Do you believe in positive participatory practice and system change for young women?
Do you believe in ensuring their voices are at the heart of decisions that affect their lives?
If so, we’d love to hear from you.
Summary of the role
Abianda is a London-based social enterprise that works with young women affected by violence and exploitation, and the professionals who support them. We exist to ensure young women are no longer hidden in our communities and live free from harm and abuse. We aim to bring about a culture shift in the way services are delivered to young women and girls, so they can access support that works for them when they need it.
We have recently reviewed and developed our Participation Programme with funding for 3 years. This role will lead our revised Participatory group work, managing a team focusing on delivering youth engagement programmes and pastoral advocacy for young women to thrive.
Details of the role
● Salary: £34,502 per annum, plus pension (reviewed annually)
● Full-time (35 hours per week)
● Fixed-term contract until October 2025
● 25 days holiday per year (plus 3 to be taken in Dec when the office is closed), plus bank holidays
● Hybrid working, with at least 2 days in the office (Highbury, London N5) and some working from home
● Reporting to the Head of Safeguarding and Participation
● We can offer flexible working arrangements
● Monthly clinical supervision
● Abianda understands the importance of investing in staff and offers generous training and development budget for all our employees
Job Description
Main responsibilities of the role
Internal systems change
● You will be the operational lead for the Participation team, working closely with the Head of Safeguarding and Participation to ensure its successful delivery;
● You will hold deputy contract management duties and work in partnership with the Head of Income Generation & Sustainability to liaise with funders, partners and stakeholders – representing the service at external monitoring meetings as and when required;
● You will oversee and quality assure all activities delivered by the Participation team; including a 10-day Elevate Programme (twice a year), rolling group work sessions, young women’s advisory group and support for young women to move on from Abianda;
● You will line manage the Participation Practitioner, the Pastoral Education & Employment Practitioner and all Interns;
● You will take a lead in developing external partnerships in support of the work of the Pastoral Education & Employment Practitioners and young women ‘moving on’ from Abianda;
● You will work cross-organisationally in order to develop our Participation Policy and embed participatory practice across services and infrastructure.
External systems change
● You will work with external organisations to ensure a culture shift in how they create opportunities for and support young women in to employment. This includes (but is not exclusive to) awareness raising, talks and programme development;
● Create external opportunities and partnerships to support the amplification of the Participation work and EET opportunities for young women;
● You will ensure all activities for the Participation Team reflects Abianda’s ‘Theory of Change’ and overall outcomes are met.
Safeguarding
● Triage reports and concerns from staff and notify the Designated Safeguarding Lead of cases that require immediate action (and take that action in their absence);
● Offer advice to the Participation team with regard to routine safeguarding issues and risk issues arising from complex casework, and take appropriate action;
● Ensure that relevant, detailed and accurate written records of referrals/concerns are kept and that these are shared with the Designated Safeguarding Lead;
● Where necessary, attend and contribute effectively to Child In Need meetings, Child Protection conferences, Early Help, and planning and review meetings in support of your team.

Other Responsibilities for all Service Managers – listed in detail for clarity of role
Cross organisational work
● Be involved in monthly full management meetings, addressing organisational staffing, policy, systems and development issues;
● Take on additional cross-organisational actions in support of the organisation’s vision and current strategy, and in service of the whole organisation’s development;
● Support internal communications by sharing information and feedback up and down the layers of the organisation’s hierarchy – ensuring that team members are informed and consulted;
● During periods of staff absences you may be required to take on additional tasks as per your seniority, skills and expertise.
Monitoring and evaluation
● Hold monitoring and evaluation responsibilities, responding to reporting requirements across the project, ensure relevant project data is held securely and updated on a regular basis;
● Hold Deputy Contract Lead responsibilities on funds and projects that you are involved in or support team members in;
● Be a conduit for communication between the Practitioner team and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT);
● Monitor quality assurance and progress to ensure the staff team is meeting Abianda’s quality assurance standards.
Line Management and Support
● You will hold line management responsibility for a team of 3, including Abianda Intern, Pastoral Education & Employment Practitioner and Participation Practitioner. You will ensure your team receives high-quality line management support, providing the time and input required to deliver their responsibilities safely, and to an exceptional standard;
● Report to your line manager across all aspects of your responsibilities;
● Participate in regular supervision with your line manager;
● Participate in whole team practice and case file sessions, team meetings and management meetings;
● Engage in monthly clinical supervision to support well-being and a reflective practice;
● Provide regular supervision and six-month reviews for all members of the Participation Team;
Working in partnership
● Your professionalism will reflect the reputation and integrity of the organisation, and your conduct in all responsibilities will uphold Abianda’s policies and procedures;
● You will promote Abianda’s services, support the engagement of young women and girls in our services, maintaining relationships with partners and commissioners;
● You will attend external monitoring and partner meetings alongside members of the SLT;
● You will work in partnership with other Abianda managers, being a source of peer support and shared learning.
Safeguarding and participation
● Hold up-to-date safeguarding knowledge in order to identify and respond promptly to emerging safeguarding issues as they arise;
● Work with the SLT to ensure that all safer recruitment requirements are met for all staff in your team;
● Ensure that young women’s voices are embedded in the activities and developments of your service area;
● Encourage a culture of equality, participation and excellence when advising on and responding to safeguarding issues and practice.
Person Specification
Essential skills/experience
● Experience in responding to risk, safeguarding and child protection issues in the unique context of extra-familial harm and exploitation;
● Experience in successfully advocating on behalf of young people and navigating statutory safeguarding and policing processes;
● Experience in direct line management and managing a small team;
● Knowledge of participation theory and a commitment to participatory practice, hearing and amplifying young women’s voices both internally and externally;
● Experience in delivering successful participation projects with vulnerable young people who rarely have their voices heard (grassroots activism projects, marketing campaigns, filmmaking, training, etc);
● A commitment to our equalities framework and an understanding of the intersectional nature of social identity and how this impacts staff and service users;
● A proactive nature, a willingness to ‘go the extra mile’, and a curiosity to understand the lives and experiences of young women;
● A willingness to take on Abianda’s unique model of practice to support the engagement of young women;
● Excellent communication and organisation skills;
● The ability to support multi-disciplinary working, in service of young women and girls;
● Strong values match with our principles – as listed on www.abianda.com
Desirable skills/experience
● You will have a social work or JNC professional youth work qualification or equivalent;
● Experience in delivering training and/or public speaking events;
● Experience in supporting vulnerable people; living with hidden or visible disabilities, experience of criminal exploitation, domestic abuse, financial abuse, housing issues and experience with the social care system

To apply please send your CV and a supporting statement (max. 1,000 words) detailing why you want to work for us and how you meet the skills and experiences listed in the person specification to [email protected]

If you would prefer, you can also submit your application via video or voice recording (no longer than 5 minutes.)

Please also download and complete our equal opportunities form (this is optional).

Early applications are encouraged. Applications will be received and reviewed on a rolling basis. The deadline for completed applications is 11.59 pm, Sunday 6th November. Interviews will be held on the 15th and 16th of November.
Abianda is a Disability Confident employer. A disabled candidate who meets all of the essential requirements of the role is guaranteed an interview.
If you need any recruitment information in another format to be more accessible to you or would like to have an informal conversation about the role, please contact Sam at [email protected] Sam is not on the recruitment panel and your conversation with them will not affect your application should you choose to apply.
All applicants are requested to complete a criminal record self-disclosure form at the interview stage. We value the lived experience of our applicants and all disclosures will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Please note
*Due to the work we do, Abianda’s roles are subject to an Occupational Requirement on the grounds of the protected characteristic of sex. We are a women-only employer, and as such, this position is exempt under Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010. For the avoidance of doubt, all women including trans women are welcome to apply for and hold such roles, as are non-binary people if the applicant believes that their lived experience aligns with that of women and girls.
*We particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities, people of colour, the LGBTQ+ community and from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds.
*We encourage applications from people from all walks of life, including those who may have had exposure to similar
experiences that young women across London are facing.
*Applications are anonymised before they are shared with the recruitment panel to reduce any unconscious bias.