Development Lead

We pride ourselves in being a great place to work, providing a supportive culture with opportunities to grow and develop your career, achieve a healthy work life balance and to be recognised for the great work you do. You will receive:

• Competitive salary and pension scheme
• 33 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays) - increasing to 38 days over 5 years
• Cycle to work scheme Electric Vehicle Scheme
• Health and Wellbeing portal – access to financial, health and wellbeing support and an Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounts – you will have access to Blue Light and NHS Discounts as well as discounts on mobile phones, gym membership, cinema tickets, restaurants, holidays and shopping

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a team of over 1,100 employees and over 28,000 volunteers, united by our goal of saving lives through essential first aid services, training and campaigning. As a charity with rich heritage and a long history of serving humanity, we are proud of our past and excited about creating a healthier, safer, more resilient future.

St John Ambulance works at the heart of communities, supporting and enabling them to access and receive physical and mental health first aid. We do this through developing and providing effective community response and outreach services (e.g. Ambulance response) and using our longstanding expertise to empower people with vital clinical skills and the confidence to use them (e.g. our Volunteers and Community Advocates, and Young Responders programmes).

Join our Youth Directorate and help shape the future of our youth services. In this varied role, you’ll support the growth of our Badger, Cadet and Student Volunteering programmes (ages 5–25) and contribute to the development of new services that meet the changing needs of young people. You’ll manage projects from development through to national delivery, driving service improvements while supporting larger, high-impact initiatives.

Collaboration is central to everything you’ll do. You’ll work closely with colleagues across St John and with external partners such as local authorities, agencies and charities, building strong relationships to deliver meaningful outcomes for young people.

• Educated to GCSE level (or equivalent) at Grade 4/C or above, including Maths and English. Ideally you will hold a Degree-level qualification or relevant professional qualification/membership (e.g. volunteering, youth work, education, people management, or project management).
• Experience of working with young people and/or volunteers, including designing and developing activities and managing volunteers.
• Experience of leading teams to deliver agreed outcomes, with strong team‑working skills.
• Proven experience of managing projects and delivering outcomes to time and quality.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across multi‑functional teams and stakeholders.
• Strong planning and organisational skills, ability to prioritise workload and meet deadlines under pressure, and confident use of digital tools (e.g. Microsoft applications) at an intermediate level.

• Develop, promote and deliver inclusive, engaging programmes, initiatives and resources for volunteers and young people that align with St John Ambulance’s vision, mission and values.
• Lead and deliver projects and ongoing activities in line with the Youth team strategy and delivery plan, maintaining project documentation and producing reports as required.
• Plan and facilitate consultations, working groups and forums to ensure meaningful engagement and co‑production with young people and volunteers across all activities.
• Build, maintain and review effective internal and external partnerships and networks to support project delivery, working closely with colleagues across SJA.
• Act as a subject matter expert in working with young people and/or volunteers.
• Manage project budgets and report on spend, ensuring all activity positively supports youth team culture, safety, wellbeing, inclusion and diversity, and undertake other duties appropriate to the role.

St John Ambulance are…