Job Description and Person Specification

Job title:
Reports to:  Community Engagement Manager

Challenge and Change Officer

Location:   Hybrid, minimum 2 days per week in our office in London
Hours:

Full-time, 37.5 hours per week. Occasional work outside of office hours,
with time off in lieu
Fixed-term contract to March 31, 2027

£27,000 – £28,500
25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, 5% employer pension
contribution, employee assistance programme, flexible working and
more. Here you can find more about our commitments and benefits.

Contract:

Salary:
Benefits:

Application deadline:     Monday, 20th October at 8am
Interview dates:

Week commencing on the 27th October, 2025

Blagrave is a disability friendly employer. Please contact Valeria at

hr@blagravetrust.org if you have any questions or would like to receive this
document in a different format.

This role is subject to an Enhanced DBS check and 2 references. Candidates must

be eligible to work in the UK.

What we do

The Blagrave Trust is a charity funding and collaborating with partners to bring

lasting change to the lives of young people. We invest in them as powerful forces
for change and act upon their right to be heard in pursuit of a fair and just society.

You can read our full 2022 – 2026 strategy here.

We are committed to centering the voices of those we seek to serve. Our board and
staff team have relevant lived and learnt experiences to help us fulfil our mission.

We listen to the communities we seek to serve both directly and broadly to have as

accurate of an understanding as possible about the issues that they are facing.

About Challenge and Change

We’ve been moving with intention while grounded in reality — co-designing with

The Centre for Knowledge Equity and five brilliant advisers to reimagine Challenge
and Change for 2025. This version is rooted in solidarity, and built with a deep

commitment to care, repair, and collective renewal.

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This isn’t just a fund. It’s an act of real talk, equity, and trust—investing in young
people who are already doing the work and exploring the alternatives. Here you
can find more information about Challenge and Change. And you can also follow
us on our Instagram page.

 “Having that financial compensation is amazing because it’s like the first time I’ve
properly been paid for my campaigning work in my life and I’ve been doing this for

about ten years at this point.” Former Challenge and Change partner

Get to know more about our Challenge and Change partners here!

About the role

The Challenge and Change Officer will co-ordinate and support the delivery of the

Challenge and Change programme. You will build relationships with the young
people we fund through Challenge and Change (grant partners), supporting their

development. You will also gather and share learning.  You will be a member of the

Grants team and may be involved in occasionally supporting other programmes.

You will also be a member of the safeguarding team.

Job description

You will coordinate the Challenge and Change programme, with oversight and

support from the Community Engagement Manager. This will involve the following:

Relationship building & supporting the Challenge and Change grant partners:

•  Build and maintain relationships with the young people funded by Challenge
and Change (grant partners), including in person visits across England.

•  Maintain strong relationships with other stakeholders in the programme, such

as the storyteller.

•  Support grant partners to grow their networks and knowledge, to enable them

to continue their work beyond our funding.

Programme delivery & administration:

•  Maintain accurate records on Salesforce, including grant agreements and

reports.

•  Support payment processing and ensure timely tracking of grants.
•  Contribute to the development, delivery and monitoring of support offered to

partners.

•  Support with design and delivery of a celebration event for the cohort.

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•  With support of line manager, keep wider team informed about Challenge and
Change, including providing updates and contributing to Board meetings.

Learning:

•  Monitor partner progress and gather insights to inform our work around what

success in this area looks like for partners and for Blagrave.

•  Develop strong working relationships with peers at organisations that deliver

youth-led change programmes, gathering and sharing learning.

•  Support the Community Engagement Mager to share learning from the

programme with the wider funding sector and change ecosystem, advocating
for youth-led change.

•  Play a key role in sharing learning internally and support the development of the

team’s understanding around the needs of young people.

•  Participate of sector and youth-led change networks and events to contribute
to Blagrave’s evolving practices and understanding of youth-led change.

Safeguarding:

•  Actively contribute to Blagrave’s safeguarding culture as a member of the

safeguarding team.

•  Attend regular safeguarding training and support excellent safeguarding

practice across programmes.

General:

•  Play an active part in the grants team by:

o  contributing to team learning and best practice particularly around

funding for young people directly.

o  participating in grants practice meetings, reviewing systems and

processes to improve practice.

•  Provide support across Blagrave where additional capacity is needed,

particularly around youth led change events.

•  Represent the Blagrave Trust externally at meetings with partners, contractors

and peers as required.

•  Engage in anti-oppressive and anti-racist practices through training and

reflection.

•  Participate in ongoing learning and development.

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Person specification

We are looking for a dynamic and self-motivated individual with a passion for

driving social change. The ideal candidate will bring direct experience in
campaigning or community organising, alongside proven skills in building and
managing relationships across diverse stakeholders. With excellent organisational
and analytical abilities, they will be adept at summarising data to generate insights
and progress updates. Strong communication skills, the ability to work both

independently and collaboratively, and a talent for synthesising complex
information are essential to thrive in this fast-paced role

Cover
letter &
CV

Interview

Essential skills, knowledge and experience

Youth work experience or experience working with and
building relationships with young people

Direct experience of campaigning/community organising or

knowledge of how change happens, and/or supporting

social change initiatives.

Experience of working with and holding relationships with a

range of internal and external partners.

Proven organisational and administrative skills.

Proven track record in analysing and summarising data, able
to gather insights and produce progress updates

Strong communication and inter-personal skills, able to

communicate with people from different backgrounds

Self-motivated, able to work in a fast-paced environment
efficiently and independently, but also within a team.

Able to synthesize and communicate complex information.

Strong IT and administrative skills, including MS Office

Experience and understanding of grant-making either as a
grant-holder (with experience of liaising with funders and

working through their process) or having worked for a funder.

Excellent attention to detail with the ability to work accurately

and independently to strict deadlines

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Able to manage and prioritise own workload

Self-motivated and dependent, able to work to a good
standard under time pressure

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

Experience facilitating or convening people around issues

Understanding or experience in monitoring budget

Experience using CRM software e.g. Salesforce.

Experience of public speaking

Understanding of children and adult safeguarding.

Essential values:

Strong belief in Blagrave’s core mission and values, including

a commitment towards equal opportunities.

Great team player, flexible, with the ability to support and

engage in team and cross disciplinary working.

Empathy and respect for the lived experiences of those
young people we serve.

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Candidates must be eligible to work in the UK. This role is subject to a Enhanced

DBS check and 2 references.

To apply, send your CV and cover letter of maximum 2 pages to
hr@blagravetrust.org by Monday, 20th of October 2025, at 8am.
Please use subject title: C&C Officer.

In your cover letter, please consider the following questions:

1.  Why are you interested in this role?
2.  What is your previous experience in leading or supporting social change?
3.  What key characteristics would you bring to this role, and why do you think

they are important?

Use of AI: We don’t recommend using AI tools to write your application. We really
want to hear from you—your thoughts, your experiences, and what motivates you.

It’s usually clear when a document has been generated by AI, and it can make your
application feel less personal and genuine.

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