About Us

The International Association for Community Development (IACD) is a global multi-disciplinary network for professional community development practitioners and others with an interest in community development practice. As an organisation, and collectively as members we are committed to promoting participative democracy, sustainable development, human rights, economic opportunity, equality, and social justice, through the organisation, education, and empowerment of people within their communities, whether these be of locality, identity, or interest, in urban and rural settings.

About the Role

The International Association for Community Development (IACD) is seeking a passionate, experienced, and visionary leader to join us as Strategic Director. This senior role offers the opportunity to shape and deliver on IACD’s 2024–2029 Strategic Plan, ensuring our values and voice are represented on the global stage.

As Strategic Director, you will be responsible for delivering the organisation’s mission, managing operations, guiding international advocacy efforts, and fostering member engagement across diverse communities worldwide.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation and ongoing evaluation of IACD’s strategic goals and global initiatives.
• Champion community development values and amplify practitioner voices—especially those from minority and marginalised groups.
• Strengthen IACD’s role in global policy arenas, including the UN and other multilateral forums.
• Develop sustainable funding strategies and manage budgets and resources effectively.
• Represent the organisation publicly and support IACD’s international network of members and partners through events, forums, and knowledge exchange.
• Provide strategic support to the Board of Trustees and ensure strong organisational governance.

About You

The successful candidate will be a seasoned community development professional with:

• A third-level qualification in community development/community work.
• Significant practical experience in community development and at national policy level.
• Proven leadership experience in strategy, international engagement, and stakeholder management.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and report writing skills.
• Experience working with funders and delivering large-scale programmes.
• The ability to work flexibly across time zones and travel nationally and internationally when required.
• Strong commitment to IACD’s values of inclusion, participation, and global solidarity.

Eligibility:

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK and be equipped to work remotely.

We are currently recruiting for Head of Service, this is an opportunity to be at the forefront of tackling rooflessness and homelessness in Glasgow.

The Service consists of a 7 day street outreach team and a very busy city centre multi agency hub.

The team also delivers a street cycles service with a small team of volunteers, a freephone and intensive case management approach.

You will be responsible for and lead a large team, working with partners across a range of services to create and develop solutions in a challenging environment.

The people we support have experienced significant trauma and whilst not having a safe and secure place to live is a huge deficit, there are many other factors at play requiring a highly person centred trauma informed approach to engage with and find the right solution for the person.

Do you want to help improve how Scotland responds to children and young people who come into conflict with the law? Do you have a track record of delivering effective participation activity and working with key stakeholders? Are you approachable, courageous, optimistic, compassionate, innovative and determined? Then this exciting opportunity to work as a key part of CYCJ is for you.

As the Participation Lead, you will lead on the delivery of an ambitious participation strategy for CYCJ, supervising the participation staff, overseeing partnership projects/funding applications, and having a strategic vision for future development.

You will have proven ability in leading on participation work and building effective working relationships at all levels, and a demonstrated ability to work autonomously. You will be able to communicate effectively to manage a staff team and engage with children and young people with experience of the care and justice systems to amplify their voices and support system change.

You will be part of the CYCJ leadership team, contributing to strategic decisions for the Centre, with specific responsibility for participation and engagement. You will contribute to the development of the team by creating different partnership opportunities and applying for additional sources of funding to expand and grow the team. You will be a self-starter who likes to be part of a team and relishes challenges. You will require flexibility in your approach, including working outside of an office environment.

The post holder will report to the director.

About CYCJ

CYCJ works towards ensuring that Scotland’s approach to children and young people in conflict with the law is rights-respecting, contributing to better outcomes for our children, young people and communities. Children and young people are at the heart of all our activity, although one of our key mechanisms for change is supporting policymakers and practitioners.