An exciting opportunity has arisen for a senior management post within Families Outside. This is a key role for a dynamic and passionate individual interested in making a real difference in the lives of families affected by imprisonment. If you are skilled and motivated to take strategic and operational responsibility for the support of children and families and have the skills and experience to lead a team of dedicated staff, among other attributes, we would like to hear from you!

This role is primarily based in our Head Office in Edinburgh but would be feasible for anyone in the central belt.

About the role

Families Outside is the only national charity in Scotland that works solely to support children and families affected by imprisonment. This senior management post leads the strategic development and implementation of the work of Families Outside’s Family Support team, linking the work of the Regional Managers and Regional Family Support Coordinators, national Helpline, and support to Prison Visitors’ Centres to improve outcomes for children and families throughout Scotland who are affected by imprisonment. The post holder will lead and inspire a team of managers to deliver high quality integrated support within our values framework (Compassion, Integrity, Tenacity, and Expertise). Undertaking and leading on significant projects, providing strategic leadership, and promoting and representing Families Outside are all key components of this challenging role.

About you

You will need a proven relevant track record, possibly gained in a range of sectors where you operated at a senior level with external audiences and engaged with, and influenced, a variety of stakeholders. You will also need demonstrable experience in managing and developing a diverse family support service, working collaboratively to support families caught up in criminal justice processes, significant experience of child and adult protection and trauma-informed practice, and extensive experience of managing staff, students, and volunteers.

Someone who thrives on working collaboratively with others for the good of the business, you will be adept at building a network of good relationships and have an ability to develop a thorough understanding of the organisation and the wider sector quickly. You will be a good listener and positive influencer who communicates clearly, verbally and in writing; is reasonably comfortable with the media and Parliamentary bodies; and, where appropriate, is able to persuade others to change their views, intentions, or actions.

The leadership role of Director of Services is key for the organisation: you will lead a team of 4 – 5 managers, and as a member of the 3-person Senior Management Team will report directly to the CEO. Providing leadership and effective day-to-day management of the Family Support Team, you will ensure that Families Outside is a key contributor to local and national policy and the lead national voice on issues relating to families affected by imprisonment.

This is an exciting role for the right applicant. It comes at a time where Families Outside has undertaken a major restructuring programme and is regrouping to make best use of our capacity. This is an exciting time to join the team, where you will have the opportunity to deliver the ambitions of Families Outside on a national and international stage.

Staff Benefits

25 flexible leave days plus 10 public holidays

4% matched contribution workplace pension scheme

Hybrid & flexible working

Employee Assistance Programme (Health Assured)

Cycle to Work Scheme

Laptop and mobile phone for all staff

Are you passionate about supporting families in Scotland to support children and young people with the best possible start in life?

Indigo Group is a triple award-winning social enterprise. Operating for more than 30 years, we work with children and families across Central Scotland. We empower children, young people and their families to overcome adversity and realise their ambitions through a range of services. For more information about us please visit Home | Indigo (indigogrp.com)

Board Member opportunities

We’re growing and are hugely ambitious for children and families. In 2024, we acquired a nursery in East Kilbride, and our strategy is ambitious for continued growth to reach and empower more families across the West of Scotland.

We’re looking for committed individuals to join our Board. This is an incredible opportunity to make a difference to children across the age span, their families and their communities. You’ll build your own skills, broaden your network and contribute to the future development of our social enterprise.

We are currently recruiting Board Members to join our board from September 2025, with a particular interest in candidates with skills and experience in public health/children’s services, digital/technology, and funding/fundraising.

The most important attributes of Board Members joining us include sharing our passion and values, a willingness to ask questions, as well as a time commitment to the role. If this sounds like you, we would love to hear from you.

This is a voluntary position therefore the role is unpaid. Reasonable expenses would be reimbursed in line with the Charity's expense policy.

Midlothian Sure Start is a dynamic, award winning third sector organisation. It offers a quality support service to families with children up to age 12 across Midlothian. Midlothian Sure Start has been in existence since 2001 and employs over 70 members of staff providing a service in Family Learning centres and in the community. Our ethos is to provide a holistic, confidential community based service where families are at the heart of what we do.

We are looking for people who are as passionate about the services we provide as we are and in return we are keen to support professional development with excellent training and development opportunities, enhanced sick pay (following completion of probation), enhanced annual leave entitlement (we close completely for a well-earned break over Christmas and New Year) and we support our staff with an Employee Assistance Programme, Pension Scheme, Discounted Childcare, Health Cash Plan and Discounted Shopping.

We are currently recruiting a Centre Manager to manage a quality family learning centre that supports children and families in the local area on behalf of Midlothian Sure Start. The Centre Manager will have overall responsibility for the delivery of early learning and childcare, family learning and support services to parents with young children. The role's responsibilities will include staff management, financial management and ensuring Care Inspectorate standards are met and maintained. A BA Childhood Practice/PDA Level 8/9 is desirable and ability to register with the SSSC as a Manager of Day Care of Children's Service is essential.

About Aberlour Children’s Charity

Aberlour is one of the largest Scottish children’s charities, celebrating 150 years helping to improve the lives of Scotland’s disadvantaged children and young people. At Aberlour we know that not all children are born with an equal chance. Together, we will be brave for children, young people and families and will overcome poverty, disadvantage and discrimination.

Aberlour’s mission is to reach Scotland’s disadvantaged children as early as possible to stop damage being done, before families reach crisis point, before it’s too late. Taking action quickly, significantly improves long-term outcomes for children and young people and raising additional funds to support this work is crucial.

What we are looking for:

We are looking for a skilled and motivated Fundraiser to grow our income from trusts and foundations. You will have a proven track record of researching opportunities, writing compelling funding proposals and impactful reports, and stewarding relationships with funders.

Excellent communication skills and the ability to distil complex information into a coherent case for support and impact reports is key to the success of this role.

Utilising a database management system, you will be highly organised to manage your workload and meet deadlines. You will be proactive, with the ability to plan and prioritise existing relationships whilst growing the portfolio through cultivating new sources of trust and foundation income.

Aberlour’s values are critical and drive everything we do. To have a look at our values to understand more about what we are looking for from our team click here.

Work can be completed from home or utilise a local office base in Glasgow or Stirling.

What we offer...

As well as a supportive team, 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 on our recruitment pages here.

If you have any queries please e-mail: jobs@aberlour.org.uk

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. Applications are welcome from diverse ethnic minority and cultural communities, and under-represented faith and religious groups. To check out our privacy policy click here.