National Programme Director

Contract Type: Fixed Term until 31/05/2029

Hours: Full Time, 35 hours 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.

Lead a National Movement:

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.

We're particularly interested in candidates with experience of:

• Leading large-scale, multi-million-pound programmes from strategy through to delivery and launch.
• Managing complex stakeholder environment across government, corporate and community partners.
• Delivering digital products, platforms or customer-focused services.
• 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.

You'll thrive in this role if you are:

• 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.

Join us

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.

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What happens next?  

Please submit a CV, and Cover Letter that includes your experience, transferrable skills and motivation to work for The King's Trust! The Team will be in touch about the next steps shortly after the closing date. 

Why do we need a National Programme Director? 

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 that young people are the key to a positive and prosperous future for all of us. We want to continue having a positive impact on young people’s lives, and we couldn’t do this without the important work of the National Programme Director! 

Perks for working at The Trust! 

• Great holiday package! 30 days annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidays. Office closure on the days between Christmas and New Year 
• Flexible working! Where operationally possible, our roles require a combination of office days and working from home (please speak to the hiring manager about this particular role)
• You can volunteer for and/or attend events – The King's Trust Awards, Pride, active events etc. 
• In-house learning platform! Develop your skills for your career and your role 
• Benefits platform! Everything from health and financial well-being support to discounts on your favourite restaurants, shops and cinemas. 
• Personal development opportunities through our Networks – KT CAN (Cultural Awareness Network), KT GEN (Gender Equality Network), KT DAWN (Disability & Wellbeing Network), and PULSE (LGBTQIA+ Network). 
• Fantastic Family leave! Receive 13 weeks of full pay and 13 weeks of half pay for maternity and adoption leave. Receive 8 weeks of full pay for paternity leave. 
• Interest-free season ticket loans
• The Trust will contribute 5% of your salary to the Trust Pension Scheme
• Generous life assurance cover (4 x annual salary) 

For more information about our benefits, please click here . 

Equal Opportunities 

Here at The King's Trust, we're committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. We want to be an organisation that's representative of the communities we serve, which is why we strive for diversity of age, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, race, religion and sex. Our goal is to create an environment where everyone, from any background, can be themselves and do the best work of their lives. 

We are looking for people who can bring different perspectives and experiences and especially welcome applications from those who are underrepresented in our organisation and sector, such as candidates from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.  

We’re a Stonewall Top 100 Employer, and we are an employer that is Disability Confident. Our staff, volunteers and young people are supported by KT CAN (our Cultural Awareness Network), KT GEN (Gender Equality Network), KT DAWN (Disability & Wellbeing Network) and PULSE (LGBTQIA+ Network). For more information,  please click here . 

Safeguarding

The King's Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. As part of this commitment, we undertake basic disclosure checks in accordance with the Codes of Practice for all roles within the Trust, and for our roles working directly with young people, at an enhanced level. Having a criminal record will not automatically exclude applicants. 

A NOTE FOR RECRUITMENT AGENCIES :

We prefer to hire people directly, but we do have a preferred supplier list for when we need a helping hand. We'll be in touch directly if we need you!