Project Coordinator – ‘Skilling Up‘ Project

Salary £29,269 to £33,945 per annum

35 hours per week

We are currently looking to recruit a Project Coordinator for our ‘Skilling Up’ project.

‘Skilling Up’ is an exciting project which began in 2023, with funding until 31st May 2026 initially, which aims to improve the self-confidence, knowledge and skills of people living with HIV who are looking to find employment, change career, enter further education or find volunteering opportunities.

The Project Coordinator will provide one to one support and coaching as well as facilitating group learning sessions.

The project also provides HIV awareness training to local employers and incorporates a ‘work mentor’ scheme to further support people living with HIV entering the job market.    

You will find a job pack with a job description, person specification and details of how to apply here.

The closing date for applications for this role is 9:00am on Monday 20th May 2024

Interviews will be held at George House Trust on Tuesday 28th May.  

If you are successful in progressing to interview stage you will be notified by Thursday 23rd May. If you have not heard from us by this date you should assume that your application has been unsuccessful.

George House Trust is a Disability Confident, Investors in People, Living Wage and Open To All employer.

Job Title: Director Of Operations and Delivery

Hours: 35 hours per week

Salary: £45, 441 [NJC SCP 37]

Contract: Permanent

Location: Manchester with regular travel expectations

We are recruiting for a Director of Operations and Delivery to join the team for the next stage of our journey. This pivotal role will lead our Operational Management Team, ensuring that we stay focused on our Delivery Plan and on improving the way we do things.

Developing our reach, our quality service offer, the way we involve people living with HIV and improving the way we do things are our strategic priorities and this role will work across all four areas to strengthen George House Trust for the people we exist to support. 

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will work with stakeholders across the organisation to ensure that the systems, processes and activities of George House Trust run effectively so that we can focus on ensuring the highest quality support for people living with HIV.

Whilst it is not an essential criteria for the role, we always actively encourage applications from people living with HIV.

George House Trust supports a wide community facing diverse challenges and we need a diverse team to help tackle them. We particularly welcome applications from those currently underrepresented in our workforce which includes people of colour.

You will find a recruitment pack with a detailed person specification and job description here. 

Please apply in writing and in no more than 2,000 words, answering the following questions:

• Why are you applying for the Director of Operations and Delivery role?
• How you meet the criteria in the person specification.

All applications must be submitted to recruitment@ght.org.uk in an editable format [ideally Microsoft Word or Google Docs] by 12pm [midday] on Thursday 16th May 2024.

Please also add your current CV to your application. Please do not submit your application as a PDF.

Please also complete and submit our demographic monitoring form which you can find here. The form will be stored separately from your application and will not be used as part of the shortlisting process. 

Interviews will be held in late May 2024 and will be in-person at George House Trust's office. 

George House Trust is a Disability Confident, Investors in People, Living Wage and Open To All employer.

19/04/20/24

LGBT History Month 2024 - Under The Scope With Dr Chris Ward 

Growing up as a gay man in the 1980s and 90s was a scary time. I remember a lot of fear about HIV and stigma in the media. When I came out to my parents the first thing they mentioned was fear of HIV.

I have always wanted to help the community and when I started at medical school volunteered with the LGF (now LGBT Foundation) to distribute condoms at Pride. By the time I started university, antiretroviral treatment had progressed and highly active combination therapy was already saving lives.

My own experiences with shame around sex and HIV anxiety motivated me to explore sexual health as a career. Working in Infectious Diseases at North Manchester General solidified this.

Now, as a consultant in sexual health and HIV at Hathersage I have been lucky enough to have worked through huge breakthroughs in HIV prevention and treatment.

I remember when the first PrEP trials showed enormous success at reducing HIV transmissions, and the landmark Partners study providing and inspiring the Undetectable=Untransmissable message. This revolutionised people’s lives and helped with anxieties around sex, shame and stigma.

Now we are lucky enough to have multiple different HIV treatments, that are well-tolerated and some come in the form of one pill a day. With injectable treatments we have been able to offer even more options and choice, seeing most people only once every six months.

I enjoy working with patient and community groups like George House Trust. We keep momentum and pressure going to fund sexual health services, we drive forward innovation and new drug developments and we tackle the stigma around HIV that still exists.

Dr Chris Ward, Sexual Health and HIV Consultant for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

2 February 2024 

Paul Fairweather has been awarded an MBE in the King’s New Year Honours List 2023

George House Trust co-founder and LGBT activist, Paul Fairweather, has been awarded an MBE for services to people with disabilities and the LGBT community in the North West in the King’s New Year Honours List 2023.

Paul, who is a renowned HIV activist, LGBT rights champion and ambassador for equality, has been awarded the MBE for his life’s commitment towards promoting inclusion, advocating for equality and challenging hate. His colleagues and friends at George House Trust are all so pleased that his work’s been recognised in this way.

In the early 1980s Paul was at the forefront of the community response to the growing HIV pandemic among gay men in Manchester and across the North West, organising meetings, writing articles in the gay press and lobbying for much-needed support services for people diagnosed with HIV. His work was entirely voluntary and motivated by the experiences of many of his friends and the wider LGBTQ+ community who, as many lives were already being lost, were fearful and in need of information and advice.   

Paul continues to be involved with George House Trust as the Positive Speakers project lead, supporting people living with HIV to use their voice, tell their story and to tackle the HIV stigma that still exists. He works with many people who’ve experienced the sharp end of HIV stigma and supports them to realise their potential to change people’s hearts and minds, unleashing their power of their own story telling to help them grow and lead their own activism.

On being awarded the honour, Paul said:

“My gay activism began in 1974 and my HIV activism in 1984. Today, I am still an activist and I see this MBE as recognition of the work that not only I, but thousands of others, have done to help create a very different world. A world where living with HIV holds no one back. A world where prejudice and discrimination are challenged. A world where disabled people and LGBT people have far greater equality.”

Our Chief Executive, Darren Knight is delighted that Paul's work has been recognised and he said:

“I’ve known Paul for many years through his work to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion and tackle HIV stigma in all its guises in Manchester, across the North West and beyond. Working alongside Paul, I’m inspired by his determination to do all he can to make things better for others. I don’t use these words lightly, but he’s an absolute legend. He inspires me in my work every day – he has done since I started working in the LGBTQ+ and HIV sector 17 years ago. His MBE is more than deserved.”

Everyone at George House Trust recognises the value and impact of people using their voice to inspire others. If you're living with HIV or an ally and want to get involved in our work, have a look at the volunteer space on the website to see how you can get involved. https://ght.org.uk/volunteer