Today, 12 children and young people will be diagnosed with cancer. We’ll stop at nothing to make sure they get the right care and support at the right time.

At Young Lives vs Cancer, we help children and young people (0-25) and their families find the strength to face whatever cancer throws at them. We know what a better future could look like for children and young people with cancer. And we know what we need to do to make that future a reality. We know we need to push harder, reach further and work smarter. And we know we need the right people on our team to help us get there. People like you.

Join us and your skills will make a real difference to the lives of young cancer patients.

About the role

We want to creative positive change in the health system to achieve the change children and young people with cancer across the UK, and their families, need. This means amplifying the voices of young cancer patients and delivering evidence-based campaigns that make change happen.

This Policy and Public Affairs Officer role is responsible for supporting the Policy, Influencing and Voice Team with policy and public affairs expertise to deliver the key components of our influencing work in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. You will help us influence the system for children and young people with cancer and their families, so we can change experiences of having cancer and ensure children and young people’s voices are heard.

This includes:

• monitoring the policy and influencing landscape in each of the devolved nations
• developing policy briefings, position statements, consultation responses and reviewing evidence
• building and maintaining excellent working relationships with elected representatives, officials, external partners and your colleagues too
• delivering our public affairs work in the devolved nations
• supporting our exciting campaigning activities, tailoring to each nation

Young Lives vs Cancer is open to and in support of flexible working. Your flexibility requirements and that of the role will be discussed at interview stage with you.

This role is home-based and can be based anywhere in the UK, but the successful candidate will ideally be based in either Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland, and will require occasional visits to Young Lives vs Cancer workplaces.

This role is subject to an Basic level Criminal Record Check. In the event of a successful application a Disclosure and Barring Services report will be sought.

We would love to hear from you if you:

• Have experience working in a policy or public affairs environment, ideally in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
• Have experience or knowledge of the policy, public affairs and/or political processes and how to use them in your work
• Have effective influencing and relationship building skills
• Are comfortable and confident working in a diverse and changing external environment across three nations
• Are solutions-focused, have attention to detail, and able to analyse complex information

Diversity declaration

At Young Lives vs Cancer, we recognise that opportunities for too many people remain a condition of their race, class, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation – or a combination. This has never been acceptable to us as an organisation.

We are committed to taking anti-oppressive action and removing barriers in our recruitment practices. We particularly welcome applications from members of minoritised communities and creating equitable opportunities for all. We are passionately committed to taking actions and making changes to be a truly diverse, inclusive and equitable organisation, as well as reflective of the diverse children and young people we support. Click here to find out more about our Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging strategy.

Accessibility

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we’ll always endeavour to be as accommodating as possible. Please get in touch with us if you would like to discuss any specific requirements.

What we offer

In return for your commitment, we offer a great reward package, which includes generous annual and family/ caring leave entitlements, enhanced pension and employee savings scheme. To find out more about our benefits package, have a look on our website:

younglivesvscancer.org.uk/careers/our-benefits

If you join us, you will be part of a community that is committed make a difference to the lives of children and young people with cancer. Young Lives vs Cancer is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment.

To arrange an informal chat, please contact Lauren Marks on lauren.marks@younglivesvscancer.org.uk.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead our Regional Family Support Team to ensure the delivery of high-quality support to people who are living across the East of Scotland who have a family member in prison.

Our Regional Manager will:

• Lead a team of staff and social work students to provide 1:1, family work in family homes, community venues, prison, and/or prison visitor centres.
• Liaise and contribute to key local and community forums such as Community Planning Partnerships, Third Sector Interface meetings, or Local Authority partners’ meetings.
• Create and develop a range of support services to meet the local need across the East of Scotland.

About You

It is important that our Regional Manager is:

• Experienced in leading others.
• Passionate about developing high quality family support practice.
• Trauma-informed and rights-focused in all they do.
• Pro-active and skilled in building strong, effective relationships with staff, local and regional partners, and stakeholders.
• Skilled in creating support to meet the most challenging issues that impact families affected by imprisonment.
• Confident, resilient, and respectful when dealing with challenging situations.

If you are an experienced professional with managerial experience in social work, community work, family support, or other appropriate experiences and are passionate about making a difference for families impacted by imprisonment, then we want to hear from you.

Staff Benefits

• 25 flexible leave days plus 10 public holidays
• 4% matched contribution workplace pension scheme
• Hybrid & flexible working
• Employee Assistance Programme (Health Assured)
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Laptop and mobile phone for all staff

Who Cares? Scotland is Scotland’s only national independent membership organisation for Care Experienced people. Our strategic vision is to secure a lifetime of equality, respect, and love for Care Experienced people in Scotland.

At the heart of Who Cares? Scotland’s work are the rights of Care Experienced people, and the power of their voices to bring about positive change. We provide individual lifelong relationship-based independent advocacy and a broad range of imaginative participatory and engagement opportunities for Care Experienced people across Scotland. We work alongside Corporate Parents and communities to broaden understanding and create change. We work with policy makers, leaders, and elected representatives locally and nationally to shape law, policy, and practice, working together to build on the aspirations of The Promise and secure positive change.

We are seeking a passionate and strategic leader to join our team as the Business Development Director. You will play a vital role in driving forwards Who Cares? Scotland’s vision by leading the development of strategic partnerships and securing key funding opportunities. As manager for the Fundraising and Partnerships Team, you will oversee grants, trusts, community fundraising, public tenders, and the setting of income targets. By forging strong relationships with corporate and external stakeholders, as well as overseeing our strategic affiliation with the John Lewis Partnership, your role will expand our public education, income generation, and business development aims. To interweave the organisation’s development of public education training programmes with our core fundraising mission, you will also manage our Creating Communities that Care team, who play a vital role in developing our external training offerings.

As an individual with a background of 5+ years in senior management, preferably in the non-profit sector, you have demonstrable experience in business development, fundraising, and grant writing. You possess a proven track record of successfully securing high-value grants and partnerships from diverse funding sources, leading on the development of strategic plans, and reaching key performance targets with accountability to diverse stakeholders. As a seasoned manager and mentor, you can also collaborate across organisations, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement amongst your colleagues, our volunteers, and our partner organisations. The right candidate for this post will not only bear responsibility for leading core funding strategy, but also serve as a spokesperson for the organisation, representing its mission, values, and impact to external stakeholders. You are, therefore, committed to child rights and human rights, the successful implementation of The Promise, and the belief that young people can make transformative change happen in their lives if given the opportunity.

We have office locations in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Paisley, Bellshill, Kilmarnock, and Dundee. There is an expectation that the post holder will also have a regular presence within the National Office in Glasgow, but home working is offered as part of our commitment to flexible working. Given the remit of the role, some evening and weekend work will be necessary, to attend fundraising and member events, as well as Board Meetings.

The successful candidate will be joining Who Cares? Scotland 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. 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.

Who Cares? Scotland is Scotland’s only national independent membership organisation for Care Experienced people. Our strategic vision is to secure a lifetime of equality, respect, and love for Care Experienced people in Scotland.

At the heart of Who Cares? Scotland’s work are the rights of Care Experienced people, and the power of their voices to bring about positive change. We provide individual lifelong relationship-based independent advocacy and a broad range of imaginative participatory and engagement opportunities for Care Experienced people across Scotland. We work alongside Corporate Parents and communities to broaden understanding and create change. We work with policy makers, leaders, and elected representatives locally and nationally to shape law, policy, and practice, working together to build on the aspirations of The Promise and secure positive change.

As a project, Communities that Care works to create a world where Care Experienced children, young people, and adults are known, understood, welcomed, celebrated, and loved. The aim of the Communities that Care Team is to educate the public about the reality of care (as told to us by Care Experienced people), challenge stigma around care experience, and create the conditions for children, young people, and adults with care experience to thrive.

We are seeking a passionate and talented communicator to join our Communities that Care Team as a Development Officer. Working to shape, deliver, and evaluate our work in schools nationwide, with a particular focus in Renfrewshire, you will provide training and support to educational establishments and organisations. You will also deliver our Care Aware workforce training to employers and organisations and potentially the wider UK, helping to create conditions for Care Experienced people to thrive within the workplace.

As an individual with a background working with children and young people, you are adept at creating and delivering learning, teaching, and project plans, with experience providing dynamic training to a range of audiences. Confident writing reports and evidencing practice and impact, you have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, as well as the ability to develop strong professional relationships. Committed to child and human rights, working inclusively, and with the belief that young people can make transformative change in their lives, you understand how structural barriers, social oppression/liberation and intersectionality shape our world. With a deep knowledge and desire to learn about the issues affecting Care Experienced people, you are keen to help create meaningful positive change, challenge stigma, and to keep The Promise.

There is an expectation that the postholder will have a regular presence within the National Office in Glasgow and across Renfrewshire. Home working is offered as part of our commitment to flexible working and wider travel across Scotland will be necessary. Given the remit of the role, as well as the need from team members to contribute to our diverse calendar of exciting local and national participation groups, some evening and weekend work, including overnight stays, will be necessary.

The successful candidate will be joining Who Cares? Scotland 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. 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.