Change Mental Health is a leading national mental health charity providing unique support to people with severe and enduring mental ill health. With over 50 years’ experience across Scotland, we believe people affected by poor mental health and illness deserve the highest quality of support in the community and that every person has the right to be valued and to share in the opportunities, challenges, and joys of everyday life.

About the Position

Our Policy and Public Affairs Officer connects with and influences politicians and senior decision makers to make society better for people who have mental health challenges, have mental illness and their families. They shall manage projects that shall lead to improvements in support for those with poor mental health.

Key Responsibilities

In this critical role you will work closely with the Director of Public Affairs and Communications to develop and implement a policy and influencing strategy to ensure that the voices of people we support, and their families are heard in all the places they need to be. You will manage projects related to mental health and provide reports.

You will build powerful relationships with politicians, civil servants and partners and feel comfortable representing the organisation at a range of different stakeholder events. You will love policy and public affairs, enjoy mastering details and offering sound advice. You will respond on behalf of the organisation to consultations and events and will be comfortable doing lots of reading and writing. You will enjoy building powerful and meaningful relationships.

Full job description available below.

If you are looking for a rewarding career and to work within an epic team that will help you grow and thrive, then you have come to the right place. Working with us, you can start your day knowing what you do really does make a difference!

Our Innovation and Improvement Team oversees a range of our quality processes, evaluation systems and practice and learning and development. We’re looking for a Quality and Improvement Manager to join our team consisting of:

Head of Innovation and Improvement

Practice Development Manager

Learning and Development Manager

Impact and Evaluation Lead

If you are looking for a new challenge, then Penumbra may be for you.

Penumbra is one of Scotland’s leading mental health charities, providing a wide range of community based and recovery focussed mental health services. We’re proud pioneers in the peer movement, with 27% of our colleagues employed in peer support roles. Our creative and forward-thinking approach to mental health recovery has earned us the reputation as a key influencer in public campaigning, policy and practice, and a highly respected provider of high quality and innovative mental health recovery services.

As our Quality and Improvement Manager, you will support our services to gather the data and evidence they need to understand both areas of strength, and of challenges, and to create development plans based on this evidence. A key focus will be leading and managing our Quality Assurance Framework. Substantially revised and relaunched in 2023 with a brand new digital resource, this approach allows our services to self-assess against our strategic priorities and core quality areas, combined with objective review by the Quality and Improvement Manager. Other key responsibilities are the oversight of our operational policies and acting as Penumbra’s Data Protection Officer.

You truly will have the ability to influence what we do, developing and implementing your ideas to demonstrate what you can achieve, which will make a difference to the people we support.

As a mental health charity, we really value the wellbeing of our staff. That’s why we want you to know that you’ll be joining a friendly team, who will give you a supportive environment to help you thrive in your role, including all the training you need to feel confident and equipped.

We can offer you a tonne of employee benefits, and we can promise you’ll be inspired by some pretty amazing humans every single day. We will support you on your own career path; developing new skills, accessing formal and informal learning experiences and providing opportunities to put your continual progress into practice.

For more information, including full job description and application/interview guidance, please download our recruitment pack.

We cannot consider CV’s – all applications should go through the application process on our website. Only applications completed through our website will be considered. If you are unable to complete an online application, please contact us at recruitment@penumbra.org.uk and we can arrange for a paper copy to be sent out to you.

Please note that unfortunately we cannot offer visa sponsorship. We can only accept applications from applicants who currently have the legal right to work in the UK, or applicants who have already have an application in progress to obtain the legal right to work in the UK.

The successful applicant will use their own lived experience to engage with those facing substance use issues and mental health difficulties. They will as part of a team look to promote positive recovery pathways through 1:1 and groupwork, delivering an active Peer Support Service offering social, emotional and practical support.

If you have had lived experience of substance misuse or addiction, or experience of living with someone addicted to drug or alcohol and have the potential to use it to support others in a meaningful way into or with their recovery we would love to hear from you.

Successful applicants will deliver time-managed, outcome focused one to one support as well as facilitate recovery-focused and trauma informed SMART groups. The role will also require regular involvement in work with Substance Use Service in Dalkeith and outreach to local Recovery Cafes. You will work in a person-centred and strength-based way. One to one support and groups will be delivered in various recovery and community venues across Midlothian.