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.

This is an exciting opportunity to manage the work and people of our social policy team, who lead our influencing and advocacy work on; social security, housing and energy.

Working closely with our Head of Social Justice, at the heart of Scotland’s largest independent advice and advocacy network, this role will focus on building culture, developing people and delivering a strategic work plan, alongside putting into practice policy and influencing skills to deliver outcomes that improve the lives of people across Scotland.

This role offers you the opportunity to use your passion and insight into pursing social justice, alongside your expertise in the coordination and delivery projects that enable team members to flourish.

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.

Edinburgh Young Carers (EYC) is seeking a suitably experienced applicant to join its lively, passionate team in developing the service and providing high quality support to young carers in Edinburgh between the ages of 5 and 25 years.

The post-holder will work alongside colleagues to:

• Ensure that young carers and young adult carers are identified and provided with the supportand services that they require to achieve their identified personal outcomes.
• Promote the development of a range of support services and diverse activity programmes to meet the varied needs of young carers, especially through school and community venues.
• Promote and undertake the delivery and review of Young Carer Statements and Adult Carer Support Plans to young carers and young adult carers themselves and the professionals working with them across Edinburgh.
• Ensure young carers are aware of their rights and promote and raise awareness of these rights with other organisations.
• Enable young carers to be heard, to be listened to and to contribute to the development of the Edinburgh Young Carers service.

The candidate will need to be suitably qualified and experienced in working with children and young people, with at least three years’ proven experience in a role including individual and group work.

Organisation Profile

EYC is a voluntary organisation working with and on behalf of young carers throughout Edinburgh. We are one of the largest and most well established independent young carers organisations in Scotland. We have a strong commitment to the rights of children and young people.

Benefits

We take good care of our staff and offer a benefit package including: 27 days’ annual leave plus all public holidays, 6% pension, free healthcare through Benenden Health, hybrid working, flexible hours, Cycle to Work scheme and extensive training opportunities. We are also a Carer Positive employer.

Your mission (if you choose to accept it): join our small but mighty team in a key role as Creative Writing Workshop Facilitator!

Part time, Edinburgh based, you’ll manage our creative writing workshops and interdisciplinary activities. Your dynamism and creativity will increase our impact in the classroom and your communication skills will positively change the lives of all involved.

You also get to wear a cape! A true superhero!

The Super Power Agency (SPA) is a non-profit organisation that seeks to improve the lives and literacy rates of young people from some of Scotland’s most under-resourced areas. Through creative writing workshops, interdisciplinary activities, and individual mentoring, we work with young people aged 8–18 in schools and community organisations. Our creative writing programmes culminate in the publication of a book of the young people’s writing which is shared with their school, families and community.

Our programmes are free to all young people and serviced predominately by volunteers drawn from the communities we work in and serve.

The work of the SPA is based on that of 826 National (826national.org), an educational charity started in San Francisco, California in 2002. The programmes run by 826 National have now been replicated in 9 US cities as well as internationally in London, Dublin, Sydney, Melbourne, Paris, Buenos Aires and Milan. The SPA is proud to be part of this international network that supports the confidence and creativity of young people across the world.

Writing Facilitator Role Description

It is an exciting time to join the Super Power Agency as we work towards our goal to expand across Scotland and serve 3,000 young people each year by 2026. The Writing Facilitator would work closely with the wider SPA team, including our volunteers, as well as teachers, schools and other partners across Scotland. Reporting directly to the Programme Manager, the Writing Facilitator will deliver the in-school element of our writing workshops and programmes.

Our school and community programmes run for 8 or 10 weeks, with school groups participating in one workshop per week. The Writing Facilitator will deliver a suite of different workshops across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. These sessions vary from creative writing, poetry, and playwriting. The hours will be primarily during the week and during school hours. The Writing Facilitator will also work closely with our SPA volunteers, who support the young people during the in-school workshops.

As well as leading on the delivery of the workshops, the Writing Facilitator will have the opportunity to work with the Programme Manager and wider SPA team to review and shape workshop content. They will also assist the SPA team with final publication of the young people’s work if necessary.

The Writing Facilitator will maintain organisational policies and procedures throughout and promote the organisation and its programmatic accomplishments.

The part time role is to be carried out across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between our core hours of 9:30am and 3pm. Workshop delivery is across primary and secondary schools throughout Edinburgh.

A full Job Description and Person Specification is available for download below.