Why Action for Children?

Working here is more than a job. Everyone in the Action for Children family is passionate about protecting and supporting children. It is the sense of purpose that drives us every single day. Because we know that, when we work together, we can make a huge difference to bring lasting improvements to vulnerable children's lives.

A bit about the role

This is an exciting opportunity to join Action for Children as a Senior Bid Writer, with responsibility for producing professionally written high scoring bid responses to meet defined quality standards.

Reporting to the Head of Business Development for Scotland, the successful candidate will predominantly be working on bids for the business in Scotland but will also work flexibly across the wider UK Business Development Team, as required.

The bids will be for a variety of service areas, and you will ensure that the written bid clearly articulates Action for Children's offer in a way that is compelling to provide a competitive advantage and is consistent with our brand and our passion to deliver service excellence.

How you'll help to create brighter futures

• Apply functional expertise to clearly articulate the quality of our service provision through written submissions.
• Work collaboratively and engagingly with internal colleagues to translate quality practice into conceptual model descriptors.
• Use a range of software packages to visually represent complex ideas in accessible ways.
• Work collaboratively and effectively with members of the Business Development team and Operational Colleagues.
• Interpret complex data to ensure the commissioners preference is evident in the written submission.
• Source business opportunities, including finding out about the service/sector for the written bid.
• Gather evidence to answer PQQ (Pre -Qualification Questionnaire) questions, including collecting data for bids.

Let's talk about you

• High level written skills to translate and structure complex information in a simple, straight forward, and logical way to support high scoring bids.
• Demonstrates the ability to lead or support the development of bids that win new business.
• Ability to gather and manage intelligence to inform the development of bid win narratives.
• Experience of bid work; transferable experience will also be acceptable.
• High level of IT skills including ability to use graphic design programmes to support bid production.
• Demonstrates the ability to lead or support the development of bids that win new business.

Benefits:

• 29 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays, with up to 5 additional days for continuous service and option to buy or sell leave.
• Gain professional qualifications and excellent training/development opportunities.
• Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages.
• Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover.
• Staff discount portal and Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 national retailer's discounts.

With Kids

Our lives are so often shaped by our childhoods.

When problems are bottled up in those important early years, they can grow into mental health issues later in life.

But young children don’t have the language skills to properly express what they’re going through. And often when their emotions do come out they can be loud, or scary or get them into trouble.

That’s where With Kids comes in - a unique children’s mental health charity operating across the central belt at the forefront of the provision of Play Therapy in Scotland

Our trained specialists give children the freedom to express their difficulties on their own terms. Using the one form of communication that comes naturally to them – play.

Play Therapy empowers children to understand themselves better, to process life events, and to build confidence and self-esteem. So they can better regulate their emotions, build stronger relationships with their families and peers, and learn to cope with life’s many challenges.

We work alongside the children from an early age, along with their parents, carers, schools and communities – aiming to build long term, self-supporting networks.

Our priorities are to contribute to addressing cycles of poverty by improving the mental health of children, their families and the wider community.

Because difficulties in childhood don’t have to direct our whole lives.

Together we can take a new path.

“I have to give a five-star rating to With Kids. They support me and my family as individuals and as a group. This is the best way of working”

“I love working here and feeling part of a team, an organisation with such as positive approach, shared values, strengths and connections, care and focus on child welfare. With Kids do things properly and are always looking to improve”.

The role

This new role brings an exciting opportunity for a highly organised and motivated individual with extensive fundraising experience to shape the future of With Kids.

You can expect a supportive management team, who take joint responsibility, while you take on the management of all strands of income generation and fundraising. Through this work

you will be helping to shape the future of With Kids and enabling our staff to provide children and families with a high-quality service.

Are you able to hit the ground running with applications to trusts and foundations, while developing other income generation activities and relationships to build income from corporate bodies, individuals, and communities?

The post-holder has the scope to build our relationships with corporate bodies and increase income from individual and community fundraising activities. The role may also lead on, and provide support to, the Business Development Manager and CEO in tendering opportunities.

Ideally you will be a skilled communicator and have the ability to use digital tools and lead on managing online campaigns for income generation.

It’s not expected that the post holder will necessarily have experience in all of these areas, so there is scope to influence the content of our fundraising strategy and develop new skills.

About Options Fife Housing Support

At Aberlour we listen to understand what our young people want and need within our local area. Our Options Fife Housing Support service in Glenrothes supports young people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live and thrive within the local community.

This service will be home to 4 young people aged 16 plus who will all have their own individual flat. Our rota has been drafted to suit the needs of the young people.

What we are looking for....

We are looking for a part time (25 hours, working 2 x 12.5 hour shifts per week) Young People’s Workers to join our team. You will play a fundamental role in our young people’s lives to ensure that they get the best possible experience whilst working towards goals in their care plan. Using a person-centred approach, you will provide enabling support ensuring the highest level of physical and emotional care, supporting our young people in their daily living and within the local community.

If you have an interest in working with young people, we would like to hear from you. Ideally, candidates will have social care experience, understanding of autism, complex needs and disability. You will hold, or be willing to work towards, a relevant professional qualification at SCQF level 7 or above (for example: SVQ3 Care plus an HNC) together with relevant experience of working with children or young people. You must also be able to demonstrate awareness of the key elements of working with people affected by disability as well as an understanding of, and commitment to, young people’s rights.

At Aberlour we want to make sure every child and young person has the love, support and opportunity they need to reach their potential. If you share the same vision, we want you to join our team. To have a look at our values to understand more about what we are looking for from our employees please see our website for further information.

What we offer...

As well as a supportive team and excellent training opportunities, we want all our employees to feel valued and rewarded for the vital work they do. When you work with us, we'll recognise your efforts with generous annual leave, an excellent employer pension scheme and a range of deals and discounts across various retailers.

About Options Moray

Aberlour Options Moray is a community-based service for children/young people with learning disabilities offering residential, respite short breaks, family-based care and community support matched with the individual needs of every young person.

What we are looking for...

As someone who has built up experience working in residential child care, you will have the confidence to guide and direct the provision of care to the children and young people in the service. You will play a pivotal role, working in partnership with parents and families to meet the emotional and physical needs of children and young people with complex disabilities.

When on shift, you will play a lead role, mentoring and supporting staff and being a role model, delivering excellence in the services we provide. You will assist in assessing, planning and delivering services, taking responsibility for ensuring that assessment and interventions are prepared, monitored and evaluated.

Engaging positively with children, young people and families you will plan and implement appropriate support for the children and young people. Sensitive and accurate reporting is a key responsibility and so you will have good written communication skills and the ability to learn how to use effectively, Aberlour’s recording system: Dynamics.

This role offers the opportunity to consolidate and build on your experience combined with the ability to enhance your skills and knowledge through training, for example, in Dyadic Developmental Practice.

As part of the management team, you will play an active role in ensuring that shift duties are delegated and completed in accordance with service guidance.

Lead practitioners do 75% of their role on shift and 25% of their time working alongside the Assistant Service Manager for short breaks on operational tasks and standardising practice. Late shifts are 2pm to 10pm. Early shifts are 7.30am to 2.30pm. Overnight sleep ins are part of the role, alongside an awake member of night staff. Paperwork days will be 9 to 5 office hours.

At Aberlour we want to make sure every child and young person has the love, support and opportunity they need to reach their potential. If you share the same vision, we want you to join our team. Aberlour’s values are critical and drive everything we do. We will be looking for someone who can demonstrate how Aberlour’s values of Respect, Innovation, Integrity and Challenge will be visible in their practice. You must be comfortable working in an environment where Aberlour’s values are lived in practice. To have a look at our values to understand more about what we are looking for from our employees click here.

What we offer...

As well as a supportive team and excellent training opportunities, we want all our employees to feel valued and rewarded for the vital work they do. When you work with us, we'll recognise your efforts with generous annual leave, an excellent employer pension scheme and a range of deals and discounts across various retailers. Find out more about our Employee Benefits and our commitment to Equality and Diversity here.

Aberlour is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of all our service users and uses a thorough and rigorous recruitment and selection process including PVG Scheme checks to ensure this commitment is not compromised.

We also follow Data Protection Guidelines - Here is our privacy policy.