Jobs in East Lothian

At Substances Support Scotland (SSS), we believe that change starts with one conversation.

We provide compassionate, trauma-informed support to individuals, families and communities affected by alcohol and substance use. Every day, our teams work alongside people facing some of life's most difficult challenges, helping them build stability, improve wellbeing and create positive change.

As we continue to expand our services across Scotland, we are looking for passionate, motivated and people-focused individuals to join our team.

This is more than a job. It is an opportunity to make a genuine difference in people's lives.

About the Role

As an Outreach Navigator, you will play a vital role in helping individuals access support, overcome barriers and move towards improved health and wellbeing.

You will work directly within communities, engaging with individuals affected by alcohol and substance use, mental health challenges, social isolation, homelessness and other complex life circumstances.

This is a varied and rewarding role that combines practical support, advocacy, relationship building and community engagement. No two days are the same.

The successful candidate will be confident engaging with people from all backgrounds, building trusting relationships and supporting individuals to identify and achieve their goals.

Queen Margaret University Students’ Union is looking for an enthusiastic and student-focused individual to help strengthen student voice and community life at QMU. This exciting new role will support Course Representatives, student leaders, societies, liberation and identity-based groups to ensure students are empowered to shape both their academic and social experience.

You’ll work closely with elected officers, student volunteers and university staff to coordinate representation systems, support campaigns and events, and help build an inclusive, vibrant campus community. We’re looking for someone with strong interpersonal and organisational skills, a passion for student engagement, and experience supporting groups, volunteers or community activity.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys relationship-building, empowering others and making a visible difference to student life.

Circle is a registered charity working at the heart of communities across central Scotland. We work with families facing multiple disadvantages because of structural inequality, poverty, drug and alcohol use, imprisonment, physical or mental health, trauma, abuse and loss. We believe that every child, no matter their background or circumstances, should have the support they need to live a happy and healthy life.

We offer excellent staff benefits including a competitive salary, generous pension contribution, flexible working, an employee assistance programme and generous annual leave.

Circle is seeking a Children’s Resilience Worker to join our East Lothian project, funded by Scottish Government and Corra Foundation. The role provides one-to-one, peer and group support to children and young people affected by parental substance use, domestic abuse and complex mental health challenges, helping them build resilience, strengthen family relationships and make positive change.

Funded by Scottish Government and Corra Foundation, this post supports children and young people affected by parental drug or alcohol use through individual, peer and group work. The Children’s Resilience Worker will build on their strengths, help them connect with peers, ensure their voices are heard, and work with parents, carers and partner agencies to provide early, holistic support.

We are looking for a skilled and empathetic professional qualified in social work, social care, education or health, with experience supporting families through a strengths-based, trauma-informed approach.

The successful candidate will have strong communication, teamwork and organisational skills, a good understanding of child development and the challenges facing vulnerable families, and a commitment to equality, inclusion and anti-discriminatory practice. This is a meaningful opportunity to be part of a supportive organisation dedicated to improving outcomes for children and families.

Circle is a registered charity working at the heart of communities across central Scotland. We work with families facing multiple disadvantages because of structural inequality, poverty, drug and alcohol use, imprisonment, physical or mental health, trauma, abuse and loss. We believe that every child, no matter their background or circumstances, should have the support they need to live a happy and healthy life.

Circle is seeking a Young Person's Outreach Worker to join our Grow Your Own Routes programme in East Lothian. Funded by Scottish Governments’ Whole Family Wellbeing Fund and partnered with Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs, the programme aims to ensure that young people affected by substance use are visible, have a voice and are empowered to effect change.

The post holder will work directly with young people affected by family substance use, helping them to reduce its impact and develop the skills and confidence they need to thrive. This varied and rewarding role involves one-to-one work, group facilitation, advocacy, and peer support, delivered in youth and community settings.

The post holder will also contribute to family-inclusive practice, promote recovery, and work closely with partners to share best practice and strengthen support across the community.

We are looking for a skilled and empathetic professional with a qualification in youth and community work, social work, social care, health or education, with experience supporting young people and families using a strengths- based, trauma-informed approach. The successful candidate will have excellent communication and organisational skills, a good understanding of child development and the challenges facing vulnerable families, and a commitment to equality, inclusion and anti-discriminatory practice. This is a meaningful opportunity to be part of a supportive organisation dedicated to improving outcomes for children and families.

We offer excellent staff benefits including a competitive salary, generous pension contribution, flexible working, an employee assistance programme and generous annual leave.

The East Lammermuir community has developed an ambitious Local Place Plan, shaped through extensive community engagement and a built on through a series of themed workshops. This has resulted in four key community priorities: biodiversity restoration, active travel, energy efficiency, and community transport. These priorities are supported by five detailed reports, which provide the evidence base and practical recommendations to guide delivery.

The community is now entering a critical phase: moving from planning to implementation. With significant community benefit funding becoming available, there is a strong opportunity to deliver meaningful, coordinated progress against these ambitions.

The East Lammermuir Community Development Officer role has been created in response to this need. It will provide dedicated capacity to coordinate delivery, align funding and partnerships, and ensure that community priorities are progressed in a structured, collaborative, and impactful way.

Partners in Advocacy has been delivering independent advocacy services since 1998 and is recognised as a trusted and established independent advocacy provider across Scotland.

We are pleased to offer an opportunity to join our Edinburgh Carers service as a Service Coordinator.

This is a rewarding role in a supportive, experienced team, where you will make a genuine difference by providing line management to the team and one-to-one independent advocacy to unpaid adult carers. You will support individuals in having their voices heard, helping them express their views, understand their rights, explore their options, and participate in decisions that affect their lives.

The role involves travelling throughout Edinburgh to meet people in a range of community and other settings. Travel expenses are covered, and you will be supported to plan your work in a way that is both effective and sustainable.

Working closely with the Service Manager for Edinburgh & The Lothians, you will help maintain accurate service data and support the development of service reports, helping demonstrate the impact of advocacy.

This is a role that offers a high degree of autonomy, alongside regular support, supervision, and opportunities to connect with colleagues across the organisation.

We warmly encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds. If your skills and experience align with the job description and person specification, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Please complete the application form, providing examples of how you meet each aspect of the job description and person specification.

Partners in Advocacy is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible working environment.

What the role is really like

• Your work will be team-focussed, in terms of practice and outcomes, though you’ll need to feel comfortable working independently at times, managing your own diary and priorities.
• You will provide one-to-one support and supervision to your team colleagues.
• Your work will support unpaid adult carers in Edinburgh who, in turn, are supporting a family member who may have mental health needs or other additional support requirements.
• Your days will vary from supporting someone in a meeting, to travelling across Edinburgh, to completing case notes at home.
• Some situations can be complex or emotionally demanding, and good professional boundaries are essential.
• You’ll need to be able to understand complex information and processes, translate them in the context of your advocacy partners’ needs, helping them to understand their rights and explore their options.
• You’ll need to be comfortable making decisions and working proactively, while staying connected to your wider team.
• You’ll be speaking to professionals and others in a range of settings, communicating, and amplifying your advocacy partners’ opinions and wishes.
• You’ll record, track, and compile statistical and other information, writing it into tracking spreadsheets, Microsoft Word forms and creating anonymised case studies.

You’ll be a good fit if you:

• Are comfortable working autonomously and managing your own workload whilst recognising and reacting to the needs and development of your team colleagues
• Have recent line management experience and value high-quality, person-centred people management
• Can recognise the right times to check in with your line manager
• Have good planning skills and are punctual
• Can build trust with people and communicate clearly in a range of situations
• Are organised and able to balance direct work and administrative responsibilities
• Have good writing and IT skills
• Are confident travelling independently across Edinburgh
• Value equality, diversity, human-rights, and person-led support
• Can research, read, and understand complex information, then translate it and explain it in clear terms

Are you passionate about making a difference to the lives of young people? Do you want a flexible, varied and meaningful job in a supportive team? Do you value great employee benefits such as generous holidays and an annual training budget? Apply to join us!

Bridges Project is a leading youth work charity that helps young people aged 12-25 in East Lothian and Midlothian overcome challenges and adapt to adulthood. Since 1984, we have helped young people develop their life skills, improve their educational attainment and move into employment or further education. Join our team and take pride inspiring young people!

We have a vacancy for a Support Worker to deliver a support programme to young people aged 13 – 21 from East Lothian who are experiencing a wide range of challenges including family poverty and family substance use.

The successful candidate will:

• Support young people in areas such as reducing social isolation and improving mental health
• Provide mentoring support to young people enabling them to engage in activities within their local communities

This is an exciting position in which the successful candidate will take pride in developing a programme of delivery which will improve the lives of young people in East Lothian.

It is essential that candidates have a full, clean driving licence and constant use of a car. Membership of the PVG scheme will be an essential requirement of the post. A contributory company pension scheme is offered with a 10% employer contribution.

Are you passionate about making a difference to the lives of young people? Do you want a flexible, varied and meaningful job in a supportive team? Do you value great employee benefits such as generous holidays and an annual training budget? Apply to join us!

Bridges Project is a leading youth work charity that helps young people aged 12-25 in East Lothian and Midlothian overcome challenges and adapt to adulthood. Since 1984, we have helped young people develop their life skills, improve their educational attainment and move into employment or further education. Join our team and take pride inspiring young people!

We have a vacancy for an Employability Support Worker to deliver an effective casework and group

work service to young people experiencing a range of challenges such as non-attendance at school,

low attainment, lack of confidence, poor mental health and family poverty.

The successful candidate will:

• Support young people to gain employability skills, life skills and accreditation; helping them in to work, apprenticeships, further education, training, work experience and volunteering
• Provide training to groups of young people alongside individual support to address particular barriers

This is an exciting position in which the successful candidate will take pride in developing a programme of delivery which will provide young people with clear pathways to positive destinations.

It is essential that candidates have a full, clean driving licence and constant use of a car. Membership of the PVG scheme will be an essential requirement of the post. A contributory company pension scheme is offered with a 10% employer contribution.

Ark is a major provider of Housing, Care and Support to people with long term and enduring conditions such as learning disabilities, mental health issues, dementia and autism.

Ark supports people to live independently in their own homes providing everything from a few hours a week social and life admin support to 24/7 care supporting with personal care, medication, household tasks, attending appointments and leisure activities.

We have lots of opportunities across Scotland for our Support Worker roles. As we provide full training no previous is experience is required.

If you are enthusiastic about supporting people to live their best lives, then apply now to join our team!

Your main duties will include but not be limited to:

• Working with colleagues as part of an effective and efficient team to support vulnerable people.
• Communicate and work well with our supported people to provide individual care and maintain appropriate relationships.
• Being responsible in supporting individuals throughout the activities, giving positive feedback and encouragement.
• Updating and maintaining accurate records using a tablet on Arks Information Management system.

Previous experience of the following is an advantage but not essential as Ark will provide full training: Care Worker, Social worker, Home Carer, Case Worker, Care Assistant, Autism Support Worker, Personal Care Assistant , Social Care Worker.

View our job outline, find out what you working week could look like and hear from our current Support Workers on Arks website arkha.org.uk/work-with-us

Why Ark?

• No Previous Experience Required - Ark provide full training so no previous experience is required making our Support Worker roles the perfect place to start your career in Adult Social Care.
• Get a qualification while you work - Ark fully fund your SVQ2 in Health & Social Care which you complete with the support of our in house SVQ team.
• Employee Discounts - Employee Discounts Portal with 1000s of discounts on your favourite brands including Supermarkets, Cinema Tickets, Gym Membership and Holidays.
• Career Progression -Over 75% of all Managers within Care & Support have been promoted internally.
• Employee Assistance Program - Arks Employee Assistance program (EAP) gives all employees access to counselling sessions. There is also support available through weekly webinars and the EAP Website & App.
• Contracted hours to suit you-We have Full-time, Part-time and Relief Support Worker roles available at our services throughout Scotland.

In return for your valuable contribution, Ark will also offer you:

• Up to 36 days paid holiday per year pro rata
• 4% Contributory pension scheme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Fully funded PVG & 1st year SSSC registration paid by Ark

Our employees told us in a recent survey that they stay with Ark because they believe in our values, we have supportive managers who continually appreciate their staff and they love making a positive difference in our supported peoples lives, helping them to achieve their dreams.

Ark would love to hear from you whether you are an experienced Support Worker or new to Social Care.