Meet Chris - Influencing political decision-making at Westminster

What my job involves

I’m responsible for managing World Vision’s relationships with the Government and other political decision makers and influencers.  We challenge policies which are unjust and campaign for changes which will benefit the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. I make sure that when there’s an opportunity to influence their decision-making when we’re in a position to do so and to keep them informed about our experiences working directly with communities around the world.

Working in the Westminster Office

Most of my working week is in World Vision’s Westminster office. It’s in a fantastic location opposite Parliament and a few minutes walk to Whitehall. It’s a very busy office with lots of people from across World Vision UK, and the wider global partnership, coming in and out, and with lots of meetings going on. It’s a great opportunity to work with people from other teams and to keep in touch with other parts of the organisation.

Travelling to the Milton Keynes Office from London

I work at the Milton Keynes office twice a week. I live in London and I either drive or take the train. I quite enjoy the time on the train – it’s an opportunity to catch up on emails, and it gives me space to think and read.

The direct trains are fast, frequent and comfortable, and I find that I arrive more alert and prepared when I take the train. As most people are travelling into London when I’m leaving, the trains are usually pretty empty which means you have space to sit and relax. I’m less keen on driving, but the office is very close to the M1, whereas it’s a 10 minute taxi ride from the station.

Before World Vision

I studied politics at university, and then went on to work in Parliament for an MP and Minister. My passion has always been for bringing about change and am driven by social justice issues, whether that’s in the UK or overseas.

Current Opportunities

View our current opportunities and download a full job description here.

Need help or want to talk to us in person call: 01908 841000

Meet Melanie - Juggling family and duel careers in Milton Keynes!

What’s it like as a family living in the Milton Keynes area?

I grew up in South Wales near the sea, and then moved around the UK with different jobs. I moved to the Milton Keynes area to take on a job share when I was pregnant with my first child. My husband Matt was a bit reluctant at first because he thought that Milton Keynes city would expand and take over all the surrounding countryside. When we found the town of Stony Stratford, though, which had the traditional, rural feel of an old market town, and which was well situated for Matt’s commute into London, we were really happy. We have since moved to a nearby village called Castlethorpe and Matt now works locally as well.

We love living in the countryside, yet with all the amenities of a city nearby. My children are 12, 14 and 16 now. There are a range of schools in the Milton Keynes area and I was particularly impressed with the primary schools in the villages. The secondary school that my children attend is quite large and has a laid-back feel, but despite my initial worries, the school has suited them well and they’re enjoying it. There is a really good sixth form there and my oldest son is looking forward to starting there in September.

Milton Keynes has really good leisure facilities for children; mine have been involved in scouts, drama, music, dance, sports, arts & crafts, to name just a few. And they love going to the snow dome! The boys have played football for the Hanslope village football team for many years and my youngest has recently joined the Milton Keynes rugby club. I remember when the children were younger I really liked the activities arranged by the Parks Trust too, such as ‘pushchairs in the park’. Living in this area has worked out really well for our family.

What my job involves

I’m the People & Culture Business Partner for the Marketing Group, helping them with people management in order to deliver their marketing strategy. My work involves getting the right people into the right jobs (recruitment and selection), working with managers to maximise the contribution of their team members and supporting teams through restructuring.

I also support managers in working through their people management issues and helping them to facilitate the people-related aspects of change.

   
The best and worst things about my job

The best part about my job is helping managers and staff find solutions to issues. It’s really satisfying when dialogue results in people coming up with solutions to problems and new ways of doing things. The hardest part of my job is balancing the needs of the individual with the needs of the organisation when they don’t match up.

Before World Vision

Before joining World Vision I worked in Human Resources at Tesco Distribution and Abbey National. During a career break I did some part time teaching for adults and ran various courses for the Milton Keynes Women and Work Group. After my career break I made the decision to work in the private sector again. After 8 months I realised that I just couldn’t get excited about the business I was in, so I started to look for a job in the charity sector. I was really impressed when I found World Vision was an efficient and professional environment to work in, and seeing the pictures on the walls of sponsored children and their communities the contrast with my previous workplace was clear. I knew I’d be passionate about my work.

Current Opportunities

View our current opportunities and download a full job description here.

Need help or want to talk to us in person call: 01908 841090

Meet Emma - the reality of commuting from London

What my job involves

I work on HIV and AIDS policy – I take research and evidence from our programmes to the UK government, which means I have a lot of meetings in London, both with government officials and with other international development NGOs. By working with other NGOs, and getting agreement amongst us, we have a collective voice that is stronger when approaching parliamentarians.

Commuting from London to Milton Keynes

I live in South West London so I commute by car. I used to take the train from Euston but found the trains to be too expensive and unreliable – and more timely than by car. The commute was something that I considered very seriously before accepting the job, but I know some people who work and live in London, but on different sides of the city, who take two hours to get to work – so it’s not exceptional! To get to Milton Keynes I have to go round the M25, which is usually fine but can sometimes be a nightmare! Usually it takes me just under two hours. I drive up to Milton Keynes and then stay one night with a family in Milton Keynes before heading back down to London the next day after work, so I don’t have to drive both ways in a day. Recently I gave a colleague, who lives in North London, a lift home. I was surprised that it took us just as long to get to her house as it would normally take me to get back to South West London - just because of the nature of the roads within North London.

Flexi-time

I’m really happy that World Vision is a very flexible organisation - with flexitime I can arrive at 7:30am and leave at 3:30pm to avoid the worst traffic. This makes a really big difference to my travel time.

Home-working

I usually work at least one day per week in London because of meetings. When I first got the job I tended not to work from home because I wanted to get used to the role and build relationships with my team. But now if I have a week without a day of meetings in London, I arrange to work from home – my manager is really flexible about this.

Before World Vision

I studied International Development at university and then worked for a development charity based in London. Because many development charities work in coalitions I started to see World Vision’s expertise in HIV and AIDS. This is what inspired me to come to World Vision.

The best things about working here

For me the best things are making a long-term difference and having an interesting and challenging job in a really supportive and friendly environment.

Current Opportunities

View our current opportunities and download a full job description here.

Need help or want to talk to us in person call: 01908 841090