Participation Manager Job at UK Full Time

Independent Age is the national charity focused on improving the lives of people facing financial hardship in later life. We believe no one should face financial hardship in later life.

Our Helpline and expert advisers offer free, practical support to older people without enough money to live on. Through our grants programme, we support hundreds of local organisations working with older people across the UK. We use the knowledge and insight gained from our support services and partnerships to highlight the issues experienced by older people in poverty and campaign for change.

We would love to find individuals from all walks of life and diverse backgrounds to join us on this journey.

Responsibilities and Person Specification:

This role is dedicated to building lived experience participation at Independent Age. We want to deliver more opportunities for a greater variety of people with lived experience of financial hardship in later life to shape our work in meaningful ways.

The role will be responsible for developing a lived experience participation network ensuring that our existing and growing work in this area can be delivered smoothly, ethically and in line with best practice and making sure that the voices of those most at risk of financial hardship can be heard. The role will champion and encourage participatory practice across the organisation, developing the long term lived experience strategy and supporting the organisation to learn and grow in this area.

You should have strong experience of designing, running and supporting participatory activity, particularly with those with lived experience of a pressing social issue. You will be passionate about making change for those with experience of financial hardship in later life and bring an understanding of what barriers there might be to taking part and how to overcome them. Exceptional organisational skills are a must, along with great communication and the ability to build relationships with a broad range of people.

For full details on the role and requirements, please review the job description and person specification. If your experience doesn t align perfectly with all of the criteria in the person specification but you do meet most of them and are excited about the role, we encourage you to apply anyway.

This is a part time role, 21 hours per week, which should be worked over a minimum of three days.

Salary Information:

London based: £46,227 per year, full time equivalent (£27,736 actual)

Homebased: £41,607 per year, full time equivalent (£24,964 actual)

What it s like to work at Independent Age:

We celebrate diversity at Independent Age and champion the differences that make each of us unique. We actively support and encourage people from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and skill sets to join us and help shape what we do. We aim to attract and retain a wide range of talent and create an environment where everyone can feel safe, protected, welcome and included.

We offer great benefits including 28 days annual leave plus public holidays, a generous pension scheme with life assurance, and fantastic learning and development opportunities. We also offer a number of enhanced leave provisions and benefits.

We know that a good work life balance helps us perform at our best and supports wellbeing. Flexible working hours and hybrid working is standard for all (those contracted to work in the office are required to attend the office a minimum of 4 days per month). But if you need a different form of flexibility, we are always happy to talk flexible working.

You can find out more about what it s like to work at Independent Age on the Careers page of our website.

Application Process:

To apply, please visit our website to submit a CV and a Supporting Statement, detailing how your skills and experience meet the criteria within the Job Description and Person Specification (please do not hesitate to contact us if you have specific requirements and need support to apply in an alternative format).

To support our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion our hiring managers use anonymous shortlisting. Therefore, please do not include your name, photo, or information to indicate your gender or age in your CV and supporting statement. Please do not omit dates of employment. Please ensure the title of any uploads does not contain your name.

Independent Age is committed to safeguarding and follows Safer Recruitment practices to ensure we are safeguarding those we work with. We therefore ask that you supply your full work history with explanations for any gaps in the application documents you submit and, if offered the post, we will require two employment references including your current or most recent employer. A Basic DBS will be carried out for the successful applicant.

Closing Date: 21st June :59pm