Big Hearts Community Trust is welcoming applications to join the charity’s Board of Trustees in 2025.

There are two Trustee positions:

• One to be filled by an experienced finance professional or accountant ideally with some charity knowledge.
• The other to be filled by an individual who has an interest or experience in charity governance and may be interested in being a future Chair for Big Hearts.

This is a fantastic opportunity for two individuals to join the Board of Heart of Midlothian FC’s official charity and play a part in supporting local communities through the power of the beautiful game.

Big Hearts is an award-winning charity changing lives through football since 2015. With projects including Memories, Kinship Care, Welcome Through Football and School’s Out, we are considered one of the leading football charities in Scotland and recognised for the high standard of our free support services around mental health, equality and social connections. The charity currently runs over 15 projects and employs a core team of 17 staff.

Key-information

• Big Hearts Trustees are appointed for an initial term of 3 years.
• These non-Executive roles are non-paid positions.
• All Trustees are expected to uphold and represent Big Hearts’ purpose, vision, values and mission in a personal and professional capacity.
• Being a Heart of Midlothian FC supporter is desired, but not essential.

Have you considered joining a Board and interested in developing your leadership and business skills? Do you want to help shape the future of a multi-award winning LGPS pension fund? Can you communicate well with others and form stakeholder relationships?

Then the Lothian Pension Fund Pension Board needs you!

We are looking for committed individuals from diverse backgrounds to join the Pension Board as an Employer Representative and be part of a values driven organisation as we continue to invest in improvements. We would particularly welcome applications from those groups who are currently under-represented at a Board level.

At Lothian Pension Fund we are values driven

• We are agile and dependable
• Our colleagues are self-motivated and team players
• We strive to be innovative and prudent
• We embrace challenge and are respectful

If these resonate with you and you have the time and expertise to support us in our efforts as a sector leading organisation, we would love to hear from you.

Candidates eligible to apply for the Employer Representative role will be drawn from LPF’s Employer bodies (a list of all employers is available on page 115 of our annual report). This would make an ideal opportunity for someone looking to develop board member/trustee experience.

The role

• To provide independent scrutiny and sound judgement, providing challenge and support to ensure the Pensions Committee delivers on its strategic, business, and financial targets.
• Uphold high standards of integrity and probity whilst representing the scheme members and employers of the Lothian Pension Fund.
• Support the Pension Board chairperson in assisting the Pensions Committee to instil the appropriate culture, values and behaviours.
• Have oversight of Pensions Committee assurance models and compliance with requirements imposed in relation to the scheme and by the Pension Regulator.
• Ensure the integrity of financial information and that financial controls and systems of risk management are robust and defensible.
• Consider any reports produced for the Pensions Committee, including the annual report, fund performance and administration, actuarial report and valuations and the fund strategy.
• Devote time to developing and refreshing your knowledge and skills.

What you will get in return

• Great professional development
• Tailored induction programme and training opportunities
• A mentor to help navigate the first couple of meetings
• Opportunity to enhance you network and knowledge as a member of a Board in a welcoming environment
• Satisfaction in giving something back
• Out of pocket expenses (such as travel expenses)
• Option of hybrid meetings to accommodate other commitments.

Time Commitment

• Completion of initial induction programme and ongoing training (mix of in-person and online) to help you develop in your role.This includes 4 LPF training sessions, held quarterly and typically 3 hours each.
• Attendance at 4 Pension Board & 4 Pensions Committee meetings per year.(These meetings are typically held on the same day quarterly plus reading and preparation time
• Any other adhoc meetings and training opportunities.

About LPF

Lothian Pension Fund (LPF) is an award-winning asset backed and multi-employer scheme with around £10 billion of assets. We administer the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) in Edinburgh and the Lothians. As the second largest LGPS fund in Scotland, we serve over 90,000 members and around 60 employers, helping local government workers and their families experience a financially secure retirement. We also manage the Scottish Homes Pension Fund on behalf of the Scottish Government.

LPF is clear in its vision to deliver outstanding pension and investment services. We aspire to be the best LGPS in Scotland, if not the UK.

Core to our purpose, we’re proud to have won the LGPS Fund of the Year at the LAPF Investment Awards in 2023. In 2017, we also became the first UK Local Government pension fund awarded accreditation for the Pensions Administration Standards Association and have held the Customer Service Excellence Award for over ten years.

LPF is unique in Scotland in operating a FCA-regulated investment company, LPFI Limited. We manage over 85% of assets in-house via internal equity, bond and other real asset portfolios (e.g. infrastructure, property and timberland investments). The day-to-day running of LPF is carried out by a specialist team who undertake pension administration, accounting and investment functions. LPF colleagues are employed by an arms-length company, LPFE Limited.

LPF has a Pensions Committee and a Pension Board, both of which play an integral part in our success. The Pensions Committee determines the overall policy objectives, strategy and operation of the LPF and Scottish Homes Pension Fund in accordance with relevant legislation and in the best interests of the members and employer bodies within the pension funds.

The Pension Board is made up of five employer and five member representatives and plays a vital role in providing oversight and assists the LPF Pensions Committee in ensuring compliance with Pension legislation and the Pension Regulator code of practice.

Darren May, Scottish Water, is our current Chair of the LPF Pension Board, and talks about the experience he’s gained as a member and opportunity to learn. See below for his Blog.

Find out more about being a Pension Board member at LPF | LothianPensionFund

Summary

Project Esperanza (SCIO) launched officially in 2021. We are a trusted organisation whose social purpose is to offer practical, emotional and integration support predominantly to families of African heritage but also support a huge base of people from multi ethnic backgrounds. We are the pioneers of race and faith sensitive, culturally authentic and appropriate, specialised support and services in North Edinburgh. We are a registered charity (SC051454) looking for several new members to join the organisation’s Board of Trustees. We are seeking to appoint trustees that will fill vacancies at the end of the financial year in March 2025.

We are looking for a new Non Executive Board to shape our strategy around the future of Black families in Scotland, steer our direction, support the development of our organisation in its next phase of growth and hold us accountable to our mission. We are looking for applicants with specific skills, experience, and interest in any of the following areas:

• Digital marketing and public relations
• Secretary to the Board
• Journalism/Publishing/Media (wider UK)
• Accountancy
• Fundraising
• Employment Law
• Sustainability/climate emergency
• Women’s health

The role of on Executive Board members

This role involves:

• Holding the CEO/Director and staff accountable to delivering our mission
• Reviewing strategy, outcomes and progress against the mission and objectives
• Identifying and agreeing new areas for development
• Overseeing and supporting on strategies for funding and revenue generation
• Making decisions to safeguard the reputation and maximising the success of the organisation, including:
  • Ensuring governance requirements are met
  • Complying with safeguarding and data protection policies

Non Executive Board members will be required to:

• Board meetings take place four times per year in March, June, October, and December.
• Trustees are appointed for a term of 2 years, with the option to stand for re-election for an additional 2-year period after a performance review
• Attend our Annual General Meeting

Remuneration

There is no remuneration for this role but reasonable expenses incurred in attending meetings (including costs of childcare) and other Project Esperanza related activities will be paid.

Around since 1923, SAMH is Scotland’s national mental health charity. We have represented the voice of people most affected by mental health problems in Scotland for almost 100 years. Today, in over 60 communities we work with adults and young people providing mental health social care support, services in primary care, schools and further education, among others.

These services together with our national programme work in See Me, respectme, suicide prevention and active living; inform our policy and campaign work to influence positive social change. SAMH is dedicated to mental health and wellbeing for all: with a vision of a society where people are able to live their lives fully, regardless of present or past circumstances.

About the Role

At this crucial time for young people’s mental health in Scotland, our work influencing policy at the highest level and shaping our own services has never been more important. The Youth Engagement Officer will be responsible for developing and delivering a range of opportunities and activities to build and engage networks of young people across Scotland.

You will support young people working with SAMH to have a say on the things that matter most to them, involve them in the design and delivery of our work, and help them to become active citizens creating positive change. A key element of this will be coordinating SAMH’s first ever Young People’s Panel and working with our Youth Activists.

What we are looking for

This is a great opportunity for someone who is passionate about improving outcomes for young people and ensuring they are at the centre of our work. You will need to have the skills, knowledge and sensitivity to work productively with young people who may be at a vulnerable point in their lives. You’ll have experience of working with volunteers and a wide range of stakeholders, and you’ll be a good communicator with experience engaging with and building communities.

If that’s you and striving to achieve positive change in children and young people’s mental health sounds like a good way to spend your working day, please consider applying.

What we will provide for you

You will work in a supportive environment and will be provided with a full induction and training opportunities. You will be given the chance to develop your knowledge and skills, as well as develop professionally. Some of our benefits include:

• Funded continuous learning and development opportunities, access to over 100 courses online in addition to classroom and virtual training sessions

• 30 days annual leave rising to 33 after five years’ service

• Four public holidays

• Two paid wellbeing days off per year to use on what matters to you.

• Team wellbeing budgets

• Workplace pension scheme

• Life Assurance policy

• Employee Assistance Programme.