Victim Support Scotland – Empowering People Affected by Crime

We put victims and witnesses at the heart of everything we do so they are heard, have improved health and well-being, feel safer, more secure, and informed and that we are an effective organisation, that makes a lasting difference.

Who we are

Victim Support Scotland (VSS) provides support and information to people affected by crime and campaigns for victim and witness rights. Regardless of whether a crime has been reported, or when it happened, our services are free, confidential, and tailored to individuals’ needs.

Our vision is that people affected by crime – victims, witnesses, and their families – are treated with dignity and respect and are at the heart of the justice in Scotland. Our mission is to ensure that all those affected by crime receive high quality support that will help them to recover from their experiences. All our work is guided and underpinned by our six core principles of being engaging and compassionate; inclusive and accessible; person-centred; adaptive, flexible, and responsive; collaborative; and knowledgeable and skilled. Now is the time to join Victim Support Scotland, helping us work towards the ambitions of our 5-year plan: Empowering people affected by crime: VSS Strategy 2021-2026.

VSS is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of all of our service users and has a thorough and rigorous recruitment and selection process including PVG scheme checks in place to ensure this commitment is met.

What is the role?

This role is to cover a period of maternity leave up to one year. As a member of the Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) and reporting directly to the Director of Service Delivery, you will be responsible for delivering, implementing, and evaluating victim support services across Scotland. You will work in partnership with the current Head of Service Delivery and together you will ensure that our services meet the needs of all our service users.

You will have responsibility for managing staff and volunteers, ensuring that they are supported, knowledgeable and capable to deliver services that meet service users' needs.

As part of the VSS team you will work collaboratively to ensure that VSS’s strategic objectives are being implemented and will have a key role in developing future strategies and business planning to ensure that the needs of victims and witnesses are being met.

Primary location: Glasgow or Edinburgh

Salary: £47,266.24 - £62,420 per annum. Salary on appointment will normally be at the lower salary point, with progression subject to regular review in line with VSS performance appraisal arrangements. A higher salary placing will be considered in exceptional circumstances subject to experience demonstrated.

What you’ll need to be successful

You will hold a demonstrated commitment to ongoing professional development with a solid academic foundation. As well as excellent quantitative and qualitative research skills, meticulous attention to detail, and excellent organisational and planning abilities encompassing program, resource, and performance management.

Showing effective communication skills, both written and verbal, demonstrated through successful external relationship management and the ability to present complex information visually to diverse audiences.

Further details of this role are available in the job description.

Please note - this post will be subject to a Basic Disclosure Scotland check and two satisfactory references. The role is based in the Central Belt but the ability to travel to all VSS bases and spaces is a requirement.

To ensure you are in the best position to perform to your highest standards during our selection process, make sure you review the competencies outlined in the Job Description and have prepared examples of times you have successfully demonstrated these behaviours in the past.

What we offer

When you work for Victim Support Scotland, your wellbeing is important to us. Not only do we offer a generous annual leave package of 42 days (pro-rata), but you will also have access to our free health cash plan which includes cover for you and your family across a range of benefits, which include, dental cover, access to a virtual GP, counselling, legal support and discounts on gym memberships, cinema tickets, retail and much more. In addition we offer a generous pension, enhanced maternity and paternity pay and access to a credit union. Supporting employee development is important to us and we offer comprehensive learning and development opportunities.

If you are looking for a role with a purpose, where you can really make a difference, then this may be the role for you.

As a Disability Confident Committed employer, please advise if you require any adjustments in the application process by contacting Jobs@victimsupportsco.org.uk.

Sacro’s Mission is to create safe and cohesive communities by reducing conflict and offending

Do you believe in second chances? Do you have the energy and commitment it takes to support someone to turn their life around?

We need a dedicated individual to forge strong relationships with people who are or who have been in police custody in the Fife area. Using a trauma-informed approach you will work with people of all ages and from every walk of life, supporting them in making positive changes.

You must be a skilled communicator who has an ability to connect with people facing a challenging range of issues. A team player, you will work closely with partners across Fife to achieve the right outcomes for those we’re supporting. Often the people you encounter will be at a low point in their lives so you must be able to show empathy and forge a connection during that ‘reachable moment’, then back it up with the ability to create strong, trusting relationships which support people to access the help they need.

If people describe you as; level- headed, a listener, compassionate, patient, a great communicator, hard worker, resilient, dedicated, great in a crisis - and you have the energy and commitment to always go the extra mile to support people effectively then we would like to hear from you.

The role requires occasional evening work and to be part of a rota to support individuals in police custody on a Sunday, followed up with community outreach support during the week.

Applicants must have a full driving licence and access to a car satisfying the appropriate insurance requirements.

Membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme is a requirement for the post.

Project Manager – From Struggle to Stability: Creating fair work for young mothers

Close the Gap is operating a hybrid working model, with the option to work from the Buchanan Street office or from desk space in Edinburgh.

Responsible to: Head of Policy and Development

The successful candidate will be required to undergo a Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) check. Employment will be subject to satisfactory PVG scheme membership or an update to an existing membership in line with legal and organisational requirements.

Close the Gap values diversity in our workforce, and recognise the benefits it brings to the organisation. We therefore particularly encourage applications from racially-minoritised people and disabled people who are currently under-represented in the organisation.

We’re strongly committed to enabling flexible working for staff, and will consider all options to enable applicants to work flexibly.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a partnership project to improve job quality for young mothers. Young mothers are among the most marginalised in the labour market, experiencing high levels of in-work poverty. Young mothers’ poverty drives child poverty, the gender pay gap, and gender inequality more broadly. The Close the Gap and Save the Children project will gather evidence on young mothers’ workplace experiences and employer attitudes to them as workers, and use this to influence employment practice and policymaking to deliver improved access to fair work. Working with a project advisory group and a lived experience group of young mothers, the project will also develop a campaign for young mothers to raise awareness of their employment rights, with the ultimate goal of reducing in-work poverty in Scotland.

About you

We’re looking for someone who has proven experience in project management, and of working with multiple partners to deliver complex projects with multiple stages and timelines. You’ll also have experience of commissioning and managing external research projects, and sound understanding of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. You’ll be a core part of our team, able to work both independently and collaboratively, and to build strong relationships with project stakeholders. The right person for this role will be committed to tackling poverty and women’s labour market inequality, and involving women with lived experience in the project.

Organisation profile

Close the Gap is Scotland’s policy advocacy organisation working on women’s labour market participation. We work strategically with policymakers, employers and unions to address the causes of the gender pay gap. We deliver advocacy to influence policy and legislative change; produce research, analysis and insight into women’s diverse experiences of the labour market; and influence employers to develop intersectional, gender-sensitive employment practice.