About Samaritans Scotland

Samaritans is a charity working across the UK and Ireland with the vision of losing fewer lives to suicide. In Scotland, our 24/7 listening service is delivered by 1,000 volunteers across 19 branches, and our staff team achieves impact through research, policy and communications to influence governments and other agencies to take action. Read more about Samaritans Scotland.

The Scotland Committee

The Scotland Committee is a sub-committee of the Board of Trustees which has responsibility for the organisation across UK & Ireland. The Committee has recently completed a governance review and now has an extended remit. Members of the Scotland Committee play a unique role in delivering our mission. They are collectively responsible for ensuring that Samaritans Scotland is effectively governed and delivers its strategy in Scotland, recognising the context in which it operates and realising the opportunities offered.

What we’re looking for

This is a fantastic opportunity to develop and oversee the strategic priorities for Samaritans Scotland and ensure we are achieving impact through our public policy, research, influencing, brand and profile building work in Scotland.

We are looking skilled and experienced people with strategic vision and commitment to deliver our vision. You will have a curious mind, the ability to challenge and bring fresh ideas.

We are looking for candidates with varied expertise in areas such as research, policy and influencing, and communications.

Committee members are voluntary roles and are usually appointed for a period of three years, with the possibility of a second three-year term.

The Committee meets four times per year with meetings lasting around two hours. Meetings are normally held online with the expectation of one in-person meeting a year.

To find out more about this role, visit our website.

Are you looking to make a positive change in society? Are you a skilled communicator with a passion for people and communities across Scotland? At Samaritans Scotland we are seeking a Community Influencing Officer to join our friendly team. You’ll lead our work of community influencing and engagement, collaborating with volunteers and staff and develop a plan to increase Samaritans’ local profile, connection and influence, with a focus on at risk communities and individuals. You’ll co-ordinate and support Samaritans’ representation on local and regional groups in Scotland, relevant to suicide prevention. And you’ll feed in to local and national policy and knowledge.

It’s a great time to join Samaritans as we’ve recently launched our new UK & ROI 5 year strategy and we are implementing Samaritans Scotland 2 year Strategic Delivery Plan. We are a flexible and inclusive organisation. Our team is growing in Scotland and you’ll be able to influence key policy and practice in our community. We are moving from strength to strength and this role will make a real and lasting difference to ensure fewer lives are lost to suicide.

Samaritans Scotland

Join a friendly, supportive, and ambitious staff team in Scotland. There are around 600 Samaritans volunteers across Scotland working in our branches. These volunteers respond to calls for help every day of the week via telephone, e-mail, text and in person at our branches or at events across Scotland. We also work with the public and the media to inform them about Samaritans and explain how we can help people find their own way forward. We reach out to groups where there is a high risk of suicide and emotional distress. We work in partnership with other agencies to achieve change locally and inform policy decisions which have an impact on suicide risk.

Employee Benefits

We offer some brilliant benefits including flexible working, family-friendly policies, and training to support your development. You'll have 28 days annual leave, plus bank holidays and we match your pension contribution up to 5%. You can claim money back via a Health Cash Plan and wellbeing options including a free subscription to Headspace and a Perk Box account.

Are you looking to make a positive change in society?

Are you a skilled communicator with a passion for people and communities across Scotland?

At Samaritans Scotland we are seeking a Community Influencing Officer to join our friendly team. You’ll lead our work of community influencing and engagement, collaborating with volunteers and staff and develop a plan to increase Samaritans’ local profile, connection and influence, with a focus on at risk communities and individuals. You’ll co-ordinate and support Samaritans’ representation on local and regional groups in Scotland, relevant to suicide prevention. And you’ll feed in to local and national policy and knowledge.

It’s a great time to join Samaritans as we’ve recently launched our new UK & ROI 5 year strategy and we are implementing Samaritans Scotland 2 year Strategic Delivery Plan. We are a flexible and inclusive organisation. Our team is growing in Scotland and you’ll be able to influence key policy and practice in our community. We are moving from strength to strength and this role will make a real and lasting difference to ensure fewer lives are lost to suicide.

Samaritans Scotland

Join a friendly, supportive, and ambitious staff team in Scotland. There are around 600 Samaritans volunteers across Scotland working in our branches. These volunteers respond to calls for help every day of the week via telephone, e-mail, text and in person at our branches or at events across Scotland. We also work with the public and the media to inform them about Samaritans and explain how we can help people find their own way forward. We reach out to groups where there is a high risk of suicide and emotional distress. We work in partnership with other agencies to achieve change locally and inform policy decisions which have an impact on suicide risk.

Full Job Description available here.

Employee Benefits

We offer some brilliant benefits including flexible working, family-friendly policies, and training to support your development. You'll have 28 days annual leave, plus bank holidays and we match your pension contribution up to 5%. You can claim money back via a Health Cash Plan and wellbeing options including a free subscription to Headspace and a Perk Box account.

Hybrid working – Regular office working in Edinburgh with travel in and around Scotland and home working

We are passionate about flexible working, talk to us about your preferences

At Samaritans, our vision is that fewer people die by suicide. We work towards this vision in different ways, including through our life-saving helpline, innovative partnerships and impactful campaigns. We believe that together we can make change that saves lives.

As Communications Officer for Samaritans Scotland, you’ll utilise your communications and marketing expertise to ensure smooth delivery of internal and external communications in Scotland and support Samaritans’ public-facing activity. Working across new and existing campaigns, reacting to the day-to-day news and supporting the development and delivery of a variety of projects, you’ll be a key driver of our marketing and brand in Scotland, ensuring our communications are clear, engaging and reflect our key influencing messages across external channels.

Working with volunteers and a wide range of stakeholders you’ll be a people person, able to support engagement and adapt content for different audiences and influence coverage to help people better access and understand our work.

We are looking for someone who is passionate about our cause, Samaritans is needed now more than ever. This is a brilliant opportunity to join Samaritans at a critical time. As the country recovers from the pandemic, and the cost of living continues to increase, we must ensure we have the right measures in place to support mental health and prevent suicide.

Our vision is that fewer people die by suicide – with your help we can make change that saves lives.

​Outline of this great opportunity;

• Permanent contract
• Full time, 35 hours per week with flexible working practices
• £30,000 to £33,000 per annum,
• Comprehensive and competitive benefits
• ​Hybrid working – this role is based in our Edinburgh office, with some flexible and remote working from home.
• Samaritans will provide you with use of a laptop and mobile phone.

​Employee Benefits

Samaritans invests in our people’s wellbeing through the provision of a range of benefits including;

• Flexible working and family-friendly policies.
• A structured induction and ongoing training and development.
• 28 days holiday, plus bank holidays each year, rising to 33 days over 5 years of service.
• Matched Pension contributions of up to 5%.
• A health cash plan to cover the cost of medical and alternative health treatments.
• Complimentary subscriptions to Headspace and Perk Box for expert meditation, fitness programmes and shopping discounts.

We are looking for an Administration Lead within our Scotland Office to join Samaritans. As Administration Lead, you’ll oversee the efficient running of the Scotland office, support the team, and provide confidential administrative support to the Executive Director for Scotland. You’ll ensure effective team processes and systems, plus provide a secretariat function to the Scotland Committee.

This is a rewarding and crucial role. You’ll support a growing team, working to reduce suicide within Scotland. Currently the team is made up of 7 people who lead influencing, diversity & inclusion, policy, and communications work for Samaritans in Scotland. Our plan is to grow the team to 12 by the end 2022.

Our newly refurbished office space in the central side of Leith, is a bright and collaborative space within a Third Sector Hub. The thriving office space is accessible, environmentally friendly and is a dynamic space to support hybrid working.

We are looking for a West Highland Project and Partnerships Assistant to join Samaritans on a 12 month fixed term contract. This role will provide event, promotion, engagement, and communications support to a major new Samaritans project, focused on lone and isolated workers in the west Highlands and Skye, funded by the Scottish Government.

​The Project

The project will work with the local community and agencies, and Samaritans staff and volunteers, to: Increase awareness of Samaritans’ suicide prevention offer and wider supports, encouraging help seeking behaviour; develop bespoke local campaigns; create and offer new learning resources; commission new research and promote new volunteering opportunities.

This is a great new opportunity to work for a well-known and respected organisation. This role will see the tangible benefits of extending Samaritans’ reach within the local community.

We are looking for a West Highland Project and Partnerships Manager to join Samaritans on a 12 month fixed term contract. This role will provide operational management for a major new Samaritans project focused on lone and isolated workers in the west Highlands mainland and Skye, funded by the Scottish Government.

The Project

The project will work with the local community and agencies, and Samaritans staff and volunteers, to: Increase awareness of Samaritans’ suicide prevention offer and wider supports, encouraging help seeking behaviour; develop bespoke local campaigns; create and offer new learning resources; commission new research and promote new volunteering opportunities.

This is a great new opportunity to work for a well-known and respected organisation. This role will see the tangible benefits of extending Samaritans’ reach within the local community.

As Regional Development Lead you’ll be helping to make huge difference to the lives of those that work and use the railways in the region, as you support us in our life saving suicide prevention work.

In this exciting role and working with our award winning rail programme, you’ll provide expert care and advice within the rail networks within the region.

In this role you’ll be an expert advisory support link for the rail industries and local community partners. You’ll have experience of stakeholder engagement and partnership working. Warm, personable and friendly, you’ll be able to build and maintain relationships with many different groups of people.

You’ll need compassion and resilience to work with exposure to incidents that may be upsetting.

Organised and methodical you’ll also be an effective Project manager with enthusiasm and a good understanding of mental health and suicide prevention.

Working remotely at times, you’ll be a self-starter but also have the support of the wider rail team at Samaritans. ​

This is a brilliant opportunity to work with Samaritans at a critical time. As the country recovers from the pandemic, and the cost of living continues to increase, we must ensure we have the right measures in place to support mental health and prevent suicide.

Our vision is that fewer people die by suicide – with your help we can make change that saves lives.

​Outline of this great opportunity;

A Permanent contract

Full time, 35 hours per week with flexible working practices

£30,000 to £35,000 per annum,

Comprehensive and competitive benefits

​Hybrid working – this role is primarily worked from home with access to local Samaritans and Rail offices in the region.

Samaritans will provide you with use of a laptop and mobile phone.

A full outline of the Role available in the Job description here.

​Employee Benefits

Samaritans invests in our people’s wellbeing through the provision of a range of benefits including;

Flexible working and family-friendly policies.

A structured induction and ongoing training and development.

28 days holiday, plus bank holidays each year, rising to 33 days over 5 years of service.

Matched Pension contributions of up to 5%.

A health cash plan to cover the cost of medical and alternative health treatments.

Complimentary subscriptions to Headspace and Perk Box for expert meditation, fitness programmes and shopping discounts.

If this sounds like the opportunity for you, please apply. You’ll be asked to upload your CV and a cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the job specification.

This role will close for applications on the 7th April 2022, with interviews scheduled to take place in the week of the 20th April 2022.

If you’re interested in applying or would just like to find out more, then we'd love to hear from you.

Samaritans recognises the enormous benefits and the social justice imperatives of ensuring diversity at every level of our organisation. We are wholly committed to inclusion and diversity and to building a culture and environment where everyone is appreciated for the unique person they are.

To ensure Samaritans is representative of those we support and who support us, we particularly welcome applications from Disabled, BAME and LGBTQ+ candidates, as these people are under-represented in our organisation.

We are committed to making our recruitment processes accessible to everyone and are flexible in how we receive information. If you would like to apply via a different format or let us know how we can support you to be the best you can be, please contact the People Team at recruitment@samaritans.org and we will try our best to accommodate your needs.

Reporting to the Influencing Manager, Samaritans are seeking an experienced Policy Officer to drive forward our mission to reduce suicide, through developing and influencing policy and practice at national and local levels.

You will have experience working in a policy or public affairs environment and be passionate about influencing change. You’ll be insightful and up to date on developments in your field, with a good working knowledge of the field of mental health and suicide prevention. Highly organised and a good communicator, with resilience and the ability to translate data insights to meaningful messages, to contribute energy and enthusiasm to best influence our Policy agenda and strategy.

Your role will be a challenging and rewarding one; working across our small Scotland team, and also with wider colleagues from the central Samaritans Charity, external stakeholders, Centres of Excellence, member charities and activists, you will play a key role in ensuring we campaign with one voice and help drive change to support suicide prevention.​

This is a brilliant time to join Samaritans as we capitalise on the growth of the charity during the pandemic. You will support us to make a positive impact and deliver our strategic and operational priorities. Samaritans is one of the UK and Ireland’s best known and respected charities. As the impact of the pandemic continues to be felt across our society, Samaritans is needed more than ever. If you want to make a real difference to people’s lives – this is the role for you!

Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy, and Samaritans’ vision is that fewer people die by suicide. That’s why we work tirelessly to reach more people and make suicide prevention a priority. As we all begin to emerge from an extraordinarily challenging period, with many facing hardship, it has never been more important for Samaritans to be here. We are looking for a Scotland Committee Chair and Trustee who will bring exceptional skills and experience to our organisation, combined with shared values.

In April 2022 we will launch a new UK & ROI strategy and accompanying strategic delivery plan for Scotland. With a strong heritage from 60 years of providing our Listening Service, we are now taking great strides to extend our reach within communities who need us most. And we are building our influence and service to improve prevention and support for those at risk of suicide and self-harm.

In Scotland, we are moving from strength to strength and want to build our in-nation governance to underpin our aspirations to extend our reach and impact. There are great opportunities for Samaritans in Scotland and we are seeking a Scotland Committee Chair who can support us to take forward reforms to our board and lead effective governance of the fast-growing work of our Scotland Office. This is a non-remunerated/voluntary role.

The successful applicant will bring experience and knowledge with which to lead Samaritans, a deep commitment to our mission and values, and the ability to provide effective support and challenge to the Board of Trustees. As a Trustee, you will play a key role in shaping the means of achieving our vision and will promote and develop Samaritans, ensuring we remain accessible, relevant, available, sustainable and consistently driven to delivering our mission both in Scotland and across the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

You’ll be based in Scotland with a robust understanding of the civic and political landscape we work in. You’ll be passionate about embedded equity, diversity and inclusion in all we do. You’ll have a senior / executive level background in a complex organisation with experience of working collaboratively to deliver change and increased impact. You will have previous governance experience with time to invest in this role.

Time commitment - As a minimum, attendance is required at four Scotland Committee meetings and four Board of Trustee meetings each year, a Board of Trustees away day, two Regional Council meetings and the annual meeting of Council of Samaritans. Additional activity between committee meetings will also be required to develop the committee membership and Scotland agenda.

We are looking for an Influencing Assistant to support Samaritans’ public-facing impact and reach activity in Scotland, aimed at ensuring fewer people die by suicide. You will support Samaritans’ influencing work across external channels and a large volunteer base.

• Permanent role

• Full time (35 hours per week)

• £24,000-£26,000 per annum plus benefits

• Hybrid: Linked to our Edinburgh office

• We encourage flexible working, talk to us about your preferences

You’ll be an excellent communicator with experience of working or volunteering in media relations, policy or campaigning. A particular focus of the job will be on supporting us to develop our Scottish digital activity, so you’ll need to demonstrate experience of effective use of social media. You’ll be able to represent the organisation professionally and you’ll need proven organisational and administrative skills to ensure the team can deliver together, effectively.

We are a small team working to have a big impact. We want you to share a commitment to positive social change. This is an opportunity to make a real difference with the chance to develop your influencing skills.

Key Responsibilities

Supporting development of our public-facing impact and reach

• Supporting the development of our digital engagement in Scotland, including support to build our social media profile and website content and to establish remote consultation tools with volunteers and partners

• Assisting in developing and maintaining our Scottish activity planner, including liaising with volunteers and colleagues across nations to keep this up-to-date.

• Scanning websites and other information sources for opportunities to promote Samaritans’ work, and communicate our priorities, in Scotland

• Supporting our effective engagement with print and broadcast media in Scotland

• Supporting the development of public-facing materials in Scotland

• Assisting in the development of campaigns and the gathering of real stories

• Supporting in-nation communication and activity with Scottish branches

Supporting our work with key influencers

• Supporting the collection of data and information to support our policy activity in Scotland

• Supporting maintenance of an accurate contacts database of influencing partners in Scotland and supporting communications with them

• Assisting with meetings and events, such as focus groups and seminars

• Supporting Samaritans’ staff and volunteers to attend national meetings, events and conferences in Scotland

Skills and Experience

• Previous experience within influencing and campaigning

• Experience of using social media effectively and using the internet to source authoritative data / information

• Knowledge and understanding of the Scottish policy, political and/or media landscape

• Experience of working / volunteering in media relations / policy / campaigning

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with good attention to detail

• Excellent organisational and time management skills; ability to prioritise tasks and competing timeframes

• Strong numeracy skills

• Experience of supporting meetings / events

• Excellent Microsoft competency, including Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint

Samaritans is wholly committed to inclusion and diversity and to building a culture and environment where everyone is appreciated for the unique person they are. We warmly welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences.

We are looking for a Communications Officer to join Samaritans on a six month fixed term contract. As Communications Officer, you will be joining a busy and dynamic Influencing Team working across established Samaritans’ campaigns, reacting to the day-to-day news and supporting the delivery of two exciting areas of brand-new work.

• Start date is January or early February 2022

• 6 months fixed term contract

• Full time (35 hours per week)

• £30,000-£32,000 per annum, pro rata

• Hybrid: Linked to our Edinburgh office

• We encourage flexible working, talk to us about your preferences

It’s a busy time for Samaritans Scotland just now, we have significant opportunities to influence Scotland’s approach to suicide and self-harm, a major new project to establish in the western Highlands, and a new strategic delivery plan to develop and launch. We are looking for someone to join our Influencing Team to provide us with communications expertise and help us get our message out across Scotland’s national, local and digital media channels.

You will liaise with volunteers in branches across Scotland, senior volunteer management and staff in other nations. You will also engage with national and regional media and with members of the public via social media channels, and support members of the public to tell their stories of lived experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Support development of our first phase work in the West Highlands, working with the marketing team to promote Real People, Real Stories in Scotland and, particularly, in the west Highlands through local channels

• Support communications around fundraising and policy campaigns, publications and activities in Scotland, attending events where appropriate

• Promote awareness raising of Samaritans services through all appropriate channels

• Support engagement in, and communication of, the new Samaritans Strategy and the Scottish Strategic Delivery Plan in Scotland

• Provide reactive media support for stories arising in Scotland

Skills and Experience

• Demonstrable experience in successfully delivering media campaigns, across channels, in Scotland

• Experience of working sensitively with people to support them to share their stories

• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills

• Attention to detail and strong organisational skills

• Ability to work calmly under pressure and within a small dynamic team

• Ability to manage a complex workload and work to tight deadlines

• Thorough understanding of social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc.)

• Proven experience of representing an organisation to the public or/and media (desirable)

• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the environment in which non-governmental organisations operate (desirable)

• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of working with volunteers and a volunteer led organisation (desirable)