MYPAS is a charity that provides free and confidential services for children and young people aged 10-21 years old across Midlothian and East Lothian, currently focusing on the key areas of mental health, substance use harm reduction and LGBT+ support. Demand for these services is high and increasing.

We are currently looking for enthusiastic individuals to join our Board to support the governance and strategic leadership of the charity.

We are seeking applications from people from a wide range of backgrounds – including third sector, social and community enterprise, public and private sectors – to bring a diverse mix of skills and experience to the board. We are particularly interested in people who have knowledge and experience in Education, Business, Fundraising, Public Sector, Charitable Sector, Planning and project development; and Leadership and change management.

If your experience looks a little different, but you think you can bring value to our Board, we’d like to learn more about you.

Previous experience of being a Board member is not essential as training and mentoring will be available to the successful candidate(s) to develop their skills if necessary.

As a voluntary position, it will not be paid but travel and other expenses for attendance at meetings are reimbursed in line with our policy.

Special conditions:

• The contract will run until 30th of September 2026 (fixed term contract). Extension of the contract will be dependent on continuation funding.
• The post can involve regular evening working.
• Post holders must be able to travel across Midlothian.
• MYPAS will contribute 6% to the company pension scheme
• Access to a 24-hour employee assistance programme with online high street discounts
• The job will be initially on a 3 month probation period. This may be extended.

Role

Responsible for the development of health and wellbeing initiatives within the MYPAS LGBT+ service. This will include delivering:

• Accessible health and wellbeing focused group programmes with LGBT+ young people living or accommodated in Midlothian. The programmes will be young person led and aim to reduce social isolation, improve mental health, increase confidence, resilience and self-esteem
• A platform for LGBT+ young people in Midlothian, through a social action participation group, to be involved in and create local events and initiatives to promote inclusion within the wider LGBT+ community and the wider communities of Midlothian. Initiatives will include engagement with decision makers.

We are looking for someone who has experience of supporting and working with young people in a non-judgmental and empathetic way. A good knowledge and understanding of the issues affecting LGBT+ young people is essential.

There is no specific qualification required; however, the post holder will be expected to be educated to degree level. This should be in a relevant field such as Health, Community Education, Social Work or Education, but significant equivalent experience will also be considered. The post holder will work within a multi-disciplinary service and work effectively with other agencies in partnership settings. This post may require regular evening working.

Special conditions:

• The post is funded until July 2025 (continuation dependent on MYPAS securing further funding)
• The post may involve some evening and occasional weekend working.
• You must be able to travel across Midlothian and East Lothian – if required.

Midlothian Young Peoples Advice Service (MYPAS) promotes the health and wellbeing of young people across East Lothian and Midlothian and currently focuses on working in the areas of mental health and substance use. MYPAS is a community-based organisation with charitable status and based in Dalkeith.

The postholder will be responsible for providing a range of business support functions including fundraising and business development to the Chief Executive, Management Team, the staff team and to the Board, to allow the service delivery teams to provide services that meet the needs of young people. This will include elements of business development, fundraising, communications, marketing, policy development, research and administrative support.

Educated to degree level/equivalent professional qualification or can demonstrate equivalent experience, you will be comfortable working with a wide range of organisations and individuals, have excellent communications skills and able to manage the pressures of working in a swift moving landscape in a service dedicated to improving outcomes for vulnerable young people.

This post may require evening and occasional weekend work.