The Bridge Community Project story began in 2014 when a small group of people reflected on their own life struggles and decided to make a difference to the everyday wellbeing of people across West Lothian.

Overseen by a Board of Trustees, the foundations of the charity are based on the aims of providing financial and emotional wellbeing to the local community. In our story, however, we seek to be different - not so much in what we do, but in how we go about providing our services.

Building on the principles of compassion and love, a decade on, we continue to seek to share the journey with our clients to see lasting hope and change. Our vision is to “improve the everyday wellbeing of the people of West Lothian.” We aim to do this by “providing practical and relational support to families and individuals.”

Following a recent review to strengthen our organisation and take it forward to the next stage we are seeking to appoint a Chief Executive.

The Chief Executive role will have:

• Strategic Focus
• Board Interface
• Partnerships/Stakeholders/Funding/Contracts
• Governance and Compliance

Role Summary

As CEO, you will provide strategic leadership and vision to the Bridge Community Project, ensuring that our vision is realised through effective services, partnerships, and a strong organisational culture.

You will serve as the key ambassador for the charity across West Lothian and beyond, strengthening our visibility, deepening our impact, and securing resources to support our work.

Reporting to the Board of Trustees, you will lead a dedicated team, foster stakeholder relationships, and oversee all operational, financial, and governance aspects of the charity.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and implement a clear, values-based strategy that furthers the charity’s vision and impact and monitor progress towards achieving them.
• Maintain and evolve a culture of compassion, inclusion, and excellence.
• Work closely with the Board to ensure good governance, accountability, and set clear financial targets to ensure the delivery of services and the future of the charity.
• Develop and maintain a strong team that is well trained and has high morale.
• Provide leadership and guidance to the charity’s staff and volunteers, ensuring effective teamwork, communication, and collaboration.

Operational Management

• Oversee the delivery and development of high-quality services aligned with our mission, goals and community needs.
• Ensure effective program delivery, monitoring progress, and evaluating outcomes to measure the charity’s impact and identify areas for improvement.
• Ensure legal and regulatory compliance across all activities.
• Lead and support staff and volunteers to achieve their best in the service of others.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning and innovation within the organisation to maximise its effectiveness.

Finance & Fundraising

• Maintain financial sustainability through sound budgeting, reporting, and resource planning.
• Monitor fundraising efforts through grants, partnerships, individual giving, and donor engagement.
• Cultivate relationships with the local community, commissioners, key donors, sponsors, and supporters, to explore existing and new funding opportunities to sustain and expand the organisation’s programs.
• Identify and pursue opportunities for new income streams and collaborations.

External Engagement

• Be the public face of the charity within West Lothian and the broader third sector.
• Build relationships with funders, partners, local authorities, and other stakeholders.
• Advocate for the needs and wellbeing of the local community.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in third sector management, strategic development, partnership working and financial oversight. Experience in community focussed initiatives is highly desirable. The candidate should demonstrate excellent communication skills, the ability to inspire and lead a team, demonstrating a deep commitment to the values and mission of the Bridge Community Project.

Why Join Us?

• The opportunity to lead an established and highly regarded charity, making a tangible difference to the financial and emotional wellbeing of the West Lothian community.
• A supportive working environment with an exceptionally committed team.
• A strong financial base with a three year budget and draft business plan.
• The chance to work with the team, partners and stakeholders to shape the future of the charity and expand its impact.

About The Yard:

The Yard is an award-winning charity that runs adventure play services for disabled children, young people and their families with ambitions to support over 3000 children and young people.

We offer play, respite and family support from our adventure play centres in Edinburgh, Dundee, Fife and Glasgow.

About the role:

We are seeking an experienced leader to head our Fundraising Team, deliver on our income generation plan and play a big part in bringing The Yard and all we can offer to more children and young people with disabilities across Scotland.

As part of the Executive Team, the Head of Fundraising will play a pivotal role in the overall strategic development and growth of The Yard, making decisions that impact the whole organisation.

Some of your key responsibilities will include:

• Initiating, developing and maintaining productive relationships with funders, donors and corporate partners along with the Fundraising Team
• Reporting to the CEO and Deputy CEO on ways to accelerate the growth of fundraising to deliver a sustainable income stream
• Ensuring Fundraising and Communications work effectively in partnership with other teams in the organisation at a time of significant growth

About you:

Our culture is central to our success and the successful applicant will need to lead and manage in line with our values.

This job is for you if you:

• Can provide proactive leadership of a team and achieve results through others
• Have skills in budgeting, financial forecasting and managing ambitious targets
• Enjoy working with people with a wide range of abilities and forging relationships with funders and partners
• Understand what it takes to deliver a good communications plan aligned to a organisations strategic plan
• Can manage a diverse workload while managing your own time effectively

If you are inspired by our ethos and excited to bring your knowledge and experience to a team that is highly committed to our purpose, we would love to have you on board.