Interim Head of Culture

Location (UK): London / Chesterfield (relocation to central Sheffield office expected in June 2026)
Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week
Salary: £70,313 per annum (London), £68,598 per annum (rest of UK)
Benefits: Read more about the excellent benefits we offer
Contract type: Fixed-term – 6 months until 1 October 2026
Travel: Frequent travel in particular to London and Sheffield.
Closing date: 23:59 hours, Wednesday 18 March 2026 

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

We are looking for a talented individual to bring insight that can shape our culture resulting in a sustainable, effective and efficient charity and a great place to work and volunteer. 

About the role

We are looking for someone to identify ways to continuously improve our culture, build on our current Investors in People standard ensuring a focus on equity, diversity and inclusion, safeguarding and wellbeing, learning and employee engagement.

About you

If your knowledge, skills and experience include the following then we’d love to hear from you:

  • excellent communications skills, including listening and leading on papers for boards and leadership teams.
  • great influencing skills to inspire, inform, support and challenge at all organisational levels.
  • knowledge of emerging best practice in developing organisational culture meaning you have the ability to translate that into strategic and operational practice that has impact.

*As a hybrid worker the expectation is that you will spend around 40% of your working time in our office spaces or working in community settings. As an inclusive employer we will consider home-based working for anyone where office-based hybrid working would be a barrier to being able to work for us, for example for someone living with a long-term health condition or disability.

Download the job description and person specification for the Interim Head of Culture role (Word 171 KB).

Benefits

Your excellent benefits include:

  • Flexible hours, environments and working practices to promote a healthy work/life balance.
  • Health and wellbeing support – including the Employee Assistance Programme (free confidential 24/7 support with mental health, legal and financial queries).
  • Simplyhealth cash plan.
  • Supportive and inclusive culture, with a wide range of employee networks and support groups available to join.
  • Learning and personal development opportunities.
  • Competitive annual leave, with the option to buy/sell up to five days per year.
  • Generous pension plan, with employer contribution of up to 10%.
  • Life Assurance plan (4 x salary).

How to apply

You must be based in and hold the right to work in the UK to apply for this position.

To apply you MUST submit:

  1. a concise, up-to-date CV
  2. along with an Application form (Word 159KB) demonstrating how you meet the key requirements set out in the job description and person specification for the Interim Head of Culture role (Word 171 KB).
  3. All sections of the application form must be fully completed.

Email both documents as Word or PDF attachments by 23:59 hours, 18 March 2026 to Claire.Stevens@merrifieldconsultants.co.uk.

If you have a health condition that prevents you from following the steps above, please email us regarding alternative ways to apply, Claire.Stevens@merrifieldconsultants.co.uk. 

Application deadline and shortlisting 

  • We advise candidates to apply early as we reserve the right to close applications ahead of this date.  
  • Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. 

We do not wish to receive contact from agencies or media sales. 

Please note that we do not use Artificial Intelligence (AI) during our recruitment and selection processes, and we would respectfully ask that you also refrain from using AI during the selection process. Whilst we do recognise that AI may be a beneficial tool for some when aiding research and preparation for an application or interview, we want to maintain a fair, inclusive and positive recruitment experience at Arthritis UK where candidates can feel supported to demonstrate their experience, knowledge, and skills without the use of AI generated answers. 

Interview

Interviews will be arranged by Merrifield Consultants.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee you will be offered an interview if you disclose a disability and demonstrate sufficient evidence within your application that you meet the essential criteria for this role. We will also make any reasonable adjustments you may require for your interview.

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.

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