Make a real difference to people living with ME/CFS and Long Covid by joining ME Connect as our new Deputy Manager. Who are The ME Association? Since 1980, the ME Association has been providing expert help to people living with ME/CFS and Long Covid. We believe that nobody should struggle alone. At least 404,000 people in the UK have ME/CFS, and a further 950,000 people living with Long Covid may meet the diagnostic criteria. That’s potentially 1.35 million people across the UK affected by this debilitating, life changing condition. This represents a real and urgent health crisis—and we are determined to improve healthcare, raise awareness, and provide trusted support and information to those who need it most. About ME Connect ME Connect is at the heart of that mission. Living with ME/CFS brings immense challenges: physical symptoms, emotional strain, isolation whilst often being misunderstood and disbelieved. Our service exists to change that. We provide emotional support, understanding, and empathy through a trusted team of trained staff and volunteers. We’re accessible by phone, email, and social media messaging. We offer extended emotional support via ME Connections and run ME Connected, a safe, supportive online community on Discord. Thanks to significant growth in the past year, we’re now ready to expand our team. The Role – Deputy Manager, ME Connect As a key member of ME Connect, you will play a pivotal role in the delivery, development and leadership of our vital service. You’ll need to be compassionate, resilient, and flexible—able to use initiative and juggle a varied workload. You will: Respond to ME Connect email and Social Media messaging service. Deliver one to one training to new volunteers (Charitylog and Call Handling). Manage referrals to ME Connections. Assist in running monthly data reports to analyse delivery of ME Connect services. Cover shifts on the ME Connect phone line as necessary (due to sickness/annual leave) using counselling skills to provide empathetic support/information to service users. Provide leadership cover when the ME Connect Manager is on leave. What you will need Essential requirements Emotional resilience – able to remain calm, compassionate, and professional when handling potentially distressing contacts. Flexibility – comfortable managing a varied working day, which can change at short notice. Excellent written and verbal communcation skills. Initiative – confident making decisions and taking responsibility where needed. Leadership skills – support volunteers and staff as required, contribute to volunteer training and provide cover for the ME Connect Manager during leave. IT proficiency – highly competent in particular with Microsoft Office 365 and Teams. Positive, supportive attitude. Sense of humour! Desirable Knowledge of ME/Long Covid and the impact of living with chronic illness. Experience of using counselling skills in a remote service. Experience using Charitylog or similar client management systems. Experience with Call Handling phone service. Experience of managing both staff and volunteers. Why Join Us? Be part of a national charity making a tangible difference. Contribute to a vital support service at a time of real need. Work in a supportive, values-driven team that believes in compassion, respect, and impact. 25 days holiday. Nest pension scheme. Interviews will take place online. Please apply with CV and covering letter through Charity Job. For questions or an informal discussion about the role, contact Katharine Leat, ME Connect Manager