Outreach Lead

We are looking for a dynamic, entrepreneurial individual who has a passion for our mission at Smart Works North East to drive referral to the service and delivery on our strategic plan.

Every woman who comes to Smart Works is referred by another organisation or charity. Across the UK over 400 organisations refer women to Smart Works, including job centres, refuges, prisons, work programme providers and other charities. Without our referral partners, Smart Works would not be able to reach women in need and help them to succeed at interview and start a new chapter. Building and nurturing these partnerships is central to our work and success as a charity.

As Outreach Lead, you will be responsible for looking after and developing our important partnerships with our referrers. You will be the face of Smart Works North East in the local community, which in practice means presenting to partners and potential clients, attending job fairs and events, and identifying opportunities of partnership working to encourage referrals.

Working in close collaboration with the rest of the Smart Works North East team, you will take a joined-up approach to implement the outreach strategy in the north east, and manage our network of over 150 referral partners with the aim of doubling the number of women we support. This role would be perfect for someone who loves meeting new people, and able to speak passionately about our service to a range of different audiences.

The role would be based at our Smart Works centre in Newcastle, with frequent off-site attendance of events, meetings and presentations across the region. There may be occasional evening and weekend work as the successful candidate will be part of the wider centre team, helping with networking and key events support. Time Off in Lieu would be given for this work in line with our TOIL policy. As part of the wider service delivery team, you will also play an active role in ensuring our volunteer-powered service is delivered to the highest possible standard in our centres.

Smart Works North East is part of Smart Works Charity, with Smart Works centres across the UK. There will therefore be some travel and liaison with local centres across the UK and HQ in London, to support induction and training, as well as the day-to-day role.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit a CV and answers to the following questions through our recruitment system by 9am on Tuesday 27th October 2026.

• Why do you want to work for Smart Works North East? (max 200 words)
• What impact do you think you could have in this role? (max 200 words)
• Why do you think it is so important that Smart Works has a presence in the North East? (max 200 words)

1st round interviews will take place on 5th November and will be virtual. If you are unable to attend a virtual interview for any reason, please let get in touch to discuss another arrangement.

2nd round interviews will take place week commencing 9th November and will be in person at our Newcastle centre.

If you require any reasonable adjustments or alterations for the application and recruitmentprocesses, please contact our People Team.

Smart Works is committed to best practice employment practices, including reducing the burden for those seeking work. Smart Works will therefore reimburse reasonable costs of travel to interviews if required.

At Smart Works we will apply suitable measures to keep your information secure in accordance with our Privacy Policy (a current version of which is available on our website).