Youth Voice & Influence Officer

Participation People • Full-time • Remote (United Kingdom) • $27.50k / year • 3h ago

Job Purpose

To deliver Participation People’s mission of helping organisations change how decisions are made — together with young people.

Working under the direction of the Programme Manager, this role supports the design, coordination and follow-through of youth-powered work — ensuring young people are prepared, supported and able to influence real decisions ethically and meaningfully.

This role is not about running high volumes of engagement activity.

It is about quality, care and impact: making sure participation is purposeful, ethical, well-supported and leads somewhere real.

Key Responsibilities

Youth-powered practice & ethical participation

Support the delivery of youth-powered participation activities that are youth-centred, inclusive, time-bound and designed around real decision points.
Work directly with Young Consultants, supporting preparation, access, safeguarding and follow-through.
Uphold Participation People’s standards for ethical, trauma-informed participation, protecting young people’s wellbeing, trust and energy.
Help ensure feedback loops are completed so young people can clearly see what changed because of their involvement — and what didn’t as well as the skills they develop by participating.

Project delivery & coordination

Support the coordination of youth-powered projects and co-creation activities in line with agreed project plans.
Manage logistics, communications and materials to ensure activities run smoothly and professionally.
Keep accurate records of participation, learning and decisions to support accountability, impact and evaluation.
Monitor progress and flag risks or issues early, working collaboratively to resolve them.

Insight, learning & impact

Support the collection and synthesis of youth data and insight, helping translate lived experience into clear learning and messages for specific audiences.
Contribute to engaging, accessible outputs that show how youth insight has informed decisions, strategy or practice.
Share learning internally to strengthen our approaches and ways of working.
Support evaluation activity, including evidencing learning, distance travelled and influence.

Partnership & team working

Build positive, respectful relationships with young people, colleagues and our clients.
Support professionals and partners to be ready to hear youth insight, including setting expectations and boundaries.
Work collaboratively within a remote-first team, contributing to shared learning, reflection and improvement.
Represent Participation People’s values and standards consistently in all interactions.

Organisational contribution

Contribute to Participation People’s reputation as a leader in ethical, youth-powered system change.
Share learning and best practices across networks where appropriate.
Undertake other duties appropriate to the nature and grade of the role.

Person Specification

Values & approach

You are someone who:

Is motivated by Participation People’s mission to influence how decisions are made, together with young people.
Believes that youth participation should be ethical, purposeful and influential, not extractive or performative.
Brings curiosity, care and courage to your work, especially when navigating power, complexity or challenge.
Is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, and understands how access, identity and power shape participation.
Is reflective and open to learning — keen to strengthen your practice over time.

Knowledge & understanding

It will be helpful if you have an understanding of:

Youth participation, youth voice, co-production or lived-experience approaches, and why influence, care and follow-through matter.
Ethical and trauma-informed practice, including safeguarding and creating safe, inclusive spaces for young people.
The challenges young people face today, and how systems, services and organisations impact their lives.
How decisions are made within organisations, and why young people are often excluded from them.
The importance of feedback loops, accountability and honesty in participation work.
Information governance, data protection and confidentiality when working with young people and sensitive information.

Person Specification

It’ll be helpful if you have experience of:

Working directly with groups of young people from a range of backgrounds, particularly in participation, youth work, research, engagement or co-production contexts.
Supporting or coordinating projects or activities, including planning, logistics, recordkeeping and follow-up.
Helping young people prepare to share their views, experiences or challenge constructively.
Working with professionals or organisations, and supporting them to listen well and take youth insight seriously.
Producing or contributing to clear, accessible outputs (e.g. notes, summaries, reports, presentations, creative outputs).
Working as part of a team and contributing positively to shared goals.
You do not need experience in every sector we work in, or to have held a similar role before.

Ways of Working

You are someone who:

Thrives in a collaborative, values-led team.
Is organised, reliable and able to manage competing priorities.
Takes a solutions-focused approach, especially when plans change.
Is comfortable working in a fast-paced environment where work evolves.
Can hold boundaries with care — with both young people and professionals.
Is confident using digital tools to support communication, collaboration and organisation.

Skills & abilities

You bring:

Clear, confident communication skills, written and verbal.
Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
The ability to build trusting relationships with young people and adults.
Confidence using everyday digital tools (Apple hardware, Google Workspace).
Energy, warmth and a sense of playfulness, without losing sight of outcomes.

Additional information

This role requires flexibility, including occasional evening or weekend work.
Some national and international travel may be required, including occasional overnight stays.

Hours and Contract Term

This role is contracted at 32 hours per week, worked across four days (Monday– Thursday) as part of Participation People’s four-day working week. You are paid the equivalent of 37 hours.

The post is offered on a fixed-term contract, with the intention to extend subject to performance, funding and organisational need. Full details will be confirmed in the Contract of Employment.

This role will require flexibility, including occasional evening and weekend work, in order to support work with young people and partners at key decision points. Time off in lieu is provided in line with our flexible working approach.

Open to applicants with the legal right to work in the UK.

Salary

The salary for this role is £27,500 per annum based on a 32-hour, four-day working week.

Holidays: You will receive 30.5 days’ annual leave per year inclusive of bank holidays.

Probationary Period: The appointment is subject to a 12 week probationary period. Following successful completion, performance reviews will take place every six months.

Pensions: Participation People operates an automatic enrolment, employer-contributory pension scheme with The People’s Pension, with employer contributions currently set at 3%. You may choose to opt out.

Location

Participation People is a remote-first organisation. All team members work from home as standard, supported by appropriate technology and flexible working arrangements.

We believe in being intentional about how and when we come together. As a team, we:

Meet in person for quarterly team away days, and
Come together annually for a two-day residential in a variety of locations across the UK

These in-person moments are used for connection, learning, reflection and strategic alignment, rather than routine meetings.

This role also involves occasional national travel to support projects, partners and young people, including occasional overnight stays.

How to Apply

To apply for the position, you will need to submit an application form.

Download the application form and complete it. When complete, please send it to pickme@participationpeople.com by midnight 15th June

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application. We are unable to offer visa sponsorship at this time.

If successful, you’ll be invited to a virtual interview in July.

This process usually lasts 1.5 hours and will be held on evenings and weekends to ensure young people can be fully involved in the process.

We do not accept CVs or cover letters.

If you require the application form as a Word Document, please get in touch.

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