The Youth Endowment Fund

Head of Change – Children’s Services

Reports to: Assistant Director for Change – Children’s Services, Neighbourhoods &

the Youth Sector

Salary: £67,900

Contract: 2 year fixed-term – potential to extend. Open to 0.8FTE for the right

candidate
Location: Central London, Hybrid*
Closing date:  12pm on Wednesday 24th September 2025

About the Youth Endowment Fund

We’re here to prevent children and young people becoming involved in

violence. We do this by finding out what works and building a movement to put

this knowledge into practice.

Last year, 244 people in England and Wales tragically died after being assaulted

with a knife. Of these, 32 were children. Every child captured in these numbers

is an important member of our community and society has a duty to protect

them.  Even  when  violence  doesn’t  strike  directly,  we  know  that  the  fear  of

violence has a terrible effect on children’s lives.

The  Youth  Endowment  Fund  exists  to  try  and  permanently  change  things.  To

succeed,  we  must  build  an  exceptional  body  of  knowledge  about  violence

affecting  young  people  and  how  we  reduce  it.  This  knowledge  has  to  be  both

rigorous  and  highly  relevant  to  those  making  decisions  about  how  to  support

vulnerable  young  people.  We  need  to  find  out  what  works  and  what  doesn’t

through evidence synthesis, data analysis and qualitative research into children’s

lives. We need to convert this into highly accessible content on what works, how

delivery  organisations  need  to  change  their  practice  and  how  the  systems  they

operate in need to be reformed. We then need to work with the right people that

can make change happen, across systems, policies and practice, to have a real

impact on reducing violence affecting children’s lives.

Key Responsibilities

We build demand and interest in evidence across the Children’s Services sector

This will include:

•  Running events, speaking at conferences and curating webinars to bring

evidence to life for practitioners

We have great relationships with the people who can make change happen.

This will include:

•  Developing great relationships with senior policy makers, sector leaders

and experts, including representing YEF in external meetings and speaking

at events.

•  Managing a Strategic Advisory Board of leading experts across the

children’s services sector and keep members onside and excited about our

work.

We deliver our children’s services system recommendations.

This will include:

•  Helping to identify the right recommendations at a system level (such as

changes in policy, regulation, inspection, funding, or guidance) that make it

more likely highly vulnerable children get access to the right support at the

right time.

•  Work out the best way to make our system recommendations happen

(due for publication in December 2026) and then do it – persuading the

key people to make changes that make a difference.

•  Tracking progress carefully, being thoughtful and creative about when and

how to change the plan.

We work out the most effective ways to connect people with the evidence, then

make those things happen.

This will include:

•  Helping children’s services leaders change how they plan or provide

services to better protect children from violence, based on the YEF

Children’s Services Practice Guidance – due for publication in May 2026.
•  Creating a plan to get people to follow our guidance, using what we know

about how they think and behave.

•  Creating practical tools and resources that help leaders put evidence into

action

•  Continuously testing and improving our approach to get better results.

As a senior member of staff in the organisation you also:

•  Build a culture where it is natural to perform well and support colleagues

brilliantly.

•  Contribute to setting the strategy, delivering results, and building and

modelling the culture that we need to succeed.

About You

You are this sort of person:

•  You know how to make change happen. You combine analytical sharpness

with emotional intelligence and real-world experience. You understand why

people resist change – and how to move them through it. You’re curious

about human behaviour and what drives decision-making.

•  You bring deep experience of the children’s services system. You’ve worked

at a senior level in or with children’s services – potentially commissioning

support for young people at risk of or involved in violence. You understand

how Directors of Children’s Services and other senior leaders think and

know how to navigate and influence within the system.

•  You communicate complex ideas clearly. Whether speaking or writing, you

break down complicated concepts in ways that make sense to different

audiences – without oversimplifying. You bring clarity where others bring

jargon.

•  You get things done. You’re organised, delivery-focused, and produce high-

quality work, even under pressure. You work independently and to a high

standard.

•  You build trust and connect with people. From government ministers to

social workers, CEOs to 15-year-olds – you know how to listen, build

rapport, and make people feel heard. You’ve led meetings, made strong

introductions, and bring people with you.

•  You think big and adapt fast. You’re a strategic thinker who can see the big

picture without losing sight of the detail. You’re logical, creative, and open

to challenge – always testing and refining your ideas.

•  You understand young people. You get what life can be like for vulnerable

young people and you understand the systems and organisations around

them. Ideally, you’ve seen this first-hand, whether professionally or

personally.

•  You’re committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Not just in theory – but

in how you work, who you listen to, and what you prioritise.

You must have this sort of experience.

•  Delivering concrete change in practice or systems that improved children’s

lives. You have significant experience in leading behaviour, practice or

policy changes within a children’s services setting. You can show how these

have been effective in delivering tangible change.

•

Leadership experience in the children’s services system. You’ve worked at a

senior level in or with children’s services - especially local authority

children's services, commissioning and/or children's social care policy, and

you understand how to navigate and influence within these complex

systems.

•  Firsthand knowledge of the system that supports highly vulnerable children,

particularly those at risk of or involved in violence. You understand the

barriers these children face and what it takes to get them the right

support.

While it’s not a criterion, we’re especially interested to hear from applicants who
have lived experience of youth violence.

It’s also important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe

in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications

are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage

or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual
orientation, transgender status or social economic background.

Hybrid Working Details

The office is based in Central London. Those living in and around London are

expected to be in the office for a minimum of 2 days per week. If you live outside

of London and work remotely, you’ll be expected to work from the London office 2
days per month.

As part of our commitment to flexible working we will consider a range of options

for the successful applicant. All options can be discussed at the interview stage.

To Apply

To apply, please send a CV, your answers to the three questions below and
complete the monitoring form by clicking on "Apply for this" button by 12pm on
Wednesday 24th September 2025.

When applying for this role, please ensure that your cover letter can answer, within
a maximum of 1000 words, the following questions:

Improving practice or systems

1. Can you describe a time when you successfully supported children’s services

leaders to improve practice or systems? Please include the scale and context of

your experience. (maximum 500 words)

Developing strategy

2. Please provide an example of a strategy you developed from scratch and

implemented independently. What did you do, what was the impact, what did you

learn? (maximum 500 words)

Personal and professional experiences in violence prevention

3. What personal and professional experiences have shaped your understanding

of the children’s services sector’s role in preventing violence? (maximum 500

words)

Interview Process

This will be a 2-stage interview process. The first stage interview will take place on

9 and 10 October 2025

The second stage interviews are currently scheduled for the week commencing 13

October 2025.

PLEASE NOTE: We do not sponsor work permits and you will be required to provide

proof of your eligibility to work in the UK.

Benefits Include

• £1,000 professional development budget annually

• 28 days holiday plus Bank Holidays

• Employee Assistance Programme – 24hr phone line for free confidential support

• Volunteering days - 4 half days per year

• Death in service - 4 times annual salary

• Flexible hours. Core office hours 10am – 4pm

• Financial support including travel and hardship loans

• Employer contributed pension of 5%

Personal Data

Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise.

This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the

project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service

provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do

not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for

employment is successful and we make you an offer of employment. We will then

share your data with former employers to obtain references for you. We do not
transfer your data outside the European Economic Area.