as a founding member of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines for our work to ban landmines. Our vision is a safe and secure future for men, women and children affected by armed violence and conflict. 

We are looking for an exceptional Advocacy Manager to work within our Policy and Strategic Partnerships team.  This is a fantastic opportunity to join a dynamic international charity that shared the 1997 Nobel Peace-Prize.

You will be working with the Director of Policy and Strategic Partnerships in the development and delivery of MAG’s advocacy work, including leadership of MAG’s UK parliamentary engagement, and contribution to the European and US engagement strategies.

The successful candidate will have previous experience of engaging and influencing UK parliamentarians, including the House of Commons and House of Lords, in support of advocacy objectives through a variety of tactics. You will have up-to-date knowledge of the UK political scene, and key players for MAG’s focus areas, knowledge of UK parliamentary processes and influencing tactics. You will also have a proven track record of meeting targets and deadlines and an ability to build, manage and develop relationships with key stakeholders. Excellent coordination and communication skills will also be essential.

The role will involve travel in the UK and Internationally.

What you can expect in return: 

· Competitive salary 

· 25 days annual leave per year, plus public holidays. 

· Company pension (matching at 5%

· Employee Assistance Programme: MAG offers free access to Health Assured, a service providing 24/7 confidential support and expert advice on a wide range of issues. 

Further information and how to apply:

For the further information on the role, the application pack and details of how to apply, please visit the MAG website by the closing date of 5th May 2025.

Application is by submission of the following documents to humanresources [@] maginternational [.] org by the closing date of 5th May 2025:

1. Up-to-date CV

2. Cover letter, setting out why you believe you are suitable for this position, and how you feel you align to MAG Values.

3. Completed Candidate Profile Form

Due to the high volume of applications, we receive, we cannot respond to every application. If you have not heard back from us within 3 weeks of applying, your application has not been successful.

Please note that as part of MAG's commitment to safeguarding, this post is subject to background checks before an offer of employment is confirmed. For more information on MAG’s approach to safeguarding here and background checks here. You can also find more information in the candidate information pack, available on our website.

MAG is committed to the principles of diversity, equality and inclusion. If you think you would be suited to one of our roles we would welcome your application regardless of your background. We strive to provide an inclusive and supportive working environment where all employees feel respected and supported in fulfilling their potential.

About Open Cages

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

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

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

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

What do you gain by working at Open Cages?

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

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

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

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

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

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

About your role

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

We can accommodate to you

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

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

What do we require from you?

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

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

What will you do?

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

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

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

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

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

Job purpose

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

Key responsibilities  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

•Support effective cross-organisational internal communication 

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

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

Everyone deserves a decent place to live – join Habitat for Humanity Great Britain as our new Director of Finance, Operations & Compliance, and support people to find a safe, affordable home. 

We’re on the lookout for an experienced finance and operations professional, with the energy and drive to lead a team focused on excellent service delivery, continuous improvement and sustainable growth. This is your chance to take charge of a support services team with a real purpose—helping families build a better future through safe and affordable housing.

Reporting to the CEO, you’ll take the lead on all financial, compliance, operational and people support activities.  This role demands a combination of the hands-on approach needed in a medium-sized charity with the strong people management skills to enable all members of your team to deliver high quality services and to thrive in their roles.

You’ll also be working closely with colleagues across the international Habitat network, so good communication and collaboration skills will be key to success in this role. 

Job Title: Director of Finance, Operations & Compliance 

Department: Finance, Operations & Compliance 

Reports to: National Director/CEO 

Budget responsibility: Yes 

Line management: Team of 6, with 3 direct reports (Head of People, Finance Manager, Finance Business Partner) 

Location: Home-based with regular travel to internal meetings and team events, and occasional travel to our registered office in Slough 

About Habitat for Humanity Great Britain 

Habitat for Humanity Great Britain (Habitat GB) is part of the global Habitat for Humanity network fighting global poverty and homelessness. We believe that a decent home helps to permanently break the cycle of poverty and allows families to achieve strength, stability, and self-reliance.

Habitat GB has recently completed a strategic review, resulting in a new National Strategy and an organisational restructure, to ensure the organisation is able to deliver the Strategy impactfully, efficiently and effectively. This has included the integration of a subsidiary entity (GB Homes) into Habitat GB.  As a result, the Finance, Operations & Compliance team has been expanded to ensure the right capacity and capability for these crucial functions.

Habitat’s turnover for the financial year ended 30 June 2023 was £3.0m with net assets of £2.5m: for the year ended 30 June 2024, it was £3.5m with assets of £2.1m. 

Job Purpose 

The Director of Finance, Operations & Compliance will be a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, working to ensure the impact, sustainability, diligence and productivity of the organisation, with a commitment to organisational transformation within the framework of a values-led approach to people and culture. 

Taking a lead on all financial, support and compliance activities, the role demands a combination of the hands-on approach needed in a medium-sized charity with the strong people management skills to enable all members of their team to deliver high quality services and to thrive in their roles.

Key responsibilities include: 

• All aspects of financial strategy, planning and control. 

• Providing oversight of organisational priorities, productivity, performance, people & HR, risk and due diligence. 

• Support to fundraising and programmes. 

• Being an active leader across the organisation, collaborating effectively with teams, and contributing fully to organisational wide initiatives and opportunities. 

• Co-creating ways of working to enable an adaptive, collaborative and high performing organisational team. 

• Leading and managing a team of 6, including 3 direct reports. 

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities:

Financial Strategy, Planning and Control: 

• Accountable for organisational financial strategy, working with senior staff and trustees to ensure multi-year planning, target setting and monitoring in line with Habitat GB’s strategic objectives.

• Accountable for all aspects of financial management and control, including budgeting, reforecasting, treasury management, cashflow, management information, performance and statutory reporting.

• Accountable for the development and continuous improvement of reporting frameworks, including leading regular reviews with Senior Leadership team and providing quantitative and qualitative reports for the Board including clear and accessible narrative analysis.

• Provision of financial management and accounting services, management information, and statutory reporting. 

• Lead the organisation of quarterly Finance, Audit & Risk Committee meetings, in line with the Committee Terms of Reference and in consultation with the Treasurer, and National Director/CEO. 

• Responsible for the preparation and submission of annual statutory accounts in accordance with SORP and legal requirements and coordinating the external audit exercise and seeing the process through to Board approvals and filing with statutory bodies. 

• Lead a positive and collaborative relationship with HFHI Finance teams and ensure that Habitat GB meets its regular reporting requirements. 

• Lead Habitat GB’s relationship with relevant external partners, including auditors, bankers, insurers, pension providers, HMRC, Charity Commission and Companies House. 

GB Homes Subsidiary Entity: 

• Working closely with the National Director/CEO on planning for the future wind-up of the entity, providing all financial management, reporting and compliance resources as required in the interim. 

• Working with the Director of Programme Delivery, provide financial resource and support to the management of the former GB Homes asset portfolio, developing appropriate reporting mechanisms that provide data which can be included into the combined budgeting and reporting of Habitat GB 

• Accountable for integration and ongoing provision of the operational requirements of the GB Homes subsidiary, including insurance, technology, and communications requirements. 

Fundraising & Programmes support: 

• Work closely with the Directors of Fundraising & Partnerships, and of Impact & Influence to set ambitious and achievable targets across restricted and unrestricted fundraising, track performance, and ensure high quality forecasting, reporting and budget management. 

• Be responsible for the development and oversight of policies, protocols and systems required for restricted fund management which align with Habitat for Humanity International and external donor requirements. 

• Work collaboratively across Habitat GB to agree service delivery expectations and ensure the timely provision of relevant inputs from the Finance, Operations & Compliance team across partnership and programme cycles.  For example, audit or financial reporting requirements from donors, up to date policies, review of proposal documents, grants and contract agreements. 

• Work closely with the Directors of Programme Delivery & Retail to ensure Habitat GB has the specialist knowledge and financial skills relevant to our diverse types of programmes, including a new and growing retail operation, as well as construction project delivery. 

Risk Management and Compliance: 

• Lead on the development and maintenance of the organisational Risk Register, being responsible for the management and mitigation of financial, regulatory and operational risks and coordinating with others on the reporting and review of other risk areas. 

• Ensure Habitat GB is fully compliant and up to date with all its data protection and insurance requirements and has access to appropriate legal and other expert resources where necessary. 

• Be responsible for technology infrastructure, hardware and the management of outsourced support services. 

People Policies and HR Administration: 

• Support the Head of People to deliver a high-quality People and HR service to the organisation and our partners, including efficient HR administration, pension and payroll, people management, safeguarding, strategy and leadership. 

• Working closely with the National Director and others, have overall responsibility for the provision of up to date, user-friendly and legally compliant policies and procedures which support an efficient and effective organisational culture and environment. 

Leadership & Management: 

• Lead a high performing and ambitious team, inspired to implement and grow the strategy and with a core focus on positive impact for Habitat GB’s community and strategic partners through the provisional of excellent functional and subject matter expertise. 

• Develop, lead and focus the Finance, Operations & Compliance team, its budget, activities and performance, to ensure the delivery against targets. 

• Manage, motivate and develop team members. Ensure regular 1-2-1s are held, set individual objectives, encourage a culture of giving and receiving feedback, where kindness and ambition support the progression of people and plans. 

• Set quality standards and meaningful KPIs to encourage ownership and accountability with direct reports, team, and others and effectively monitor progress towards agreed targets. 

• Role model our values in line with Habitat GB’s inclusive approach to people and culture. 

Organisational Leadership: 

• Support the National Director/CEO in delivering Habitat GB’s strategy and vision, acting as a collaborative and supportive member of a shared leadership team. 

• As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, provide oversight of organisational priorities, productivity, performance, risk and due diligence. 

• Be an active leader across the organisation, collaborating effectively with teams, and contributing fully to organisational wide initiatives and opportunities. 

• Co-create ways of working to enable an adaptive, collaborative and high performing organisational team. 

• Deputise for the National Director when required and represent HFHGB in external meetings and forums. 

Person profile: 

• Holder of a relevant professional or accounting qualification: e.g. ACCA or equivalent. 

• Expertise in charity sector compliance (FRS102) reporting requirements. 

• Expert knowledge of financial strategy, management and reporting, with experience relevant to funding and grants, retail, commercial or construction. 

• Proven track record of developing and leading complex financial strategies and supporting teams to deliver high quality functional inputs in an inclusive, collaborative environment. 

• Hands-on experience with relevant accounting systems and the ability to quickly learn new systems (Habitat GB uses SUN and SAGE systems). 

• Experience working in and leading teams responsible for operational and people related functions. 

• Experience of working in a similar organisation, collaborating across teams and operating in a highly effective way across a diverse, networked structure. 

• Significant and successful experience in senior management roles, encompassing strategic management and team leadership. 

• Understanding and experience of complex organisational change projects, including the ability to support new teams to develop and thrive. 

Skills and competencies: 

• You have excellent interpersonal skills and can communicate with impact across diverse audiences. 

• You are a strategic, analytical and details orientated thinker who can also appreciate the big picture, be pragmatic, collaborative and focus on increasing impact in line with Habitat GB’s mission. 

• You are resilient, able to lead positively in a role which carries significant responsibility and requires you to prioritise effectively across multiple areas of work, problem solve and demonstrate strong organisational and planning skills. 

• You are a values-led leader, who demonstrates integrity, respect for others and a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. Strong leadership skills and commitment to the highest levels of integrity, honesty, openness and good governance with the capacity to inspire and motivate others. 

• You are an experienced manager, able to lead and inspire others, offering kind and constructive support to others enabling them to improve their impact and performance. 

• You are confident and able to work across different and competing priorities which require you to flex between hands on activities and strategic leadership. 

• You can demonstrate business planning acumen, decision-making, and problem-solving skills. 

The role and responsibilities will be carried out in a way which reflects: 

• Habitat GB’s commitment to safeguarding children in accordance with the Safeguarding Policy. 

• A commitment to Habitat GB’s vision, mission, values and approach. 

• A commitment to effective management of risk, by operating within the Charity’s code of conduct, policies, procedures and controls and by carrying out the risk management and assurance responsibilities of the role as set out in relevant Policy and Procedures. 

Reporting to the CEO, you’ll take the lead on all financial, compliance, operational and people support activities.  This role demands a combination of the hands-on approach needed in a medium-sized charity with the strong people management skills to enable all members of your team to deliver high quality services and to thrive in their roles.

You’ll also be working closely with colleagues across the international Habitat network, so good communication and collaboration skills will be key to success in this role. 

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If this role sounds like it could be a good match for you, please take a look at the Candidate Pack.

Please note: this role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship - the successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK. The sucessfull candidate will be required to have a DBS check before starting the role.

Habitat for Humanity requires that all employees take seriously their ethical responsibilities to safeguard our intended beneficiaries, their communities, and all those with whom we work.  Managers at all levels have responsibilities to support and develop systems that create and maintain an environment that prevents harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse, safeguards the rights of beneficiaries and community members (especially children), and promotes the implementation of our code of conduct. The employment of this position will be subject to a satisfactory reference check and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. 

At Habitat for Humanity GB, we aim to build, develop and retain a talented workforce that represents a variety of backgrounds, skills and experiences. We welcome and actively encourage applications from anyone who feels they’d be a good fit for our organisation, regardless of race, religion, colour, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, neurodiversity or any other protected characteristics. 

Unfortunately, because of high volume of applications we will not be able to contact unsuccessful applicants. If you haven’t heard from us within a month of the application deadline, please assume that your application has not been successful. 

We’d prefer to hear directly from applicants – we won’t be working with third party recruiters on this role.