Welcome from Rachel Kirby-Rider, CEO

Thank you for considering this opportunity to join us as our Head of Equitable and Inclusive Futures.

When a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer, their whole world (and their family’s) can feel like it’s falling apart. They need special treatment because their cancer is different to adults’, they can only be treated in certain hospitals, and they often travel miles and miles to get there.

The impact of cancer on young lives is far more than medical. Their anxieties are deep. Their education, mental health and social lives suffer. Their futures feel very uncertain. Young Lives vs  Cancer is the only charity in the UK with specialist social workers dedicated to providing tailored psychosocial support to children and young people with cancer, and their families.

We stop at nothing to make their voices heard and their unique needs understood, so they can get the right care and support at the right time. 

Our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) is well documented, and reflected in our 2021 strategy ‘Brave, not Perfect’. This set our ambition for Young Lives to become a more diverse, inclusive and equitable organisation, where everyone feels like they truly belong. 

In June 2024, Young Lives in collaboration with partners published a ‘North Star vision’ for the sector with the direct aim of reducing barriers to access, improving experiences and outcomes for young cancer patients, for a more equitable future. We’ll then publish our next organisational strategy in September 2024 which will be focused on creating the foundations to achieve this ambitious systemic change and reduce those health inequalities young cancer patients and their families face. 

The next step for Young Lives, following ‘Brave not Perfect’, must build on the journey so far, reflecting the organisational strategic commitment to dismantling inequity, and focusing on action.

We are recruiting a senior leader, expert in the pursuit of equity and inclusive strategy, at a crucial and exciting time for Young Lives vs Cancer. 

In this visible and dynamic leadership role, you will join Young Lives vs Cancer to take our pursuit of a more equitable and inclusive future to the next stage. This is a combination of internal and external work, and will involve reviewing ‘Brave, Not Perfect’, understand where the organisation is now, and design the next DEIB strategy for Young Lives. Building on what’s gone before, this strategy must align with and respond to the organisational strategy and North Star vision – bringing together our mission, organisational vision and the pursuit of an equitable future for our workforce, the communities we serve and the system we operate within. The workforce is just one part of this – the next stage of this work places equal focus on our service and work in the system. 

You will be a skilled strategic expert, used to working to clear expectations and with C-suite and Board stakeholders, and a dynamic communicator. You will be comfortable driving change and bringing people on the journey, be a good listener and someone who enjoys working through complex ideas. It will be your job to make the complex simple for your audience, inspiring them to continue on this change journey for the organisation. 

If you are bold, brave and engaging and want to join a driven team which is passionate about positive change and justice, then we would love to hear from you.

Rachel Kirby-Rider, CEO