Jobs in Forres, Moray

Growing2gether is recruiting an innovative and entrepreneurial, Director of Operations, who is passionate about young people. This post will act as a formal strategic lead for the flagship programme, Growing2gether Nursery Mentoring programme and Growing2ether in the Community, a youth led community initiative,

The post will involve managing the staff team of Growing2gether and ensuring that the team is vibrant, strong and fulfilled in their work; as well as that our programmes continue in a high standard of excellence with positive outcomes for young people.

Growing2gether believes in the potential of young people to shape the world around them and achieve transformational change. Through overseeing all aspects of the charity’s operations, this post will ensure that the youth voice cannot be ignored.

The Post will involve

• Ensuring that the voice of facilitators and young people is heard in strategic discussions.

• The capacity to build trust with facilitators and to have a practice-based understanding of the Growing2gether model.

Responsibilities

• Strategic input (operations perspective)

• Line manages facilitation team

• Connect Senior Management Team and facilitators in order to manage delivery of projects/Service Level Agreements (balancing fundraising, operations and staff capacity)

• Liaise with external HR support, ensure policies and contracts up to date

• Strategic development from operational perspective

• Team building and staff management

• Project management

• Internal communications

• Provide a clear, single operational voice within SMT and link between frontline/management priorities

The ideal candidate will need to have

·Experience of working with groups of disengaged young people

·Experience with design and delivery of programmes

· Programme management experience

·The capacity to organise and run consultations/focus groups with various community groups.

·Driving license and access to own transport.

· Shared vision, mission and values

Our VisionA world where all young people can realise their unique potential, improve their lives for the long term, and contribute to stronger communities.

Our MissionWe give young people facing disadvantage the support they need to thrive, raising aspiration and to make positive choices in their lives. We build their mental health, educational engagement and life skills, so that they can contribute to their communities.

Our Values

·Introducing/evoking meaning and purpose

·Igniting self-awareness and self-belief

· Expanding relationship/connection to Community

· Loving youth-led co-creation

·Fostering the realisation of potential and inherent strengths

·Providing a safe place to explore Self

· Learning through playful curiosity and fun

Background

In August 2022, Growing2gether became an independent Charity (SCIO). For the five years prior, we were partnered with the Ecologia Youth Trust, which was established in Scotland in 1995, working in partnership with local organisations around the world to ensure a secure future for vulnerable young people. We are experienced in community-based approaches to sustainable living and in working with children and young people facing disadvantage. Concern for the future of our children and our environment connects our partners and our local community.

Growing2gether is committed to support young people to find long-term solutions to their problems and those of their communities. We aim to support young people and children to raise their self-belief and aspiration and to grow into their unique and abundant potential as well as become a positive force for change in their communities.

We are part of the Findhorn Community, an international holistic education centre and United Nations (UN) recognised eco-village, established 50 years ago in Scotland. The Community is known internationally for its innovative models for 3

sustainable living, not only environmentally, but also in social, economic and cultural terms. Members of the Findhorn Community share a common ethos based on generous personal relationships and openness to working flexibly with people’s strengths, which permeates all our work.

Our niche

Our ethos, grounded in the values of the Findhorn Foundation, along with our positive psychology, transpersonal psychology approach leads to being a value driven organisation. We see our partners as part of our family and work hard to listen to what they need. We seek to plant seeds, which one day will flourish into sustainable organisations supporting children and young people to grow, and we have successful examples of having achieved this through our early partnerships.

We do this in four ways

Modelling new approaches to supporting young people, for example our main Scottish-based Growing2gether programme, which now forms most of our activity.

Growing2gether is an early intervention programme that works closely with secondary and primary schools in Scotland to address the needs of young people’s social and emotional development. Young people gain work experience as mentors to small children in a nursery setting. Whilst supporting the learning of a small child, the young people realise that they have a valuable contribution to make to their community.

Growing2gether in the Community is a new (2019) programme to follow our main Scottish programme allowing us to continue working with young people who have been through our main programme as well as, using our risk selection tool, reaching a wider population of young people who would not choose the mentoring, nursery work. Growing2gether in the Community involves community projects created and delivered by young people, supported by community mentors. The programme was developed because our young people told us that, after mentoring the nursery children, they wanted a follow-on programme so that they could continue giving back to the community. Findings from a focus group helped young people to identify issues in their community that needed addressing. Those who participated in the design of this intervention, reported that the experience had been extremely valuable. More specifically, it made them feel more confident, resilient, proud as well as provided them with valuable skills and helped them engage with their community.

We also provide a mentoring service to support addressing the mental health needs of our deserving young people as well as signposting to ensure they are aware of the support available to them in their local community strengthening their sense of community participation and belonging.

Our fourth way is through building and listening to the voices of young people through our Youth Participation Board where we consult regularly, inspire youth leaders and an advisory panel to our Trustee Board.