Commitment: Part-time, Voluntary (Expenses Paid)

About Us: Airdrie Citizens Advice Bureau is a member of the Scottish Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, dedicated to providing free, independent, impartial, and confidential advice to individuals in our community. We assist clients with a wide range of issues, including benefits, debt, employment, housing, and more. Our mission is to ensure that people understand their rights and responsibilities and can express their needs effectively.

Role Overview: As a volunteer trustee, you will play a crucial role in the strategic management and governance of our bureau. You will work collaboratively with fellow trustees to ensure the bureau's services are effective, sustainable, and responsive to the needs of our community. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a respected organisation and make a meaningful impact locally.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership: Contribute to the development and implementation of the bureau's strategic plan, ensuring alignment with our mission and values.
• Governance: Ensure that the bureau operates in compliance with its governing documents, charity law, and other relevant legislation or regulations.
• Financial Oversight: Monitor the financial health of the organisation, approving budgets and ensuring that financial controls and risk management procedures are robust and effective.
• Advocacy and Representation: Act as an ambassador for the bureau, enhancing its public profile and fostering relationships with stakeholders, including funders, partners, and the local community.
• Support and Development: Provide guidance and support to the bureau's management team, ensuring that resources are used effectively and staff and volunteers are valued and motivated.

Person Specification:

We are seeking individuals from Airdrie who can demonstrate:

• Commitment: A strong dedication to the aims and principles of the Citizens Advice service, including the values of free, confidential, impartial, and independent advice.
• Strategic Vision: The ability to think creatively and strategically, identifying opportunities and challenges for the bureau.
• Teamwork: Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively as part of a diverse team.
• Integrity: A commitment to upholding the highest standards of governance and ethics.

We are particularly interested in candidates with experience or expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• Fundraising
• Human Resources
• Digital Marketing
• Governance
• Public and Third Sector Organisations

Time Commitment: Trustees are expected to attend board meetings (every two months) and the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Additionally, trustees may participate in sub-committees or working groups as needed. The total time commitment is estimated to be approximately 4 to 6 hours per month.

What We Offer:

• The opportunity to make a significant impact in your local community
• The chance to work with a dedicated team of trustees, staff, and volunteers
• Reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred in the course of your duties

To provide clients with holistic advice covering debt, income maximisation, energy. This will include preparation of financial statements, explanation of debt options and assistance to access these options. The role will require the ability to interact with clients over the telephone, face to face and using digital channels to provide advice.

Ongoing training will be provided however you should be someone who can demonstrate experience of working with clients who are experiencing multiple and complex issues and who can provide advice sensitively and with confidence to clients.

In addition to managing a caseload you may also be required to work on a duty rota for dealing with initial money advice contacts and for covering outreach services as required, as well as providing 2nd-tier support to other advisers within the Bureau.

You should have an understanding of the effects of financial difficulties and financial hardship on our clients. You should be an excellent team player with a desire to progress with training to meet the standards required.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, dynamic and motivated person to join our team. The Session Supervisor has day to day operational responsibility for the delivery of a high-quality generalist advice service within Airdrie Citizens Advice Bureau. The Session Supervisor is responsible that the quality of advice delivered is in line with the Scottish National Standards and Citizens Advice Scotland’s Membership standards.

This post also supports the learning and development of a high-quality service by providing formal training to volunteers and staff as and when required.

The successful applicant will be encouraged and supported in their personal development by the Senior Management Team.

Employee benefits

Airdrie Citizens Advice Bureau offers excellent terms and conditions and is an inclusive employer considering flexible working arrangements where appropriate. For more details of some of the other benefits on offer to our employees, please contact us for more information.

Core Duties

• Provide supervision and support for advice workers, particularly in relation to advice enquiries, CASTLE data entry and enquiry entry.
• Support advisers to produce accurate, legible and complete client records.
• Contribute to building and supervising an effective team, understanding the importance of continual improvement of the service.
• Undertake advice work as and when required.
• Implement effective Triage Service
• Support and maintain uniform advice standards and contribute to their development. Ensure that advice work undertaken complies with CAS Quality Audit standards, Scottish National Standards.
• Actively implement the Aims and Principles of the CAB service, together with its other policies.

Essential Criteria

• Delivery of advice and information services to clients.
• Ability to work without supervision
• Basic training skills
• Ability to deal with staff, volunteers and the public in a calm, caring and competent manner
• Ability to analyse and interpret complex information
• Ability to prioritise own work and that of others, meet deadlines and manage workload in a pressured environment
• Ability to give and receive feedback objectively and sensitively and a willingness to challenge constructively

Desirable Criteria

• At least 2 years’ experience of supporting others in advice provision
• A working knowledge of CASTLE for the purpose of recording client cases
• Commitment to ongoing training
• Working within the voluntary sector
• Experience of supporting vulnerable clients

Established in 1936 and one of Scotland’s leading wildlife bodies, the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club is a registered Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) with some 3500 members. Its purpose is to advance the study and appreciation of birds in Scotland by promoting their documentation, promoting interest in them, promoting their conservation, providing a focus for information about them and encouraging the appreciation of relevant creative arts.

The Club’s headquarters, which also feature a renowned ornithology library, wildlife art gallery and sales outlet, are in Aberlady, East Lothian. Fifteen nationwide Branches are led by members who organise events, outings and projects in their areas. Staff contribute a national series of events, conferences and training activities for members of all ages. Publications include the highly regarded quarterly journal Scottish Birds, mobile app (Where to Watch Birds in Scotland), regional bird reports, e-newsletters and other online media.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The Treasurer is a key member of the SOC Council and serves as a trustee of the Charity, with all the associated duties and responsibilities. More details on these responsibilities can be found in the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) guidance for charity trustees: OSCR Guidance.

While professional qualifications are not required, the role requires an interest in the financial operations of the SOC and a broad understanding of financial requirements for charities in Scotland.Further details on the role can be found here.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Elected at the SOC AGM (usually in November) for an initial two-year term, with re-election every two years.
• Provides financial advice and guidance to staff and branch officials as needed.
• Attends Council and Management Committee meetings (each held four times per year) and presents a written financial update at each.
• Convenes and chairs Finance Committee meetings (3–4 per year), reporting recommendations to Council.
• Attends the Club’s AGM (usually in November) to present the End-of-Year Accounts.
• Meets with Brewin Dolphin (SOC’s investment managers) at least annually to review investments and assess risk levels.
• Works with Council to maintain and update SOC’s Investment Policy, including setting reserve levels.
• Regularly liaises with the Finance Officer to ensure smooth financial operations.
• May be consulted on HR issues and trustee induction.
• Out-of-pocket expenses incurred on SOC business are reimbursed.
• SOC FINANCIAL PROCESSES
• The SOC Council has collective responsibility for the Club’s finances.
• The Finance Committee oversees financial strategy and budgeting, meeting 3–4 times a year. It consists of the Treasurer, the Finance Officer, and two other members.
• SOC’s financial year runs from April to March.
• SOC uses Xero for bookkeeping, holds accounts with the Royal Bank of Scotland, and has investments managed by Brewin Dolphin.
• Two staff members, the Treasurer, and a past President (from the Lothian branch) currently have signatory responsibility, with protocols ensuring that transactions over a specified amount require two signatures.
• The Finance Officer manages day-to-day accounting and banking procedures.
• The Treasurer provides financial updates and forecasts to the Council and the Management Committee at each meeting, working closely with the Finance Officer.
• The Treasurer, Finance Officer, and Independent Financial Examiner (currently Whitelaw Wells) oversee the end-of-year financial process, culminating in the submission of the independently examined accounts to OSCR.
• The Club’s core income sources include membership subscriptions, events, sales, commission from artwork sales, and legacies. Legacy income is highly variable, requiring careful financial planning.
• SOC branches maintain some financial independence but provide annual financial summaries to SOC.

Our current Treasurer will remain in position until November 2025.