As our Designated Safeguarding Lead, you’ll ensure safeguarding governance, compliance and assurance are embedded across the organisation. You’ll shape and deliver our safeguarding strategy, lead complex case management, and provide expert advice to our Board, Executive Team and external regulators.
This is a pivotal role that blends strategic leadership with operational oversight, ensuring Macmillan remains a safe, inclusive, and responsive organisation for all those we support.
Key responsibilities:
* Lead Macmillan’s safeguarding function, ensuring statutory compliance across all four UK nations.
* Provide strategic oversight of safeguarding risk and assurance to the Board of Trustees and Executive Team.
* Develop and maintain safeguarding frameworks, policies, and reporting mechanisms.
* Oversee the safeguarding team’s operational delivery, ensuring high-quality case management, appropriate escalation, and trauma-informed responses.
* Champion a culture of safeguarding awareness, psychological safety, and continuous improvement.
* Design and deliver high-quality safeguarding training tailored to diverse audiences.
* Build strong relationships with external safeguarding partners, regulators, and networks.
* Lead and develop a high-performing safeguarding team, fostering learning and accountability.
* Ensure safeguarding is reflected in corporate risk registers and governance reporting.
* Monitor sector developments and legislative changes to keep Macmillan’s approach current and compliant.
About you
The successful candidate will be a confident and compassionate safeguarding leader with deep expertise and a strategic mindset. You will bring:
* Safeguarding Level 4 qualification (essential); Level 5 (desirable).
* Demonstrable experience as a Designated Safeguarding Lead or equivalent in a multi-disciplinary or high-risk setting.
* In-depth knowledge of safeguarding legislation and best practice across all UK nations, covering both children and adults at risk.
* Proven ability to manage complex safeguarding cases, using trauma-informed practice and coordinating multi-agency responses.
* Strong analytical skills, with ability to interpret safeguarding data and drive improvement.
* Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with emotional intelligence and discretion.
* Experience designing and delivering safeguarding training and awareness programmes.
* A commitment to promoting a culture of wellbeing, psychological safety, and inclusive leadership.
* Experience managing safeguarding within a large, complex organisation operating across multiple jurisdictions.
* Ability to lead and develop safeguarding teams, empowering direct reports through effective leadership, coaching, and development to deliver high-quality case management.
* High personal integrity, emotional resilience, and a calm, compassionate approach.
Please refer to the Role Profile attached for the full list of essential criteria.
In return, we offer a range of benefits including:
* 25 days holiday plus flexible bank holiday options, increasing by 1 day every year of service up to 30 days
* Pension matched up to 7.5%
* 120+ learning and development offers, with access to external professional qualifications
* Flexible working patterns, such as compressed hours, flexibility to work earlier or later around our core working hours of 10am-4pm
* Holiday buying and selling scheme, life insurance, free wills, retail discounts and much more
Recruitment process
Application deadline: 23:59 on Friday 28th November
Interview date: Virtual interviews will be held on w/c 8th and 15th December
Note: This role requires an enhanced background check. Shortlisted candidates will be expected to declare any disclosures at the interview stage.
To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed.
So we can support you to be at your best during the application or interview process, please contact Macmillan TA Team for advice and reasonable adjustments.
We welcome applications from everyone who meet the criteria and strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as Black, Asian or from another minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Macmillan. Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy along with our internal employee representation body, ‘Our Voice’ and 8 Employee Network groups help us promote fairness and belonging, becoming an engaged and inclusive organisation for all our people.
of the candidate’s experience.