Programme Development Officer
Employer: The Girls Network
Location: Hybrid – Home-based with some regional travel in England
Temporary: Fixed-term/Temporary maternity cover, approx. 12-month secondment
Salary: £30,600
Closing date: Thursday 27th August at 9am
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Location: Hybrid – Home-based with some regional travel in England
Reports to: Head of Programmes and Impact
Contract: Fixed-term/Temporary maternity cover, approx. 12-month secondment
Salary: £30,600 per annum
Application deadline: Thursday 27th August at 9am
Interview information: We plan to hold online interviews from week commencing 7th September
About The Girls’ Network:
The Girls' Network is a national charity with a mission to inspire and empower girls from the least advantaged communities by connecting them with a network of professional women role models and volunteer mentors. We believe no girl should have her future limited by her gender, ethnicity, background, or parental income. Our vision is a future where all girls are supported to realise their ambitions, discover their self-worth, and shape their own futures.
We partner with secondary schools and colleges across multiple regions in England, including London, Merseyside, Portsmouth, Southampton, Sussex, Tees Valley, Tyne & Wear and the West Midlands. We match girls aged 14–19 with trained volunteer mentors for one-to-one support. In addition to this core mentoring, workshops, and access to an Ambassador Community that provides continued opportunities for development, career support, and connection.
Role Summary:
The Programme Development Officer is responsible for ensuring that The Girls' Network develops high-quality, consistent, and impactful programmes for girls and young women across all regions. Working closely with the colleagues in the Programme team, volunteers, and education establishments, the post-holder will support the development and continuous improvement of our mentoring, workshop, and ambassador offer. They will ensure that programmes are grounded in best practice and aligned to organisational strategy. Key responsibilities include leading programme quality assurance, developing resources, and delivering staff and volunteer training, while embedding learning from delivery to strengthen outcomes.
Alongside programme development duties, the post-holder will also be a member of the safeguarding team, acting as a Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO). In this capacity, they will support the organisation's commitment to providing safe and inclusive programmes to girls and young women. This role involves supporting delivery staff on day-to-day safeguarding issues, refining policies as required, carrying out risk assessments, and auditing procedures to guarantee that safeguarding frameworks are consistently understood, accurately recorded, and central to service delivery.
Key Duties/Responsibilities:
Programme Development
Support the development and continuous improvement of The Girls' Network's programme offer, ensuring delivery aligns with organisational strategy and responds to the needs of the girls and young women we serve.
Develop and maintain programme standards, frameworks, and guidance to drive consistent, high-quality delivery across all regions.
Take ownership of The Girls' Network volunteering platform, ensuring it effectively supports volunteer engagement and delivery.
Ensure mentoring, workshops, and wider programme activities are aligned with The Girls' Network Theory of Change.
Work collaboratively with the wider programme team to identify opportunities to strengthen and evolve programme delivery.
Stay informed of sector research and emerging practice on mentoring, youth issues, and girls' empowerment, embedding relevant learning into programme design.
Collaborate with the Head of Programmes & Impact to ensure programme development activity reflects both operational needs and strategic priorities.
Quality Assurance and Improvement
Design and implement robust quality assurance processes that underpin excellence and consistency across programme delivery.
Conduct programme reviews, fieldwork, and quality assurance activities, identifying strengths, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
Work closely with the National Programme Manager to embed programme standards in day-to-day delivery and support the sharing of best practice across teams.
Produce actionable recommendations and improvement plans to enhance programme effectiveness and operational delivery.
Ensure programme resources, guidance, and delivery materials remain current, relevant, and aligned to organisational priorities.
Foster a culture of learning, collaboration, and continuous improvement across programme delivery teams.
Programme Resources and Training
Support the development, review, and maintenance of programme resources, workshop content, and mentoring materials.
Design and deliver training, guidance, and support for programme staff and volunteers to enable effective and consistent delivery.
Facilitate learning opportunities that build programme delivery capability across the organisation.
Safeguarding
Act as a Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) and support the development, implementation, and regular review of safeguarding policies and procedures across the organisation.
Act as a key point of contact for day-to-day safeguarding concerns, informing the Designated Safeguarding Lead(s) or relevant statutory bodies of situations/outcomes
Provide quality safeguarding advice and guidance to staff and volunteers as required.
Manage and respond to safeguarding concerns, disclosures and referrals, ensuring accurate documentation and appropriate action is taken in line with statutory requirements and The Girls’ Network policies. Initiate and coordinate referrals to external agencies and services, ensuring follow-up actions are carried out and monitored
Contribute to the delivery of safeguarding training and the promotion of best practice across the organisation
Keep abreast of safeguarding practice, making recommendations as appropriate, to ensure compliance with statutory and organisational guidelines
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding legislation, emerging risks, and sector best practice.
Collate and produce safeguarding reports, data, and narrative for Head of Programmes and Impact as/when required.
Note: This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the role. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities and duties required.
Person Specification
Essential
Qualified teacher or experienced trainer, with a proven ability to design and deliver engaging learning programmes.
Experience of developing, implementing, and improving youth, mentoring, education, or employability programmes.
Experience of quality assurance, programme reviews, or service improvement activities.
Experience developing resources, frameworks, guidance, or training materials.
Experience using feedback, learning, and evaluation findings to inform programme development.
Strong organisational and project management skills, including accurate record-keeping, case management, reporting and the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships across a wide range of internal and external partners.
Commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, with a clear understanding of the barriers faced by girls and young women from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Strong knowledge of child and adult safeguarding legislation, risk assessment, statutory guidance, and best practice.
Experience managing safeguarding disclosures and referrals, including liaison with statutory agencies (e.g., social care, police, safeguarding boards).
Ability to handle sensitive and complex cases with professionalism, discretion, and sound judgement.
Ability and willingness to travel across our regions, as/when required (travel expenses will be reimbursed).
Desirable
A full, clean driving licence.
Experience working within the charity, education, youth, or mentoring sectors.
Experience developing youth participation and voice programmes.
Experience designing and implementing quality assurance frameworks, including evaluation approaches focused on outcomes and engagement.
Knowledge of social and emotional learning, employability, or youth development approaches.
Experience facilitating training and professional development for staff or volunteers.
Experience using digital platforms or developing digital resources to support learning, engagement or programme delivery.
Understanding of charity sector governance and the specific safeguarding considerations when working with volunteers.
Knowledge of current trends and best practice in mentoring, education, or youth development programmes.
How to apply
Please apply as soon as possible. You will be asked to complete your application by submitting your CV and answering a few application questions.
Appointees are subject to a DBS check. You must have the right to work in the UK to apply.
The deadline to submit your application is 27th August at 9am. Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. We therefore encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible.
Use of AI in applications
AI can be a helpful tool for inclusivity and accessibility, and we recognise that it may support applicants with spelling or grammar. However, when it comes to our selection process, what matters most to us is hearing your authentic voice and personal experiences. We're not looking for polished answers — just your own experiences, in your own words.
Diversity at our core
The Girls' Network is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating discrimination. In line with the Equality Act 2010, if you require any reasonable adjustments to support you with any stage of this recruitment process, please contact the HR team.
Our Benefits
27 holiday days per year, plus public holidays (pro-rata for part-time staff)
Option to purchase up to 5 additional days of annual leave every year
Gifted birthday leave
3 days volunteering leave per year
Extended and comprehensive sick pay policy
Enhanced Family Leave pay policy
Pension scheme
Annual professional development fund to help you grow
24-hour Employee Assistance Programme for wellbeing support
Benefit from flexible, remote working options with a full suite of home office equipment.
A dedicated Girls’ Network buddy, available beyond the induction period for ongoing support
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