Could you be our new Scottish-based Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer?

Are you looking for your next policy challenge? Do you want to grow your experience and have a hand in shaping the future of end of life care in Scotland? Would you love to work with Hospice UK the UK’s leading hospice care charity?

Hospice UK is looking for a hands-on and creative Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer to drive its strategic aims in Scotland.

What we need

Based in Scotland but working to a hybrid pattern you’ll be reporting to the country Policy and Advocacy Manager. You will identify routes to positive change, influence decision makers, support development of policy positions and build new professional partnerships. Your work will be focused on the interests of people at the end of life and their families and carers, alongside our member hospices, as we work towards our vision of hospice care for every person in need.

This is a vitally important role helping Hospice UK drive our vision and shape the strategic direction of hospice and end of life care in Scotland, at a time when death, dying and bereavement has never been higher on the public and political agenda. In particular we will be looking for someone to develop our relationships with key individuals within Scottish Government.

You’ll also have responsibility and freedom to explore how we develop our influencing and advocacy work in Northern Ireland.

This is a full time role, initially on a fixed term contract of one year.

What can you bring?

We are seeking a confident self-starter who is able to bring order to the complexity of the continuing development and delivery of our policy presence in Scotland and Northern Ireland, creating opportunities to achieve our policy and advocacy ambitions. You’ll need to show that you are self-motivated, resilient, creative and energised by working with a lot of different people at all levels of seniority

You will already have gained some experience in policy and/or advocacy, and can show a track record of contributing to and achieving positive change. You’re probably bursting with ideas, as well as having great judgement and can show your ability to deal sensitively with your stakeholders.

More details of the role can be found in the job description and person specification available on our website.

About us

Hospice UK is the leading charity supporting hospice care throughout the UK. Our vision is hospice care for every person in need and our mission is to enable hospice care to transform the way society cares for the dying and those around them.

Hospice care supports approximately 300,000 people with terminal and life-limiting conditions in the UK each year, with tens of thousands of those in Scotland. Hospices also have an important role in supporting families, especially in providing bereavement support.

Our strategic goals for 2017 - 2022 are to:

• Extend our reach and enable hospice quality care to be delivered in any setting
• Tackle inequality and widen access to hospice care
• Work with communities to build capacity and resilience to care for those at the end of life
• Empower a strong, dynamic and responsive hospice sector

Location

There is a strong preference for candidates to be based in Scotland, however the team and organisation prides itself on being flexible and trusting, so other options would be considered. The role is hybrid so can be as home-based as you want, but there’s an opportunity to have a hospice-based desk too, depending on where you live.

The head office of Hospice UK is in London. The post will have full web-based connection to Hospice UK, regular access to your line manager who is based in Scotland and daily contact with your colleagues through email, face to face events, and internet based video calls and telephone.

The Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland (QNIS) is a small charity making a big difference. QNIS supports, develops and inspires Scotland’s community nurses and midwives to be agents for health improvement and catalysts for social change. We help them develop their expertise to drive positive action to build a healthier, kinder, fairer, greener Scotland.

About the role

This is a new role to develop the strategic direction for external affairs on behalf of the charity. It is an opportunity to tell the story of the outstanding work of Scotland’s community nurses and midwives to policy makers and the public, as well as the role of QNIS. With the team, the postholder will develop a communication, policy and influencing strategy which enables QNIS to share the evidence of its programmes with a range of audiences. This is vital to our fundraising and sustainability.

The role includes developing an effective network of policy and communications contacts on behalf of the charity, building relationships with Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament and parliamentarians, health, and care organisations. In addition, the postholder will take an overview of all QNIS outputs ensuring that the brand of QNIS is clearly defined and consistent.

The role includes being part of the senior team at QNIS, shaping responses to relevant policy and professional issues for community nursing, and the ongoing development of the charity. There are currently two staff in the communications team who focus on digital engagement and the post holder will provide leadership and line management support for them.

The post is full time (37.5 hours), based mainly in our office in central Edinburgh, with scope for some flexible working from home. We are offering a salary of £50,825. Benefits include: a 10% contributory group pension with Aegon, with salary sacrifice option; 28 days annual leave with an additional 10 bank holiday days which can be taken flexibly.

About you

A highly experienced communications professional with a proven track record in media relations, policy and parliamentary affairs, you will be able to take an overview of external affairs for the charity. You will bring an energy and creativity to enhancing the brand and outputs of the charity to enable us to better support the nurses and midwives who work in Scotland’s communities.

With a broad knowledge of the health and social care policy landscape of Scotland, you will have an understanding of the range of issues affecting community nurses and midwives and Scotland’s public health challenges.

You will be highly self-aware and committed to wellbeing and self-care of yourself and others, bringing your own compassionate and creative leadership to the senior team at QNIS.

For more information about the role and the organisation, please download the Excellence Profile and visit the QNIS website. The Excellence Profile sets out how we might expect someone who is experienced and flourishing in the role to perform and we are not assuming that an individual will have the full suite of capabilities at appointment.

The Federation of Scottish Theatre (FST) is Scotland’s professional membership body for dance, opera and theatre.

We are currently seeking an experienced Policy and Public Affairs Lead to work closely with the Chief Executive Officer across several key areas of responsibility: research and policy, stakeholder and member engagement, advocacy planning and activity, strategy development and implementation and external communications.

Candidates should have relevant experience gained working in a similar role in a related area, for example, public affairs, advocacy, public relations, communications or Government affairs. They should have excellent relationship skills and strong societal and political acumen.

FST is offering this role as a full time, fixed-term position for one year with the possibility of extension, funding dependent. We also welcome job-share applications and proposals for other approaches to the role including part-time, secondment or consultancy. FST also supports and promotes flexible working.

The FST team are currently operating hybrid working, both from home and the office in Grindlay Street, Edinburgh. Appropriate equipment and IT support will be supplied to the successful candidate(s).

The Scottish Episcopal Church seeks to appoint a full-time Head of Safeguarding to provide strategic leadership, oversight and advice in the development and implementation of safeguarding policy in the Church. The postholder will lead a small team, manage casework, assist in the delivery of training and liaise across the church with bishops, clergy and congregations in safeguarding matters as necessary.

Applicants should have comprehensive understanding of contemporary safeguarding law, policy and practice, an appreciation of its application in the context of a voluntary or faith organisation, practitioner experience of case management and risk assessment, and an ability to build and sustain long-term working relationships.

Crisis is the national charity for homeless people. We know that homelessness is not inevitable. We know that together we can end it.

We have an exciting opportunity within Crisis’ Best Practice team in which you will be instrumental in identifying and promoting the solutions to homelessness.

As Peter, the manager of the team says ….

This role will give you the opportunity to make a real difference. You will work with amazing colleagues and have the opportunity to influence national approaches to homelessness. For example, over the last few years our team has:

• Worked with the police to support them to move from an enforcement to support approach toward rough sleepers
• Helped the DWP to introduce a homelessness toolkit for work coaches to help them identify clients at risk of homelessness, and to get them the right support
• Published a guide to homelessness prevention demonstrating 75 ways or ending homelessness
• Provided grant funding to smaller charities to enable them to develop and test new approaches

Your specialism will be to develop the solutions to ending homelessness through a housing led approach. Housing led, or what is known as ‘rapid rehousing’ is an approach to ending someone’s homelessness by moving them into their own home as soon as possible.

You will lead on developing Crisis’ understanding of new and emerging solutions to homelessness and to proactively create opportunities to test these and promote learning, especially (but not only) in Scotland.

About the role

Scotland has made huge strides in tackling homelessness, but more needs to happen and we know the best way of ending homelessness is by preventing it from happening in the first place. Crisis are pleased to support the change planned by Scottish Government through proposals for a new Homelessness Prevention duty outlined in the Programme for Government 21/22.

We know, however, that we can’t prevent all cases of homelessness, so when people do lose their home, they need a rapid response to find somewhere safe and secure to live. This means mainstream accommodation – in houses and flats in ordinary communities.

By protecting all households from homelessness through the law, and by using effective rapid rehousing methods, we can ensure no one is left living in emergency accommodation. With sufficient housing, legal reform, and other bold policy choices, rapid rehousing will be crucial in ending homelessness.

As a Best Practice Lead based in Scotland with a focus on housing led approaches, you will work to identify good practice already happening and show how services can be designed to ensure that a housing-led system provides stable, appropriate accommodation and any necessary support as quickly as possible to people who are homeless or at risk of it.

About you

To be successful in this role you will have great networking skills and be good at making relationships across different sectors. You’ll be inquisitive and passionate about change and seeing homelessness ended, with a drive and energy to shape the role to do this.

You’ll understand how local authorities and wider public bodies work and be able to build connections and rapport with individuals working there. You’ll understand housing and homelessness systems and the current legal frameworks that underpin them across the UK, but especially in Scotland. You’ll know how services can be designed to make sure that those who need help can get it and how to listen to the voices of those who use it.

We believe diversity is a strength and our aim is to make sure that Crisis truly reflects the communities we serve. We are actively working towards our organisation being a place where everyone can thrive and make their best contribution to our mission of ending homelessness for good. We know that the more perspectives, voices and experiences we can bring to this work, the better. We particularly welcome applications from people who have lived experience of homelessness. ​​​​​​​

Working at Crisis

As a member of the team you will have access to a wide range of employee benefits including:

• Interest free loans to purchase a train season ticket or a bike or for a deposit to secure a tenancy
• Mandatory pension scheme, with an employer contribution of 8.5%
• 25 days’ annual leave which increases with service to 28 days
• Alongside our excellent staff benefits, we will support your ongoing development to build your skills, experience and career.

When you join us you will have the opportunity to join our staff diversity networks, which aim to champion issues across the organisation, enable staff to be their authentic and best selves and contribute to making Crisis a truly diverse organisation.

Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges (APUC) is a member owned Centre of Procurement Expertise serving all of Scotland's Universities and Colleges. Its core vision and mission is to maximise the value of Scotland’s investment in further and higher education by working in partnership with institutions to support and enable sustainable innovation in procurement and shared service optimisation. APUC provides a wide range of procurement / supply chain related shared services both as a central team and within Universities and Colleges throughout Scotland.

Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) is a forward-thinking institution and the no 1 Modern University in Scotland. The procurement team sits within the University’s finance department but works across all academic schools and departments to offer a strategic and sustainable procurement service. The procurement manager will report into the Head of Procurement and work with colleagues across the ENU procurement team and the wider regional resource sharing and collaboration team, the Edinburgh Regional Procurement Team (ERPT).

Responsibilities:

• Manage approx. £10 million spend portfolio covering IT and School of Computing among other departments;
• Manage end to end tendering (specification to contract award) at both higher value (Government Procurement Agreement) and lower value (Procurement Reform Act) ensuring all key statutory obligations are met;
• Work with departmental contract managers to ensure contracts are monitored and run smoothly;
• Ensure statutory duties such as contract register and award notice publication are regularly reviewed;
• Develop supply chain monitoring programme ensuring relevant suppliers are assessed via in house and partner business sustainability analytics programmes;
• Provide sustainable procurement guidance and reporting on key topics areas such as climate change and net zero, modern slavery, circular economy and Living Wage.

Requirements:

• Relevant work experience in public sector procurement, experience gained in the Higher Education sector and/or in IT procurement is a plus;
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication skills and the ability to be self-directed;
• High levels of professionalism and ethical behaviour;
• Ability and desire to develop.
• ICT or Works experience would be advantageous for the roles

Working at APUC/ Edinburgh Napier University:

• Hybrid working arrangements (on site attendance circa 2 days per week);
• Work within a regional resource sharing and collaboration team, the Edinburgh Regional Procurement Team (ERPT);
• Generous holidays (26 days plus 14 fixed/floating days);
• Flexible hours and working patterns (including working a 9.5 day fortnight as standard);
• Regular training, career development and funding options for MCIPS and other professional and leadership qualifications;
• Positive working environment;
• Pension arrangements with employer/employee contributions;
• Flexible discounts; shopping, restaurants and other services via ‘EdenRed My Lifestyle’ hub;
• Employee assistance programme; staff support and counselling;
• Cycle to work scheme

The Chief Operating Officer post is a new role that will support the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to provide strategic leadership of RUTS.

Who we are:

RUTS is a charity committed to supporting young people develop skills for work and skills for life for over 40 years by providing employability support and practical, vocational training. Through these activities tangible outcomes are achieved including re-engaging participants with school/further/higher education and sustained work placements and/or employment. There is also a specific focus on developing soft outcomes that support personal development, such as building confidence, resilience, and motivation.

MAIN ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Chief Operating Officer is responsible for leading the charity’s client facing activities, policies and systems. They are responsible for implementing the organisation strategy and business plan

The critical leadership role has three primary functions:

1. Operational management: the Chief Operating Officer manages the infrastructure of the organisation, our HR/People, Culture, Finance, IT and facilities. Whilst leading the operations they will also work across all divisions to ensure operational excellence and the highest standards of business operations at all levels empowering a committed and passionate workforce.
2. Strategic delivery: this role is responsible for helping develop and managing the implementation of our strategy and strategic objectives across the organisation. They will support our business planning process. They ensure we are being the best we can be, helping the most people we can, in the most impactful way we can.
3. Special projects: the Chief Operating Officer will lead special projects across the organisation, particularly in new emerging areas for the organisation associated with growth, development, and reputation. The post holder will oversee the development and delivery of income generating projects. The focus in the first 12 months of the role will be to scope the current employability landscape and identify opportunities for RUTS.

They will also be an external face of RUTS and, as such, are encouraged to speak proactively on behalf of the organisation. They should demonstrate strong, visible and influential leadership of RUTS.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Governance

• Responsible for keeping the highest standards of governance and compliance with key funding partners such as Inspiring Scotland
• Support in leading the organisation with transparency and integrity, providing clear and demonstrable leadership to your team and our people.
• Ensure an effective and efficient system is in place to manage RUTS policies and procedures, maintaining compliance with all relevant regulatory and legal requirements including a code of conduct that is clearly communicated to all staff and reflective of the organisation’s values.

Finances

• You will be responsible for management of RUTS operational budget
• Assist in forecasting, financial reporting and financial updates to the board.
• You will be expected to improve RUTS commercial performance by creating new and innovative opportunities for revenue generation via sponsorships and partnerships.

Strategic Management

• Assist in the development, implementation and monitoring of RUTS Strategic Plan
• Develop and implement the Operational Plan; track and report progress against targets
• Maintain awareness of risks and changes in the external environment that affect the organisation

Strategic Relationships

• Maintain the organisation’s performance and how it is perceived by all relevant stakeholders
• Facilitate the development of partnerships and collaborative working generally, including with businesses where appropriate to advance the organisation’s objectives

Business Development

• Participate actively in the strategic planning process to support the growth of RUTS vocational programmes
• Lead the delivery of the organisation’s operational business plan and engage proactively in business development through existing and new finance streams.
• Lead on/input to the planning and development of projects (both existing and new).

People Development

• Work closely with direct reports, supporting their personal development
• Review and develop training and development plans to support individual and team capability development aligned with achieving the organisation mission and aims

Operational Responsibilities

• Provide strategic development support to the CEO and deputise for the CEO
• Develop case studies and other evidence to illustrate the impact and value of our work.
• Keep up to date with national, regional and local developments.
• Ensure that data is entered into the CRM so that case management can be effective across the organisation
• Work in accordance with our values, policies and procedures.
• Work in accordance with our equal opportunities and diversity framework.
• Work in accordance with our safeguarding of children and adults policy and practice.
• Use ICT for general administrative duties including work processing, spreadsheets, emails and databases.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Previous Experience

• Proven track record in a leadership position commensurate with the responsibilities of the Chief Operating Officer role.
• An understanding of the policy and funding environment of the third sector.
• Strong track record of cultivating effective relationships among partners and stakeholders including government and local authorities.
• Experience of implementing a successful strategic plan aligned to performance people-management.
• Experience of budget management
• Experience of public speaking, ideally including experience in handling media.

Skills and abilities

• Ability to engage and form partnerships within the public, private and/or third sector.
• Ability to engage with public sector funding bodies, potential new funders in the private sector to develop new financial streams for RUTS, as well as understand the nuances of the third sector.
• Ability to act as a valued ambassador and champion for RUTS.
• Leadership skills to motivate and inspire our people.
• Innovative, with the ability to identify and recommend business opportunities when they arise.
• Ability to build effective relationships with team members, colleagues, Board members and external stakeholders.
• Excellent organisation and planning skills to cope with a varied workload and ability to handle change, take decisions and prioritise workloads effectively to meet deadlines

Knowledge

• A demonstrable understanding of how youth work and vocational training programmes operate.
• A knowledge of the youth unemployment landscape and its diverse stakeholders, including at community level, is desirable.

Values

• Motivated, enthusiastic, and self-starting with a commitment and drive for organisational development.
• Committed to ensuring high standards, efficiency, and outstanding customer service
• Committed to values of RUTS and in particular equality, inclusion, and diversity.
• Confident in own abilities to work as part of a team or on own initiative.
• Ability to work under pressure and prioritise work to meet deadlines and take decisions

Qualifications & Training:

• Hold a relevant managerial / business qualification or equivalent experience.
• Driving licence required

REPORTS TO: CEO

LINE MANAGER: CEO

Friends of the Earth Scotland is seeking a value-driven and collaborative Director to lead and guide our dynamic and creative organisation. This key role will lead and promote Friends of the Earth Scotland’s unique role in the urgent and critical context of the climate and ecological emergency. Working closely with the Senior Management team, together with the board and staff team, you will initially focus on the development of a refreshed organisational strategy.

The ideal candidate will be passionate about securing climate and social justice and committed to system change. You will be an excellent communicator, with sound political judgement, and the vision to galvanise the movement to achieve tangible impact for people and the environment. You will have a good understanding of the Scottish political context, social movements and how change happens, and a track record of securing change. You will bring significant experience in the third sector, in a senior or leadership role, and of financial management and governance. You will value and prioritise ongoing reflection and learning, both on a personal and organisational level. You will have a naturally collaborative leadership style and a strong track record of developing and implementing effective cross-organisation strategy.

This is an exciting opportunity to work at Scotland's leading environmental campaigning group, working to help people in Scotland look after the planet for everyone’s future.