Our aim is to support the community to work towards community ownership.

During this current pandemic we have seen a real growth in community spirit and Aberlour recognises there are many inherent strengths (skills and interests) amongst people living across the communities. We are looking to recruit a Community Connector to connect with the local community and, through the facilities and resources of our Community Hub, support them to develop activities and/or projects that bring people together to benefit the area, reduce the impact of poverty and improve health and wellbeing, leading to individual and community empowerment and self-efficacy.

About this Role - You will be part of our Communties2gether team which initially will be based within North West Dumfries. You will work 30 hours per week – these hours will be worked flexibly to meet the needs of the service and the local community which may include evenings, occasional weekends and public holidays. You will have a relevant professional qualification, SCQF level 7 or above, or you will have equivalent knowledge acquired by other means.

Starting salary for this post is £21,544 per annum, inclusive of a 5% unsocial hours allowance. A review of salary scales will be conducted in April this year. Aberlour offers excellent annual leave entitlement starting at 35 days per year rising yearly to 40 days per year. You will also have access to our excellent group pension scheme which is provided by Scottish Widows. In addition to all of the above you will have access to our Aberlour Retail Rewards discount Scheme which gives provides discounts on many high street stores and well-known brands. For further information on the terms and conditions offered please see attachment below.

Contract type - This post is offered on a fixed term basis until June 2022.

Why should I apply for this post? If you have an interest in developing community led, place-based change and believe that everyone has something to contribute to their community, regardless of past experience or system labels, THIS IS THE POST FOR YOU!!

In this role you will join a highly motivated and skilled team to provide a personalised service for the local community. As the Community Connector, you will receive a supported induction consisting of various training opportunities both internal and external to Aberlour. We are looking for a candidate with experience of working with communities and a diverse range of stakeholders to;

• Build professional relationships with external agencies within the community to develop opportunities for community volunteering activities, education/training and employment, companioning health and wellbeing activities for users of the Community Hub.
• Work in partnership with our community hub users to encourage social integration enabling people to lead meaningful, purposeful lives by promoting resilience, peer support, self-care and support across all areas of development.
• Contribute to the development and day to day running of our community hub, including the supervision and support of our volunteers to support the development of the community café and providing opportunities for volunteering education/training and future employment.
• Work with the community to identify their individual and communal skills, interest and capacity for taking projects forward by themselves and to identify where external support or assistance may help.
• Connect with and mobilise people, discovering local aspirations and helping them to take ideas forward into action, including assisting with preparing project plans and grant applications.
• Collaborate with other community partners to work effectively across North West Dumfries to implement a strategy personalised to each project to successfully meet community needs.
• Be confident in the use of social media

Aberlour Commumunties2gether is funded by the Scottish Government’s Investing in Communities Fund and is committed to working in partnership with the people and communities of North West Dumfries to tackle the impact of poverty and inequality. Working collaboratively with the health and social care partnership and existing community partners we will connect with people and communities to identify strengths and support local people to lead on the development of local supports and community connections. Our newly refurbished community hub is open to all; offering space for community groups, a small community laundry, a community clothing service, a community fridge and freezer and family rooms and a community café.

We are recruiting for a Cook, working 12 hours per week over 2 days preparing and delivering our community-based emergency food provision from our FareShare project. Working with the Community Connector and Service Manager, you will help to support the development of our Community Café which will be used as a community resource.

The hourly rate for this post starts at £9.34 per hour this will increase to £9.54 from 1st April. Funding for the project is currently confirmed until June 2022 but may be extended.

An important part of the role is to keep up to date, accurate records regarding food storage and the temperatures of fridges, freezers, and cooked foods in accordance with current environmental health Legislation.

You will be required to hold a Food Hygiene certificate (REHIS intermediate or equivalent) or equivalent knowledge acquired by other means.

You will build relationships with centre users, the Community Connector, wider staff team and partner agencies to support the development of a training café as we offer volunteering opportunities & placements for people to gain skills & confidence. It is important to note the Café will also be used by other partner agencies 3 days per week offering opportunities for their clients.

Aberlour, funded by the Scottish Governments - Investing in Communities Fund, is committed to working with the people and communities of North West Dumfries to tackle the impact of poverty and inequality. Working collaboratively with the health and social care partnership and existing community partners we will connect with people and communities to identify strengths and support local people to lead on the development of local supports and community connections.