Work with us! Director of Programmes and Impact

We are recruiting for an exciting new within the RFT team.

Real Farming Trust (RFT) Director of Programmes and Impact

Part-time (0.8 FTE, 7.5 hrs/day, 30 hrs/wk), UK-based, remote with some travel required. This is a permanent position.
Candidates must have the right to work in the UK.

Ideal start date: October 2026

About the Real Farming Trust

The Real Farming Trust (RFT) runs a number of programmes which bring people of all food and farming backgrounds and experiences together to build the case for agroecology. We are a small charity and value honesty, empathy, care and compassion in our interactions with each other in the organisation and with the partners we work with. Read more about our work.

About the role

We are looking for a thoughtful, strategic and collaborative Director of Programmes and Impact to support and strengthen our programmes across the organisation. This is a pivotal new role, created as we consolidate a period of significant growth and focus on deepening our impact, strengthening our systems, and fostering a healthy, well-coordinated working culture across a fully remote team.

The Director of Programmes and Impact will work across a diverse portfolio of programmes spanning events, communications, policy, funding and food justice. The role is responsible for the coordination, management and continuous improvement of RFT’s programme portfolio, and for supporting programme staff to work collaboratively, sustainably and effectively. They will manage a team of programme managers, bringing greater cohesion, coordination and shared learning across our work. A key priority will be to develop simple, effective approaches to monitoring, evaluation and learning, enabling us to better understand, communicate and improve our impact. 

Working closely with the Co-Executive Directors and Operations Manager as part of RFT’s senior management team, the Director of Programmes and Impact will play a central role in shaping organisational strategy, supporting the development of new programme ideas and partnerships, and ensuring our work remains aligned with our mission and values and embeds an equity and anti-oppression lens. They will also help create the conditions for creativity and collaboration across teams, reducing pressure on staff and strengthening our collective effectiveness. The Director of Programmes and Impact will work closely with the Operations Manager to ensure programme systems and organisational systems are aligned and support sustainable and effective ways of working. They will also work closely with the Communications Manager to support the organisation to communicate its impact effectively.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who combines strategic thinking with a practical, empowering approach, and who is motivated to build the systems, relationships and culture that allow RFT to thrive over the long term.

This role is remote, with some travel required across the UK to attend in-person staff away days and occasional in-person meetings and events. 

This role is currently funded for three years through an unrestricted grant. We are committed to sustaining the role long-term as part of our core structure.

Key Responsibilities

The Director of Programmes and Impact has two primary aims: (1) to support and strengthen the organisation’s coordination across programmes, ensuring high-quality delivery, strong impact, effective monitoring and evaluation, and the development of new programme opportunities, and (2) to support staff well-being and organisational learning by improving programme systems, coordination and collaboration.

Strategic Programme Leadership

• Provide strategic oversight across all RFT programmes.

• Ensure programmes align with RFT’s organisational strategy, mission and values
• Support the integration of equity and anti-oppression principles and practice across the programmes. 
• Identify opportunities for collaboration and synergy between programmes.
• Lead organisation-wide programme planning, prioritisation and review processes.

Programme Management

• Line manage programme managers and senior programme staff.
• Support effective programme planning and delivery.
• Monitor programme progress, workload pressures, risks and resource allocation across programmes, supporting teams to prioritise sustainably and effectively.
• Ensure programmes meet funder commitments.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

The Director of Programmes and Impact is the organisational lead for monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL). Specifically, they will:

• Design and implement an organisation-wide monitoring, evaluation and learning framework.
• Work with programme teams to define outcomes, indicators and approaches to evidencing impact.
• Develop systems for collecting and analysing programme data.
• Produce an annual organisational impact report.
• Support the organisation to communicate its impact effectively, working closely with the RFT Communications Manager.
• Identify and share learning, insights and emerging opportunities across programmes to strengthen organisational effectiveness and impact. 

Staff Leadership and Support

• Support programme staff to work sustainably, collaboratively and effectively.
• Encourage collaboration, reflection and knowledge-sharing across programme teams.
• Support a culture of learning and continuous improvement across programmes, working closely with the RFT Operations Manager to ensure alignment with wider organisational culture and staff wellbeing practices.

Programme Development and Fundraising Support

• Work with the Executive Directors to identify and develop opportunities for new programmes, partnerships and funding. 

• Contribute to funding proposals and programme design.
• Ensure new programmes are grounded in evidence and organisational learning.

Senior Leadership

• Play an active role in organisational leadership, strategy development and decision-making as part of RFT’s senior management team. 
• Contribute to organisational planning, risk management and resource prioritisation across the programme portfolio. 

• Support the organisation’s culture, values and staff well-being.

This role requires the following skills:

Essential

Experience

• Significant demonstrated experience of leading multiple programmes in a charity, public or social impact setting
• Experience of line managing and developing managers or senior staff
• Experience of working in a complex organisation with competing priorities and limited resources. 
• Experience of improving or implementing programme management systems or processes
• Experience contributing to funding proposals, programme design, and/or organisational strategy

Skills & Knowledge

• Strong ability to see across multiple programmes and identify connections, gaps and priorities
• Ability to translate strategy into practical plans and systems
• Experience designing or implementing monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) approaches (does not need to be highly technical, but must be confident and practical)
• Strong people management skills, including supporting staff well-being and performance
• Ability to manage workload, prioritise effectively, and support others to do the same
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, including working across teams
• Confidence working with senior leadership and contributing to organisational decision-making
• Good understanding of agroecology, food sovereignty and food justice

Personal Qualities

• Calm and pragmatic, able to bring structure without creating unnecessary bureaucracy
• Collaborative and empowering leadership style (not directive or hierarchical)
• Comfortable working in a small organisation where things are not yet fully systematised
• Strong commitment to staff well-being and sustainable working practices
• Values-led, with a commitment to building an agroecological food and farming system

Desirable

Experience

• Experience of building or embedding organisation-wide monitoring and evaluation frameworks
• Experience working across diverse programme types (e.g. policy, campaigns, service delivery, events)
• Experience in a similar-sized or scaling organisation (£1m–£3m)
• Experience of organisational change or growth phases
• Experience of cross-programme learning or knowledge-sharing initiatives
• Experience working closely with communications and/or fundraising teams

Skills & Knowledge

• Familiarity with theory of change development and outcome measurement
• Ability to use data and insight to tell a compelling impact story
• Understanding of funder expectations around impact and reporting
• Experience developing new programmes or partnerships

You will thrive in this role if:

• You are creative, people-focused, and enjoy building connections and networks
• You are a natural leader and feel comfortable driving progress and building trust
• You are organised, proactive and enjoy turning ideas into action 
• You have excellent written and verbal communication skills
• You are comfortable working in a remote and digitally collaborative environment
• You are happy remote working and enjoy collaborating with a small team
• You remain calm under stress and time-pressure
• You can prioritise tasks to meet deadlines under pressure
• You are passionate about the food and farming movement.

What else you need to know:

• We do not have an office. You will need to provide your own workspace and laptop; however, an equipment subsidy is available to support with home working expenses (upon successful completion of the probationary period).
• We all work remotely from home and meet twice a year in-person for a few days each time. All staff are expected to attend.
• We all work flexibly, but you will be expected to do the majority of your work weekdays between 8am and 6pm. Some evening and weekend work may be required to join events. 
• The probationary period is six months.

The benefits you will get:

• Annual salary: £54,000 – £56,000 (pro rata at 0.8 FTE equates to £43,200 – £44,800), depending on level of experience.
• 25 days annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays (33 days total, pro rata); an additional 3 days between Christmas and New Years are gifted.
• Flexible working to suit your other commitments during the week.
• Annual well-being and training budget of £350 (upon successful completion of probationary period).
• Equipment subsidy (up to £550) and zero interest loans available to support the purchase of laptop and key office equipment (upon successful completion of probationary period).
• Employer matched pension of 4%.

How to apply:

Upload your CV and a covering letter (no more than 1 page) detailing evidence (eg, examples of experience, qualifications) that you meet the criteria listed and why you would like to join our team to this form by 12pm BST (midday) on Tuesday, 28th July 2026. 

To minimise unconscious bias, the hiring panel will conduct an anonymised review. Please carefully follow the instructions to remove your name and email from your CV and cover letter, and submit your full name and email in the form only.

If you have questions about the role, please contact Brittany Oakes, RFT Operations Manager, on brittany.oakes@realfarming.org. 

Please note that to upload materials, you will need to be logged into a Google account. If you do not wish to create a personal Google account, or if you have any trouble uploading your materials, please send them directly to Brittany on brittany.oakes@realfarming.org.

What will happen after you have sent in your application

• We will let all applicants know if they have been shortlisted for an interview by the end of Thursday, 13th August 2026. 
• Interviews will take place online via Zoom on Monday, 24th and Tuesday 25th August 2026. If these dates or timings are difficult for you, please tell us in the application form.
• We will share a summary of the key areas the interview will cover in advance with you. The aim of the interview is to help you show us how you would do the role, not to catch you out.
• We will let you know in advance who will be on the interview panel and their role within the RFT.
• Shortlisted candidates may be invited to a second-stage discussion with members of the staff team, focused on working style, communication, and approach to team leadership.

Equity and Anti-Oppression
We are committed to becoming a more inclusive workplace with a diverse staff body. We believe this is essential to our effectiveness as an organisation and our ability to fulfil our mission of “good food for everyone, forever”. We need to address both inequity and oppression within our work if we are to meet our aim. There will be tensions that this work creates and difficult questions that we need to address both internally and externally.

We know that people with certain backgrounds and characteristics are underrepresented in our team and in the alternative food and farming movement, and we want to address this. We are committed to working proactively to dismantle these systems of oppression and ensure equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of their background.

We have started to do this work internally, but we know there is much more to do. Every member of RFT staff is involved and part of this work. 

Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form
The Real Farming Trust is committed to promoting equality and diversity in line with the Equality Act 2010, providing an inclusive and co-operative environment in which all individuals feel respected. Filling in this equality and diversity monitoring form is voluntary. The information you provide will be kept confidential and will only be used for monitoring purposes. Please don’t enter any information that would identify you. This form is kept separately from your application and will not be seen by interviewers.

Thank you for your interest in the Real Farming Trust.

A note on AI
We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will be unlikely to be progressed to an interview.

Please note that due to the volume of applications we receive, regretfully we are unable to offer feedback to individual applicants.