The Ventures Lab is a programme led by The Challenges Group, bringing over 25 years of experience in supporting impact-driven enterprises across 80 countries. Through The Ventures Lab, we apply this expertise to Scotland, building a pipeline of ventures that drive economic and social impact at scale.

The Ventures Lab is redefining how purpose-led enterprises access the expertise they need to grow and succeed. Through our pioneering Pooled Services model, we provide high quality business support in finance, legal, marketing, and business development, allowing ventures to focus on impact without the overheads of costly in-house teams.

Following a successful pilot with a select group of clients, we are now entering a crucial growth phase scaling pooled services into a national offering that will support social enterprises across Scotland. This is an exciting moment to shape and lead a transformative service.

We are seeking an experienced, strategic leader to drive the scaling, innovation, and long-term sustainability of pooled services, positioning The Ventures Lab as the go-to platform for social enterprises seeking expert business support

Role Overview

The Director of Venture Support Services will drive the strategic development and growth of The Ventures Lab’s pooled services. This role requires a strong balance of strategic leadership, operational oversight, and stakeholder engagement to ensure high-quality service delivery and long-term sustainability.

A key part of this role will be building and leading a team to deliver high-quality business support services. The successful candidate will be responsible for recruiting, managing, and developing a team of professionals to ensure seamless service delivery.

Additionally, the Director of Venture Support Services will develop a network of professional partners across various sectors and disciplines, securing a community of trusted advisors, pro-bono experts, and service providers who are committed to supporting purpose-led businesses through volunteering, discounted services, or strategic collaboration.

Growth Targets

In 2025, The Ventures Lab aims to recruit 20 new businesses into the pooled services model. From there, we plan to grow by a minimum of 50% year on year, steadily increasing our reach and impact. The Director of Venture Support Services will play a crucial role in achieving these targets by ensuring the model is scalable, effective, and financially sustainable.

Why apply for this role?

Children’s Hearings Scotland (CHS) is undergoing an exciting period of reform designed to make a step change in improving the outcomes for infants, children and young people who need us most. As our Senior Communications Manager, you will lead a high performing communications team to deliver an outstanding approach to communications.

This is a key strategic role contributing to CHS’s vision to drive transformation and deliver positive outcomes for the children of Scotland. The postholder is responsible for establishing and maintaining the highest levels of internal and external communications. They will work with the Senior Leadership Team, board members and colleagues across directorates bringing a strategic approach to communications and engagement activities and proactively seek opportunities to build our brand and exercise influence across the sector.

You will be ensuring our executive and senior leadership teams are supported to the highest standards. Most importantly, as an invaluable enabler of strategic communications, you will help our leaders to deliver on our strategic priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic communications; understanding, and helping others to understand, the critical role it plays in helping CHS to achieve its vision.
• Support continuous improvement in our approach to communications, building our brand and expanding our reach
• Developing the use of digital communications platforms, harnessing technologies to achieve our communication goals
• Provide independent advice and support to the senior leadership team and the Board on the communications strategy
• Responsible for utilizing the power of communication for CHS volunteer recruitment campaigns to support the delivery of our tribunal and fulfil our statutory functions.

Life at CHS

At Children’s Hearings Scotland, our highly trained Panel Members make decisions for Scotland’s unique Children’s Hearings System that upholds and promotes the rights of infants, children and young people. Our 2,500 volunteer Panel Members take part in children’s hearings in their local areas, making decisions with and for infants, children and young people. Our organisation also supports a network of Area Support Teams throughout Scotland who support Panel Members in their local communities.

As an organisation that works within the Children’s Hearings System, we are passionate about making a positive contribution to improving outcomes for Scotland’s infants, children and young people.

You can read more about our core values on our website as well as view an introductory video to our organisation. We also offer a generous benefits package from hybrid working to flexi hours and a fantastic pension scheme – check out our full benefits summary.

Diversity and Inclusion

CHS is an equal opportunities employer. We encourage diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We actively encourage applicants from all protected characteristics and commit to providing any reasonable adjustments required during application and assessment process, and upon joining CHS.

Every day people with chest, heart and stroke conditions are leaving hospital scared and alone. You can be part of our mission to make sure that there is no life half lived in Scotland.

By joining Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS) as Head of Fundraising you can be the difference between people just surviving and really living.

You will be part of Scotland’s leading charity providing support to people with chest, heart and stroke conditions to live life to the full again. Our Hospital to Home services form a nationwide network of local support groups, nurses, volunteers and one-to-one support teams helping families adjust to life with a heart or lung condition or after a stroke.

This is more than a leadership role — it's your chance to shape the future of Income Generation at Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland. As Head of Fundraising, you’ll play a pivotal role in translating our bold strategy into action, driving growth through insight-led decision-making, creativity, and innovation. Reporting to the Director of Income Generation, you’ll guide a talented team to deliver inspiring supporter experiences, and forge impactful relationships that align with our “No Life Half Lived” strategy.

We’re looking for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, purpose-driven environment and brings a deep understanding of marketing, data, technology, and supporter-centric fundraising. You’ll champion a culture of creativity and accountability, ensuring our supporter journeys are personalised, our processes are optimised, and our risks are well managed. With oversight of budget, health and safety, and compliance, you’ll be a strategic thinker, a motivational leader, and a brilliant collaborator – able to influence at all levels internally and externally. If you’re passionate about using technology and insight to unlock income growth and maximise impact, this is your opportunity to lead something truly meaningful.

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?

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:Edinburgh or Glasgow

Salary:£47,266 - £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-Head of Service Delivery

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.