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Transform Lives - Strategic Development Officer

Gloucester

Are you passionate about making a real difference in the lives of homeless young people and
those at risk of homelessness.

Do you have the ability to support and facilitate cross-sector partnerships, identify
opportunities for innovation, initiate new collaborations, and help secure resources and
funding for delivery.

This is a brand-new role at which will work closely with our Executive Director, helping them
to shape and deliver GNS’s emerging strategic direction.

Location: Gloucestershire Nightstop Office, Gloucester (with travel across Gloucestershire)
Hours: 0.6 FTE (flexible, including some evenings/weekends)
Salary: £30,000 (pro rata)
Contract: 24-months Fixed-Term

Reports to:  Executive Director

Reports: As appropriate e.g. Students, Interns, Volunteers paid

Annual Leave 25 Days plus Bank Holidays pro rata

Pension 3% employer contribution

6 months probations

6 weeks’ notice period

Why Join Us?

Lead on developing this brand-new role, shaping its direction and impact.

Work with partner agencies to realise our joint ambitions to improve pathways and end youth homelessness across Gloucestershire.

Be part of an innovative, learning-focused team committed to change.

What You’ll do will include:

Contribute to the strengthening of partnerships with organisations and stakeholders to
enhance service delivery and innovative responses to gaps in services

Work with internal colleagues and our partners to expand the Daystop, advice, and support
model to provide local services that increase accessibility. 

Work with the Executive Director to explore statutory, voluntary, commercial sponsorships,
and earned income opportunities. 

Contribute to the role of co production, research and evaluation in refining and defining the
shape of services and future sustainability.

Don’t meet every requirement?

We understand that people might hesitate to apply for a job if they don’t check every box.

If you have most of the skills we’re seeking, we encourage you to apply—you could be exactly
who we need!

If you have any special access requirements or other support needs throughout the
application process (including at interview), please contact us so that we can let you know
how we can support you.

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, regardless of age, disability, gender,
ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. We are facing diverse problems, so we need diverse
people to tackle them

To apply please complete the application form by clicking on Apply Now where you can also view the supporting documents.

Should you need the application form in another format please email via the email address to the right of this advert.

Please note: We reserve the right to close our vacancies early if sufficient applications are
received. We recommend submitting your application as soon as possible.

Role Overview 

The brand-new role of Strategic Development Officer is at Senior Practitioner level and
will work closely with our Executive Director, helping them to shape and deliver GNS’s
emerging strategic direction.

Focussed on developing solutions to end youth homelessness in Gloucestershire, the
Strategic Development Officer will support and facilitate cross-sector partnerships,
identify opportunities for innovation, initiate new collaborations, and help secure
resources and funding for delivery.

The post holder will work with the Executive Director to prioritise within the 0.6fte hours
currently available.

This is an exciting time for GNS as we transition from being a purely service-delivery
focussed charity, to one that includes research, good-practice development, and policy
influencing as part of our core activities.

GNS’s current strategy highlights our ambition to end youth homelessness and is
informed by our recent research which identified critical gaps in the support available for
young people in Gloucestershire. These gaps include accessible support, visibility, early
intervention, and affordable housing. Addressing these needs requires innovative
collaboration and a commitment to capacity-building. This year GNS will be running a
detailed review of provision as part of the development for our new strategy for April 2026
onwards. The Strategic Development Officer will play a key role in helping to develop and
this new strategy.

Who we are looking for

If you are passionate about ending youth homelessness and interested in playing a key
role in the development of systemic solutions for Gloucestershire, then this could be the
role for you.

We’re looking for someone who is good at developing new networks and brokering
relationships. With strong written and verbal communication skills, you’ll be a great
facilitator, able to engage and support people from different organisational backgrounds
to work together. You’ll also need to have an understanding of using research, data and
impact measurement to develop policy and practice.

The ideal candidate will be highly organised, with excellent attention to detail, as well as
being flexible, proactive, and comfortable working in a fast-paced and evolving
environment. 

Key Delivery Priorities  

● Collaborative Efforts: Strengthening partnerships with organisations and
stakeholders to enhance service delivery, prevention, housing and support
pathways for homeless at-risk young people. 
● Community-Based Outreach: Work with internal colleagues and partners
to expand the Daystop, advice, and support model to provide local services
that increase accessibility. 
● Integrated Support for Vulnerable Young People: support working
collaboratively in addressing the challenges faced by LGBTQ+, Black, refugee,
and care-experienced youth, as well as those affected by age-related policy
restrictions 
● Education & Awareness: work collaboratively to influence Gloucestershire
moving towards a city of justice for homeless young people through targeted
initiatives to influence and engage the community, young people, and adults
who support them,  

● Funding Diversification: Work with the Executive Director to explore
statutory, voluntary, commercial sponsorships, and earned income
opportunities. 

Key Responsibilities 
Internal Tasks: 

● Support and enable the review and adaptation of services and projects to
meet community needs, by facilitating the partnership influencing strategy 
● Use data to measure impact, demonstrate effectiveness, attract support in
terms of fundraising and report to funders. 
● Build internal staff capacity through skill-sharing and training. 
● Assist in internal communications to align teams with organisational
objectives. 
● Participate in the design and implementation of new outreach and
engagement initiatives. 

External Tasks: 

● Facilitate and provide admin support for countywide partnership
development to influence policymakers and funders. 
● Maintain engagement with policymakers to advocate for funding and policy
changes supporting youth services. 
● Establish and sustain relationships with other partners e.g. community
organisations, schools, and housing authorities. 
● Engage with research and evaluation Conduct surveys, to ensure service
development aligns with young people’s needs. 
● Gather data to assess the effectiveness of pilot or new partnership
initiatives
● Represent the organisation at external meetings, forums, and networking
events. 

General Responsibilities
Policy and Administration
-To keep accurate records of all volunteers, providers and young people and any records
needed for the safe and effective running of the service.
-To comply with data protection legislations and Gloucestershire nightstop policies about
the storage and sharing of personal data of staff, volunteers, and young people
Health and Safety
-To be familiar with and comply with Gloucestershire Nightstop’s policy on Health &
Safety at Work.

-Ensuring lone working, safeguarding and quality assurance measures are followed and
managed appropriately, reporting any relevant issues in accordance with policy and
procedure in a timely manner.

Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults
-To be familiar and comply with Gloucestershire Nightstop’s Safeguarding Children and
Vulnerable Adults policy: safeguarding is everyone’s business, there is an expectation that
staff will pass onto the appropriate manager and local authority any child welfare or
vulnerable adults concerns that may arise in the course of their duties.

Equality and Diversity
-To be familiar with and promote Gloucestershire Nightstop’s Equality and Diversity policy
in all aspects of your work.
-Actively promote diversity and inclusion in the planning, delivery and monitoring of
services

The work at Gloucestershire Nightstop is often unpredictable and varied, and tasks and
responsibilities may change based on circumstances. As such, all staff are expected to be
flexible and take on tasks not specifically outlined in their job description when needed.
These additional duties typically arise from unforeseen circumstances or changes in the
workload and will generally align with the usual type of work. If any additional
responsibilities or tasks become a regular or frequent part of a staff member's role, they
will be incorporated into the job description in consultation with the staff member.

This job description is not comprehensive and serves only as a guide. It may be modified to
reflect the evolving needs of Gloucestershire Nightstop following discussions with the
postholder.

This job description sets out the task and skill requirements associated with this post. Along
with the staff handbook and the Statement of the Main Terms of Employment it forms the
terms and conditions of employment with Gloucestershire Nightstop.

Person Specification 
The ideal candidate will: 

● Be a collaborator with experience in project management. 
● Demonstrate a commitment to youth development and homelessness
prevention. 
● Possess proficient communication and relationship-building skills. 
● Be data-driven, innovative, and proactive in addressing community needs. 

Key Values 

● Innovation 
● Collaboration 
● Accountability 
● Inclusivity 

Experience Skills and Competencies 

E= Essential
D = Desirable

1. Leadership and Team Building 

● Proven ability to inspire and motivate others toward common goals. (E)
● Proven trust-building and conflict-resolution skills. (E)

2. Communication Skills 

● Excellent written and verbal communication. (E)
● Strong public speaking and presentation abilities. (D)

3. Strategic Thinking 

● Experience in setting objectives, analysing risks, and using data to inform
decisions. (E)

4. Project Management 

● Ability to plan, schedule, and allocate resources efficiently. (E)
● Proficiency with project management tools. (D)

5. Emotional Intelligence 

● Self-awareness, empathy, and ability to handle challenging situations
effectively. (E)

6. Stakeholder Management, Adaptability and Problem-Solving 

● Strong networking, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills. (D)
● Experience of partnership working (D)

7. Technological Proficiency

● Familiarity with collaboration tools (e.g. Microsoft Teams). 
● Basic knowledge of data analysis and visualization tools. 

9. Training and Development 

● Experience of design and delivery of training programs. (D)

10. Cultural Competence 

● Experience of encourage diverse perspectives and ideas. (E)

Additional Skills and Experience

● Strong time management skills to balance multiple projects and deadlines. 
● Ability to analyse data and metrics to assess progress and impact. 
● Vision and innovative thinking to drive strategic development. 
● Minimum of 2 years’ experience in a similar/ transferable skills role or
● Experience working with vulnerable populations, including neurodiverse
individuals or LGBTQ+ youth.
● Familiarity with safeguarding protocols and risk management.
● Driving license and access to a vehicle
● Enhanced DBS check required.

Additional Requirements:

• Commitment to Gloucestershire Night stop's mission of preventing youth
homelessness.
• Ability to work flexibly, including occasional evenings and weekends.
• Ability to offer support to other teams as requested including, transporting young
people to host homes and attending out of hours outreach/engagement events to
recruit volunteer hosts and drivers

Closing date for applications: August 9th 2025 5pm

Salary: £30,000pa (pro rata)

Hours Per Week: Part time 22.5 hours a week 0.6fte

Apply Now

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