Equity and Systems Change Lead

Today, 12 children and young people will be diagnosed with cancer. We’ll stop at nothing to make sure they get the right care and support at the right time.  

• £44,753 / £47,304 (outside London/inside London)
• 35 hours per week
• Permanent
• Flexible on home-based or hybrid, linked to our London or Bristol offices
• Closing date: 27th July 2025
• Interview date: 5th August 2025

Change lives in a life-changing career

When a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer, their whole world can feel like it’s falling apart. Independence is taken and confidence is stolen. Stability no longer exists. The future suddenly feels uncertain.

The impact of cancer on young lives is more than medical. That’s why we exist. Our specialist social workers help children and young people with cancer and their families navigate the emotional and practical impact of cancer. We remove barriers, solve problems and prioritise wellbeing. And we stop at nothing to make sure they get the right care and support at the right time.

We challenge the systems and policies that surround children and young people, we highlight gaps and campaign for change. Because we know what a better future could look like. And we know what we need to do to make that future a reality. We need to push harder, reach further and work smarter. And we need the right people on our team to help us get there. People like you.

About the role

This post – Equity and Systems Change Lead – will work across and beyond Young Lives vs Cancer to deepen our understanding of the system and to translate knowledge into practical action, in order to shape a more equitable future for young cancer patients. An understanding of systemic oppression and the drivers of inequity, as well as a mind-set that embraces systems thinking and complexity, are crucial to this role.  

This role is subject to a criminal record check. In the event of a successful application a basic criminal record check will be completed.

What will I be doing?

No two days are the same at Young Lives vs Cancer. So, summarising your ‘day to day’ isn’t easy. Here are some of the main things you’ll be doing, but you’ll find more details in the job description and job pack.

• Work with people from across our system to understand how inequity presents, and the drivers for this
• Share this knowledge to deepen organisational and system wide understanding
• Make strategic use of data, research and learning to explore opportunities for a more equitable system
• Take active steps to ensure that our work centres progress toward equity, and support others to do the same
• Building networks and convening people from across the system
• Work with children and young people who have experienced cancer, and their families, to learn what equity means to them (for example, our Voice Board). 
• Take active steps to build and nurture relationships with communities that we need to hear from.  
• Facilitate and enable accessible convening spaces that value diverse experiences
• Use research, learning and feedback to co-design solutions with people from across the system.   
• Design new ways of working and programmes of work that maximise opportunities for system change, for example improved feedback loops, resource flows and mind-set shifts.
• Guide the testing and evaluation of change initiatives, starting small and learning from results
• Support others to use research, learning, and feedback to prioritise equity

What do I need? 

Diverse perspectives and unique skillsets are at the heart of Young Lives vs Cancer. If you're passionate about making a positive impact and eager to learn, we encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet the criteria and person specification fully. Your potential is what matters most to us, and we’re committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment to help you develop.

The key skills we’re looking for in this role are:

Experience in:

• Equity, diversity, and inclusion work (it is helpful if this experience is within a healthcare or non-profit setting). 
• Community engagement and network building. 
• Working with diverse populations and/or children and young people.
• Working across and beyond organisations to bring about change. 
• Knowledge of oppression and the barriers faced by some communities.
• Facilitation skills, with the ability to:
  • Convene accessible, safe, and inclusive spaces
  • Seek and value diverse experiences, opinions and backgrounds 
• Knowledge of systems thinking practice and approaches to system change, for example:
  • understanding of system dynamics, feedback loops, system/network analysis, root cause analysis, complexity and interconnectedness 
• Curiosity and critical thinking skills 
• Our values reflect our commitment to young cancer patients and their families. We are Curious, Creative, Collaborative, Change-making, and Courageous. These values are at the heart of Team Young Lives, and we are looking for someone who embodies them.

What will I gain?

 For people to reach their full potential, they need the right environment. As a member of Team Young Lives, you’ll be made to feel supported, valued and appreciated. Here’s how we do it:

• Flexible working: we’re open to working hours outside of 9 - 5 and we can talk through your flexibility requirements at interview stage
• Wellbeing days: four days a year to do what works for you – from catching up on training to going for a walk
• Generous annual leave allowance
• Great family/caring leave entitlements
• Enhanced pension
• Access to our employee savings scheme

To find out more about our benefits package, have a look on our website: https://www.younglivesvscancer.org.uk/careers/our-benefits/  

Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

At Young Lives vs Cancer, we recognise that opportunities for too many people remain a condition of their sex, ethnicity, class, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation – or a combination. This has never been acceptable to us as an organisation. We don’t just accept difference, we value it, celebrate it, nurture it and we thrive because of it.

We’re on a journey to be reflective of the diverse children, young people and families we support. We know we aren’t there yet, and we’re passionately committed to taking actions and making changes to be a truly diverse, inclusive and equitable organisation. This includes taking anti-oppressive action and removing barriers in our recruitment practices. We particularly welcome applications from members of minoritised communities. Our Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging strategy will tell you more.

We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. CVs can be uploaded, but we won't be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to fully complete the work history sections of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly and objectively.

Accessibility

We’re committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we’ll always aim to be as accommodating as possible.  Please let us know in your application form of any adjustments or access requirements we could make to help you with the application process and interview.

We'll also be holding some informal information sessions at 5pm Tuesday 22nd July and ​12 midday Friday 25th July – find out how to sign up in the job pack. The job pack is uploaded as a PDF, please just drop us a line at recruitment@younglivesvscancer.org.uk if you would prefer it in Powerpoint form.

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