We are looking for a National Manager to shape the delivery of our services for children, young people, and families.
Job Title: National Manager – Children, Young People & Families (0–25)
Reports to: Deputy CEO
Department: Services
Location: Home-based or Hybrid (iflocatednear Peterborough HQ)
Travel: Across England, Wales, occasionallyNorthern Ireland
Hours: 35 per week (core hours 9am-5pmwithflexibility for evenings/weekends)
Salary: £37,000 paFTE
Closing date: Thursday 16thApril2026at11pm
Interviews: Monday 27thApril2026
Role Overview
This is an exciting opportunity to shape Shine’s strategic direction whilemanagingthe operational delivery of our services for children, young people, and familiesaged 0–25.Building on the success of our Little Stars/Ser Bachprogramme for members aged 0–12 and the developmentandextension oftheFIRE(Friendship, Independence, Resilience, Empowerment)programmefor those aged 13–25, you will play a key role in shaping the future of our support for children, young people and their families.
Working across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, you willlead the delivery of an established, evidence-based programme that improveshealth, social, and emotional outcomes for those living with spina bifida, hydrocephalus, and associated conditions.
You’lllead a passionate team and work closely with Shine’s Adult ServicesTeam(25+), Health Team,Wales and Northern IrelandManagersandwidercolleagues across the organisationto ensure work is coordinated, complementary, and beneficial to members.At the same time,you’llforge strong partnerships with NHS professionals, statutory services, and voluntary organisations, driving collaboration that will support our vision of providing consistent, high-quality support for children, young people, andfamilies nationwide.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership and Team Management
* Lead and develop the Children, Young People & FamiliesTeam, providing supervision, guidance, and professional development.
* Recruit and induct new team members in line with Shine’s HR processes.
Programme Development and Delivery
* Implement and oversee the Little Stars/Ser Bachand FIRE programmes, ensuring they meet the needs of members and funders.
* Build strategic relationships with NHS children’s and transition clinics across England,Walesand Northern Ireland; negotiate formal Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
* Collaborate closely with the Northern Irelandand Wales Service Managers to ensure service development and delivery meets the needs of members across allnations and recognises regional differences.
* Develop the Children, Young People & Families Strategy in collaboration with the Head of Health.
* Monitor and optimise team workflow for efficiency.
* Deliver the annualworkplan alongside thespecificfunded projects.
* Managefundedprojectsand servicebudgets.
* Ensure compliance with funding agreements and reporting requirements.
* Develop key resources.
* Contribute to the successful delivery of Shine’s Strategic Goals.
* Act asShine’sDeputy Safeguarding Lead for 0–25s, ensuring robust safeguarding practices.
Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting
* Oversee data quality and reporting, using insights to inform service improvements.
* Work with the Head of Data & Communications to developtheCRM system (Salesforce).
* Provide evidence for funders and contribute to fundraising bids for sustainability.
* Ensure monitoring and evaluation takes place in line with agreed KPIs.
MemberSupport and Engagement
* Ensure the team delivers quality advice and support to Shine’s members.
* Oversight of events, peer support groups, and online communities' delivery to ensure they meet serviceobjectives.
* Ensure clinic cover and development of Shine’s role within the hospital setting.
* Attend multi-disciplinary meetingson behalf of Shine/Shine members.
* Coordinate casework referrals and signposting to specialist services.
* Identifyopportunities for consultation and research.
* Lead and oversee social media, including Discord,WhatsAppandFacebookgroups.
Other Core Requirements of Working for Shine
* Demonstrate flexibility and willingness to work outside core hours whenrequired.
* This role requires travel primarilyacross England, therefore easy access to major transport routeswould be beneficial.
* Maintainhigh standardsof respect, communication, professionalism, empathy, and sensitivity when supporting an organisationrepresenting15,000 members, including5,000members aged0-25.
* Adhere to Shine’s safeguarding policies and processes, recognising that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
* Activelyparticipateinregional staff meetings andstaff residential events.
* Identifynew innovative ideas foradditionalor continued funding as the project develops and contribute to funding bids as requested.
* Work with Services,Marketing,Fundraising, Trust and Foundations colleagues and Shine’s membership toidentifyand seize potential fundraising opportunities for long-term sustainability of the work.
Person Specification
Essentialknowledge, skills and experience:
* Minimum 3 years’ experience managing staff and teams.
* At least 5years' experienceindelivering support services for children, youngpeopleandfamilies.
* Experience ofSafeguardingChildren & YoungPeople.
* Ability to develop and deliver professional presentations and training in a variety of settings.
* Excellent communicationandrelationship-buildingskills.
* IT skills, including confidence in the use of Microsoft and bespoke CRMs.
Essential qualifications: (one of the following)
* Qualified Teacher/SENCO
* Level 6+ in ChildhoodDevelopment/Early Childhood Studies.
Desirableknowledge, skills and experience:
* Experience supporting children and young people with disabilities, particularly spina bifida/hydrocephalus.
* Event planning, advocacy, and multi-disciplinary working.
* Understanding of NHS systems and processes.
* Third sector experience and working with volunteers.
* Managing communication through social media platforms.
* Leading on safeguarding.
* Safeguarding level 3
* Health/SocialCare/Information and Advice
* Project management
Benefits of working at Shine
* Competitive salary: Review due April 2027
* Regular working hours, and no shift work (some very occasional weekends or evenings)
* 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, withadditionaldiscretionary leave between Christmas and New Year
* Additionalannual leave awarded for ‘long service’
* Opportunity topurchaseadditionalannual leave
* Broadband allowancefor home-based roles
* Access to our Employee Support Programmeand Mental Health First Aiders
* Support to learn and develop
How to apply
Shine is a Disability Confident employer and will offer guaranteed interviews if a disabled applicant meets theminimumcriteria for the job.
If you would like to discuss the rolewith our Deputy CEO, Gill Valentine, please contactrecruitment@shinecharity.org.uk toarrange a convenient time for a call.
To apply, pleasesubmityourCV and supporting statement, which should outline your interest and explain how you meet the role criteriatorecruitment@shinecharity.org.uk
We understand that you may wish to use AI tools to help you with some aspects of yourapplicationbut we do expect tailored applications which are personalised to your experiences and not generic applications which are completely AI generated.
We encourage candidates to be transparent about AI usage in their applications.
*Please note applications without a supporting statement will not be accepted*
Closing date: Thursday 16thApril2026at11pm
Interviews: Monday 27thApril2026
Pleasenote: we reserve the right to interview suitable candidates before the closing date, therefore, we encourage applications as soon as possible.
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