Our Vacancies

We have 24 amazing opportunities to join our growing team, as IMPACT Facilitators and as Senior Strategic Improvement Coaches (Demonstrators).

As IMPACT moves into the fourth year of its delivery phase, these exciting roles have been created to work on our 2026/27 projects, across the UK. Successful candidates will play a pivotal part in helping to get evidence of what works used in adult social care to improve services and lives.

To apply, you must:

Send a CV and cover letter to [email protected], clearly detailing the role, project and location you are applying for in the subject of the email. Your cover letter should be no more than two sides of A4, drawing attention to the key skills, values and experiences you would bring to the role, if successful, and the ways in which your CV to date fits with the requirements of the role and the host setting. If you wish to apply for more than one role, please submit one CV plus one cover letter per role you wish to be considered for.

Complete our mandatory additional information form. Applicants who do not complete the form will not be considered.

The deadline for applications is Monday 13^th April 2026 (interviews for external applicants will likely be held between 6^th and 22^nd May 2026)

Informal enquires can be sent to [email protected]

Shortlisted candidates invited to online interview will be asked to prepare a short presentation about the challenges and opportunities of the role and project they are applying to.

Due to the nature of the work undertaken in this role, all successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory DBS clearance prior to appointment.

As part of IMPACT’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion we are particularly keen to receive applications from people from black and minority ethnic communities and will be operating the ‘Rooney’ rule*. We are also keen to receive applications from people who have lived experience of drawing on care and support, are carers or are front-line practitioners, as well as from people who have experience of working with groups whose voices are seldom heard.

We value diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working. If travel is agreed to locations other than the normal place of work – typically the host organisation’s office – travel will be reimbursed between the place of work and the location.

The working arrangement for each post is indicated below. Travel will be reimbursed between the host office and location travelled to, except for remote working roles where travel will be reimbursed between home and the location travelled to. Hybrid working patterns will vary per project.

Vacancies may be removed if they are filled by redeployment candidates.

(* at least one person from a black and minority ethnic community background will be shortlisted where they meet the essential criteria for the role) 

Senior Strategic Improvement Coaches (Demonstrators) – 16 roles across the UK

Part-time 0.5/50%
Fixed-term contract (12 months, target start date September 2026)
Salary: Min £38,784 FTE – Max £56,535 FTE (50% for this post)
Closing date: Monday 13^th April 2026 (external)

Job description

The post

Positions are offered at 50% FTE for 12 months. While successful candidates may wish to be directly employed by a lead university, the nature of the roles also makes them ideal for possible secondments from policy, practice or applied research. Posts are typically based in the host organisation (a local service or social care organisation) across the four nations. Post holders will work with these organisations, as detailed below, with our Demonstrator Lead, Robin Miller and Deputy Demonstrator Leads – as well as IMPACT’s broader team and other partners.

While these are part-time posts (with preferred working patterns between Mon-Fri, open to mutual agreement), successful applicants will be expected to attend fortnightly meetings with the broader IMPACT team where possible – these are held on Monday mornings for one hour (11am-12pm).

Topics and locations

Enhancing voice, choice and control through a relationship-based practice model for Self-directed Support in Scotland – Social Work Scotland

These posts are home-based, with some travel required. Senior Strategic Improvement Coaches will be expected to attend 4 meetings in Edinburgh over the 12-month project. In addition, monthly travel will be required within Scotland.
A relationship-based Self-Directed-Support practice model is being designed to bring together and build on the best of existing relationship-based practice (RBP) and access to personal budgets to support the implementation of Scotland’s national Self-directed Support Standards. 
There is universal backing in Scotland for a shift from the existing paradigm of care management towards relationship-based practice from all sectors including the Scottish Parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. The work is closely aligned to Scottish Government Access to Social Care policy development and the work of the new Scottish Social Work Partnership.
This project aims to develop and test aspects of a new practice model, supporting local areas to shift away from a transactional care management culture towards a relationship-based approach.

Developing more strategic partnerships between adult social care and housing – In Control, Scotland

Hybrid working, mainly remote working with occasional travel to Glasgow
Our Demonstrator project aims to improve strategic relationships between adult social care and housing for people with complex needs. For many years the links between these sectors has often involved making the best use of new and existing housing and the creation of specialist new build accommodation.
We are keen to explore in depth the questions about how we reach decisions about “what good looks like” to the person as well as changing the nature of discussions to focus on what questions we ask and how we plan together most productively and effectively.
We are concentrating on proactively making decisions together that create flexible, well-informed housing options to improve understanding of the complexities, reduce misunderstandings and support effective Human Rights and Person Led decisions on a strategic and personal level.

Building a more strategic approach to co-production – Cartrefi Cymru Co-operative, Wales

Hybrid working between home and the host organisation office (one role in Bangor and one role in Swansea).
Cartrefi Cymru Co-operative is a large multi-stakeholder co-operative operating across Wales, delivering supported living and domiciliary care services to adults with learning disabilities. As a values-driven organisation, the voice and choices of the people Cartrefi support are central to their governance and operations, and co-production is embedded throughout their work. Instead of traditional day services, Cartrefi delivers activities that are driven by the voices of local cooperatives. The project with IMPACT will identify a methodology for this approach, helping to achieve a consistent offer across Wales, and to support Cartrefi to promote their approach and vision with all stakeholders.

Developing processes and systems that feel human, respectful and meaningful to enable and enhance collaborative communication and tackle poverty – Swansea Council Adult Services, Wales

Hybrid working between home and the host organisation office (Guildhall, Swansea).
This Demonstrator will examine the extent to which our current systems and processes enable effective collaborative communication, and identify where a culture of compliance may unintentionally overshadow our intention to place what matters to people at the centre of practice.
The Senior Strategic Improvement Coaches will:
- Work alongside people with lived experience, practitioners, and managers to review forms, pathways, and decision-making processes, identifying the factors that promote or hinder dignity, clarity, and voice, choice, and control.
- Examine how experiences of poverty shape people’s interactions with services at the earliest point of contact, identifying where systems unintentionally amplify disadvantage and co-design approaches that reduce stigma, improve equity, and ensure support is genuinely accessible.
- Identify where compliance requirements, funding conditions, or established ways of working create unnecessary barriers, and codesign practical, evidence-informed alternatives that continue to meet statutory requirements, while remaining human and relational in approach.
- Quality assure Early Help and the “front door’’ to adult services to ensure that people’s first point of contact is warm, supportive, and meaningful.
- Produce evidence demonstrating whether these changes improve adults’ experiences, support better outcomes, reduce frustration, and strengthen relationships between residents and services.

Supporting race equality in the social care workforce – Persona, England

Hybrid working between home and the host organisation office (Bury).
Persona has committed to an inclusive recruitment process, and as a result have seen a rapid increase in the diversity of their workforce. The organisation won the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter Award for ‘Best Inclusive Large Employer’ in 2024 and want to build on this positive progression.
Persona will work in partnership with IMPACT to engage with employees to identify what is helping and what is hindering the achievement of an inclusive, caring and cohesive workplace for all staff. The project will work with Persona to understand the needs of their workforce as it becomes more diverse, so that they can create the conditions for people to thrive as part of a commitment to good employment which enhances people’s lives.

Promoting a culture where we genuinely value our workforce – Shrewsbury/Shropshire Council, England

Hybrid working between home and the host organisation office (Guildhall, Shrewsbury).
Shropshire Council recognise that a well-trained, committed workforce is essential for staff wellbeing and for the wellbeing of people who draw on social care. Valuing their staff is visibly demonstrated through their values and practice. Shropshire has a small Professional Development Team in adult social care. Working with IMPACT, Shropshire want to grow this team and develop into a Social Care Academy so they can improve their offer to the adult social care workforce.

Working collaboratively to transform how social care is experienced by those who are most marginalised, using proactive social care models – Support Northamptonshire, England

Hybrid working between home and the host organisation office (Wellingborough).
We hope to accelerate progress in demonstrating how the Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise sectors can collaborate to deliver proactive social care models led with communities to transform how social care is accessed and delivered for those who are most marginalised. We also hope to evidence through action research and impact analysis the value of community-led social care models and how these can reduce pressures on stretched social care and health services. We also want to learn from other good practice nationally and collaborate for better social care outcomes for all.

Social care & climate change – Inspired Purpose, England

Remote working with occasional travel in England and/or Wales.
Led by Inspired Purpose, in partnership with Future Directions CIC and Learning Disability England (LDE), this project aims to ensure that people with learning disabilities are actively included in shaping climate change responses at local and national levels. Potential areas being explored are to integrate understanding of climate impacts into social care and health practice; support local planning and adaptation aligned with sustainability and equity; influence student social work training and policy development; and to address intersectional exclusions (e.g. race, gender, sexuality) and include people with profound disabilities.

IMPACT Facilitators – 8 roles across the UK

Part time 0.5/50%
Fixed term contract (12 months, target start date September 2026)
Salary: Min £33,020 FTE – Max £46,049 FTE (50% for this post)
Closing date: Monday 13^th April 2026 (external)

Job description

The post

Positions are offered at 50% FTE for 12 months. While successful candidates may wish to be directly employed by a lead university, the nature of the roles also makes them ideal for possible secondments from policy, practice or applied research. Posts are typically based in the host organisation (a local service or social care organisation) across the four nations. Post holders will work with these organisations, as detailed below, and with our Facilitator co-leads Karen Watchman and Kathryn Mackay – as well as IMPACT’s broader team and other partners.

Topics and locations

Improving the support of people with substance dependence in care homes – Aberdeen City Council, Scotland

Hybrid working between home and the host organisation office (Aberdeen)
Aberdeen has a range of care homes supporting individuals with substance use and other complex needs. We have found that there is a lack of education and resources to help staff understand and provide substance use support. The Facilitator project will enable the development of a coproduced action plan to improve care home support for substance dependence.

Improving communication and accessibility of information – Informing Choices NI, Northern Ireland

Hybrid working between home and the host organisation office (Derry).
Informing Choices NI is a pro-choice sexual health charity. Their vision is a society where everyone’s sexual health and rights are protected and fulfilled. One of their projects, Just Ask, is a relationships and sexuality education programme for people with a learning disability and autistic people. In promoting inclusive access to support, they know that producing easy-read information is not enough; people need help to process and understand this information. The Facilitator will work with people with a learning disability and autistic people, medical and support networks to identify what needs to change and how this can be achieved to ensure information is accessible and inclusive.

Early practical intervention/prevention to support carers, reduce ‘carer breakdown’ and reduce the consequences for people drawing on care and support and formal services – Dots/Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership, Northern Ireland

Hybrid working between home and the host organisation office (Ballymena).
Dots is the social enterprise arm of Mid & East Antrim Agewell Partnership. It was set up to provide practical home help services for older people: cleaning, transport, shopping, meal prep, and companionship. This is meeting a gap in home care services currently offered by health and social care. The Facilitator will explore with older people, family carers and frontline staff how this model might be further developed to prevent carer burnout and provide early intervention in a timely and person-centred way.

Direct Payment implementation in Wales – Welsh Government, Wales

Home-based with travel across Wales required.
Delegated health care is a key topic in the successful implementation of direct payments in Wales. It is an important factor in realising the full potential of direct payments both in social care and under the new Health & Social Care Act (2025) which will enable direct payments for healthcare for the first time in Wales from 1 April 2026. However, currently, only a very small number of social care direct payment teams in Wales allow delegated health care tasks within their direct payment packages. The IMPACT Facilitator will lead a small change project with the Welsh Government to enable us to seek broader perspectives, and hear the voices and experience of individuals in receipt of adult social care including those who already have lived experience of receiving direct payments.

Taking an asset-based approach to supporting older carers and their families in Powys – Credu, Wales

Hybrid – the post is Powys-wide with Ystradgynlais as the primary location.
At Credu, experience shows us that carer breakdown is often preceded by chronic stress, isolation, and lack of support, especially when carers cannot take breaks or access timely services. We know that when carers feel heard, valued, and have space to work towards their own outcomes, their wellbeing improves. The IMPACT Facilitator will work with Credu on a local project that recognises the strengths and assets of older people, carers and people with a learning difference. Drawing on an existing Credu community-based venture in Powys, this project will support local carers to build a sustainable support system, utilising a local building and community assets, that reduces carer breakdown and extends circles of support.

Enhancing access to annual health checks for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities – Dimensions, England

This project can be delivered at either Frome or Sheffield or Worcester. The post is office-based in one of these locations with local travel required. 
Dimensions is one of the largest not-for-profit providers of support for people with learning disabilities and autistic people across England and Wales. Annual Health Checks are a vital tool in addressing health inequalities. They help identify treatable and preventable conditions early, improving quality of life and reducing premature mortality. However, systemic barriers in health and social care persist which disproportionately affect those with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Individuals face a significantly younger average age of death and are more likely to die from treatable conditions such as pneumonia and seizures. Dimensions will work with the IMPACT Facilitator on a small change project with the aim of better understanding challenges to accessing annual health checks for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. The project will include co-producing information for different audiences, therefore widening access to annual health checks, improving health, and preventing avoidable hospital admissions.

Support for people whose savings/assets are reducing in a care home (‘capital depletion’) – Staffordshire County Council, England

Hybrid working between home and the host organisation office (Stafford).
This project will raise awareness about care funding and options before people enter residential care, helping them make informed choices early. It will also co-produce a framework to support care home residents as their savings reduce, in order to prevent crisis decisions and promote care stability.

Building a more strategic approach to co-production alongside people who have a learning disability – WECIL, England

Hybrid, Bristol – hot desking office at The Vassall Centre Gill Ave, Bristol BS16 2QQ. Weekly meeting on Thursdays at Grosvenor Rd, Bristol BS2 8XJ.
People’s Voice at WECIL was founded to ensure that people with learning disabilities and neurodivergent people are not just consulted but genuinely lead change. Co-production is therefore not an add-on to our work; it is our entire operating model. However, we have learned that meaningful co-production takes time, strategy, and structure. Many of our members have experienced trauma, institutionalisation, or exclusion, which can make trust and communication fragile. Digital illiteracy and access needs can slow processes down. The funding environment often prioritises speed and output over inclusion. Developing a strategic approach to co-production as part of a change project with the IMPACT Facilitator will help us balance care and accountability, making our model stronger, safer, and more sustainable for the future. Our priority areas include: developing a clearer strategic framework for co-production that can be adapted by other organisations, and strengthening pathways for people with learning disabilities to move into leadership and paid co-production role.

Our People and Partners