Children in Scotland are proud to have been delivering our Scottish Government funded Enquire service for over 25 years now. This national service continues to be a highly trusted and respected source of quality and accessible information and advice on additional support for learning.

The opportunity has arisen to take on the role of Service Manager for a period of 12 months on a maternity cover basis. Sitting within Children in Scotland’s Services, Policy and Participation department, this role will involve effective management of all areas of Enquire service delivery.

We are looking for a brilliant and experienced manager with excellent skills in communication, organisation, people management and budget management. The right candidate will also have a solid understanding of the additional support for learning landscape in Scotland to ensure that we maintain our high standards of delivery across all work streams.

If you feel like this role is for you, and that you have the ability to manage an outstandingly knowledgeable and committed team to provide a high quality service for our nation’s children, families and professionals relating to additional support for learning, then please read on.

About Children in Scotland

Giving all children in Scotland an equal chance to flourish is at the heart of everything we do.

By bringing together a network of people working with and for children, alongside children and young people themselves, we offer a broad, balanced and independent voice. We create solutions, provide support and develop positive change across all areas affecting children in Scotland. We do this by listening, gathering evidence, and applying and sharing our learning, while always working to uphold children’s rights.

Our range of knowledge and expertise means we can provide trusted support on issues as diverse as the people we work with and the varied lives of children and families in Scotland.

Diversity

Children in Scotland values the contribution of all our staff, whatever their background. Our recruitment decisions are based on fair, open processes, with appointment on merit. We welcome applications from everyone.

Further Information

For an informal chat about the job, please contact Billy Anderson, Head of Services, Participation and Policy by email on banderson@childreninscotland.org.uk

About Us

Zero Tolerance is a Scottish charity working to end men’s violence against women by promoting gender equality and challenging attitudes which normalise violence and abuse. We are a values-led organisation and seek to improve the way we integrate feminism, equality, and diversity into our work. We ensure our HR policies and practices reflect our values (including enhanced parental leave, miscarriage and menopause policies and flexible working) and our salary framework is fair and competitive. We are committed to staff learning and development and have a paid reading week for all staff.

Zero Tolerance has a commitment to diversity and challenging all forms of inequality alongside gender inequality. We are open to as many different voices as there are experiences, and to all genders, and particularly welcome applications from Minority Ethnic, LGBT+, disabled, migrant, and other backgrounds currently underrepresented within the women’s sector.

We achieve change in the following ways:

1. Raise public and political awareness of the root cause of VAWG (gender inequality) and call for action.
2. Challenge and support key institutions to embed primary prevention of VAWG in their work.
3. Advance and share the evidence base on preventing VAWG.

What you’ll do

Children and young people deserve to grow up in environments that are safe and equal, and that equip them with the skills, knowledge and attitudes to have healthy, respectful relationships. This role works to influence both the policy that sets the standards for safety and equality in young people’s environments (from schools to youth work and the home) and the practice that delivers it.

This is a wide field but is given focus by our organisational strategy, which currently focuses on the behaviour of men and boys, the need to be inclusive of marginalised voices, and feminist leadership.

The role interacts closely with the Under Pressure Support Officer, which co-ordinates our training for professionals who work with young people, and our Policy Officer, as well as the wider Zero Tolerance team.

What we need

The successful candidate will have previous experience in a similar role, in a paid or voluntary capacity, with knowledge and understanding of violence against women and gender equality. You’ll be a skilled communicator with the ability to present complex ideas to a variety of audiences including senior politicians, stakeholders and partners.

You will also have:

• A shared understanding of our vision, values, aims and positions
• Understanding of the Scottish political landscape
• The ability to understand complex policy issues, articulate clear and focused responses, and make judgements based on evidence
• Organisational skills, managing both reactive and planned work
• Proven experience of building networks

What do we offer?

• Competitive salary with annual pay progression. We operate a grading structure based on five salary grades. New employees start on point 1 of each salary grade and receive annual increments until the top of the grade is reached. This role is Grade 3, pro rata of £33,537.08 - £ 37,018.66.
• Staff pension scheme (6% employers’ contribution).
• 28 days annual leave plus 10 public holidays (pro-rata) and a flexible working hours policy.
• We actively encourage continuous professional development for all our employees and have implemented a paid reading week and continuous training opportunities for individual learning and whole team development.

About Us

Zero Tolerance is a Scottish charity working to end men’s violence against women by promoting gender equality and challenging attitudes which normalise violence and abuse. We are a values-led organisation and seek to improve the way we integrate feminism, equality, and diversity into our work. We ensure our HR policies and practices reflect our values (including enhanced parental leave, miscarriage and menopause policies and flexible working) and our salary framework is fair and competitive. We are committed to staff learning and development and have a paid reading week for all staff.

Zero Tolerance has a commitment to diversity and challenging all forms of inequality alongside gender inequality. We are open to as many different voices as there are experiences, and to all genders, and particularly welcome applications from Minority Ethnic, LGBT+, disabled, migrant, and other backgrounds currently underrepresented within the women’s sector.

We achieve change in the following ways:

1. Raise public and political awareness of the root cause of VAWG (gender inequality) and call for action.
2. Challenge and support key institutions to embed primary prevention of VAWG in their work.
3. Advance and share the evidence base on preventing VAWG.

What you’ll do

You will lead work to gather and interpret evidence that informs Scotland’s understanding of primary prevention, ensuring that the voices and experiences of marginalised groups shape national conversations and decision-making. This role strengthens our commitment to intersectional and participatory approaches by developing research that reflects the realities of those most affected by men’s violence against women and girls. You will support colleagues across the organisation to embed this learning into our policy, engagement and influencing work, helping to ensure that every part of Zero Tolerance’s activity is grounded in inclusive, meaningful evidence.

What we need

The successful candidate will have experience in a research role, in a paid or voluntary capacity, with knowledge and understanding of violence against women, gender equality and intersectional approaches. You’ll be confident using a range of research methods and able to communicate complex ideas clearly and accessibly.

You will also have:

• Experience using qualitative and quantitative research methods, including feminist, participatory and intersectional approaches
• Ability to analyse research data, identify gaps and produce clear, accessible outputs for different audiences
• Strong organisational and problem-solving skills, managing both reactive and planned work
• Experience building effective relationships and working collaboratively, including with external contractors
• A diplomatic, self-motivated and values-led approach, with willingness to adapt to the needs of a small charity

What do we offer?

• Competitive salary with annual pay progression. We operate a grading structure based on five salary grades. New employees start on point 1 of each salary grade and receive annual increments until the top of the grade is reached. This role is Grade 3, pro rata of £33,537.08 - £ 37,018.66.
• Staff pension scheme (6% employers’ contribution).
• 28 days annual leave plus 10 public holidays (pro-rata) and a flexible working hours policy.
• We actively encourage continuous professional development for all our employees and have implemented a paid reading week and continuous training opportunities for individual learning and whole team development.

Do you have a good understanding of social and/or economic policy issues and a proven ability to undertake policy development or campaigning work on specific issues in a wider context? Then join Shelter Scotland as a Senior Advocacy Officer and you could soon be playing a vital role in helping us to deliver positive change for those affected by the housing emergency in Scotland.

About the role

Your main focus will be to lead Shelter Scotland in effectively advocating for the structural policy changes required to end the housing emergency, driving forward our strategic goals to secure more social homes, strengthen housing rights, and build a lasting movement for change. You’ll develop and communicate clear, evidence-based policy recommendations – drawing on research, lived experience, and sector insight – to influence key stakeholders across government, parliament, and beyond. You’ll commission and manage external research, lead stakeholder events, and work collaboratively across teams to ensure our policy work supports public affairs, media, and operational activity. You’ll also line manage an Advocacy Officer, supporting their development and overseeing their performance.

Role specifics

You’ll bring strong experience in crafting high-impact communications that influence decision-makers and persuade key stakeholders. With a solid understanding of Scotland’s political landscape and public policy processes – particularly within the Scottish Government and Parliament – you’ll have a proven track record of driving change through effective advocacy and relationship-building at a senior level. You’ll be proactive in spotting opportunities to influence policy, responding strategically to external developments. Alongside this, you’ll have experience managing externally funded projects, including budgeting and reporting, and will be confident leading and motivating a team to achieve shared goals.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.

About the team

The Advocacy Team is part of Shelter Scotland’s Communications and Advocacy Department and is responsible for developing the charity’s policy positions, research plan, and public affairs and professional stakeholder engagement.

The Advocacy team works closely with colleagues in Community Advice and our Telephone and Online Advice services to capture evidence of how Scotland’s broken and biased housing system is impacting communities, and colleagues in Communications and Engagement to translate this evidence into compelling public campaigns and fundraising appeals. The team have led the organisation on developing an anti-racism evidence base, the economic and social benefits of social housing investment and the case for a human rights-based approach to meeting housing need.