Systemic Change Lead
Systemic Change Lead
We're looking for a full-time (or part-time 0.8 FTE) Systemic Change Lead to join our fully remote and impact driven team.
Deadline for applications: Monday 16th November 2026 at 9am
About the job
Location: Working remotely from home across the four nations of the UK, occasionally co-working spaces, with occasional travel
Start date: As soon as possible (Winter 2026/27)
Salary: £43,575 p.a. (FTE)
Benefits: 38 days (FTE) annual leave (including bank holidays) so that leave can be taken when you wish, not necessarily on the fixed bank holiday days / Christian calendar. Pension Scheme. Flexible working arrangements. Access to co-working budget
Hours of work: Full-time or part-time (1 FTE or 0.8 FTE) worked flexibly around business needs (28 to 35 hours per week)
Contract type: Permanent contract
Do you feel passionate about supporting a charity who are reshaping the systems that support children and young people across the UK? Do you want to lead a varied portfolio of participatory research, co-design and evaluation projects, and set the direction for how we apply systems thinking and complexity-informed approaches across that work?
Dartington Service Design Lab is a national charity that harnesses experience, cutting edge evidence and design to tackle the challenges children and young people face today, securing thriving futures for tomorrow. As we move forward with our refreshed strategy, we are looking for a new Systemic Change Lead to join our dynamic team.
The Systemic Change Lead plays a crucial role in our work at Dartington. They manage their own portfolio of projects from design through to delivery, working directly with clients, young people, community partners and system leaders.
This role would suit someone who has already applied systems and complexity-informed methods in research and design practice, is comfortable holding several projects at once, and works with a high degree of independence and autonomy.
As an organisation committed to anti-racism, equity and inclusion, we are actively working to diversify the perspectives, practice and experiences that we bring to our work.
We know that people from many backgrounds, including those underrepresented in research and design, may discount themselves if they don't meet every desirable criterion on the list. Please don’t! If you are excited about this role and believe you could do it well, we’d love to hear from you. We welcome applications from people with a broad range of lived and learnt experiences, and we are committed to a recruitment process that is fair and inclusive.
This is a real opportunity to do meaningful work as part of a close-knit team dedicated to creating the conditions for all children and young people to thrive. If that resonates with you, please do apply.
Find out more in the Candidate Briefing Pack here.
See the Job Description here.
38 Days Annual Leave (for Full time colleagues, including Bank Holidays)
Meet the team
Application process
Recruitment timetable:
Deadline for applications: 9am Monday 16th November 2026
Online first stage interviews: w/c 30th November
In-person final stage interviews: w/c 7th December
We are committed to making our recruitment process accessible to everyone. If you have any access requirements or would benefit from any adjustments at any stage of this process (including during the application itself) please contact recruiting@dartington.org.uk and we will make sure the right support is in place.
All candidates are asked to complete the application form and submit a CV at the same time. You are not required to submit a covering letter as these will not be considered, however when submitting your CV, please ensure it is tailored to highlight relevant skills and experience as described in the Job Description — generic or untailored CVs will be assessed accordingly.
The application form includes four sift questions which will be scored by the selection panel. The questions will be extracted and assessed without reference to any other documentation that could bias the review of responses (i.e. Name, CV, etc).
One of the sift question asks you to engage with our Anti-Racism Action Framework. Please review that here before completing the application form.
The demographic questions are asked solely for our Equality and Diversity monitoring purposes, in accordance with our privacy policy (linked here).
We use AI tools in our work and welcome candidates who do too. If AI helps you structure your thinking or polish your writing, that's absolutely fine — we see that as a practical skill in itself. What we're really interested in, though, is hearing from you directly: your experiences, your reasoning, and how you've navigated challenges. Please make sure your answers are rooted in your own professional story rather than generated on your behalf. Our panel will be looking for that personal specificity, and answers that lack it won't score well regardless of how well-written they are.
We will also refer to answers given in application questions during the interview process to allow you an opportunity to expand on areas of experience, so please ensure any answers reflect genuine professional experience.
Those candidates scoring highest at this stage will be invited to a first stage online interview with the selection panel. When invited you will be informed of the panel membership and also the questions that you will be asked, allowing you to prepare appropriately. Final stage interviews will take place the following week.
We will reimburse reasonable travel costs for candidates attending an in-person interview, and reasonable care costs (for example, additional childcare or dependant care).
In line with our Safer Recruitment Policy, the post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service certificate and pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed.