With alcohol deaths rising and access to treatment at a ten-year low, Alcohol Focus Scotland’s role in advocating and supporting change has never been more important. Our Board has a vital role in ensuring the organisation is well-governed and able to deliver on our strategic plan.

Who we are

Alcohol Focus Scotland (AFS) is Scotland’s national alcohol charity, committed to preventing and reducing harm to individuals, families, communities and Scotland as a whole.

Who we are looking for

We wish to recruit up to five new Directors to join our Board. In particular, we are looking for individuals who have skills, expertise and experience in one or more of the following areas of policy, practice and governance:

Policy and practice:

• public health, Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships or alcohol service provision research and or policy development in a relevant field (e.g. alcohol or commercial determinants of health, alcohol marketing)
• public affairs or campaigns
• the impact of alcohol on children, young people and families
• business development and delivery of training to external stakeholders

Governance:

• finance and fundraising
• charity and organisational governance (incl. human resources, equality and diversity, health and safety, data protection)
• legal knowledge relevant to AFS’s objectives (e.g. licensing law)

AFS is committed to equality of opportunity in all aspects of our work and Directors will be appointed on merit. We particularly welcome applications from people who will bring greater diversity to our Board, including from people with lived experience.

These positions are unpaid but travel expenses will be reimbursed.

GCA deliver services over 6 days per week and throughout Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire

Role:

The Diploma in Integrative Counselling is 2-year course, credit rated at SCQF level 10 by the University of the West of Scotland, and validation from COSCA. GCA is one of the founding COSCA members and adheres to the COSCA ethical framework for good practice in counselling, psychotherapy and counselling skills. The course requires lead tutors who are accredited by COSCA to Diploma level or committed to work towards accreditation. Tutors should be experienced Counsellors who are accredited with an appropriate professional body, or working towards accreditation (e.g., COSCA/BACP/UKCP).

The Lead Course Tutor will have responsibility for two Diploma Courses, leading on one weekly class and one weekend class.

The Lead Course Tutor will be expected to contribute to a GCA CPD calendar, writing and delivering on content agreed with the Course Director.

The Lead Course Tutor will support the development, implementation, delivery and evaluation of the Diploma in Integrative Counselling.

In return for choosing to work for GCA, the benefits you will receive are:

• Very generous annual leave entitlement: full time employees start with an annual leave entitlement of 37 days (inclusive of bank holidays) which increases to 38 days after 2 years, 40 days after 5 years and 42 days after 10 years length of service.
• 5 duvet days where employees may take time off at short notice.
• Death in service policy of 2 times salary.
• Cycle to work scheme where employees can save money on a new bike and spread the cost.
• Training and development commitment to help employees perform to the best of their abilities.
• Working for an employer focused on delivering its vision and mission by living its values of Respect, Empathy and Collaboration.

Organisation Profile:

Glasgow Council on Alcohol (GCA) was founded in 1965 and is the oldest established Council on Alcohol in Scotland. GCA is a voluntary organisation working to reduce the harm caused by alcohol misuse through the provision of a range of high quality advice, information, counselling, support, prevention and education and training services.

Who Cares? Scotland is Scotland’s only national independent membership organisation for Care Experienced people. Our mission is to secure a lifetime of equality, respect, and love for Care Experienced people in Scotland and we currently have over 3000 Care Experienced members.

At the heart of Who Cares? Scotland’s work are the rights of Care Experienced children and young people, and the power of their voices to bring about positive change. We provide individual relationship-based independent advocacy and a broad range of imaginative participatory opportunity for Care Experienced young people across Scotland; we work alongside corporate parents and communities of all sorts to broaden understanding; we work with policy makers, leaders and elected representatives locally and nationally to shape law, policy and practice on the basis of all that can be learnt from the voices of those with experience of care - working together to build on the aspirations of The Promise and secure positive change.

The post holder will work directly with children and young people with experience of care, in an individual relationship-based advocacy role, and within participation and group activity across our West Central region. This unique role requires you to listen to what children and young people with experience of care say and support them to ensure their rights are upheld and their voices are heard in the processes of making decisions about their lives. You will also help facilitate a broad range of participatory and engagement opportunities and create the conditions for collective advocacy.

The right candidate for this post will be brilliant at forming positive relationships with children and young people. You will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal, adaptable to a wide range of contexts. You will enjoy working collaboratively with partners. You will be committed to children’s rights, inclusive working, equal opportunities, and believe that all young people can make transformative change happen in their lives if given the opportunity.

The successful candidate will be joining Who Cares? Scotland and working within the West Central locality team at an exciting time, when the voices of those who are in or have experienced care are growing in power, individually and collectively - bringing with them insight, challenge, hope and change. Flexibility will be required given the remit of the role. Some evening and weekend work will be necessary, as will a full driving licence and access to transport.

While we would welcome the knowledge gathered through relevant qualifications, we are just as interested in relevant work experience. We welcome and encourage applications from those with experience of care.

If this sounds like the role for you, we would love to hear from you. For an informal conversation about this opportunity please contact Jamie McAnally, our Advocacy and Participation Manager for our West Central team on jmcanally@whocaresscotland.org.

We have three 12 month, fixed term contract opportunities within our Knowledge and Learning team within the Scotland Directorate.

These are exciting opportunities to join our small team as a Knowledge and Learning Officer, working on a variety of projects to provide informed insight on a range of grant-making themes.

As part of our Knowledge and Learning Team here in Scotland, you will work alongside Funding, and Communication and Engagement teams, as well as Knowledge and Learning colleagues across the UK. The role is flexible and varied, responding to the needs of colleagues and stakeholders to lend research or policy expertise, facilitating engagement events and sharing findings and recommendations.

A key aim of this work is to gather and analyse qualitative and quantitative data from our funding programmes and the policy landscape to shape funding decisions and priorities.

You will be able to see the ‘bigger picture’ of our grant-making work and apply creative approaches to identify and embed learning across geographic and thematic areas.

You will have sound critical thinking, thematic analysis and research skills and an ability to convey effective, impactful information for a variety of audiences.

You will be sensitive to ethics in research design and implementation.

As part of the role you will host and facilitate learning events, both in person and online, and therefore you’ll have sound facilitation and networking skills. Occasionally you will have the opportunity to work with grant-holders, external partners and other funders, requiring excellent communication and relationship-building skills.

You will be collaborative in nature and enjoy working proactively and in partnership with colleagues across the fund. An open, supportive and flexible team working approach is necessary.

You will be adept at managing a busy and varied workload.

You will often be responding to short notice requests for information and guidance, while balancing longer term research/report writing and presentation.

You will be curious to explore and test new ideas and ways of working, to ensure our funding reaches those at greatest need. As such an awareness of public policy, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), and participation methods would be useful.

Familiarity with digital communication tools would be advantageous.

Interview Date: Week commencing 22nd April in Glasgow

Location: This role is based in our Glasgow office, however we have a flexible, hybrid approach to working. The role will entail occasional travel and potentially overnight stays. Should you have a question on work pattern, please ask.

If you would like an informal conversation about the role specifically, please contact: Lucy McDonald, Head of Knowledge and Learning, lucy.mcdonald@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk

Any questions about the recruitment process, please email: recruitment@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk

Essential criteria

Experience of gathering and sharing evidence to inform learning, including applying qualitative research methods and techniques.

Strong communication and facilitation skills, with experience of holding discussions that enable a range of people to share and discuss ideas.

Excellent report writing skills, and an ability to present information in an engaging and creative way.

A supportive, and responsive, team player with experience of working collaboratively and in partnership to deliver objectives.

Desirable Criteria

An understanding of quantitative research methods, and how they can be used to support qualitative analysis of data.

Familiarity with digital tools that support and enhance how information is captured and conveyed.

Relationship management skills and ability to develop a range of stakeholders and networks to widen the reach of your work.

Knowledge or awareness of the context of the third sector, and key policy and contextual trends which impact communities across Scotland and the UK.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Communities in the UK come in all shapes and sizes. National Lottery funding is for everyone – therefore, we are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and we work hard to ensure our funding reaches where it is needed.

We also believe our people should represent the communities, organisations and individuals we work with. That’s why the National Lottery Community Fund is committed to being an inclusive employer and a great place to work. We recognise and celebrate the fact that our people come from diverse backgrounds. We positively welcome applications from people from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities or longstanding health conditions, people who are LGBTQ+, and people from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds, as well as people of all ages.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we take a proactive approach in making reasonable adjustments, if needed, throughout the recruitment process and during employment. (This can be related to a physical and mental health condition.)