Chief Operating Officer

Location (UK): Hybrid - London or Sheffield office
Hours: 35 hour per week, full-time
Salary: £125,000 per annum
Benefits: Read more about the excellent benefits we offer
Contract type: Permanent
Travel: In and around the UK
Closing date: 23:59 hours, Friday, 25 September 2026

Join us and use your skills, knowledge, passion and energy to help us achieve a future free from arthritis.

About the role

This is an exciting point in our journey. We have a clear strategy, a talented and committed team, and an ambitious vision for the future. We are continuing to strengthen our organisational capability so that we can increase our impact for the millions of people who rely on us.

The Chief Operating Officer will play a pivotal role in helping us achieve that ambition.

As a key member of the Executive Team, you will help shape the future direction of Arthritis UK while ensuring we have the operational excellence, financial resilience and organisational infrastructure needed to deliver our strategy. You will lead critical corporate services, support our people to thrive, champion continuous improvement and ensure we remain a well-governed, inclusive and sustainable organisation.

This is far more than a traditional operational leadership role. We are looking for someone who combines strategic thinking with practical delivery; someone who can inspire confidence, build strong relationships across the organisation and beyond, and lead with empathy, integrity and curiosity. Above all, we are seeking a leader who shares our commitment to improving the lives of people with arthritis.

How to apply

We are pleased to be working in partnership with Starfish Agency on this recruitment campaign. 

Please follow this link for more details, a job information pack and to apply directly with the agency.

About us

We have made a commitment in our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy to increase the diversity of our charity and we welcome candidates from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. We want our employees, volunteers and trustees to represent the broad diversity of the communities of which we are a part.

There are over 10 million people living with arthritis. That’s one in six, with over half of those living in pain every single day. The impact is huge as the condition slowly intrudes on everyday life – affecting the ability to work, care for a family, to move free from pain and to live independently. Yet arthritis is often dismissed as an inevitable part of ageing or shrugged off as ‘just a bit of arthritis’. We don’t think that this is OK. Arthritis UK is here to change that.

Arthritis UK is committed to keeping children, young people and vulnerable adults safe from harm. During the recruitment process we will undertake safer recruitment practices and relevant checks to ensure applicants are suitable to work with children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Read more about working for us.

Animal Research

We are committed to developing new treatments for arthritis. To achieve this, we fund a broad range of medical research, and this includes research which uses animals. For further information, please see Animal Research Policy 

Arthritis UK is a Registered Charity No: 207711 and in Scotland No. SC041156.