YOUTH VOICE DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

JOIN
OUR
TEAM

ABOUT
REACHING
HIGHER

Reaching Higher is a youth organisation which works with
almost 2000 young people aged 10-25 each year across
Croydon and surrounding boroughs.

We place particular emphasis on providing trauma-informed
support to young people and facilitating their development
as leaders.

Developed in partnership with local churches, we are a
youth-led charity with a Christian ethos (although we work
with young people and partners of all faiths and none).

We have established strong links with key local, London and
UK-wide organisations and our approach leads us into
regular working contact with partner schools, community
groups, statutory services and churches.

YOUTH VOICE
DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
(12 MONTH INTERNSHIP)

Location: Croydon, London
Hours: 35 hours per week. Flexible working required including weekends.
Salary: £26,936 per annum (London Real Living Wage for 2026)
Line managed by: Head of Contextual Youth Work - Community

We are looking for a committed, empathetic and passionate individual with
experience in the youth work sector (this could be in a voluntary capacity). The
successful applicant will understand our values and culture as an organisation and
will demonstrate a strong desire to contribute to Reaching Higher’s vision to
empower young people to be leaders of their own lives.

This is an exciting new role at Reaching Higher and has been
designed to support the embedding of Youth Voice across Reaching
Higher’s school and community-based activities, as well as
amplifying Youth Voice with Reaching Higher’s partners and
stakeholders. The purpose of this role is to support opportunities for
young people to share their ideas and experiences, and co-design
initiatives which will improve services for them.

This role is a 12-month internship starting in March 2026. It is part of
the Rank Foundation’s Time 2 Shine Leadership programme, and the
successful candidate will need to commit to attending a range of
training events throughout the year which are delivered by the Rank
Foundation. Travel and accommodation will be provided. Please
read more about the Time 2 Shine Leadership programme.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• Experience in assisting in delivering projects for young people (this can
be in a voluntary capacity).

• Able to plan and participate in group and one-to-one activities with
young people (after full training).

• Knowledge of local needs of young people in Croydon and surrounding
Boroughs, especially with regard to the impact
of Covid19 and the cost of living crisis.

• Ability to work flexibly and calmly in an intensive and responsive
environment.

• Understanding of the risks and support required when working with
socially detached young people.

• Able to prioritise and organise own workload.

• An understanding of partnership working with statutory, voluntary and
community groups.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to engage and
motivate a range of stakeholders, including stakeholders as well as young
people.

• Ability to record and track young people’s referrals and engagement
using a digital management system

ROLES & RESPONSIBILTIES

• Supporting Reaching Higher’s Head of Contextual Youth Work
(Community) to deliver and monitor our Youth Voice strategy.

 • Supporting young people to co-develop and co-deliver Youth
Voice training to a wide range of stakeholders (stakeholder
relationships are managed by our Director of Strategic Partnerships
and Heads of Contextual Youth Work).

• Supporting young people to attend facilitated meetings with key
leaders across Croydon schools, statutory services and community
organisations so their voices can be listened to.

• Planning and delivering training and support opportunities for
Youth Board members and other young people each half-term.

• Supporting young people to plan and deliver youth-led events
including our annual community meal.

• Mentoring a small cohort of young people (after full training).

MONITORING & EVALUATION

• Completing all required documentation accurately and within

agreed timescales to ensure that internal monitoring
requirements are met.

• Dealing with sensitive and confidential matters in a professional

manner and in line with data protection and confidentiality
guidelines and policies.

• Supporting the improvement of monitoring and evaluation

processes.

An Enhanced DBS check is a requirement for this role.

OUR VALUES

EXCELLENCE

RELATIONAL

SIMPLICITY

TRUST

INNOVATION

YOUTH-LED

TRUST

We extend trust across our teams and with the young people we
engage. It is this type of trust that provides our staff, volunteers and
young people with the platform to raise their confidence and
sharpen their skills. We treasure and recognise that those engaging
in our work trust us and believe that trust can transform lives.

RELATIONAL

Being relational means being present, it means being attentive to
those around us and seeing everyone for who they are. We are
relational because we care about and value people. We are
passionate about building genuine and long-lasting relationships
that will flourish and impact the wider community.

SIMPLICITY

We believe that less is more! Simplicity requires hard work followed
by high levels of focus. Obtaining simplicity is easier said than
done. Simplicity is our catalyst for growth and will ensure we
remain accessible and well understood.

YOUTH  -  LED

Young people have immeasurable amounts of innovative ideas
and skills but can lack the experience that comes with age. At
Reaching Higher we scaffold this by allowing young people to
think as wildly as they can and support them to implement their
own ideas in a safe and stimulating environment.

INNOVATION

We believe that innovation is the key that unlocks new value. It is
thinking about what is yet to be thought of and preparing new
ways to thrive in the future. Innovation provides us with the
ability to make an impact and change things for the better.

EXCELLENCE

We believe in giving the best of ourselves in our pursuit to help
change the lives of young people. We believe that obtaining a
standard of excellence is a continual process and we intentionally
reflect on how and why we do what we do.

APPLICATION  GUIDANCE

At Reaching Higher we want to provide those who are interested in working with us the best possible chance to submit a successful application.

We understand that applying for jobs can be nerve-racking and overwhelming at times. We also recognise that imposter syndrome can sometimes get the
better of us! However, we want all potential candidates to feel supported throughout their application process and have created ten top tips for you to
consider before applying.

1. Take your time! When applications are rushed and not personalised it can
give the impression candidates are not interested in the role they are
applying for.

6. Do not forget to double check and proof-read your application (or even
better, ask someone else to) and check for any errors before returning it to
us.

2. Read the job description carefully and make sure you have a strong
understanding of the job you are applying for so you can link this to your
answers.

3. Do your best to provide specific examples of what you have done and how
you believe this demonstrates you meet each requirement. Maximise this by
using real experiences from your paid and or voluntary experience.

4. Sell yourself! You are unique and have a lot to offer and it is important that
you make this known through your application.

5. It is important to remember that those involved in the selection process
cannot guess or make assumptions about you.

7. Before submitting your form, it’s a good idea to take a copy for your
own reference in case you need to resend anything.

8. Allow plenty of time to submit your form before the deadline, as late
applications will not be considered.

9. If you are having problems submitting your application, please get in
touch by emailing info@reachinghigher.org.uk.

10. Lastly and most importantly, be yourself! At Reaching Higher we value
each individual and care about ‘the person’ before ‘the job role’. We want
to get to know you and support you in becoming an amazing member of
our team!

Reaching Higher
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Centre, 194
Selhurst Rd, London SE25 6XX

www.reachinghigher.org.uk
info@reachinghigher.org.uk

Registered Charity: 1137915
Company Number: 07266483