Working closely across the small team at Scotland’s International Development Alliance (SIDA), this post offers an exciting opportunity to support and coordinate knowledge-exchange communities of practice across a network of actors on global sustainable development in Scotland, including members from public and private sectors, academia and civil society. The role will support our members to contribute effectively to global, sustainable development by developing learning opportunities, tools, and resources based on members’ needs, as well as on key developments across the sector.

The postholder will lead on the planning, delivery and evaluation of SIDA’s programme of learning activities for members including workshops, peer learning events, mentoring, webinars and other events on key topics of interest to the sector.

About Scotland's International Development Alliance

Scotland’s International Development Alliance is the membership body for everyone committed to creating a fairer world, free from poverty, injustice and environmental threats.

Our work facilitates connections in global development to improve impact and effectiveness for a range of actors including public sector bodies, third sector and international NGOs, private companies, universities and charitable trusts.

Our network has a global reach, with members working in more than 100 countries with a wide range of specialisms. We exist to improve the capacity, influence and effectiveness of those working on global development connected to Scotland through providing opportunities for networking, debate, training and promotion of good practice. We help members share their skills and learn from each other’s best practice to boost effectiveness of our members and their partners

SIDA has excellent working terms including a 4 day week currently in place.

The Citizens Advice network in Scotland is the largest independent advice service in the country. Citizens Advice Scotland is a charity within this network – we act as a national organisation supporting and representing the service as a whole and the interests of citizens. At the heart of the network there are 59 individual citizens advice bureau across Scotland, all operating as independent charities in their own right, which focus on providing support and advice directly to clients. Each of these organisations is a member of Citizens Advice Scotland. We believe that every citizen should have access to free, impartial, and confidential advice that helps them make informed decisions, whenever they need it and however, they choose to access it.

Our vision is for a Fairer Scotland where everyone has the advice and information, they need to realise their rights, and that the barriers to accessing those rights are effectively challenged.

Citizens Advice Scotland is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing a series of projects which enable and support various national specialist services to be delivered with our network of 59 Citizens Advice Bureaux. The Lead Project Support Manager will have direct responsibility and accountability for the Project Management Office (PMO) and for ensuring effective service delivery and compliance across the portfolio of these projects.

Working alongside the Lead Project Delivery Manager your role includes managing a PMO team of Project Officers and coordinating their resource across projects within a matrix environment. You will also be responsible for coordinating support from other internal departments across the organisation to ensure consistency of delivery and meeting contractual obligations. Acting as a key departmental representative with our Network of Citizens Advice Bureaux, you’ll be responsible for liaising with Bureaux Chief Executives and Managers across Scotland along with other key stakeholders.

The PMO coordinates management information, data, and analysis requirements against governance, project controls and reporting needs, including programme level risk, change and performance management. You will be responsible for developing and co-designing new and innovative PMO tools and resources to meet future service needs and support for our systems, processes and procedures. Your aim should be to ensure our department delivers consistently and effectively, whilst proactively forecasting and anticipating future needs. This will be underpinned through maintaining the PMO’s focus on continuous improvement and a quality-of-service cycle of review and assessment.

This is an exciting time to join us where you can make a difference. Working within one of the largest directorates at CAS you will be collaborating with fellow managers and leading a dynamic and agile team at the forefront of a wide range of advice service delivery. Our services are even more critical now than ever before in helping those in need and are essential in helping citizens receive the necessary advice and support during these unprecedent times. As a line manager you are responsible for the PMO team and will be required to identify and manage the resources required, forecast and plan the work to realise the expected benefits as well as manage the project teams’ dependencies, workloads, and schedules.

We are flexible about your professional background and open minded about your career to date. You will need to be able to lead a Project Management Office function and engage with multiple stakeholders both internally and externally. You will be a compassionate manager with the ability to understand the challenges and opportunities that working within a membership organisation brings. You may well have experience of working in a charity, housing association or the broader public sector, though applicants from all sectors are welcome. You will have to be able to demonstrate the desire to put the people who matter most, our clients, at the heart of every decision.

Employee benefits

Citizens Advice Scotland offers excellent terms and conditions. We want our people to have a great work life balance, and we have designed our working practices and benefits to support this. Here are some of things our employees benefit from: a 35-hour full time working week, 40 days annual leave, genuine flexibility in working hours with a flexi-time system, and hybrid working opportunities for every role.

Citizens Advice Scotland is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion. We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies and flexible working arrangements to support all our staff. We are also committed to equality of opportunity for all and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

CAS provides options for hybrid working to allow employees to balance their time attending the office with time working from home. The number of days you will be able to work from home each week will be dependent on your job role and can be discussed as part of the recruitment process.

The Citadel has a long history of strong relationships with families in the Leith community.

This includes our Families Project, which provides a range of services to parents/carers of children attending the Citadel, including a weekly Parents Drop In and regular Family Days. In the past six years, the Scottish Government’s Pupil Equity Fund has enabled us to extend our positive relationships with families into local primary schools.

The post holder will be based two days per week in Leith Primary School, where they will provide a range of services for parents/carers, including 1:1 support, themed workshops or groups and family learning. They will be based one and a half days per week at the Citadel, where they will work alongside Families Project colleagues, including co-facilitating the Parents Drop In.

This post has been continuously funded through the Pupil Equity Fund since 2018 and the renewal of funding for the next school year is generally confirmed in April.