Job Description
About Young Roots
At Young Roots, we want to see a compassionate and welcoming society for young refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. We work alongside young people seeking safety in the UK, building trusted relationships, providing practical and emotional support and promoting young people s rights and power.
Our youth clubs and casework are transformative for young refugees, allowing young people who have fled danger, had traumatic journeys and who are often here alone, to find community and connection, have a space to be a young person and access support in addressing a whole range of practical challenges they face. We also draw on our evidence from working every day with young refugees and asylum seekers to call for change to the laws and policies which are harming young people.
About the role
This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of an influential charity at a pivotal point in its development.
Young Roots has a strong track record of impact, trusted relationships with funders, and is a respected voice in work with young refugees. We are now ready to significantly increase our visibility and influence and this role is central to making that happen.
As Head of Fundraising and Communications, you will bring together fundraising, communications and impact to tell a powerful, credible story about Young Roots work and to unlock new, high-value funding. You will work closely with the CEO and trustees to position the organisation strategically, grow our profile, and build relationships with major donors and other senior partners.
This is a role for someone who enjoys both setting direction and making things happen. You will personally lead high-value fundraising and strategic communications, while enabling and supporting a skilled team to deliver across trusts, individual giving, engagement and impact reporting. As a member of the Leadership Group, you will help shape organisational strategy, culture and long-term sustainability.
If you re excited by building influence, diversifying income, and using communications and evidence to drive change for young refugees, this role offers scope, autonomy and purpose in equal measure.
About you
You will bring senior experience in fundraising and/or communications within a charity or mission-driven organisation, with a strong track record of raising profile, engagement or income. You ll be a strategic thinker who is comfortable being hands-on, credible with senior stakeholders, and motivated by working for social justice.
We re particularly interested in people who bring:
- Experience leading fundraising and/or communications teams
- A strong understanding of high-value fundraising (e.g. major donors)
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to tailor messages for different audiences
- Experience managing people, budgets and complex priorities
- A commitment to equity, empowering young people and safeguarding
Why join Young Roots
- A senior role with real influence in a respected, impactful organisation
- The opportunity to shape income, profile and strategy at a key stage of growth
- A collaborative leadership team and values-led culture
- Flexible, hybrid working
To Apply:
To apply, please submit your CV alongside a personal statement by the closing date outlining how you would be a great fit for the role.
Your personal statement should be no more than 800 words, answering the following questions:
- What is your motivation for working with Young Roots? (100 words)
- What is your motivation for applying for this role specifically? (200 words)
- What skills and experience would you bring that will enable you to be successful in this role? Please ensure you refer to the essential criteria on the person specification and provide examples to demonstrate how and where you meet the criteria. (500 words)
Please submit your application via Charity Jobs.
No agencies, please.
Closing date: 10th March
Interview date: 17th March
Young Roots recognises the positive value of diversity, promotes equity and challenges discrimination. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly those who can face disadvantage in employment, such as people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ individuals and people with disabilities. As an organisation that supports refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, we particularly welcome applications from people within these communities. We offer a guaranteed interview for those with lived experience of the asylum system and those with disabilities, where they meet the essential elements of the person specification. If aspects of the application process create barriers to you applying and you d like any adjustment to the process or you d like an informal discussion or advice on your application, please get in touch. We would also like to alert you to the existence of organisations which support people from under-represented groups to access employment, who can advise you on applying for this role. For example, Scope, Young Women s Trust and Experts by Experience.
Young Roots is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. We take this duty very seriously.
Our work is underpinned by policies and procedures which promote safe working practices. We have a framework of training and supervision which everyone is expected to comply with and systems for monitoring, quality assurance and gaining service user feedback. On joining you will be expected to be part of this approach to safeguard our service users.
