This is a 2-year fixed term contract due to internal development.

This is an opportunity to join a small, dynamic, ambitious, and welcoming team that believes in the transformative power of youth work and the power of partnerships. Operations Officers support the operational delivery and development of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) through managing a portfolio of Licensed Organisations (LOs).

LOs range from local authorities, state and independent schools to youth organisations, secure units, and community groups. The DofE Scotland Operations team works with these licensed organisations to build their capacity, support their reach into more marginalised communities and ensure quality and compliance with the Award framework.

The DofE Scotland office covers DofE activity across the length and breadth of Scotland, working with over 140 Licensed Organisations and over 19,000 young people in the last year alone. Each Operations Officer manages a portfolio based on broad geographic region.

The role will be field-based and when not attending meetings, employees will work from home. You will need to have an appropriate home office set up and live within or near the region of North Scotland.

What we are looking for:

The successful candidate will be a dynamic and proactive team player, who is able to embrace innovation and change. You will be a confident and effective communicator and collaborator and have experience of building and sustaining relationships with stakeholders across the education and/or youth and community sectors.

You will be a passionate advocate for the work of the DofE and motivated by the charity’s current strategic ambition to give more than one million young people the chance to participate in our life-changing programmes.

Benefits

We offer excellent staff benefits including a generous pension contribution, an employee assistance programme, healthcare cash plan and volunteer leave. Also, 25 days holiday, plus Bank Holidays and an additional 3 days paid leave between Christmas and the New Year. Buy additional annual leave, benefits discount website, death in service benefit 4 x salary, incapacity benefit, generous family leave and sick leave.

The DofE are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people. All successful applicants will be required to undergo an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. (e.g. DBS/PVG or similar), including references covering any gaps of employment/education, confirm eligibility to work in the UK and complete a health check.

About The Duke of Edinburgh's Award

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a renowned charity that empowers young people by offering life-changing programs. With a vision of Youth Without Limits, their aim is to provide over a million young individuals, particularly those facing marginalisation, the opportunity to participate in their transformative initiatives within the next five years. By supporting young people in acquiring new skills, overcoming obstacles, and building confidence and resilience, they promote personal growth and development.

The organisation operates by licensing and supporting various institutions like schools, colleges, youth groups, and hospitals to run their programs. They prioritise the safety of participants and have taken necessary measures to ensure it. Additionally, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award has an Executive Leadership Team that works together to expand their provision and a team of Trustees who set the strategic direction for the charity.

With an international reach in over 130 countries and territories, the DofE is part of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation, which aims to provide opportunities to young people globally. The history of the DofE traces back to 1956 when it was initially launched for boys. Over the years, it has evolved and now offers programs for young people aged 14 to 24, focusing on four key sections: Volunteering, Physical, Skills, and Expedition. The impact of the DofE has been astounding, with millions of young people benefiting from the program. Even during challenging times like the coronavirus pandemic, the dedication and contributions of DofE participants have been remarkable.

As the UK recovers, the DofE continues to support and empower young people, playing a vital role in the national effort. With a rich history and a commitment to youth development, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award remains a beacon of opportunity and growth for young individuals across the globe.

Community Volunteers Enabling You (COVEY) has been a lifeline for children, young people and families across Lanarkshire since 1992. We provide 1-1 and group-based befriending, mentoring and family support services tailored to those who need it most. Our mission is to help children, young people and families become more resilient, safe and better equipped to reach their full potential.

We are now recruiting a Financial Wellbeing Adviser to strengthen the financial stability and long-term resilience of the families we support. This new role will embed expert, relationship-based money, energy and debt advice within COVEY’s family support model, ensuring families receive holistic support at the earliest opportunity.

As Financial Wellbeing Adviser, you will lead the development and delivery of COVEY’s financial wellbeing offer providing welfare benefits support, income maximisation, budgeting guidance, energy advice and debt triage/advocacy. You will work closely with Service Managers, Family Support Workers and external partners to ensure advice is accurate, trauma-informed and fully integrated into wider support plans. You will also maintain clear referral pathways for specialist or regulated debt advice, ensuring compliance with FCA boundaries and best practice.

What We’re Looking For

• Significant experience delivering money, energy or debt advice to individuals or families, ideally within community, youth or family support settings
• Strong knowledge of welfare benefits, income maximisation, budgeting support, energy efficiency measures and debt solutions
• Understanding of the causes and impact of poverty on children, young people and families and the stigma around financial hardship
• Experience working with vulnerable individuals using trauma‑informed, person‑centred approaches with the ability to convey complex information sensitively
• Confidence using data and CRM systems (e.g. Salesforce, AdvicePro) to monitor performance, maintain accurate case records and report on outcomes
• Experience collaborating with multi‑agency partners and advocating on behalf of families to achieve positive outcomes

What we offer

We offer a rewarding role with the opportunity to develop your skills and future career in an enriching environment with the following benefits:

• 6% employer pension contribution
• 22 days A/L (rising to up to 27 days) and 10 public holidays.
• One special leave day to celebrate your birthday
• Flexible working
• HSF Health plan (including dental, optical, physio claim back, personal accident coverage, GP, mental health counselling, legal support, and discounts for gym, cinema, and shopping)
• Quarterly staff wellbeing activities
• Access to ScotWest Credit Union (loans, mortgages, and savings accounts)
• Access to learning and development opportunities

Community Volunteers Enabling You (COVEY) has been a lifeline for children, young people, and families across Lanarkshire since 1992. We provide 1-1 and group-based befriending, mentoring, and family support services tailored to those who need it most. Our mission is to help children, young people and families become more resilient, safe, and better equipped to reach their full potential.

This new role will lead volunteering engagement across COVEY - recruiting, training, supporting and retaining volunteer befrienders/mentors and parent/carer volunteers, while increasing volunteer capacity in line with service demand and strategic priorities.

As Volunteer Engagement Manager, you will have responsibility for COVEY’s volunteer system including recruitment pipelines, safe recruitment, induction and training frameworks, supervision standards, retention, recognition and reporting. You will work closely with Service Managers and frontline staff, who support volunteers day-to-day within services, while you ensure consistency, quality, safeguarding and performance across the organisation.

What we’re looking for:

• Significant experience leading volunteer recruitment, onboarding, training and retention, ideally within mentoring, befriending, family support or similar services.

• Strong knowledge of safeguarding, safe recruitment and volunteer boundaries

• Experience designing or improving volunteer systems, processes and quality standards

• Confidence using data and CRM systems to monitor performance and report on outcomes

• Line management or coaching experience

• Strong relationship-management and communication skills with the ability to influence, engage and inspire people.

What We Offer

We offer a rewarding and fulfilling role with the opportunity to develop your skills and career in an enriching environment. Our benefits package includes:

• 6% employer pension contribution

• 22 days A/L (rising to up to 27 days) and 10 public holidays.

• One special leave day to celebrate your birthday

• Flexible working

• HSF Health plan (including dental, optical, physio claim back, personal accident coverage, GP, mental health counselling, legal support, and discounts for gym, cinema, and shopping)

• Quarterly staff wellbeing activities

• Access to ScotWest Credit Union (loans, mortgages, and savings accounts)

• Access to learning and development opportunities

The COVEY Board of Trustees is seeking to appoint new trustees with expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• HR/Employment Law – e.g. people management, organisational change, staff wellbeing and employment law in a UK context.
• Children, young people and family services – particularly in areas such as mentoring, youth work, education, social care or whole-family support.
• Senior leadership – proven experience at CEO or equivalent senior leadership level, ideally within the third sector or local/national government.

COVEY (Community Volunteers Enabling You) is a lifeline for children, young people, and families across Lanarkshire. Since 1992, we have provided 1-1 and group-based befriending, mentoring, and family support services tailored to those who need it the most.

Please view our short impact video that can be found on the ‘About Us’ page of our website : covey.org.uk

Our Board of Trustees bring wide ranging skills, knowledge, expertise and passion to the organisation. Working closely with the Chief Executive and Leadership Team, the Board has legal responsibility and strategic oversight of the charity, ensuring that it is financially sustainable, has strong governance, manages risk effectively, protects its reputation and delivers against its strategy and charitable objectives.

We have created a supportive, welcoming Board and will give you the support you need to get the best out of the experience, including a structured induction and opportunities to learn more about COVEY’s work.

Applications are encouraged from groups currently under-represented on charity Boards in Scotland.

This is an exciting and rewarding opportunity for an enthusiastic and committed individual. You will have the opportunity to use and further develop your skills and experience to support children and families across Lanarkshire and beyond.

The role will involve attending Board meetings (approximately four per year) plus an AGM and/or EGMs; and any training and strategy days as required. There will also be opportunities to join any standing committees of the Board or occasional short life working groups.

The position is voluntary, however reasonable travel expenses are reimbursed. Location: Meetings of the Board are normally held every quarter at South Lanarkshire College in East Kilbride between 6.00pm – 8.00pm.