Ayrshire Cancer Support has operated since 1982, providing emotional support and practical help to those affected by cancer; this role will play a valuable part in supporting the services we offer.

An exciting opportunity has arisen within Ayrshire Cancer Support for a dynamic, outgoing professional with a talent for building relationships to join a small, but impactful and likeminded team.

Reporting to our Director of Income and Marketing, you will initiate, plan and execute fundraising initiatives, with an emphasis on corporate and fundraising events. You’ll be responsible for engaging with corporate partners and local businesses to secure donations, sponsorships and partnerships.

You’ll build strong and lasting relationships with existing corporate partners, researching and generating innovative ideas to support and increase their fundraising activities. You’ll apply significant focus on attracting new partnerships, cultivating relationships through pro-active networking.

You’ll have excellent communication, sales, negotiation, and organisational skills, with a track record of achieving financial targets. You’ll also work collaboratively with our wider team to plan and execute a range of events.

Whilst charity fundraising experience is desirable, this is not essential. This is a full-time role totalling 35 hours per week and will require some evening and weekend working, with travel throughout Ayrshire.

Join the official charity of NHS Highland in the new role of Grants Officer

Are you passionate about making a difference through effective grant-making? This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in supporting NHS Highland’s official charity, helping to fund projects that improve experiences for patients, staff, and communities across the Highlands.

About the Role

We are looking for a motivated and detail-oriented Grants Officer to join NHS Highland’s charity team, supporting the work of the Highland Health Board Endowment Fund Charity, SC016791. The charity exists to enhance the physical and mental health of patients, social care service users, NHS Highland staff, and the wider community by funding projects that make a lasting impact.

As Grants Officer, you will be the main point of contact for grant enquiries, providing advice and guidance to a wide range of stakeholders but working primarily with internal applicants from within the NHS Highland workforce. You will oversee the full grant-making process, from initial enquiry and assessment, through to award, monitoring, and evaluation, ensuring that funding decisions are fair, transparent, and deliver maximum benefit.

You will support the presentation of applications to the Charity Committee when needed, as well as supporting robust financial reporting and compliance with NHS Highland policies and OSCR regulations.

This is a varied and rewarding role where you’ll help shape the delivery of impactful charitable projects across NHS Highland.

What we are looking for

We’re seeking someone with:

• Demonstrable, relevant experience in grant-making and project management, preferably within a charitable or public sector setting.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to advise, train, and support applicants from a wide range of backgrounds and to present effectively to committees and groups. You will have highly developed written communication skills and will confidently manage situations where applicants are unsuccessful, requiring resilience, diplomacy, and the ability to decline requests with professionalism and tact.
• Excellent analytical and organisational abilities, with a meticulous eye for detail and the capacity to manage competing priorities.
• Confidence in financial processes, including monitoring budgets, preparing reports, and ensuring compliance with statutory and governance requirements.
• IT proficiency, particularly in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and ideally experience with grant management or CRM systems. The skills and knowledge to provide meaningful input to quality and process improvement tasks is vital.
• A proactive and flexible approach, able to work both independently and as part of a team, with a strong sense of personal accountability.

This role will suit someone who enjoys balancing detail with big-picture impact, who can combine sound governance with compassion, and who is motivated by helping charitable funds achieve their greatest potential for our NHS and the communities we serve.

This role is based within the NHS Highland region, with the office base at Assynt House, Inverness. Hybrid working is supported, though you will be expected to regularly attend the office and face-to-face meetings at Assynt House and other NHS Highland sites as required.

As we continue to grow our services to meet increasing demand, we are seeking a dedicated and experienced Talking Therapies practitioner to take a strategic and operational lead in delivering psychological support services to adults and young people affected by and bereaved from cancer across Ayrshire.

Reporting to our Director of Care Services, our TTL will be responsible for the leadership, development, and delivery of Ayrshire Cancer Support’s talking therapy services. This includes direct provision of high-level one to one and group psychological support to those affected by cancer, supervision of the counselling team, and service development aligned with best practice, governance, and quality standards.

The position is suitable for one of the following mental health professionals; Either a Clinical Associate in Applied Psychology; or a Nursing or Allied Health Professional with specialist training; or an experienced talking therapist qualified in one or more therapeutic approach (counselling, psychotherapy, CBT, EMDR) whilst holding registration with a relevant regulatory body (e.g., NMC, HCPC, BACP, COSCA). A satisfactory Level 2 PVG will also be an essential requirement for the role.

Whilst third sector experience is desirable, this is not essential. The role will operate over 30 hours per week between Monday and Friday, and we are open to discussing how these hours are worked. The role will involve working flexibly throughout Ayrshire and between our support centres in Kilmarnock and Ayr.

Full details can be found in the recruitment pack below.