About Us

Change Mental Health is a leading national mental health charity providing non-clinical, person-centred support to people in communities across Scotland. With over 50 years’ experience, we are fighting for a future where no one faces mental illness alone. We are changing society by changing attitudes, fighting stigma and influencing government to ensure a better of quality of life for those affected by poor mental health and mental illness. As a charity supporting over 10,000 people year, we believe everyone should have access to the support they need, when they need it and in a way which works best for them.

About the Stafford Centre

Our resource centre in Edinburgh provides a drop in service, offering a safe environment to begin to build supportive networks through support and activities, and a main café area where people can chat and feel welcomed and valued. There are many supportive groups which help to build resilience and improve skills and confidence, from art and music sessions to our outdoor walking groups, peer support groups and more.

We also deliver the Signature Project for men suffering with PTSD, and have a Veterans Community Café to support veterans, former and retired members of the UK armed forces, police, fire services, merchant navy or other emergency services and their families.

About the Role

As a Project Worker, you will take a primary role within the staff team. You will ensure the efficient and effective daily running of the resource centre and meeting it’s aims; to provide a safe welcoming supportive space for clients which prioritises mental health and wellbeing. The service is recovery focussed and as Project Worker you will contribute to empowering people to manage their mental health, gain greater self-confidence and become more integrated within the community.

If you are looking for a rewarding career and to work within an epic team that will help you grow and thrive, then you have come to the right place. Working within our Glasgow ARBD service you can start your day knowing what you do really does make a difference!

At Penumbra, we strive to create a culture and environment where people feel valued and inspired to reach their own personal goals. Our fundamental priority is to provide support which is safe and promotes recovery, social inclusion, and citizenship for people with mental health challenges.

We recognise that the people we support have skills and experience that can bring about positive changes for themselves. Through an ethos of inclusion, equality and fairness, our staff are committed to promoting good mental health and wellbeing for people using our services.

Our ARBD supported accommodation is based in Bardowie Street in Glasgow’s Possilpark and is an assessment centre for people who have been diagnosed with ARBD or possible ARBD. We provide a safe and positive environment in which people can develop the life skills and confidence to actively move towards and define their recovery.

The service provides bespoke and proactive support to identify and address the individual’s needs, placing them at the heart of their support. With an emphasis on independence and empowerment, people are helped to move toward self-identified goals. While there is an element of collaborative group work, this is at all times focused on improving self-esteem and addressing issues such loneliness, social exclusion, and addiction in a supportive peer environment.

As a mental health charity, we really value the wellbeing of our staff. That’s why we want you to know that you’ll be joining a friendly team, who will give you a supportive environment to help you thrive in your role, including all the training you need to feel confident and equipped.

We can offer you a tonne of employee benefits, and we can promise you’ll be inspired by some pretty amazing humans every single day. We will support you on your own career path; developing new skills, accessing formal and informal learning experiences and providing opportunities to put your continual progress into practice.

We have an exciting opportunity within Health in Mind. We are developing an online platform to allow Scottish veterans and those supporting them access to information and resources, to help them develop skills and strategies to support their mental health and wellbeing.

We are looking for a full-time Digital Services Officer to lead the process of co-production, consultation, content design and project delivery of the new service. You will work closely with stakeholders, veterans, and a specialist digital creative design agency.

If you have experience working with the UK armed forces, working with and for veterans, or in a similar environment, and feel a connection with our approach and values, we'd love to hear from you.

About Us

Change Mental Health is a leading national mental health charity providing non-clinical, person-centred support to people in communities across Scotland. With over 50 years’ experience, we are fighting for a future where no one faces mental illness alone. We are changing society by changing attitudes, fighting stigma and influencing government to ensure a better of quality of life for those affected by poor mental health and mental illness. As a charity supporting over 10,000 people year, we believe everyone should have access to the support they need, when they need it and in a way which works best for them.

Change Mental Health is determined to be the leading source of information, advice and guidance on mental health and mental illness in Scotland. We want to make sure that everyone has the tools they need to make the right decisions for themselves and for their families.

About the Role

The role of the Research and Content Officer is instrumental in ensuring our goals through being information and research led. The role will work across multiple teams at Change Mental Health to source, summarise and disseminate appropriate research, as well as developing, fact-checking and composing content for our various communications channels. Content will follow best practice and meet industry standards of being user-friendly, accessible, on brand and discoverable on search engines. This educational content will align with our values to inform the public about the extent and broad nature of mental health and mental illness.

The role will sit within the Policy, Public Affairs and Communications team, actively working with the team to source research opportunities, support our wider internal and external communications work, and evidence the impact we create as an organisation.

The Research and Content Officer will closely collaborate internally to ensure our internal and external training is leading edge, supporting funding and tender applications, and working with services to meet their research and content needs for delivery where appropriate.

Additionally, the role will work with external stakeholders – including academic partners – to collaborate on research and to ensure that Change Mental Health is meeting its mission, vision and strategic outcomes.

What we are looking for

This role would suit someone who loves learning and sharing knowledge. You will have a passion for mental health, an eye for detail, and will be able to link academic to practical impact and service delivery. You will be an excellent copywriter and familiar with academic research and its practices. You will enjoy providing knowledge and understanding to others, be an excellent team player who can lead innovations independently, while having a solid ability to forge and cultivate powerful relationships – both internally and externally.

Key Responsibilities:

• Sourcing and disseminating up-to-date research in an informative and accessible manner.
• Creating, managing, updating and developing the information and resources on our website to a high and professional standard.
• Using existing and developing new communications channels, alongside the Head of Communications and Communications Officer, to disseminate information, news and advise (where appropriate) on developments in the mental health and mental illness fields.
• Working with the Communications team to develop the organisational Communications Plan, while ensuring that all communications are of high quality and information and research informed.
• Building working relationships with, and networking with, academics, policy professionals and the third sector to develop new partnerships and research opportunities.
• Actively developing opportunities to be part of research bids to further knowledge in mental health and mental illness.
• As a result, build on our new Research Strategy.
• Working with Change Mental Health’s National Advice and Support Service and Mental Health UK’s Digital team to manage, update and develop the Scottish relevant copy of the Mental Health and Money Advice website to a high professional standard.
• Keeping abreast of and highlight breakthroughs and developments in mental health research.
• Researching changes to mental health and benefit legislation, plus update the content of the appropriate websites to reflect those changes.
• Developing a sound understanding of the perspectives of people affected by mental illness, including families, carers and supporters of people with mental illness to ensure the content produced meets the needs of appropriate audiences.
• Building working relationships with people with lived experience of mental illness, or who care for someone with mental illness, and reflecting this information within our content.
• Building excellent working relationships with staff across the organisation, to feed information into our website content.
• Producing engaging content such as crafting real-life stories and developing our Insights section.
• Working with the Head of Quality and Improvement and relevant personnel to demonstrate and evidence the impact of Change Mental Health through relevant reports and tools.
• Working with the Strategic Projects, Development and Growth directorate in helping to ensure that our internal and external training is best practice.
• Working with our services to understand their research and content needs, ensuring that services are evidence-informed, by building positive relationships with them to demonstrate lived experience.
• Working with the wider Policy, Public Affairs and Communications department to deliver on the Change Mental Health strategy, influence policy and evidence impact.
• Work with the Fundraising team to deliver research contributing towards funding and tender applications.
• Proactively attending relevant events across Scotland.
• Additional duties and projects as required.

Key Skills & Experience

Essential:

• Relevant qualifications or equivalent experience and skills.
• Be able to demonstrate a working knowledge of engaging in or working with research.
• An excellent writer
• Able to communicate effectively and manage expectations.
• Exceptional attention to detail and able to work to deadlines.
• Able to work autonomously as a self-starter and work as part of a wider team.
• Able to network and identify opportunities to collaborate with organisations.
• Excellent project management skills and demonstrable experience of managing multiple stakeholders to achieve agreed shared objectives.
• An ability to pull together reports.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to interpret and present data and research in an engaging manner.
• Be able to demonstrate communications experience/expertise.
• A solid understanding of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
• Personable, engaging and outward looking.
• A ‘can do’ attitude.
• Commitment to the values of Change Mental Health.
• Successful applicants for this post will require a Basic Disclosure Scotland (this will be arranged by Change Mental Health during before you start your role).

Desirable:

• Demonstrable understanding and empathy towards mental health problems and a passion for mental health
• A degree
• Some experience in using a content management system (CMS), such as WordPress.

Benefits

• 24/7 access to an award-winning Employee Assistance Programme providing free legal, financial, and medical advice as well as support with life’s challenges.
• A 35-hour working week
• Travel season ticket loan.
• A great work life balance with flexible and blended working environment.
• Access to purchase a Blue Light Discount Card
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Enhanced sick pay and leave entitlements.
• Generous 37 days’ holiday.
• 2 paid Mental Wellbeing days.
• Professional development including funded opportunities.