Innovation and Project Officer

National Federation of Womens Institutes

Hours
35 hours per week

About the Organisation

With a 110-year history, we are proud to say that the WI continues to be the largest and most influential UK-based women’s organisation, with over 170,000 members. Our campaigns push for change on the issues that matter to women and their communities, from equal pay to climate change, mental health, and violence against women. The WI has brought about real change, and this record of action shows that we are as relevant today as we were in 1915. The National Federation of Women’s Institutes (the NFWI) is responsible for running the organisation and provides support and advice to members at both regional and local levels.

About the role

Supporting innovation across the organisation, you will help to develop and deliver programmes that grow our membership, reach and influence. You will manage pilot projects that test new initiatives and engagement opportunities, monitoring and evaluating outcomes to capture insights and valuable learning to help shape the direction of the organisation. You will develop project plans, timelines and key deliverables, as well as take ownership of identifying and mitigating risks. You will carry out qualitative and quantitative research to identify the current and changing needs of women to support organisational decision-making and drive innovation in everything that we do.

You should be experienced in supporting organisational development within membership settings and skilled in project design and delivery. You will be confident analysing data to develop deliverables and objectives, as well as being able to confidently communicate data and findings to diverse audiences. Familiarity in overseeing budgets would be beneficial, as would some knowledge of the trends affecting the voluntary sector. However, it will be your ability to embed innovative thinking and a methodical approach to driving change that will be key to your success.

The Innovation and Project Officer supports innovation across the organisation, supporting the development and delivery of projects that will grow our membership, reach and influence. The post plays a key role in managing pilot projects, preparing plans, monitoring and evaluating outcomes so that key learning is captured. The role works collaboratively across the organisation to develop new ways to reach women and their communities.

Responsibilities

Innovation Strategy & Project Delivery:

• Support the design and delivery of a ‘test and learn’ programme to pilot and evaluate new membership models.
• Together with the Head of Innovation, support the development of project plans, timelines, and key deliverables to ensure project progress is clearly monitored.
• Contribute to identifying and developing innovative approaches to engage new and diverse audiences of women.
• Lead on day-to-day project management, tracking progress against milestones and KPIs, as well as identifying and managing risks.
• Maintain project documentation, including plans, risk registers, and evaluation reports.
• Collaborate with the Events and Innovation Manager to deliver on-the-ground pilot projects and events.
• Assist with budget tracking and financial oversight for innovation projects.

Research and Evaluation:

• Proactively identify and engage with opportunities to connect with target groups, working with the Head of Innovation to build organisational presence, gather insight, and explore ways to grow and expand reach.
• Collect, analyse and deliver qualitative and quantitative research to understand target audience needs and preferences.
• Support the Head of Innovation in using research to inform decision-making and assess the impact of innovation projects.
• Develop and update a record that captures key learning from innovation projects to support informed decisions and the planning of future projects.
• Prepare reports, updates, presentations and other project documents to enable effective ongoing communication around project progress, outcomes, and learning, sharing these with senior management and trustees where relevant.
• Support effective communication of innovation activities and results across the organisation.

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration:

• Build and maintain strong relationships across internal teams to embed innovation across the organisation and support collaboration.
• Develop partnerships with external stakeholders and target audiences to support pilot delivery.
• Support the Head of Innovation in stakeholder communications and engagement activities.

Contribute to the organisational priorities of cultural diversity, equal opportunities and environmental responsibility:

• Uphold a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, ensuring these values are reflected in workplace culture and relationships with external stakeholders.
• Promote a respectful and inclusive environment where all individuals are valued and supported.
• Champion environmental responsibility by adopting sustainable working practices and encouraging responsible behaviours in interactions with external organisations.

Skills, Competencies, Experience & Attributes

Experience & Interest:

• Experience of delivering or supporting organisational development or innovation, project or programme design in a membership setting.
• Experience of project management, including design, delivery and monitoring.
• Experience of analysing data and translating to produce or review action plans.
• Experience of conducting qualitative and quantitative research.
• Experience of communicating with a wide range of people, including external stakeholders.
• An interest in working for the WI.

Knowledge:

• Good knowledge of project management methodologies and tools.
• An understanding of the principles of organisational change and continuous improvement.
• Good knowledge of Microsoft
• Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

Skills & Abilities:

• Good communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Ability to engage and build relationships with different audiences and stakeholders.
• Good presentation skills, with the ability to explain technical or complex information in an easy-to-understand manner.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret and evaluate data in order to convert this into plans of action.
• Demonstrable ability to prioritise effectively.
• Excellent planning skills with the ability to work to strict deadlines.
• Ability to present information in a range of different formats for different audiences including reports, presentations and digital assets.
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams and build effective relationships internally.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work flexibly in a changing environment.
• Ability to work both as part of a wider team and individually using own initiative.

Desirable:

• Experience within the charity, membership, or not-for-profit sector.
• Experience of managing or overseeing budgets.
• Experience of working with volunteers.
• An understanding of the WI.
• An understanding of trends affecting membership organisations or the wider voluntary sector

Required Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent professional experience.
• A relevant degree or qualification in business development, project management, research or innovation

Compensation & Benefits

• A fully auto-enrolled contributory Personal Pension scheme with maximum employer contributions set at 8%
• Holiday entitlement of 196 hours (28 days) per annum rising to 210 hours (30 days) after 5 years’ service. Bank holidays are in addition to this
• Benenden Health scheme (non-contributory)
• Company enhanced maternity, adoption and partner/paternity pay subject to qualification
• Family leave policies including parental leave, flexible working, compassionate leave, carer's leave and dependant’s leave
• Wellbeing policies including mental health and wellbeing and menopause. A commitment to training and development

Conditions of employment

• You must have evidence of right to work in the UK.

Working locations

• Hybrid model, working in the London office and remotely
• Some attendance at meetings or conferences may occasionally require overnight stays unless they are digital.

How to apply

• For further information about this Innovation and Project Officer role, please download the recruitment pack which includes the job description and person specification:
  • Innovation and Project Officer recruitment pack
  • Equal Opportunities Form
  • NFWI Recruitment Privacy Notice
• To apply, please submit your current CV with a covering letter clearly explaining why you would be suitable for the role to the HR department at [email protected]. In your letter, you will need to explain why you are interested in the role and how your skills and experience make you a suitable candidate based on the job description and person specification.
• Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need any adjustments or support with the application process, please contact us as we may be able to help.
• Your completed application should be returned via email by 15th September 2026. Applications after the closing date will not be considered.
• The selection process starts with a written application to explain your suitability for the role based on the job description and person specification, and any ideas you have to enhance your application. The interview process will be in person, but please contact us if this is difficult for you.
• Unfortunately, we are unable to provide feedback on applications if not shortlisted for interview; therefore, if you have not heard from us by 22nd September 2026, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful.

Interviews

• First round (virtual via Teams) w/c 21st September 2026
• Second round (in-person at our London office) w/c 28th September 2026

Policies

We believe that the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion are central to our work as an effective employer. They are inherent in our values. We pride ourselves on building positive relationships; we strive to ensure that anyone who engages with us finds it easy to do so, and feels they are supported and treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The NFWI recognises that groups in society experience discrimination as a result of a protected characteristic.

We oppose such discrimination. When recruiting, the NFWI does not discriminate against any applicants. All vacancies will be filled by successful applicants assessed on their ability to do the job. We guarantee an interview to any candidate with a disability who meets the essential criteria for the post.

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