National Programme Director

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Contract Type:Fixed Term until 31/05/2029

Hours:Full Time,35hours per week

Closing Date: 23:59 on 20/09/2026

Salary:£60,669.00 to £83,528.00 (National) or £69,978.00 to £95,904.00 (London), dependent on your location, skills, knowledge and experience

Location: Preferably London. Can consider applicants from Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, and Newcastle. Will require a high volume of travel to London (minimum two days/week)

1st stage interviews: over Teams on 05/10

2nd stage interviews: face-to-face in our London centre on 12/10

This fully funded role runs until 31st May 2029 and offers the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to a major new initiative supporting young people across the UK.

Please note: this role is subject to The King's Trust securing funding. We are committed to only making appointments once funding and contract awards have been confirmed, ensuring full transparency for all candidates.

This is a rare opportunity to lead the design, delivery and launch of a major nationwide initiative that aims to transform outcomes for young people.

Launching in April 2027, the programme will combine a national awareness campaign, digital platform, mentoring interventions and cross-sector partnerships to connect young people with the support, relationships and opportunities they need to thrive. Reporting to senior leadership and working with high-profile partners, you will have end-to-end accountability for turning an ambitious vision into measurable impact at national scale.

Millions of young people need stronger connections, greater confidence and better access to opportunities. This programme is designed to bring together communities , businesses, trusted adults and partners around a shared ambition: ensuring every young person has someone who believes in them and the support they need to take positive steps towards their future.

As National Programme Director, you will be accountable for delivering the programme's vision, impact and scale. You will build and lead a high-performing, multidisciplinary team, manage significant investment, shape influential partnerships and ensure the voices of young people remain at the heart of everything we do.

• Leading large-scale, multi-million-pound programmes from strategy through to delivery and launch.
• Managing complex stakeholder environment across government, corporate and community partners.
• Leading national campaigns or initiatives designed to drive behaviour change or social impact.
• Managing matrix teams and influencing across organisational boundaries.
• Using data, insight and commercial understanding to drive performance, impact and return on investment.
• Embedding inclusion, accessibility and user-centred design into programme delivery.

• A visionary leader who inspires others around a compelling purpose.
• An excellent relationship builder who can influence at the most senior levels.
• Commercially astute and comfortable managing significant budgets and investments.
• Passionate about improving outcomes for young people.
• Energised by building something new, navigating complexity and turning ambition into action.

Experience of delivering large-scale change programmes, national campaigns, digital products or service propositions will be particularly valuable.

If you're motivated by the opportunity to lead a nationally significant initiative, shape a new proposition from the ground up and create meaningful impact for young people across the UK, we'd love to hear from you.

Last year, we helped more than 40,000 Young People, with three in four young people on our programmes moving into a positive outcome in work, education or training.

The young people we help face a range of challenges, such as unemployment, mental health issues or some who have been in trouble with the law. We believe all young people should have the chance to succeed, and young people are the key to a positive and prosperous future for all of us. We want to continue having a positive…