Programme Manager, Youth & Universities in London

Job Purpose: Lead delivery of a national climate action programme (BELIEVE in Climate Action), managing cross-sector partnerships, stakeholder engagement and programme operations. Oversee youth-led initiatives and knowledge exchange, while also supporting university teams to deliver the ParliaMentors programme and strengthen student leadership and civic engagement.

Contract: 4.2 years (this is a fixed term contract, linked to the BELIEVE project, ending in September 2030). Location: primarily hybrid/remote, open to candidates anywhere in the UK. The project is based in England, so the role will involve regular travel to locations across England, including London. Hours: 1 FTE (0.8 FTE can be considered). Reporting to: Senior Programme Manager, Youth & Universities. Start date: 3rd August 2026.

About the role: We are seeking an experienced and strategic Programme Manager to lead delivery of Believe in Climate Action (BELIEVE), an ambitious national initiative at the intersection of climate action, youth leadership and community engagement. This role will also support the delivery of the UN Award winning ParliaMentors project, providing mentoring, training and leadership development opportunities to students across the country, and maintaining strong relationships with University partners. This is a unique opportunity to lead a complex, high-impact programme that connects schools, communities, young people, researchers and policymakers, shaping a more inclusive and effective model of climate action across England.

The BELIEVE project: BELIEVE in Climate Action (BELIEVE) is an ambitious and innovative national programme led by the Faith & Belief Forum in partnership with the Cambridge Interfaith Programme. Together, we are building a bold new model for climate action, one that connects grassroots communities, young leaders, researchers and policymakers through collaboration, co-learning and shared purpose. This is a unique opportunity for an experienced Project Manager to lead a pioneering, cross-sector initiative that is reshaping how climate action happens in England. BELIEVE operates at the intersection of community engagement, youth leadership and policy influence, requiring strategic oversight, strong partnership management and the ability to navigate complexity across local, regional and national contexts.

Key Responsibilities:

• Programme leadership & delivery: Lead the strategic and operational delivery of BELIEVE across its three interlinked workstreams. Ensure effective planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of a multi-year national programme. Manage programme timelines, budgets, reporting and risk.
• Stakeholder engagement & partnerships: Build and maintain strong relationships with cross-sector stakeholders, including schools, community organisations, funders, academic partners and policymakers. Act as a senior point of contact for programme partners, ensuring alignment, accountability and collaboration. Convene and facilitate high-level stakeholder spaces, including national workshops and knowledge-exchange forums.
• Team & youth leadership oversight: Line manage the BELIEVE project Coordinator, ensuring timely and high quality delivery of workplans, supporting their development and training, managing any performance issues, and helping them to grow and thrive. Oversee delivery of the youth leadership strand, including internship programmes and youth-led climate action projects.
• Strategy, learning & influence: Design internal evaluation frameworks and processes, in collaboration with University of Cambridge academics. Translate research, learning and evaluation into programme development, communications and external influence. Contribute to shaping national conversations on inclusive climate action. Responsible for delivery, and ensuring programme outputs (reports, toolkits, events, digital platforms) are high-quality and impactful.
• Manage 2 teams of ParliaMentors students: Support with delivery of the ParliaMentors programme, including facilitating workshops, having meetings with students, organising the logistics for various events throughout the year. Mentor and support two teams of students at two universities as they work together to deliver a social action project. Contributing to communications for the programme on social media, LinkedIn, and newsletters. Support with delivering trainings for university staff.

Person Specification:

Essential Experience:

• Significant experience managing complex, multi-partner programmes (ideally national or multi-regional).
• Demonstrable expertise in stakeholder engagement at a senior level, including building and maintaining strong partnerships across sectors.
• Strong track record of delivering complex programmes on time and within budget.
• Confidence and proven experience in line management.
• Strong financial management skills, and experience managing large budgets.
• Strong experience and understanding of Safeguarding, in charities and/or school settings.

Skills & Competencies:

• Excellent project management skills, experienced in using project management tools.
• Excellent relationship management and influencing skills.
• Strategic thinking combined with strong operational delivery.
• Ability to navigate complexity and work across different sectors and perspectives.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Desirable:

• Experience in climate action, sustainability or environmental programmes.
• Understanding of faith, belief and/or intercultural engagement.
• Experience working with research partners or translating evidence into practice.
• Project management qualification.
• CRM development experience.

How to Apply: Please submit your CV (Max 2 pages) and a cover letter detailing what motivated you to apply for the role, and how you meet the person specification. Application deadline: 6th May 2026, 9:00 AM.

Benefits include:

• Opportunity to work mainly remotely from home, with occasional travel to London and other locations across England required for schools, events, and activities.
• Generous annual leave from 25 days (pro rata) plus UK bank holidays, increasing with length of service and including a birthday day off after three years.
• 2 days paid volunteer leave (pro rata).
• Generous pension scheme to help you save for the future.
• Interfaith and intercultural learning opportunities.
• Access to internal learning sessions on topics relevant to our sector.
• Team events / away days / annual retreat.
• Supportive and inclusive work environment with a focus on staff wellbeing.

We value sensitivity to the issues at the heart of our work and a strong commitment to The Faith & Belief Forum’s goals. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences. We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic communities, as well as from faith or belief communities currently underrepresented in our organisation. We warmly welcome applicants of all ages and experiences who share our vision and values, and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace, regardless of protected or unprotected characteristics, including but not limited to gender, disability, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. We recognise that valuable experience can be gained through work, study, volunteering, or community involvement. Unfortunately, we can only consider applications from individuals who have the unrestricted right to work in the UK, as we are unable to offer visa sponsorship. Applicants must also already be resident and based in the UK at the time of application.