Duncan Place Community Hub in Leith is looking for up to six volunteer Trustees to make up a board of twelve. We are looking for Trustees willing to share their skills, knowledge and experience, and who can work in a team to ensure good governance and provide strategic direction to the staff team who carry out the day-to-day operations and management.

Trustees should be universally welcoming and supportive of our diverse community.

If you have the following skills and experience, let’s talk:

• Charity management and Development
• Community and Membership Development
• Marketing and Communications
• Social Impact Measurement
• Accountancy / Finance / Investment
• Staff Development

We welcome other skills and experience too and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences who can add value to the organisation.

Duncan Place offers some activities for children. Whilst day to day contact is unlikely, Trustees are involved in safeguarding via policies and procedures, so are therefore required to join the Protecting Vulnerable Group (PVG) Scheme. Duncan Place will organise this at no cost to the Trustee. More details are available here: mygov.scot/pvg-scheme

About Duncan Place Community Hub

Duncan Place Community Hub is a registered charity operating as a social enterprise. Through offering a range of inclusive and low-cost community events, we aim to promote well-being, reduce social isolation, and build social connections in Leith and the surrounding areas.

We also provide affordable office space to organisations making a positive social impact in the area, and hourly room hire for local groups, businesses and individuals.

The organisation has grown from the potential demolition of a very tired council owned community centre, to a fully refurbished hub owned by the charity and serving the people of Leith. The income we generate from tenancies and room hire is used to maintain our building, employ our team at the real living wage, and to subsidise our community events. This innovative model means that the charity is financially healthy, has decent reserves and is able to use funds raised to respond to the communities’ needs without the need to rely on short-term funding.

Our Vision, Mission

Our Vision

Our vision is for a happy healthy community where people are welcomed to take part in what we offer.

Our Mission

Our mission is to promote well-being, reduce social isolation, and build social connections in Leith and the surrounding areas.

We do this through

Offering a range of inclusive and low-cost community events and activities covering a wide range of ages and interests.

Providing affordable office space to organisations making a positive social impact in the area, and hourly room hire for local groups, businesses and individuals.

Generating income from tenancies and room hire to maintain our building, employ our team at the real living wage, and to subsidise our community events.

Our Values

Maintaining Duncan Place Community Hub as a welcoming and inclusive space takes kindness and effort from all of us. We thank all building users for sharing in our values and being part of making it such a great space.

Inclusion: We are committed to creating a space and providing services where everyone feels welcomed, respected, and valued.

Community: The people that use our building, our tenants, room-hirers, staff and visitors are central to all that we do. We are proud to be a part of the diverse and exciting community that is Leith. We will continue to build strong relationships within and outside our organisation to support our community.

Diversity: We celebrate the unique backgrounds and experiences of those that use our community hub.

Wellbeing: We prioritise the health and happiness of all hub users and employees. Physical, mental, social, and emotional health are equally important and underpin the decisions we take.

Making a difference: We strive to create a positive impact on the lives of our members, visitors, employees, tenants and the broader community.

Training Details

Current board members and the chief executive of the charity will provide induction and ongoing support. We will support you to access online training for the role of a charity trustee which is available through Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Council (EVOC) and will explore other training opportunities as required and as budget allows.

About Our Board

We are keen to continue developing the organisation by welcoming up to six new Trustees, bringing fresh eyes with a range of skills, experience and perspectives. New Trustees will join our current board of committed and engaged individuals who have been with the charity for between two to six years. Our current chair is reaching the end of their maximum length of service and will be retiring at the next AGM. The board will be appointed at the AGM (18th June) and then, at the first meeting following the AGM, the board themselves will decide on the office bearing roles. Current trustees have skills in organisational management, facilities management, staff support, strategic planning, policy development, treasury skills, funding and more.

Expected Commitment

There are 8-10 in-person board meetings per year. These are currently monthly on a Thursday evening and approx. 1.5-2hrs long. Following a mission and values day last October we will be progressing through our next phase of growth. The frequency of board meetings will be under review with the intention of reducing the number held each year.

Trustees are expected to attend the board meetings and to also join and contribute to sub-groups to oversee ongoing areas of work in line with their interests and/ or organisational need. Depending upon the area of work, the sub-group can be short lived, medium or longer term. The times of the sub-group meetings are flexible and decided by the sub-group members. We hope that potential candidates will commit to a 3-year term of office, but we are realistic and know that ‘life happens!’

The estimated commitment is 4 to 6 hours per month e.g.

• Reading papers in advance of meetings
• Attending and contributing at meetings
• Progressing action points
• Sub-group commitments

Trustees are expected to be confident and self-sufficient in using digital tools, including email, WhatsApp, shared document platforms (such as SharePoint) and video conferencing (teams/ zoom or similar). Board papers and organisational documents are managed digitally; trustees are expected to access these independently using their own device. This means having reliable access to a laptop, tablet, or similar device capable of running a current web browser and accessing cloud-based platforms. A smartphone alone is unlikely to be sufficient for this purpose.

If you have any concerns about meeting these requirements, please contact us to discuss before applying.

Location/Travel Details

Duncan Place Community Hub, 4 Duncan Place, Leith, EH6 8HW

Expenses

Reasonable travel expenses are available. All other expenses must be agreed prior to spending.

Accessibility Details

Disabled parking space available. Ramp access. Accessible loos. Wide corridors and doors. Lift access to upper floors. Please let us know of any reasonable adjustments needed.

What happens next?

Duncan Place is registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) – a type of charity that is run by and for its members. The constitution specifies the recruitment process.

• Potential trustees should complete the form linked below.
• We will then invite you to an info session with some of our current trustees and register you as a member. (Candidates must be registered as Ordinary Members of Duncan Place in order to stand for election).
• We will share some info on potential Trustees with our members.
• At the AGM, potential Trustees stand for election and are voted for by our members.
• The Trustees provide good governance for the charity and leadership to the team of paid staff.
• The staff carry out the day-to-day operations of running the organisation.

Duncan Place Community Hub are now seeking a Building & Facilites Coordinator; this is a new role working alongside the CEO and our small team of staff. You will be responsible for all planned and reactive maintenance and for compliance with security, health and safety. You will be responsible for high level building maintenance, following guidelines and procedures and, where necessary, you will be working with contractors to plan and organise servicing, maintenance checks and repairs. This is a hands-on role where you use initiative and get stuck in to keep our building running smoothly and presented to a high standard; this includes responding to smaller tasks and urgent issues as they arise, e.g. putting up shelves, unblocking toilets, painting walls & woodwork (including being confident and competent with ladders and heights), litter-picking and generally mucking in with the team to help maintain standards. We are looking for someone who will be proactive in getting tasks completed to a high standard quickly with as little inconvenience to our customers as possible.

You must be motivated, organised, solution focused, hands-on and have excellent record keeping skills. You will be able to supervise and work alongside your team to keep the building well maintained, presented to a high standard, keeping people and resources safe at all times.

We have a wonderful and diverse community of building users and universal acceptance and respect is essential. You are expected to have a degree of flexibility and work with the rest of the team to ensure that all planned and reactive maintenance takes place with the minimum of disruption to tenants and room hirers. Shifts are rota’d in advance, and the weekly hours will include at least one evening per week, at least one weekend day per month and other weekday daytime hours.

Whilst the majority of tasks will be based in Duncan Place Community Hub, occasional hybrid hours are possible.

We are looking for a creative, enthusiastic, and committed Community Events Assistant to support the growing programme of activity in this exciting community owned social enterprise.

The Community Events Assistant will work closely with the Community Engagement Coordinator and other members of the team to plan, promote and deliver a programme of events appealing to our diverse community and to encourage broad community participation and to maximise use of the facilities at Duncan Place Community Hub. You are expected to have a degree of flexibility and work with the rest of the team to ensure that all shifts are covered.

Shifts are rota’d in advance and the weekly hours will include at least one evening per week, at least one weekend day per month and other weekday daytime hours. Work will be based in Duncan Place Community Hub; this is not a hybrid role.

The successful candidate will:

• Support the Community Engagement Coordinator with marketing, communications, planning and delivery of events and activities, including set up & take down and associated admin tasks.
• Ensure everyone coming into Duncan Place Community Hub is warmly welcomed, that rooms are prepared and that the building and its environs are well presented.