Job Purpose

To provide high quality advice and representation to individuals and families on income maximisation, welfare benefits, debt, housing and money, in line with the Scottish National Standards for Information and Advice Providers.

The adviser will deliver support across a range of settings in line with MAT Standard 8, which states that all people must have access to independent advocacy and support for housing, welfare and income needs. This includes helping individuals to navigate services, have their voice heard, and secure their rights, particularly where poverty, stigma or complex needs create barriers to engagement. The adviser’s work forms part of a project funded through the DDTF Improvement Fund, administered by Corra, which aims to reduce drug-related harm by addressing the wider social and structural factors that impact on recovery and wellbeing.

By joining our team, you will be helping alleviate poverty and improve individuals, families and children’s lives and ensure our Vision is fulfilled, in that no one in our communities endures hardship.

Do you want to help alleviate poverty and improve the lives of families and children impacted by illness and disability? The Royal Hospital for Children and Young People provides care to patients from across Edinburgh and nationally. Many will be experiencing very challenging and life changing events which also impact the finances and circumstances of the family.

This is an exciting opportunity to join CHAI Advice Service and help deliver benefits and housing advice through our highly successful service at the RHCYP. Comprehensive and continuous training is provided by CHAI to support this rewarding role.

Are you?:

• Resilient and able to demonstrate empathy at a challenging time in peoples’ lives, which will sometimes involve children who have terminal illnesses.
• Able to quickly learn complex rules and legislation on Welfare Benefits and Housing.
• Able to grow trusting professional relationships in a formal setting.
• Understanding of people’s journeys and the challenges they have had in their lives, and how poverty can have an impact on them.

As an Adviser in CHAI, You will:

• Provide high quality accurate advice, information, and representation in line with the Scottish National Standards for Information and Advice Providers.
• Provide advice within a range of settings from on site at the hospital, the CHAI office, community venues and some home working.
• Work in partnership with NHS practitioners at the RHCYP, social work teams and other children’s charity providers.

CHAI offers the following exceptional benefits:

• Extensive training programme
• Flexible working
• Access to Simply Health benefit plan
• 33 days of annual leave + public holidays
• Enrolment to NOW pension scheme
• Supportive work environment
• Opportunities to improve services and make a difference

Background

This is an exciting and challenging opportunity to work with a driven team in one of Scotland’s most well regarded and effective local active travel and bike refurbishing charities.

The Bike Station has been based in the community for over 20 years, with a credible reputation of recycling, refurbishing and reusing donated bikes and making bikes available within the community.

Our communities continue to be under increasing pressure with the cost-of-living crisis and within a climate crisis.

Enabling more people to choose cycling has multiple financial, health and social benefits and the demand for our services has grown in recent years.

We are looking for a confident and strategic Development Manager to build strong relationships and develop services that will significantly enhance their sustainable income.

This role will create and lead our long-term unrestricted income and business opportunities.

Primary Aim

Contribute to the long-term sustainability of The Bike Station by increasing unrestricted income.

Purpose of the role

• Explore and source public giving commercial opportunities in alignment with The Bike Stations strategic objectives.
• Analyse market data to support opportunities for business development with existing and potential clients and provide recommendations to success and routes to increased revenue.
• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships and relationships developing strong working relationships with key stakeholders, influencing decisions both internally & externally.
• Develop and deliver our commercial income opportunities including our skills development programme, corporate volunteering and public giving campaigns.
• Collaborate with The Bike Stations refurbishing, skills development, community, volunteering and communications teams to ensure strong customer experience .
• Lead on developing messaging, with the support from the Communications Team, to create marketing materials that facilitates expansion of The Bike Stations commercial and giving opportunities.
• Monitor performance against budget and implementing action plans to ensure achievement of budget targets.
• Line manage Volunteer Development Officer and Communications Officer to ensure programmes of activity are well resourced, ensuring high quality with a commitment to continuous improvement and return custom.
• Such other tasks as may be required which are consistent with the duties and responsibilities of the post.

Person Specification

Real experience, aptitude, values, fit with team and a passion for cycling are more important to us than formal qualifications.

That being said this post requires strong business acumen, evidence of successful income generation and a practical and effective approach.

Essential

• Confident, self-motivated and proactive with excellent communication, organisational and people skills.
• An excellent understanding of third sector and commercial business development including charitable trading, grants and contracts.
• Evidence of securing unrestricted income through commercial and public giving campaigns
• An excellent relationship builder with people and professionals from a range of backgrounds and sectors: ideally someone with gravitas and integrity.
• Ability to process complex information, analyse data and articulate it well to a range of audiences and stakeholders.
• Experience of completing financial and resource analyses of opportunities to create sustainable options and lead on creating appropriate plans. This can include options appraisals, business plans, funding assessments.
• Experience of preparing programme budgets including financial reports and cash flow forecasts.
• Ability to problem-solve and design and implement solutions.
• Ability to manage their time effectively, multitask, work on several projects simultaneously with tight timescales.
• Proficient in the use of technology and willing to learn new ways of working as needed.
• An excellent team player and willing to share skills and knowledge with co-workers with experience developing an line managing teams

Linlithgow Community Development Trust is a charity formed by residents to deliver changes that benefit our community. Our vision is “Empowered, thriving communities where people work together to nurture innovation” which we hope to achieve through our mission of “Fostering creative solutions to provide community benefit and encourage a sustainable and vibrant Linlithgow”.

Our main priorities are;

• Driving Environmental Initiatives: Encouraging waste reduction, resource reuse, and recycling within the community; promoting energy efficiency, encouraging sustainable transportation options, developing friendly green spaces, supporting local food production.
• Improving Community Health and Wellbeing: Building connections, reducing social isolation, improving mental and physical health and well-being, increasing learning and skill-building.
• Facilitating Community Engagement: Empowering residents to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to create community benefit and capacity-building.

Our staff and volunteers are all local people focusing on projects prioritised by local people. By coming together, we want to access the resources needed to help develop strong, inclusive and meaningful projects that give the community a sense of purpose and value and build confidence that they can take into all areas of their lives. Annually, we engage with over 3000 people through our activities, improving the environment, people’s health and wellbeing and strengthening our communities.

Job Purpose:

The role will play a vital part in supporting the Trusts long-term financial future. This will be achieved by working to increase the income potential of our existing facilities along with developing new and creative ways to build projects that themselves would enable income generation. The funds raised through this role will contribute toward the organisations financial resilience and also generate vital unrestricted funds that can then be used to achieve greater levels of community benefit and support the objectives of the trust, which in turn will support the community of Linlithgow Ward

Embedded within Linlithgow Community Development Trust (LCDT), you will work with partners and staff to lead on all aspects of business growth, coordinating and supporting the trust to reduce its reliance on grant funding and supporting efforts to increase the level of social entrepreneurship within the town.

You will ensure growth in income through a range of means and develop new income streams that fit with our values and build resilience.

Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer

Location: Based at Linlithgow Community Development Trust office (the EH49 Hub, Linlithgow). There will be some working at the West Lothian Cycle Circuit, some working from home and travel to locations across West Lothian.