Voluntary Action Orkney (VAO) is a dynamic, high profile organisation that provides responsive and innovative support services and representation to the Third Sector in Orkney. The Third Sector comprises community organisations, voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteers.

Are you looking for a career change and want to use the skills you have gained to help others in your community? We have an exciting opportunity available.

We are looking for an individual to actively promote, support and develop volunteering in Orkney and to advise on the principles and implementation of volunteering good practice. You will have experience of working with a range of people, understand the benefits of volunteering and have excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Orkney Money Matters is a new partnership project which seeks to transform the ways in which we support people who experience financial insecurity in Orkney. We want to increase access to advice and cash-based support for anybody in the county who is worried about money.

The project will do this by implementing a referral approach which has been co-designed with frontline support services. This will involve the development of closer partnership working and targeted work to raise awareness of the support our partners provide among the general public and other professionals.

We are currently recruiting a new Development Manager role to manage the development and delivery of the project. This is an exciting role which offers the opportunity for innovation in a deeply collaborative environment.

Your role will be wide-ranging. You will be responsible for strengthening the partnership between project partners and for facilitating the development of shared values, goals and approaches. You will also be responsible for their implementation, from designing and delivering outreach to building frameworks for more effective information sharing.

We want to hear from you if you believe in the power of partnership working and are interested in leading long-term structural change. You will be somebody who can manage a complex piece of work independently, works in an enabling and supportive manner, and feels comfortable facilitating and presenting in a range of environments.

We recognise that our person specification is broad and that some of the skills and areas of knowledge can be learnt once the successful candidate is in post. We are therefore interested to hear from candidates from a range of different backgrounds and experiences.

Initially, this is a fixed-term post for 12 months. We hope to be able to extend the post for longer, subject to securing further funding for the role to continue.

Ideally, the candidate will be based in Orkney, though we are open to the possibility of a hybrid worker who travels to Orkney at least once a month. The post has been advertised as a full-time role, but we are happy to discuss shorter working hours and job shares.

The post holder will be required to become a PVG Scheme Member in relation to regulated work with vulnerable children

Are you passionate about helping young people live a better life? At Voluntary Action Orkney (VAO), our values and people are at the heart of everything we do including how we recruit our staff. It is important for us to find people who share our values, which are:

• Empathy (listen to and understand an individual’s needs and circumstances)
• Respect (treat others the way they wish to be treated)
• Integrity (be honest and have strong moral principles)
• Caring (show kindness and concern for others)

Action Orkney (VAO) provides responsive and innovative support and representation for the Third Sector in Orkney.

The Young People’s Befriending Project (YPBP) supports young people aged 5 – 18 years old who are facing a challenging time in their lives by matching them to a trained volunteer Befriender.

We are looking for a person to provide maternity cover up to the end of February 2024 for the job share role of Project Co-ordinator. This role will promote, manage and develop the YPBP and will include the recruitment, training and support of volunteers, the assessment of young people, and the management and supervision of the Befriending matches.

Applicants will have experience of working with young people and demonstrate knowledge of and empathy with the issues that affect young people. They should have excellent written and oral communication skills, and be educated to degree level or have equivalent experience.

Voluntary Action Orkney (VAO) provides responsive and innovative support and representation for the Third Sector in Orkney. We work in collaboration with Orkney Health and Care (OHAC) to run the Community Link Practitioner service through GP Practices in Orkney, to ensure patients are referred to services that suit their wider requirements. We are recruiting for an additional Community Link Practitioner to join our team.

The post holder will be required to become a PVG Scheme Member in relation to regulated work with vulnerable adults and children.

Do you have a passion for helping people enjoy as much fulfilment as they can and feel included in their community? If compassion, care and inclusiveness are an important part of who you are, this opportunity to work away from the routine in a demanding, challenging but emotionally rewarding role could be for you.

The Community Link Practitioner will work with the Stromness GP Practice to ensure people and communities identify what matters to them and work out how to connect them with the activities that might make a difference.

The post holder will work with the GP Practice, primary care team and current Link Practitioners in Orkney, to adopt community-orientated approaches, identify community resources, and facilitate relationships between these resources and the Practice for the benefit of the service user. They will promote awareness of local activities and build relationships and establish referral processes with statutory and voluntary organisations.

We welcome applications from people with highly effective interpersonal and communication skills, and excellent influencing, negotiation and motivational skills. Knowledge of local third sector and statutory services for referrals would be useful.

VAO is an established and dynamic local charity, with fifty-five years’ experience of developing, supporting and advocating on behalf of local voluntary and community organisations in Orkney. VAO is also Orkney’s Third Sector Interface (TSI).

Due to impending retirement, we are seeking our next Chief Executive to take forward an exciting vision that addresses the needs of Orkney’s third sector and communities.

You will champion the third sector and foster meaningful relationships and partnerships within and across sectors ensuring the third sector has a voice in local and national policy and planning.

You will be responsible for overseeing finances, organisational development and operational management. You will ensure that VAO continues to deliver services to the highest standard whilst increasing its profile and developing income streams. You will also encourage and support VAO’s skilled team.

You will be an experienced leader, ethical, creative and self-motivated, a skilled communicator able to confidently act as the public face of VAO; you will be passionate about bringing about positive change and improving the lives of the people of Orkney.

Voluntary Action Orkney (VAO) is a dynamic, high profile organisation that provides responsive and innovative support services and representation to the Third Sector in Orkney. The Third Sector comprises community organisations, voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteers.

We are looking for a skilled and highly motivated person to deliver the successful Island Wellbeing Project, (a partnership between ferry-linked isles’ Development Trusts, Voluntary Action Orkney (VAO), Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and Orkney Health and Care) and manage the final year of the Island Wellbeing Self-Management Project.

The purpose of the Island Wellbeing project is to improve the wellbeing of island residents across Orkney’s ferry-linked isles, by building the capacity of individuals and communities. Each Development Trust employs and manages an Island Wellbeing Coordinator, with additional support provided by a central support team based within Voluntary Action Orkney. As Programme Manager it will be your responsibility to manage the overall project, build partnerships, coordinate monitoring and evaluation, and develop resources and frameworks for coordinators.

The Island Self-Management Group is an online group for those living with a physical long term condition on one of Orkney’s ferry-linked isles. You will line manage both the Island Wellbeing ‘Team Enabler’ Role and the Island Self-Management Group Co-ordinator role.

This post is subject to a probation period of 3 months.

We are looking for an experienced evaluator to design and deliver an end-of-funding evaluation for the Island Wellbeing Project, assessing the project’s progress against project outcomes and making recommendations for the project’s development moving forward.

The Island Wellbeing Project is a partnership project with island Development Trusts, working to improve the health, financial and social wellbeing of Orkney’s ferry-linked isle residents. Each Development Trust employs an Island Wellbeing Coordinator, who has a unique dual role, providing one-to-one support to residents whilst building the long-term capacity of the community through new projects and groups.

As the evaluation consultant you will work with the Island Wellbeing Project Manager to develop a revised evaluation framework, which draws on existing data, as well as surveys, interviews, and focus groups that you will design and conduct. You will bring together the insights of project staff, partner organisations, service users and community members.

We are looking for somebody who is experienced in designing and delivering evaluations, who is comfortable working with both quantitative and qualitative data. You will also have the ability to analyse large quantities of data and to produce concise and comprehensive insights and recommendations, which will be accessible and useful to project staff moving forwards.

Due the continued use of video calling technology, it is expected that significant proportions of the work can be completed online, and we are therefore open to applications from outside Orkney.

We are accepting applications of up to £5,000, excluding VAT. The final evaluation report will need to be submitted by Monday 9th May 2022, with a draft submitted by Monday 2nd May 2022.

We’ve included more information about the project, our evaluation approach and what we are looking for in our Invitation to Tender, attached.

We are looking to hire a consultant to lead and deliver the second phase of a community-led project, producing a strategy which outlines the actions stakeholders can take to reduce food insecurity and achieve food dignity in Orkney.

You will be responsible for recruiting an online Food Dignity Strategy Steering Group predominantly composed of people with lived experience of food insecurity, as well as representatives from statutory, third sector and business organisations. You will then plan and deliver a training and briefing day for the steering group, focused on the briefing report our phase 1 consultants are currently authoring, and collective decision making.

Following this, you will facilitate three online strategy development days with the group, before authoring a recommendations report based on the groups decisions and insights which outlines the actions stakeholders in Orkney need to take to ensure food dignity in the area.

We’ve included more information about the project, including our understanding of food dignity, a brief specification and timeline in the Invite to Tender, attached.

We are looking for somebody with excellent facilitation and report-writing skills who can display an understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities for this work in Orkney. You will have an understanding of the key issues surrounding food insecurity and food dignity. We envisage that the majority of work will be carried out online and so are accepting applications from anywhere within the UK.

We are accepting applications of up to £7,500, excluding VAT. As per the terms of our funding, all work will need to be completed by 31st March 2022.

Update 20/01/2022: Having spoken to the funders, we have a small amount of flexibility on the deadline for the delivery of the Food Dignity Strategy document. It remains the case that all invoices and project expenses, including consultancy fees and lived experience participation fees, will need to be submitted and paid out before 31st March. However, the Food Dignity Strategy document can be completed with the slightly later deadline of Friday 15th April.

Voluntary Action Orkney (VAO) is a dynamic, high-profile organisation that provides responsive and innovative support services and representation for and with the Third Sector in Orkney. The Third Sector comprises community organisations, voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteers.

We are looking to recruit a Community Development Worker to join our busy and proactive team.

The role will involve working proactively with communities,n voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises, to promote excellence in organisational set up and development through the provision of guidance, information and training.

You must be flexible, motivated and have the ability to work effectively within a small staff team and with a wide range of partners. Organisational management experience would be beneficial as would knowledge of the third sector and the issues that affect it. You should also have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. raining will be provided and learning through delivering will be supported.

A job share will be considered.