- Advertised from 19th February 2021
Role
Background
Garvald West Linton is an established charitable organisation based in the Borders providing residential care, creative work opportunities and further education for thirty-five adults with learning disabilities. Garvald also offers day placements for adults with learning disabilities who live locally.
Our Ethos
Life and work at Garvald is based on the Rudolf Steiner principles of curative education and social therapy. Through working with these principles Garvald aim to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the individuals in our care.
The role of The Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees is collectively responsible for the governance and strategic direction of Garvald. It is responsible for receiving money from local authorities and donors, safeguarding it and ensuring that it is used for meeting Garvald objectives as stated in its articles of association. The Trustee Board must always act in the best interests of Garvald. The Trustees must act as a group and not as individuals. Although the role is unpaid, Trustees have the opportunity to significantly contribute towards an important and well-regarded service for people with learning disabilities.
We are now seeking new directors to join our board and looking for enthusiastic and dynamic individuals with a range of skills and experience. These include business/professional skills in PR/marketing, legal, property/estates management as well as individuals with senior management experience within the social care sector.
Application notes
If you would like to apply, please send your CV along with the cover letter to info@garvaldwestlinton.org.uk Alternatively, get in touch for an informal discussion with Robert Crichton, CEO, Tel no 01968 682211 Email: robertcrichton@garvaldwestlinton.org.uk, and/or Craig Allardice, Chair, Tel no 07739 638 907, Email: craig.allardice@btinternet.com.
We are also happy to arrange to meet with you to discuss the work of Garvald and of the Board.
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Top job! Chief Executive Officer
- Full time
- Circa £75,000
- Hybrid: Edinburgh
- Closing 23rd January 2026
Garvald Edinburgh is a long-established Scottish charity supporting adults with learning disabilities through creative day opportunities, workshops, community participation, and public-facing social enterprise activities. Rooted in the principles of social therapy inspired by Rudolf Steiner, Garvald places creativity, respect, rhythm, individuality, and community at the centre of personal development.
The organisation exists to offer adults with learning disabilities meaningful opportunities to develop skills, confidence, and a sense of belonging, achieved through purposeful creative work, strong community integration, and innovative social enterprise.
Operating across multiple sites in Edinburgh, Garvald employs approximately 180 staff and has an annual turnover of over £4.5 million. The organisation is entering a period of important development, guided by a multi-year strategic plan that includes organisational review, enhancing financial stability, facilities planning, digital transformation, and the continued growth of social enterprise activity. This is a pivotal moment in Garvalds history, offering the opportunity to shape the organisation’s future while strengthening its values-driven culture.
The Board of Trustees is seeking a Chief Executive Officer to lead Garvald through this next phase. The CEO will provide strategic, operational, cultural, and organisational leadership, ensuring that Garvald continues to deliver high-quality, ethical, and person-centred services across all sites.
Reporting to the Chair and supported by a strong Senior Management Team, the CEO will shape and implement long-term strategy, embed a distributed leadership model, oversee financial sustainability, and strengthen governance, compliance, and risk management. They will also act as the organisation’s principal ambassador, building and nurturing relationships with commissioners, funders, partners, staff, members, and families.
The successful candidate will be someone who can hold complexity without losing clarity, lead change without compromising care, and inspire confidence and trust through their presence, integrity, and values-led approach. You will be confident in leading a large, multi-site organisation, with a strong understanding of regulation, finance, workforce dynamics, and governance. You will have experience of strategic leadership, organisational change, and financial sustainability, alongside the ability to engage effectively with all stakeholders—from trustees and commissioners to staff, members, and families.
Above all, the next CEO will be someone who combines strategic rigour with emotional intelligence, humility, and steadiness. You will be capable of setting direction, making difficult decisions, and developing innovation, while remaining grounded in Garvald’s values and the principles of social therapy.
This is a rare opportunity to lead a respected, innovative, and values-driven organisation at a transformative moment, ensuring that Garvald Edinburgh continues to be a place where adults with learning disabilities can reach their fullest potential and make a lasting contribution to the wider community.
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Deputy Service Manager – Hawick Services
- Full time or Part time
- £37,000
- Hybrid: Hawick
- Closing 4th January 2026
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated, compassionate, and experienced leader to join our team as a Deputy Service Manager at Streets Ahead – Hawick Services.
If you're passionate about person-centred care, thrive in a varied role where no two days are the same, and enjoy supporting teams to provide high-quality care to individuals with Learning Disabilities, we’d love to hear from you!
About the Role
You will bring strong organisational skills and experience in leading staff teams across multiple sites and within the community in Hawick. Working closely with the management team across both our West and East services, you will take the lead on key areas including:
- Quality assurance
- Care planning
- Risk management
- Change management & continuous improvement
You’ll inspire, motivate, and support your team to embrace new ways of working and implement improvements identified through our quality assurance programme.
Work–Life Balance
At Streets Ahead, we truly value the wellbeing of our staff. We want you to enjoy a positive work–life balance, which is why we offer:
- Hybrid working options
- Flexible working days and times to suit your lifestyle while meeting service needs
Key Benefits
Joining Streets Ahead means access to a generous range of rewards and opportunities:
- Hybrid Working Policy
- Company pension scheme with 6% employer contributions
- Pay review on completion of the probationary period
- 30 days annual leave
- Free PVG registration
- Company sick pay scheme
- Long service awards
- Opportunity to gain SVQ Level 4 in Health & Social Care and Care Service Leadership & Management, plus further development opportunities
- Free access to wellbeing, health, counselling & legal support for you and dependants under 18
- Death in service scheme
- Bike to Work scheme
- Shopping & services discounts
- Workplace wellbeing app
Senior Support Worker
- Full time
- £30,962 – £32,945
- On site: West Lothian – Across Bathgate & Livingston
- Closing 4th January 2026
Are you looking to take the next step in your social care career in 2026?
Then Autism Initiatives wants to hear from you!
We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Support Worker to join our West Lothian Housing Support Services team.
The Senior Support Worker (SSW) will support the management team in developing and maintaining the organisation’s standards relating to autism specific, person centred practices and implementation of the service development plan. Liaising with the organisation’s practice support team, the SSW will assist in the preparation of support and communication plans, ensuring consistent practices throughout support networks.
Benefits of working with us include:
- Competitive Salary
- Sleepover rate paid at £12.60 per hour
- 31 days Annual Leave Entitlement, including bank holidays
- Ongoing Learning & Development throughout your role
- Opportunity to undertake relevant SVQ qualification
- Career Progression Opportunities
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Auto-enrolment pension scheme
- Medicash Healthcare Plan & eligibility to become a Blue Light Card Member for online & high street discounts
The Senior Support Worker will assist in the supervision and direction of the staff team and in maintaining the high standards of support in line with the organisation’s quality standards and mission statement. Knowledge of current legislation and regulations relating to the social care sector and the requirements of the Care Inspectorate is essential for this role. The post holder will also be expected to commit to on-call duties.
Given the nature of this role, successful applicants must register with the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme and Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) or equivalent regulatory body.
This is a truly rewarding role, with the opportunity for you to develop your skills and knowledge and fulfil your career aspirations.
Chair of Finance and Personnel Committee
- Management Board
- Unpaid
- Hybrid: Edinburgh (In person and online. 6 meetings a year)
- Closing 2nd February 2026
Background
Ecas is seeking to recruit a new chair for its Finance and Personnel Committee (F&PC). This role is a unique opportunity to contribute your financial expertise to a charity that has been supporting adults with physical disabilities for over 100 years.
Ecas is an Edinburgh-based charity and works to improve the quality of life of physically disabled people across Edinburgh and Lothian: promoting equality, choice and participation through our activities, befriending service, and grants fund.
As the charity is largely self-financed from income from its own investment portfolio (worth circa £4.5m), it provides Ecas the freedom to deliver its services in a way that works best for our service users. Latest impact stats here.
Role
The purpose of the F&PC is to advise the Board on the investment of Ecas’ assets and oversee implementation of the Board’s strategic policies relating to finance, personnel and health & safety. The focus of the F&PC and Board is to continue the policy of maximising benefit to disabled people whilst keeping expenditure under control.
As Chair of the committee, you will play a key role in overseeing the charity’s finances, including the management accounts, annual audit, budget, and investments. You will be responsible for reviewing the draft F&PC meeting papers prepared by the Chief Executive. The Chair of the F&PC will also be a Director (trustee) appointed by the Board.
This is a voluntary role that requires attendance at three F&PC meetings and three Board meetings a year. Occasional ad hoc meetings may be required. In-person attendance preferred for F&PC meetings.
Person Specification
Ecas is looking for someone who:
- Has experience in finance, accounting, auditing procedures, and investments.
- Has good communication skills and an ability to think strategically.
- Is passionate about using their expertise to support people with physical disabilities across Edinburgh and Lothian.
- Is committed to Ecas’ mission statement.
We value diversity, promote equality and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds.
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