Better Lives Partnership

Better Lives Partnership exists to help young people with additional support needs find their place in the world.

Since 2016 we have supported in the region of 100 young people offering accredited training in work-related skills helping them find fulfilment as contributors to the greater good in a wide range of salaried and voluntary roles.

We are proud of our achievements to date and now seek an accomplished leader to guide the organisation through the next phase of long-term growth and development.

The Board is looking for a dynamic and innovative person to develop the organisation across all its sites. The person will be a good leader with an effective interpersonal style. Governance experience in a charitable setting is important. The person will be a good communicator with a high level of people management skills. They will be highly motivated, able to prioritise and manage their workload within the time available. Access to a car is essential since the position will cover wide areas of rural Dumfries and Galloway.

Purpose of the Role

Reporting to the Board of Trustees and accountable for the full range of senior management responsibilities within a SCIO, your success will be measured on your ability to achieve:

• Consistently exceptional outcomes for the young people we support.
• Fulfilment, development, personal & professional growth for our team.
• Resilience, flexibility and the freedom to expand and develop as an organisation.

Main Areas of Responsibility:

• To promote and refresh the Vision and Aims of the Organisation.
• To provide Leadership and oversee Governance.
• To promote a culture of Continuous Quality Improvement.
• To develop relationships and networks, locally and nationally.
• To report regularly to the Board.

This is a great opportunity for a person with experience of the Third Sector, education, employability or working with young people to be at the forefront of exciting developments in Dumfries and Galloway.

This post is subject to the regulations of working with vulnerable children and adults and the successful applicant will be required to obtain a PVG certificate.

Better Lives Partnership is committed to creating and sustaining a positive and inclusive working environment for our employees. Our aim is to ensure that employees are equally valued and respected and that our organisation is representative of all members of society. We define diversity as valuing everyone as an individual – we value our employees, job applicants, young people, staff members, associates and visitors as people. This is reflected within our values.

Better Lives Partnership acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard, protect and promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice and Disclosure Scotland requirements.

The Scottish Crannog Centre, a renowned museum and heritage site, is seeking a Deputy CEO to work closely with the CEO in supporting the organisation’s mission and strategic goals. This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of a dynamic heritage site, ensuring smooth operations while deepening connections with visitors and the wider community.

We are looking for a collaborative leader with expertise in the museum, visitor attraction, or third-sector industries. The ideal candidate will provide strong operational support to the CEO, helping to deliver high-quality programmes and projects while fostering a positive and nurturing environment for staff.

What You’ll Do

• Support the CEO in strategic and operational leadership, ensuring effective delivery of organisational goals.
• Inspire and manage teams, promoting productivity, well-being, and professional development.
• Develop and oversee audience engagement initiatives, particularly with under-represented groups.
• Assist in driving fundraising efforts, securing grants and sponsorships, and managing funded projects.
• Collaborate with curators to ensure accreditation and oversee collections management.
• Manage budgets and resources to maintain financial stability.
• Ensure high standards of governance, compliance, and ethical practice.
• Lead efforts to integrate equality, diversity, and inclusion throughout the organisation.

What We’re Looking For

• Leadership experience in the museum, visitor attraction, or third sector.
• Strong team management, project oversight, and audience engagement skills.
• Proven success in fundraising and financial management.
• Knowledge of collections management and accreditation processes.
• Excellent leadership, strategic thinking, and decision-making abilities.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders.

LEADING A STRONG NATIONAL CHARITY

Shared Parenting Scotland (SPS) is the expert voice in Scotland promoting parenting arrangements after separation that benefit children by trying to ensure that both parents remain fully involved in their lives.

Our telephone helpline and support meetings across Scotland help parents to stay involved after separation and provide information and support about all forms of dispute resolution including mediation, legal negotiation and court action. Each support meeting is attended by a family lawyer. Around a thousand parents contact these services every year or make use of our WhatsApp closed group chats which offer support 24/7.

Our training programme delivers two innovative programmes for separated parents.

New Ways For Families® helps parents to avoid high conflict behaviour, strengthens their abilities to make parenting decisions and communicate with their ex-partner and helps them rely less on experts and the courts to make decisions for them and their children. It is licensed by the High Conflict institute to SPS for delivery throughout the UK and we have recruited a team of freelance coaches.

Love, Loss and Living was developed by SPS in partnership with psychotherapist Jan Montgomery. It helps parents who are not seeing their children to understand and manage the grief and stress. It is now being delivered through a mixture of online course material and online or face-to-face group support sessions.

We also work to influence statutory and voluntary organisations to remove barriers to shared parenting and support parents to reach agreement rather than fight each other in court. We meet regularly with civil servants and MSPS across a range of departments and are the secretary to the Cross Party Group on Shared Parenting at the Scottish Parliament We publish a range of guides on different aspects of family law, courts and other shared parenting issues. Every summer we have hosted a student intern who undertakes a project supporting our work, such as a study of the views of young people on how parental separation affected them (Sharing My Parents), a review of developments in family courts in various countries (Learning from Abroad). In 2024 our student has worked on improving the accessibility of information about family court and dispute resolution processes and developed some new information sheets and videos for us.

We have built up links with other shared parenting organisations across the world and presented papers about our work at international conferences of the International Council on Shared Parenting and the Association of Family And Conciliation Courts.

BUILDING ON FIFTEEN YEARS OF GROWTH

The charity has been operating on a volunteer basis in Scotland for a long time, but was formalised as the Scottish project of Families Need Fathers when funding was obtained in 2010 to open a Scottish office. Families Need Fathers Scotland was registered as a separate charity and has operated independently of Families Need Fathers since 2012. The name of the charity was changed to Shared Parenting Scotland in 2020.

The current national manager Ian Maxwell and Policy Manager John Forsyth have both worked for the charity since 2010, during which time the staff has grown to six people. The new chief executive will take on the challenge of maintaining and developing the organisation at a time when the need to support separated parents and their families is even greater than in 2010.

Our vision is a Scotland in which the norm after separation will be equal sharing of responsibilities between parents and more support for children after separation.

This is an exciting time to join SPS and lead on the delivery of our training and support programmes.

The Chief Executive provides leadership for the SPS team, promoting our work to funders and stakeholders, working with other sector leaders, and helping shape developments in the sector and wider political environment.

While being an expert in family law or dispute resolution is not an essential requirement, we are looking for a leader who is interested in organisational learning and development and who cares about the outcomes for separated families.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL

We would like to hear from compelling communicators with excellent team leadership skills and the ability to build and maintain stakeholder relationships. Our ideal candidate will also be experienced in financial and strategic planning with the ability to identify opportunities for SPS to develop, thrive and continue to innovate in the years ahead. Direct experience of one or more of the main areas of work (helpline, training delivery and policy work) is necessary although it does not need to be directly related to co-parenting or family breakdown.

We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds, including experienced managers who may be considering a CEO role for the first time.

Post Overview

The purpose of the job is to:

• Overall management of the charity, line management of staff and work with trustees.
• While the following points relate to oversight of the various working areas, within a small staff team the chief executive will also be required to take part in service delivery where necessary, to obtain or enhance an understanding of the issues faced by the people using our services.
• Financial oversight: manage existing grant funding and apply for additional grants and other funding. Preparation of annual accounts information for auditor and oversight of ongoing administration of charity income and expenditure.
• Policy oversight: work to advance the policy aims of the charity. These currently include involvement in implementation of parts of the 2020 Children (Scotland) Act, provision of better early support for separating parents including dispute resolution outside court, equality issues affecting separated parents and faster, cheaper and less complex family court processes.
• Training Oversight: manage the staff who are developing and delivering training programmes and the partnership/franchising arrangements with training agencies such as the High Conflict Institute.
• Helpline and Personal Support oversight: oversee the work of the Helpline and Support team members. Ensure that the published and online information produced by the charity is maintained and developed and the appropriate activity and outcome statistics and case studies are maintained.
• Promotion and Publicity oversight: oversee the work of the Digital Marketing and Communication Manager and any external consultants, including review of usage statistics.

ReTweed is a pioneering and award-winning social enterprise based in the fishing town of Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders. They offer women a new way to think about their futures by investing in their skills and confidence. In an extremely supportive environment, women can enjoy learning new skills, build new connections, find new ways to express themselves and increase their self-belief, encouraging them to move forward in their life’s journey.

What will you do as Chief Officer?

BTA is excited to present an outstanding opportunity to join ReTweed as Chief Officer.

The Chief Officer will lead ReTweed into its next phase of growth and development. As the Chief Officer, you will be responsible for providing visionary leadership, managing operations, and driving our strategic objectives. You will work closely with the Board of Trustees to ensure the charity’s mission is effectively communicated and implemented while engaging with the community, stakeholders, and partners to promote our initiatives and values.

Key responsibilities include:

• Strategic Leadership – Develop and implement the charities strategic plan, ensuring alignment with the mission and values. Lead the organisation in identifying opportunities for growth and innovation.
• Board Engagement – Collaborate with the Board of Trustees, providing regular updates and insights on organisational performance, challenges, and strategic initiatives.
• Operational Management – Oversee the daily operations of ReTweed, ensuring efficient and effective delivery of programs and services. Implement policies and procedures that promote operational excellence.
• Financial Oversight – Manage the charities finances, including budgeting, financial planning, and reporting. Ensure compliance with funding requirements and maintain effective relationships with funders and stakeholders.
• Team Leadership – Lead, motivate, and develop a diverse team of staff and volunteers. Develop a positive organisational culture that encourages collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Community Engagement – Build and maintain relationships with local communities, stakeholders, and partners to enhance ReTweeds visibility and impact. Advocate for the charity’s mission and values within the community and beyond.

What does ReTweed need from you?

Essential Criteria:

• Female Only Candidates – This role is designated for female candidates only, in line with our commitment to diversity and the specific needs of the communities we serve.
• Strategic Leader Experience – Proven experience in strategic leadership, with the ability to develop and implement long-term plans that drive organisational growth.
• Experience Working with the Board – Significant experience collaborating with a board of directors, facilitating effective governance and strategic decision-making.
• 4+ Years Managerial Experience – A minimum of four years of managerial experience, demonstrating strong leadership and team management capabilities.
• Knowledge of Funding Mechanisms and Processes – Familiarity with various funding sources, grant writing, and compliance requirements to support the charity’s financial sustainability.
• Passion for the ReTweed Cause – A genuine commitment to the mission of ReTweed, inspiring others to engage with and support our initiatives.
• Change Management – Experience in leading change initiatives, with the ability to manage resistance and communicate effectively with stakeholders throughout transitions.