Summary of main responsibilities

• Overall operational control and management of the Bureau within guidelines laid down by the Board and Membership Standards agreed by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS)

• Overall management of all paid and unpaid staff (volunteers)

• Ensure that all aspects of client enquiries are efficiently and effectively dealt with.

• Represent the Bureau positively to all other agencies or organisations.

• Design and develop along with the Board the Bureau’s strategic aims.

• Responsibility for ensuring effective use of IT.

General Management Responsibilities

• Develop and strengthen the role of the bureau within the community including positive partnerships with other Bureaux.

• Plan, coordinate, and manage all activities of the Bureau in conjunction with the Board.

• To ensure that the Bureau fully complies with the aims and principles of the Citizens Advice Scotland membership scheme.

• Ensure that the bureau’s quality of advice including case recording is of the highest quality, ensuring that Scottish National Standards (SNS) are met.

Management of staff

• Ensure that there are always sufficient staff and volunteers so that the volunteer led generalist advice services run smoothly.

• Recruit and select volunteers with the Office Manager ensuring training is undertaken to meet required competence standards.

• Ensure the Bureau fully complies with equal opportunities and updated policies as required.

• Provide staff support, supervision, appraisal, and development.

• Hold staff and volunteer meetings as required and ensure discussion on relevant Bureau matters.

• Ensure staff information records including appraisal, training and sick absence records fully comply with GDPR requirements.

• To work in conjunction with the Office Manager to ensure that all enquiries are dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible including accuracy and quality of advice given to clients to comply with GDPR, CAS and SNS principles.

• Ensure that advice related policies and procedures are fit for purpose and up to date.

Finance and Budgeting

• Control Bureau spend within limits set by The Board.

• Ensure an accurate record of all income and expenditure is maintained.

• Arrange preparation of monthly accounts and financial projections.

• To advise the Board on matters of operational expenditure including costings as required.

• To assist the Treasurer or any other appropriate Board member in the preparation of annual accounts and AGM reports including annual reports.

• Ensure Bureau and projects are adequately funded by making applications to funding bodies with the approval of the Board and comply with the Bureau Fundraising Strategy.

Representing Coatbridge Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)

• Liaise with members and officers of North Lanarkshire Council and participate in appropriate council groups.

• Represent the Bureau positively in local networks as required.

• Maintain and develop relationships with funders and local agencies.

• Liaise and maintain and develop links with other voluntary organisations including membership of Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire (VANL).

• Contribute to and participate in the activities of CAS and associated groups.

• Maintain and develop the Bureau’s role and relationship with CAS and other national agencies.

Audit and Quality Assurance

• Assist in the CAS audit by compiling information, providing up to date policies, and meeting their requirements.

• Implement a quality control system for the monitoring of the service provided to clients.

• Prepare full, accurate and regular reports on all Bureau activities as required by the Board.

• Ensure that the bureau works to SNS for information and advice.

• Ensure that the bureau fully complies with the CAS agreed complaints process.

• Statutory returns to OSCR and Companies House

Administration

• To ensure that there is an effective system in place to provide a quality advice system to clients to minimise delays in answering client enquiries and provide advice.

• To ensure that the Bureau premises and equipment are maintained to as high a standard as possible and that all requirements of Health & Safety legislation are met.

• Seek opportunities for press and media coverage to promote and highlight the work of the CAB.

• Provide the Board with reports and policy guidance as required.

• Ensure that the Bureau makes statistical, legal, and social policy returns to CAS to adhere to membership requirements.

• Ensure that all returns to statutory bodies are completed accurately and timeously to ensure legal compliance.

• Ensure that Bureau conducts local social policy work as required.

• To keep abreast of latest developments within the advice and charity sector and discuss any changes required at Board meetings.

• Organise and prepare necessary paperwork for Board members for the bi-monthly or as required, Board meetings.

• Liaise with accountant re annual accounts and payroll.

Management of Bureau IT facilities

• Have overall responsibility for and ensure the effectiveness and secure use of all IT, communication systems, and procedures to ensure the smooth operation of Bureau objectives.

• Ensure that all staff and volunteers have access to, and are adequately trained in, the Bureau IT systems and software applications to perform their duties effectively.

• Advise the Board, on matters of IT planning, security, maintenance, and budgeting.

• Ensure and fully adhere to all aspects of GDPR for full compliance and provide regular training to all users to avoid data breaches.

To undertake any other reasonable tasks as requested by the Board.

If you are looking for a rewarding career and to work within an epic team that will help you grow and thrive, then you have come to the right place. Working within our Milestone ARBD service you can start your day knowing what you do really does make a difference!

At Penumbra, we strive to create a culture and environment where people feel valued and inspired to reach their own personal goals. Our fundamental priority is to provide support which is safe and promotes recovery, social inclusion, and citizenship for people with mental health challenges.

We recognise that the people we support have skills and experience that can bring about positive changes for themselves. Through an ethos of inclusion, equality and fairness, our staff are committed to promoting good mental health and wellbeing for people using our services.

Penumbra Mental Health offers a number of support services in the Edinburgh area including the Milestone ARBD Service. Penumbra Milestone is an alcohol-free 10 bedded step-down service providing short-term care for vulnerable men and women aged 18+ with a probable diagnosis of alcohol related brain damage (ARBD). Milestone is a partnership of Penumbra, NHS Lothian and Lothian City of Edinburgh Health & Social Care. This joined-up approach is a strong example of health and social care resources being used efficiently and improves the care provided to people by drawing on the valuable range of skills in the Third Sector, NHS and Council Services.

The Service was designed to be a major part of a new way to address the needs of people with a likely diagnosis of ARBD. It is the first and only step-down residential service in the UK for people effected by ARBD. It has been evidenced to make tremendous positive changes in the lives of people referred to the Service. The service has won The Scottish Health Award for Innovation in 2015, the UK Mental Health and Wellbeing Award for Most Innovative Intervention in 2020 and was shortlisted in The Scottish Health Awards category for Integration in 2021.

As well as improving individual’s lives, the Service has been successful in creating an innovative approach to relieve the pressures such individuals were placing on acute medical services due to delayed discharges. The Service is innovative in its purpose and design. It has been successful in creating a Recovery focussed environment which is evidenced as achieving its goal of providing highly specialist assessment and treatment of ARBD and simultaneously reducing delayed discharges. It must be remembered that our residents’ complexities are wide-ranging and there are numerous inherent high risks that require specialist management. Such risks include managing co-concurrent physical and mental illness e.g. Diabetes, Peripheral Neuropathy, Alcohol Liver Disease, Anxiety, Depression, Suicidality, PTSD, COPD, Asthma, Heart Disease etc. A major factor in how these risks are effectively managed is connected to the range of expertise found within the Service. The staff team consists of highly specialist individuals from health and social care. There is a full medical review prior to discharge from hospital, a wide multi-disciplinary team to address the full range of possible requirements, knowledge and ability to access services to assist. The service has information sharing protocols in place to allow the sharing of information according to GDPR. The culture and values of the service being non-hierarchal allows the partners to keep the resident at the centre and all support each other ensuring best practice. The service is regulated by the Care Inspectorate, and all staff are registered with appropriate regulatory bodies such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council and Scottish Social Services Council.

As the Operations Manager you will ensure that Penumbra’s core values and methodology are fully embedded within service delivery, promoting a personalised and recovery focused approach to enable people with the skills needed to live independently and meaningfully within the local community. Using existing experience and knowledge of the social care environment, the postholder will seek to continually improve and develop services by promoting innovative ways of working and finding creative solutions to operational challenges. You will also play a lead role in working with our established formal partnerships and with other voluntary and statutory agencies to ensure our services deliver the best outcomes for our residents.

We want you to grow and thrive! We will support you on your own career path; developing new skills, accessing formal and informal learning experiences and providing opportunities to put your continual progress into practice.

If you want to inspire and be inspired every day. If you share our passion for exceptional support through creativity and collaboration. If you want to build your working life around meaningful connections with a pioneering charity who will value your contribution to our unique approach, then we want to hear from you.

As a mental health charity, we really value the wellbeing of our staff. That’s why we want you to know that you’ll be joining a friendly team, who will give you a supportive environment to help you thrive in your role, including all the training you need to feel confident and equipped.

We can offer you a tonne of employee benefits, and we can promise you’ll be inspired by some pretty amazing humans every single day. We will support you on your own career path; developing new skills, accessing formal and informal learning experiences and providing opportunities to put your continual progress into practice.

We are seeking a creative and proactive Communications Officer to join our team. This role is ideal for someone who is passionate about storytelling, digital engagement, and building meaningful connections with diverse audiences. You’ll play a key role in shaping our public presence, supporting campaigns, and strengthening internal and external communications.

Through your work, you’ll help raise awareness of the support available to individuals and communities and shine a light on the issues that affect them. Your communications will inform, inspire, and empower people; helping them navigate challenges and access the help they need.

We are recruiting a Partnerships Manager to lead partnership activity for Home Energy Scotland, supporting Energy Saving Trust’s strategic objectives across Scotland.

As Partnerships Manager,you will manage a team delivering partnership projects that increase the reach and impact of Home Energy Scotland. You will work closely with senior stakeholders, partner organisations and internal teams to ensure Home Energy Scotland remains the primary public energy advice service in Scotland.

This role plays a key part in supporting fuel poverty priorities, community engagement, employee engagement and Net Zero delivery.

The team

Our team in Energy Saving Trust manages the national Home Energy Scotlandservice on behalf of the Scottish Government. Joining our team means joining an award-winning advice service that supports hundreds of thousands of households across Scotland every year to make their homes warmer, more affordable, and sustainable.

The climate emergency and the current fuel price crisis means the work of Home Energy Scotland has never been more important. Our team is making a real difference to people’s lives, and we are also growing rapidly. We need to recruit more skilled and dedicated people to join our team now.

Our team collaborate widely with colleagues in Energy Saving Trust, staff across the Home Energy Scotland network and many other partners across Scotland. You will be working with people and organisations to help tackle fuel poverty and the climate emergency, both directly, and through a network of regional advice centres covering all of Scotland.

What you will do

• Lead and line manage the Partnerships team delivering Home Energy Scotland partnership activity
• Develop and maintain partnerships with public sector, third sector and intermediary organisations
• Identify new partnership opportunities to extend Home Energy Scotland services and referrals
• Represent Home Energy Scotland and Energy Saving Trust at meetings, events and stakeholder forums
• Work collaboratively with marketing, digital and operational teams to promote and improve energy advice services
• Ensure partnership KPIs, targets and reporting requirements are met
• Support continuous improvement and best practice sharing across Home Energy Scotland advice centres.

What you will bring

Essential

• Team management and leadership skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills including presentations.
• Excellent relationship building, influencing, and negotiating skills with the ability to interact at all levels, from customer service to high-level stakeholders.
• Project management skills.
• Well-developed Microsoft Office skills, including applications such as Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook, SharePoint.
• Ability to work on own initiative and co-operatively as part of a team to deliver results.
• Good analytical and research skills, critical thinking, and risk management, with the ability to identify and realise opportunities.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the Scottish third and public sector landscape.
• Experience of energy efficiency, low carbon heat and renewable technologies.
• Knowledge of environmental issues, legislation, and procedures.
• Financial administration experience.

Benefits - We’ll support you with:

• Generous holiday (25 days + bank holidays + extra Christmas leave)
• True flexibility in how and where you work
• Strong pension & life assurance
• Enhanced family leave
• Green travel perks (EV scheme, cycle to work)
• Professional development support
• Yearly wellbeing allowance

These are just some of the benefits we offer.

Who we are

Energy Saving Trust is a leading and trusted organisation, dedicated to promoting energy efficiency, low carbon transport and sustainable energy use. We aim to address the climate emergency and deliver the wider benefits of clean energy as we transition to net zero.

At Energy Saving Trust we don’t just offer jobs – we offer careers. For our people, being part of the effort to address the climate emergency makes working for us truly meaningful and rewarding.

Work where you thrive

At Energy Saving Trust, flexibility isn’t just a policy, it’s how we work. Most of our roles can be done remotely, and many of our people choose to work from home full-time. Prefer an office environment? We have welcoming spaces in London, Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff and Hadleigh for those who want to connect in person.

Reasonable adjustments: We want to ensure that our recruitment process is inclusive of and accessible for, everyone.

If you think you may need additional support or reasonable adjustments made to any part of the recruitment process, please get in touch.

Diversity and inclusion

Energy Saving Trust is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace where everyone can be themselves, with support to be their best.

We strongly encourage applicants from a wide range of backgrounds and with different identities and experiences to apply for roles with Energy Saving Trust.

We are a Disability Confident Committed employer and we ringfence a minimum number of interview slots for candidates who apply via the Disability Confident scheme and meet the criteria for a role.