We are hiring maternity cover for our Head of Programmes role!

We are currently recruiting for a Head of Programmes to cover a 12 month maternity cover. The Head of Programmes is a wide ranging and key role within the Smallwood Trust’s leader­ship structure working closely with the CEO, the Grants Team and the Board.

You will be joining us at an exciting time in our 135-year history. In the past 2-3 years we have received and continue to receive substantial funding to complement the income from our available investments. This is a new role with scope to help Smallwood shift power to the women and communities it serves and to identify programmes that work in tackling gendered poverty.

The role requires an established leader who is adept at demonstrating internal and external leadership and is able to provide robust grant management, ensuring programme quality and assurance to the CEO, the Board and major external funders.

Important priorities for the Head of Programmes will include:

• Working closely with the CEO to implement and operationalise Smallwood’s refreshed grant-making strategy which is due to be approved by the end of 2024. This will include budgeting and implementing/designing new grant processes and procedures where appropriate
• Shape and deliver an evaluation framework that enables us to more effectively track progress against our longer term outcomes as identified in our theory of change and gender-lens framework
• Instil a learning and continuous improvement culture across the organisation, to ensure that a coherent approach is taken with our grants programmes and our funding meets the needs of our Grant Partners

If you wish to apply for the position, please submit your CV and covering letter as per our guidance by midnight on 24^th June 2024. Virtual interviews will take place w/c 1^st July 2024.

Support with your application

We will be holding a Question and Answer slot for those of you who would like to talk with us before applying for the role. This will take place on 4th June between 12 noon and 3pm. The CEO and Head of Programmes will be meeting with you.

Please email emmacrump@smallwoodtrust.org.uk if you are interested in this and tell us what time you would like to meet with us.

In addition, Smallwood Trust have partnered with B-Radical to make the recruitment process for this role as equitable and accessible as possible. B-Radical support people who have had some kind of adverse life experience or set of circumstances that makes finding work more difficult, such as:

• Being sole parent to children under 18 years
• Having had contact with the criminal justice system
• Being care-experienced
• Being a care giver
• Having experienced domestic violence or abuse
• Being an armed forces veteran
• Being in recovery for any kind of addiction
• Having experience of homelessness or are currently homeless
• Having refugee status
• Having been a victim of modern-day slavery
• Being long-term unemployed (12 months or more)

Or those who have an underrepresented protected characteristic under the law, such as:

• Belonging to an ethnic minority group
• Being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community
• Being aged between 18 and 30 years or over 50 years
• Having a disability (including being neurodivergent)
• Having English as second language

B-Radical are available to offer application support to applicants from the above groups.

To help you consider your candidacy, booking a private and confidential chat with Radical about your suitability for the role and having an honest conversation about the strength of your application. Please email holly@b-radical.co.uk  to book a call.

If you do choose to apply, helping you to shape your application by providing a free CV review as a critical friend, as well as support with your questions submission.

And finally, helping you to have the conversation about what reasonable adjustments might look like for you if you are a candidate with a disability and/or discussing any flexible working requirements that you might like to explore with Smallwood.

The closing date for support with your application is Monday, 17th June. Please reach out to Holly Robinson a B-Radical before this close date for support.

Please download the role specification to find out more.