Are you passionate, enthusiastic and motivated to support women who have touched the criminal justice system? We are looking for the right person to deliver our services which will support the women as they gain qualifications, work experience, life skills and have the opportunity to raise their self-esteem and confidence. You will be part of a team which deliver a suite of programmes which includes: Making Positive Changes, our highly successful training programme; RISE our mentoring programme, Health & Wellbeing workshops and our work experience opportunities where the women join us on our regular production days.

Equally important to what we do is how we do things. Your role will be perhaps the first experience potential referrers and the women have of the organisation so how you represent the organisation is vital. It is likely you have existing connections to organisations who engage with women who have touched the justice system, both statutory and in the third sector, across Scotland. As you will also provide support directly to the women in preparation for them attending our services, you are likely to have existing experience of working with women too. This is a new and exciting role where relationship building is at the heart and you will have the opportunity to demonstrate and grow your relationship building skills and represent an organisation that is respected across the sector. In doing your job well you will be making a real difference in the world and be supporting women who have touched the justice system to move on with their lives and fulfil their potential.

Liking chocolate is a bonus, what is more important is that you have the knowledge, skills and experience: want to work in a positive learning environment and are empathic with our values and team spirit. We are particularly keen to hear from you. if you have lived experience of the justice system

The organisation

Positive Changes (Scotland) CIC is an organisation which supports women who have touched the Scottish criminal justice system towards making positive changes in their lives and reaching their potential. We use the vehicle of making and selling exquisite chocolates, branded Grace Chocolates changing lives to engage with the women and generate revenue. 100% of profits are reinvested to support our services.

By engaging with us the women have the opportunity to gain work experience, write a Personal Development Plan, improve their CV and gain workplace skills which will help lower barriers they face when looking for fulfilling employment, which for many is an aspiration. Each woman is encouraged to develop their own Personal Development Plan to help her set goals and aims which is her pathway towards fulfilling work. The women are involved in all aspects of the making and selling the chocolates and our customers include: individuals for gifts and treats; weddings; corporate organisations for serving and giving as gifts to their clients; restaurants and event companies; and other Public Sector organisations for gifts and serving to their guests.

This post is initially funded until December 2024 with the intention that it will become a longer-term position. This is not guaranteed and is subject to funding.

The Role

The successful applicant will be a core member of our team with responsibility for providing a professional, flexible and responsive service building relationships with potential referrers and the women themselves while contributing to the effectiveness and efficiency of the organisation as a whole.

Key responsibilities and duties include, but are not limited to:

• Building relationships with referral organisations, including: Scottish Prison Service, local authority social justice teams and other agencies.
• Attending referrers/potential referrers team meetings either in person or online, ensuring they have the information they need to allow the referrer and woman to make an informed decision regarding the suitability of our services.
• Attending events, alone or with a colleague, to raise awareness and the profile of the organisation.
• Keeping in touch with referrers telling them of forthcoming services and the referral process.
• Bringing down barriers to enable the women to access our services e.g. providing coaching to enable the women to access online workshops, meeting them at the train/bus station, welcoming them to our production facility and introducing other members of the team.
• Keeping in touch with women who were less engaged or at risk of losing touch.
• Provide additional support for the women who engage with our services e.g. signpost and refer to other agencies.
• Work with colleagues to best meet the needs of the women we support.
• Contributing feedback to enrich our reports and updates to stakeholders.
• Providing timely and regular updates on our systems.

Our Team

Our team includes: staff, Board members and volunteers, each with clearly defined roles, responsibilities and duties to undertake within and across the organisation. Their collective talent, skills and strengths means that we deliver a high-quality learning and training experience which is governed and managed effectively.

We place great value and importance on our peer to peer, mentoring and shared learning; our ability to communicate effectively and on our abilities, systems and processes and our partners to support us in our work. Our aim to set a high standard of practice in everything we do.

You are likely to be working within the Public or Third Sector and have experience of working with women within the criminal justice system. Knowledge of similar services which support women in Scotland are an additional asset and you will already have a network of contacts with referral agencies. We make chocolates throughout the week, as the need arises. You may have a passion for chocolates but what is more important is your passion to support the women we work with, flexibility and a real can-do attitude.

We are a growing team who work well together to support the women. Your contribution will be as a valuable member and enhancement of that team. We encourage positive learning using self-reflection to problem solve and learn from our mistakes. As a result we have a harmonious working environment and it’s a pleasure to be involved each day.

The kind of person we are looking for:

• Is passionate about our ethos, goals and aims of the organisation
• Is keen to help support the women we work with on their journey towards fulfilling their potential
• Has incredible relationship building skills
• Is organised and efficient
• Is willing to work as a member of the team
• Is willing to pitch in, has a “can do” attitude and to go the extra mile
• Is willing to adapt to our positive learning work ethos
• Is reliable with integrity and passion

Skills and experience:

Required

• Has incredible, demonstrable relationships building skills
• Has an existing network of contacts within the Scottish Prison Service, local authority social justice teams and other agencies
• Has experience of delivering presentations to an audience both online and in person.
• Is reliable with excellent time keeping skills
• Has experience of capturing and recording service delivery
• Has proficient Microsoft Office skills.

Desirable

• Has experience of trauma informed practises
• Has experience of working with women within the Scottish criminal justice system

The closing date for applications is 9am Monday, 22nd January 2024.

If you are interested in this role we want to hear from you.

While your CV is helpful we really want to know what skills and experience you have that makes you right for this role. Please tell us why we should appoint you to the role in a covering letter, no more than 2 sides of A4 and email to joyce@gracechocolates.co.uk. We will only review applications with both a CV and a covering letter.

We encourage applications from all sectors of the community regardless of age, race, religion, sexual orientation as we are an Equal Opportunities employer. We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of the criminal justice system with the appropriate skills and experience.

All applications which include both a CV and covering letter will be acknowledged.

Successful written applications will be invited to interview after which the successful candidate will be advised and the role offered with an anticipated February start date.