The Director is the senior leader of Firefly International, responsible for driving the charity’s mission to support war-affected children through the provision of education, mental health and peacebuilding programmes delivered in genuine partnership with our overseas partners. This is a hands-on leadership role within a small, donation-dependent charity, suited to an adaptable allrounder who is motivated to lead growth and change rather than maintain the status quo. Firefly has a good track record and a good reputation and has both the will and the capacity to do more and do better, for the children it exists to serve. To do that, it needs to recruit the right Director.

Organisation Profile

Firefly International was established as an arts-based playgroup, as civil war was coming to an end in Bosnia, to bring Bosnia’s Croat, Serb and Muslim children together. The founder, Ellie Maxwell, was a student at the University of Edinburgh at the time. Firefly still works in Bosnia, supporting its locally registered partner, Svitac (Firefly in local language) which is based in Brcko in the north-east, where the population is divided between the three ethnicities. It runs daily classes for pre-school children, outreach sessions with high schools and a youth group for the 16+ age group. All activities aim to build tolerance between different ethnicities and tackle the ignorance that fuels hatred and fear.

Since 2016 it has also been working with a Syrian partner organisation, delivering trauma-informed education. Initially it was working just in the Syrian refugee communities in Turkey. Later, it began work in northern Syria and more recently it has begun teaching in and around Latakia in western Syria. This is the largest of our three programme areas and the one with the most pressing demands for expansion, in response to the gaps in education in Syria today.

Until 7th October 2023 we partnered with a child mental health centre in Gaza. We have had to close the centre but aim to return to Gaza when we can. Meantime, we partner with an Egyptian group who help child medical evacuees from Gaza with therapeutic and educational activities.

Firefly is a long-established charity, small but with a long reach and ambitious goals. It is distinctive in its stated aim of remaining with its partners for as long as it is needed and useful. It encourages the development of projects by local staff in response to local needs. Its income and scope have grown considerably in recent years. It is driven by the need to be as effective as it can be, supporting partners in their aspirations for the children and young people of their own communities.

The Role

This is a full-time role based in Edinburgh for a Director at Firefly International (open to discussing part time or flexible working arrangements). The Director will oversee the strategic direction, daily operations, and overall performance of the organisation. Key tasks include managing budgets, fundraising efforts, supervising staff and volunteers, maintaining strong relationships with partner organisations, and ensuring the effective delivery of programmes. The Director will also represent Firefly to stakeholders, including donors and international partners, and work to enhance its impact and visibility.

To co-ordinate and manage the care house functions and thereby facilitate care staff in providing effective service delivery in line with stated organisational policies, procedures, aims and objectives.

Full details can be found on our website.

Would you like to join a powerful and passionate human rights organisation and make a positive difference to the lives of survivors of torture and organised violence?

We have an exciting opportunity for a Head of Clinical Services to innovate our current clinical services in Scotland with new model(s) of rehabilitation provision for survivors of torture. You will be bringing your change management skills to facilitate the transition.

This role comes at a time of full Board and senior management enthusiasm and support for piloting new models of clinical working that can be flexible and agile to respond to the wider dispersal of survivors across Scotland, and that are co-designed with our survivors.

You will lead and coordinate a team of highly skilled and dedicated clinicians, in the service delivery of a range of NICE guideline recommended therapy interventions, offered to our clients, who are survivors of torture and organised violence. You will report to the Associate Director of Clinical Services and operate as an integral part of the Clinical Services Team including our Manchester and London centres.

In this varied and interesting role, you will enjoy co-working with colleagues from across the charity from wide ranging disciplines including: our Survivor Leadership and Influencing Directorate; our Policy and Advocacy team; our medical legal and health assessment doctors; our legal and welfare experts; and our fundraisers.

About the Role

This is a wide-ranging position and your key areas of responsibility will include:

• Alongside the Associate Director, leading on innovating Freedom from Torture's current Scotland clinical rehabilitation service, providing strong change management leadership through transitions. Designing, piloting and developing accompanying policies, protocols and systems.
• Developing partnerships to support our clinical offer and to explore income generation.
• Supporting the fundraising team to secure grants and ensure we deliver on our commitments.
• Responsibility for managing, coordinating, leading and developing the clinical services function of the Glasgow team, which provides clinical services to adults, young people & families: includes care co-ordination, pain management, evidence based therapies, welfare and legal advice, health assessments and pain management; lead delivery of evidenced based practice, clinical standards, quality initiatives and audit based services.
• Championing people development: working collaboratively with the Scotland team; encouraging, developing and enhancing skills of others within a supportive environment

About You

This is an important role within Freedom from Torture. We are particularly interested in your experience of change management and innovation. To be successful you will have a high level of commitment to maintaining excellent standards of client care and service delivery. You will have knowledge of appropriate clinical standards and external regulatory bodies together with sound financial awareness and experience of balancing the provision of quality care against budgetary parameters.

You will be a Psychologist registered with HCPC, an accredited Psychological therapist, e.g. CBT therapist or Psychotherapist, a registered Nurse (Mental Health) or Social Worker, and you will bring professional experience of working with clients with complex PTSD. It is essential that you have a clear understanding of the experience of refugees and people seeking asylum.

Experience of successfully leading and influencing clinical teams within community or health care settings is essential.

Contract Information

We are eager to recruit an energetic, committed and talented professional for this role and can be flexible with the contract. We are eager to move quickly and if you are successful candidate we can onboard you with us at speed.

In return, we offer a competitive package, with a generous 30-day (pro rata) annual leave entitlement, 6% employer pension contribution (minimum 1% employee contribution), and flexible working opportunities.

Freedom from Torture is committed to showing the salary for all advertised roles and not negotiating salaries for roles, in light of evidence that this contributes to structural inequality.

Our policy is that all appointments will be at the start of the salary range but successful candidates will have the opportunity to move up the scale over time. The progression up the salary range is reviewed on an annual basis and subject to affordability. For this role, the salary range for full time 35 hours is £68,735 - £79,732

To view the Job Description and Person Specification, please click here