About us

The Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland (QNIS) is a small charity making a big difference. QNIS supports, develops and inspires Scotland’s community nurses and midwives to be agents for health improvement and catalysts for social change. We help them develop their wellbeing and commitment to self-care so they can drive positive action to build a healthier, kinder, fairer, greener Scotland.

About the role

The current post holder has been leading QNIS for 10 years and is moving on to take up a new role. For the right person this is a great opportunity to shape the evolution of the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland as it enters a new chapter. As Chief Executive and Nurse Director, you will have the chance to lead the strategic direction of the charity. Working with a group of expert and committed trustees, the postholder will be responsible for the development of a small charitable organisation with a large reputation.

As Chief Executive, the postholder is accountable for the running of the charity, providing leadership and management to the team of 10 staff (6.5 WTE) and the delivery of programmes. They will lead on strategy, vision and values creating a compelling narrative to support income generation. They will nurture and manage relationships with funders and potential funders to enable a sustainable future.

As Nurse Director, the role requires representing the Institute and community nursing/midwifery in strategic forums, bringing professional expertise, good evidence and wisdom to high level discussion.

The post holder is accountable to the Board of Trustees (QNIS Council). They have regular meetings with the Chair and an annual appraisal. The post is full time (37.5 hours), based in our office in central Edinburgh, with scope for flexible working from home. We are offering a salary of £84-90k depending on experience. There is 10% employers’ contribution to a group pension scheme, life cover and 28 days annual leave plus 10 bank holidays and an additional birthday leave day.

About you

A nurse, or midwife, you will be an experienced leader and manager. You will be highly numerate, able to set, monitor and manage financial plans including fundraising. You will be experienced in and knowledgeable about governance, particularly managing risk.

To support and supervise the team, you will be an experienced programme manager; familiar with designing and managing processes, budgets, evaluation and reporting on impact. You will be a highly skilled facilitator of learning and improvement, experienced in creating safe spaces for development. You will bring a range of creative, methodologies for improvement and change.

With a broad and deep knowledge of the health and social care policy landscape of Scotland, you will have a nuanced understanding of the range of issues affecting community nurses and midwives and Scotland’s public health challenges.

You will be highly self-aware and committed to wellbeing and self-care of yourself and others, bringing your own compassionate and creative leadership to setting a healthful workplace culture for the team at QNIS.

For more information about the role and the organisation, please download the Excellence Profile and visit the QNIS website.

The House of Hope will exist to help people in Edinburgh and the surrounding areas. The centre will be a haven away from the outside world where those who are impacted by breast cancer can be who they need to be in a safe space, whilst offering connectivity, support, and friendship.

Cancer is hard and takes its toll on you and those around you. We aim to nurture, improve the quality of life, and enrich the emotional wellbeing of our users by offering sanctuary and support within a home-like environment at a time when they need it most.

You are more than a diagnosis. The service will be designed to be person centred with the voice of the patients and their families at the heart of The House.

The Role:

This is an exciting opportunity to be responsible for leading the launch, growth and development of professional, effective and accessible breast cancer support services for The House of Hope Scotland.

We have an experienced and passionate board of trustees, working alongside an active network of volunteers. You will report to the Chief Executive Officer and will work closely with our trustees and patient volunteers.

This dynamic role requires an individual who displays strong interpersonal skills and the ability to manage a multi-disciplinary team. The successful candidate must be proactive, adaptive and responsive to the changeable demands of working in a person-centred environment.

You will be the first point of contact for operations within The House of Hope. You will with the board and CEO to develop the launch operational strategy and programme, overseeing the refurbishment of the building and begin to carve out relationships with service providers and stakeholders.

We need a self-starter who is passionate about supporting those impacted by breast cancer - no two days will be the same.

Signposting and working in partnership with organisations across Scotland who can provide services of benefit to our user group will play another key part in this role. You will support the CEO and trustees with building relationships both across the Scottish cancer network and with potential service providers. We also want to work to increase our networks with health professionals, to help them support their patients.

Within the House of Hope itself and digitally we will provide information and support for those with breast cancer via a direct patient support service. You will help to establish and sustain support groups for breast cancer patients and their families, providing patient information about breast cancer to patients and major centres of breast cancer treatment, and running events (both online and face to face).

This is a unique and exciting role that will allow you to use your skillset to work with us to develop and open The House of Hope Scotland. The CEO, trustees, founders and wider voluntary team will support you at every stage.

As a member of the senior management team, the Assistant Director (Programmes and Participation) is instrumental in leading Together’s strategic initiatives across a broad spectrum of programme development, with a significant focus on enhancing the rights and participation of babies, toddlers, and early years children. This role is pivotal in supporting the Director by managing essential areas of operational and strategic responsibility, facilitating the effective implementation of Together’s strategic priorities, and ensuring programmes are impactful and aligned with organisational goals.

Key areas of responsibility include:

• Overseeing the development of Together’s programmes, leading innovative initiatives and supporting Together's Director as a spokesperson on key children’s rights matters.
• Developing and managing fundraising strategies, building and maintaining strong relationships with funders and stakeholders, and overseeing the financial management of all programmes and participation budgets.
• Enhancing children’s participation initiatives and implementing participatory practices across all programme activities.
• Management and mentoring of the Programmes and Participation team, encouraging a culture of high performance, collaboration, and continuous learning within the team.

Throughout the role, the post-holder will be expected to involve Together’s membership – including children and young people – whenever possible and appropriate.

Reporting to: Director