Charity registered in Scotland SC004387
Top job! Chief Executive Officer
- Full time
- £53,000 – £55,000
- Hybrid: Edinburgh
- Closing 3rd June 2026
Because every child deserves a fair start in life.
At Home-Start Edinburgh, we believe in the power of early intervention and the life-changing potential of strong, nurturing relationships. We're here for families with young children in Edinburgh facing challenging circumstances—whether it’s isolation, mental health struggles, or financial insecurity. Our skilled volunteers work alongside these families, empowering them to thrive. Now, we’re looking for a Chief Executive Officer to join our dedicated team and help us continue delivering this vital mission.
About the Role
The CEO is responsible for implementing our strategic plan, which enables support to over 400 families a year through 1:1 and group work support. You will manage a team of staff and work collaboratively with partners to ensure families in Edinburgh get the right support at the right time. You will also work alongside Home-Start Edinburgh’s trustees to ensure the organisation is well governed, and participate in the Home-Start network both within Scotland and the UK.
What You’ll Do
- Lead a supportive yet purposeful team of staff and volunteers, which enables them to perform at their best
- Develop relationships within the sector to enable Home-Start to be part of an ecosystem of support for families
- Ensure the charity is operationally well managed
- Work with the Board of Directors to support strategic governance
- Collaborate with Home-Start network, following systems and processes to ensure Home-Start Edinburgh performs at its best
What You Bring
We’re looking for someone with:
- Knowledge and experience of charity leadership
- Knowledge and experience of the early years sector
- A flexible and adaptable personality that can respond to business needs as they arise
- A consistent and reliable work ethic
Why Join Home-Start Edinburgh?
At Home-Start Edinburgh, we believe:
- Early childhood matters. Healthy development – from conception to infancy and beyond - provides the foundation for future learning, behaviour and health. It is the launchpad for a child to become a happy and well-functioning adult.
- Empowerment and enjoyment are key. Families thrive when parents feel confident, have nurturing relationships with their children, and the whole family can experience the joy of life together.
- Needs-based and responsive support. We listen to families and provide flexible support based on their needs and challenges. No two families are the same and we work to address individual needs and support families as long as they need us.
- We believe in the power of relationships. Our volunteers support nurturing relationships in the families they support, and we work in partnership with others who share our values and our vision.
You’ll be part of a small, mission-driven team with the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution. We’re proud of the impact we make together and we want someone who shares our belief that childhood can’t wait.
Home-Start Edinburgh is looking for a relationship-driven, proactive and commercially minded Corporate Partnerships Manager to help grow income and impact through businesses across Edinburgh.
This is an exciting opportunity to build and shape a corporate partnerships function with real scope to influence how the role develops. We are looking for someone who can identify opportunities, open doors, build trust and convert conversations into meaningful support for families with young children.
The role will focus strongly on new business: building a robust pipeline, developing compelling propositions, securing new supporters and leading the rollout of our Friends of Edinburgh scheme as an accessible route for local businesses to get involved. Over time, as new partners come on board, the role will also grow into a broader account management and partnership growth portfolio.
About Home-Start Edinburgh
Home-Start Edinburgh supports families with young children through challenging times. Through compassionate, non-judgemental support, we help parents build confidence, strengthen relationships and create more stable foundations for family life.
We want more businesses in Edinburgh to feel connected to that mission - not simply as donors, but as local partners helping families in their own city. This role will be central to making that happen.
What you will do
- Develop and deliver a practical corporate partnerships plan focused on new income growth.
- Build and manage a strong pipeline of prospects across Edinburgh’s business community.
- Create and pitch compelling partnership opportunities for businesses of different sizes and types.
- Lead the development and rollout of Friends of Edinburgh as part of our wider new business approach.
- Secure new support through partnerships, sponsorship, employee fundraising, volunteering, events, gifts in kind and other relevant routes.
- Build excellent relationships with supporters and, over time, help grow and deepen those partnerships.
Who we are looking for
- Someone with experience in corporate fundraising, business development, sales, account management, sponsorship or partnerships.
- Someone who is confident building relationships externally and can combine warmth, credibility and persistence.
- Someone who enjoys creating opportunities from scratch and is comfortable working strategically as well as hands-on.
- Someone who can write and speak persuasively, tailor approaches to different audiences and keep momentum in a varied pipeline.
- Someone who is motivated by purpose and excited by the chance to help shape a growing area of work.
You do not need to come from the charity sector to apply.
We know excellent partnership-builders can come from a range of backgrounds. If you have experience winning business, managing clients, developing sponsorship or building commercial relationships - and you are motivated by the chance to use those skills for a strong local cause - we would love to hear from you.
Why join us
- A genuine opportunity to build and shape this area of work.
- Flexible working of 20 hours per week.
- A values-led organisation making a visible difference to families in Edinburgh.
- A role that combines autonomy, creativity, relationship-building and social impact.
- The chance to create something sustainable and locally rooted.
Terms
- Salary: £38,000 FTE, pro rata for 20 hours per week.
- Location: Edinburgh / hybrid, with local travel for meetings and events.
- This post is subject to Home-Start Edinburgh’s safer recruitment processes.