Jobs in Pentland Hills, Edinburgh

Our vision is that our youngest children, those aged birth-5, fulfil their right to access arts and creative experiences that give inspiration, joy and wonder to early childhood in Scotland. Our mission is to inspire babies, toddlers and young children by including them in high quality live performances and creative experiences that fulfil their right to access a rich arts and cultural life in Scotland regardless of where they live or their background. Starcatchers offers innovative, beautiful, collaborative arts and creative experiences that babies, toddlers and young children aged birth-5 can share with their parents and carers.Engaging with and participating in these activities brings joy and wonder, fostering the understanding that very young children are creative agents with their own capabilities and voices. Placing the child’s voice at the heart of everything we do also means looking after things that are central to children’s wellbeing. This means making strong choices to actively support diversity and inclusion so that all babies can grow up in a more equal and just society. It also means a commitment to climate action, carbon reduction and new models of sustainable working. Starcatchers was founded to provide our youngest children with the opportunity to experience theatre and the arts. Integral to that was the belief that all children,regardless of their age and stage of development, have a right to access arts and cultural life as outlined in Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child(UNCRC).This belief is unwavering. As Scotland incorporates the UNCRC into domestic law, our resolve to ensure that all our youngest children have access to age-appropriate, quality arts and cultural experiences is reinforced.We believe that Scotland should be the best place in the world to grow up and that Starcatchers, as the National Arts and Early Years Organisation, has an integral role to play in achieving this goal.

Starcatchers General Manager - Primary Purpose

To support the strategic development of the organisation, whilst managing the day-to-day organisational, administrative and financial systems to ensure the smooth operation of company activity.

What’s the job?

We are looking for a welcoming and compassionate individual to join our team as a First Contact Team Member. You’ll be the friendly face of our Advice Hub, the first point of contact for students seeking guidance. Your role is to make every student feel heard, supported, and connected to the right resources. The main parts of the role are:

• Frontline Student Support: Be the first person students meet when they come to the Advice Hub. Your warm welcome, active listening, and helpful attitude will make all the difference in their experience.
• Information and Guidance: Quickly assess what students need, whether it's academic advice, mental health resources, or support with financial challenges. Direct them to the most suitable support services.
• Creating a Positive Atmosphere: Contribute to an inclusive, welcoming environment where students feel comfortable discussing their concerns. Help build a community vibe that encourages students to seek help when they need it.

Ideally, we are looking for someone who is approachable, resourceful, and skilled at making people feel at ease. You should be a great communicator, adaptable, and capable of handling a variety of queries with a positive attitude.

This is a part-time role – working 21 hours per week. There is some flexibility in the hours, although availability on a Monday and Tuesday will be required. There may be occasional weekend work or evening work (for example in Freshers’ Week) but you would be given plenty of notice.

Who are we?

We are Heriot-Watt University Student Union - an independent charity that is run by and for students. While we are a charity we also run trading services (food & drink venues and shop) that aim to make a surplus. We use this surplus to invest in other vital student support services such as advice & support and volunteering.

Ultimately our main goal is to make sure that Heriot-Watt students have THE BEST TIME whilst studying here. Our purpose is clear and simple – to put Students First, Always. We live by five values – we are fun, welcoming, brave, empowering and student focussed.

You’ll join a friendly, hardworking and professional team and have a real opportunity to make a difference to our members – while having some fun along the way. We have a display of staff baby photos in our office, and a gallery of our photocopied faces which we will probably ask you to add to

What do you get?

You will be paid £14,149 (£23,582 FTE). You’ll also get 28 days holiday plus 9 fixed days off (Christmas, New Year, and Easter). Pension available plus you’ll get the rewarding experience of helping students thrive.

More about Dog Aid:

Dog Aid Scotland (DAS) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO). Our premises are based in Edinburgh.

DAS rehomes dogs on a home from home basis. We do not have kennel facilities so ask you to look after the dog until a new home can be found. This means your dog will go straight into its new home alleviating the stress and anxiety a lot of dogs suffer when going into kennels. We provide rehoming, financial assistance, and education to ensure dogs receive the care they deserve.

Our Mission:

• To find loving new homes for dogs which cannot be maintained in their present homes, and which might otherwise be euthanised.

• To give information on every aspect of dog ownership.

• To provide Veterinary Aid for those in need. To help reduce the number of unwanted dogs by providing Neutering Vouchers.

• To encourage responsible dog ownership by providing dog waste disposal bags as part of our Dog Fouling Project.

The DAS Board of Trustees plays a vital role in shaping the charity’s future and ensuring we continue to make a lasting impact. We are seeking a Chair as our current Chairperson steps down at the end of their elected term. Passion for our cause is an absolute must along with having a solid understanding of the role of the Trustee, Good Practice, and Charity Governance. We currently hold 5 meetings per year along with our AGM and some sub committee work. This role also offers support to the CEO. We estimate 4-6 hours per month (over an average per year) which includes some ad hoc events along with the scheduled board meetings.

Hours of work: Average circa 4-6hrs per month. 1 meeting per quarter, AGM, Sub Committee Work and Ad Hoc Events.

About Starcatchers

We champion exceptional, innovative arts and creative experiences for our youngest children, those aged from birth to 5 years old and their parents and carers. The voice, needs and interests of this audience are at the heart of all our activity, providing inspiration and provocation in the development of projects and programmes. Our work is created by highly specialist artists who are attuned to the requirements of making work for and with this unique age group. Supported by nearly 20 years of high-quality work, evidenced through research and evaluation, Starcatchers is recognised around the world as being at the forefront of artistic practice for Early Years.

Primary Purpose

This is a new role within a refreshed Starcatchers Staff Team for 2025/26 and beyond. The post-holder will be pivotal in the development of our Community Engagement activity leading on the implementation of this work, supporting the specialist Starcatchers Artists who lead on delivery, nurturing existing and seeding new relationships within communities and securing funding to sustain activity moving forward.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Community Engagement

• To lead on the development and delivery of all Starcatchers' Community Engagement activity including current programmes
• Seed new activities in line with organisational priorities
• To ensure the implementation of a continuous improvement framework within the team
• To ensure the principles of Starcatchers Voice of the Baby research are embedded and reflected in artistic practice
• To ensure the participation of the babies, young children, parents and carers who engage in Starcatchers activity is evident in all aspects of service delivery
• To develop and maintain relationships with partners to support the delivery andpotential future development of project activity
• To oversee the implementation of research and evaluation surveys across all Community Engagement activity and provide feedback and figures for reporting,evaluation and development purposes
• To manage the Community Engagement budgets and ensure delegated budgets operate within organisational monitoring and reporting arrangements.
• To regularly attend Community Engagement sessions and provide support to delivery staff
• To ensure the Health & Safety policy is implemented in accordance with best practice and all activity is planned to include risk-assessment and compliance with Health and Safety and event management regulations
• To ensure the effective implementation of Starcatchers policies and procedures
• To provide line management support to the Community Engagement Artists

Fundraising

• To identify and apply for funding for Community Engagement programmes, both existing and new initiatives
• To support or lead on reporting to funders as required

General

• To play an active role in the strategic development of Starcatchers as a member of the Management Team
• To fully participate in company meetings and events as required
• To contribute to the on-going fundraising of the organisation as required
• To attend relevant training as and when requiredTo positively represent Starcatchers at eventsAny other duties appropriate to the post and organisation

About Starcatchers

We champion exceptional, innovative arts and creative experiences for our youngest children, those aged from birth to 5 years old and their parents and carers. The voice, needs and interests of this audience are at the heart of all our activity, providing inspiration and provocation in the development of projects and programmes. Our work is created by highly specialist artists who are attuned to the requirements of making work for and with this unique age group. Supported by nearly 20 years of high-quality work, evidenced through research and evaluation, Starcatchers is recognised around the world as being at the forefront of artistic practice for Early Years.

Primary Purpose

To work with the Early Years Development Manager and Artists in the administration, co-ordination and delivery of Starcatchers Early Years Development activity

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

To work with the EYD Manager to support the successful delivery of all Early Years Development activity.

• To liaise with, coordinate and provide information to the Starcatchers Artists and Partners to support the delivery of sessions across a range of programmes and projects.
• To develop and maintain relationships with local authority partners, current and past participants to support the strategic development of Early Years Development activities.
• To administrate the day-to-day running of the Early Years Development activities –including scheduling, contracting, handling enquiries, and tracking income and expenditure.
• To maintain all databases, including participant data, local authority and external partner contacts To support the Evaluation & Marketing Manager and EYD Manager as they develop online resources and training, including using Canva and other design tools. To coordinate evaluation processes and provide feedback and figures for reporting, evaluation and development purposes. To attend practical sessions to gather evaluation and assist with event management. To work with the EYD team to compile robust evaluation reports To edit and transcribe podcast recordings.

General

• To fully participate in company meetings and events as required
• To attend relevant training as and when required
• To positively represent Starcatchers at events
• Any other duties appropriate to the post and organisation

Harmeny Education Trust is a charitable organisation providing therapeutic care and education to children who have experienced early years trauma through abuse, neglect and family disruption, referred from all over Scotland. We currently work with children and young people aged 5-18, both on a day and all-year-round residential basis.

Our core service comprises:

• An education service, which includes an outdoor learning team.

• A care service, with five residential cottages.

• Support services, made up of finance, estates, catering and domestic, fundraising, IT, HR, learning and development, and admin teams.

Children who come to Harmeny often have severe attachment disorders, have suffered some form of early years trauma leading to high levels of anxiety and difficulty in managing their behaviour, as well as a range of complex needs. Through highly therapeutic care and education programmes, we help children to gain the skills and resilience to lead healthy and happy adult lives.

We are registered with the Scottish Social Services Council, General Teaching Council for Scotland, Care Inspectorate, Education Scotland, and The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).

Harmeny is situated in a beautiful 35-acre woodland estate, which includes a community garden, orchard, wildlife habitats, children’s play areas and a mountain bike track. Harmeny is located in Balerno on the outskirts of Edinburgh, at the foot of the Pentland Hills; we are easily accessible by bus and there is ample parking.

We are seeking new Trustees to join the organisation and oversee its governance, and we are particularly keen to find candidates with knowledge and experience in any of the following:

• social work/ residential care;

• digital transformation;

• children and families research;

• therapeutic work with children and young people;

• experience of care growing up directly or indirectly; or

• health, ideally in the area of mental health.

Trustees are expected to prepare for and attend four Board meetings per year. Meetings are ideally in-person, albeit we can accommodate remote attendance as required. Additional meetings may be held for urgent matters that do not fit with the set calendar of meetings.

Trustees are also expected to be involved in other matters, for example to join a sub-committee relevant to their skill set or working group, take part in a recruitment panel, attend Harmeny events or support Harmeny’s work externally. Sub-committees meet in advance of the main meetings for a shorter duration, and are generally conducted virtually.

Harmeny is committed to equality of opportunity and the promotion of diversity, including in relation to its Board. We welcome applications from all parts of society, and we encourage applications from individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds and those who are care-experienced.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a team of Trustees in a friendly organisation making a difference to the lives of some of Scotland’s most remarkable children. Support and mentoring can be provided to the successful candidate, particularly those who may be early in their career and/or lacking experience in acting as a board member. An induction programme will be provided.

A fuller job description and person specification can be found using the link below. Harmeny is a values-led organisation and a good fit with our ethos is as important to us as having relevant experience.

There is no remuneration attached to the role but out-of-pocket expenses will be reimbursed.

If you would like to find out more about this rewarding opportunity, please contact Gavin Calder, Chief Executive, on 0131 449 3938.