Youth Advocacy Lead in Manchester

As Youth Advocacy Lead, you will develop and deliver GMYN’s new We Rise project, working alongside care-experienced and separated young people to transform housing and accommodation across Greater Manchester.

This role is about more than delivering a project.

It is an opportunity to help change not just young people's lives but how an organisation listens to them.

We are looking for an advocate who believes young people already have the answers; they simply need adults and organisations willing to listen, share power and act.

The role will combine direct work with young people, advocacy practice, organisational development and systems change.

You will introduce and embed a self-advocacy approach across GMYN, supporting young people to understand their rights, build confidence and influence the decisions affecting their lives.

Alongside this, you will support GMYN colleagues to develop the skills and confidence to make advocacy part of everyday practice; not something that only happens when things go wrong.

Working across the organisation, you will help us move from supporting young people for them to achieving change with them.

You will support young people to lead social action projects, distribute over grants through the We Rise Challenge Fund, influence regional housing reform, develop the creative projects and become the next generation of youth leaders across Greater Manchester.

This is a real opportunity to build something from the beginning and help create an organisation where advocacy is not an activity, it is simply how we work.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the development and delivery of We Rise, ensuring young people are meaningfully involved learning is captured throughout the project.
• Develop a self-advocacy approach across GMYN, supporting young people to understand their rights and influencing decisions affecting their lives.
• Support young people to develop leadership, advocacy and social action skills so they can shape the services, systems and decisions that affect their lives.
• Design participation opportunities using rights-based approaches, ensuring young people are equal partners in shaping services and decisions.
• Develop strong relationships across Greater Manchester to strengthen youth voice and advocacy for young people to influence change.
• Model strong safeguarding practice to ensure young people are safe and supported. Promote strengths-based and trauma-informed that ensure young people feel valued and heard.
• Capture insight, outcomes and learning to evidence impact and improve future practice.
• Manage project plans, budgets, reporting, and partnerships to ensure successful project delivery.
• Support GMYN to embed advocacy approaches and continuously improve how we work alongside young people.
• Promote youth-led advocacy and represent GMYN with stakeholders across Greater Manchester.
• Carrying out any other reasonable duties and responsibilities that contribute to the organisation's overall aims and objectives.
• More about this role
• Closing Date: Monday 17th August 2026 at 12:00pm
• Closing Time: 09.00
• Anticipated Interviews Week Commencing: Monday, August 17, 2026 - 12:00
• Anticipated Interview Date: Thursday, August 20, 2026 - 13:00
• Contact Name: Jobs at GMYN
• Employee

Benefits: All staff receive the following offer: Annual

Leave: All staff receive 25 days of annual leave in additional to the public bank holidays, pro rata.

This offer rises after three years employment with an extra day each year (capped at 30 days).

We also provide additional "Gift Days" during Christmas when the office is closed.

Flexible

Working: We operate flexible working hours and working from home policies to allow you to fit your personal commitments around your work.

Remuneration: We are a living wage employer, benchmarking salaries and reviewing annually.

We provide development opportunities for staff to experience key themes such as project management, staff supervision and other areas of the organisation to help with role/salary progression.

Celebration leave: GMYN allows all employees to take a day off from work each year to celebrate their birthday or a religious celebration.

Wellbeing

Days: Staff receive five annual ‘no-questions-asked’ days off, taken as needed to reduce stress and support mental wellbeing as part of their holiday allowance.

Emergency leave: Staff are allowed time off to deal with an emergency or other situations which have an impact on their ability to work.

GMYN pay full salary for up to 5 days a year pro rata for staff to deal with an immediate situation that is out of their hands and unplanned.

Pension: We offer a salary sacrifice 8% pension scheme with 3% employer contributions.

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): Staff have access to a 24/7 service offering a wide range of support.

Volunteering/Development hour: GMYN allows all staff members the opportunity to take one hour out of their working week to either volunteer or engage in a development hour.

Social

Value: GMYN takes pride in our social value and environmental impact, continually seeking team-led ideas to drive improvement.

• Cycle to
• Work

Scheme: GMYN provides the Cycle to Work scheme, supporting staff to buy a bike, with the cost of the equipment repaid by the employee through salary sacrifice.

• Flexible Working Options: Compressed hours
• Working Pattern Details: The post holder will be expected to work occasional evenings.
• Would You Consider A Job Share For The Role?: Yes
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