Programme Manager - Scotland
- Part time
- £35,100 pro-rata
- Hybrid: Edinburgh/Glasgow
- Closing 31st May 2026
- Advertised from 19th May 2026
- £8,845 per year for 11 hours per week, flexible, term-time only, Monday to Friday.
Role
About Chapter One
Chapter One is a dynamic, growing charity with a vision of a world in which all children have the literacy skills needed to thrive. Our mission is to close the reading gap by providing children with one-to-one support at the time they need it most. We work in thirteen areas/regions of the UK and will support over 4,000 children in 2026-27.
Our unique Online Reading Volunteer programme pairs struggling five to seven-year old (P2-4) readers with reading support volunteers who are working professionals. The volunteer ask is very focused: readers commit 30 minutes a week to read with a child using a bespoke digital platform for an entire academic year. The results are transformative, boosting children's reading confidence and ability.
From a school perspective, online reading volunteers provide direct, meaningful literacy support for up to 10 pupils per class. The programme is particularly suitable for communities where it might be challenging to find parents and other volunteers who can commit to physically visiting schools to boost reading.
About the Role
Chapter One is seeking a Scotland Programme Manager who is an excellent communicator and is able both to motivate and support schools and teachers to implement our online reading volunteers programme, and also to ensure that the programme’s impact and benefit to disadvantaged communities is maximised throughout the academic year.
The post is ideal for someone looking for part-time, flexible, term-time only work from a home base and who is able to travel frequently in and around Edinburgh and Glasgow. The postholder will be joining a team of established Programme Managers who work in different parts of the UK and will need to have some flexibility to work some additional hours during busy autumn weeks, and conversely to work fewer hours during quieter periods of the year.
Key Responsibilities:
- Effectively explain Chapter One’s online reading volunteer programme and its benefits to school leaders and teachers.
- Install, setup and maintain Chapter One equipment in participating classrooms. This will include technical configuration/troubleshooting of mobile internet hotspots with IT team support.
- Organise and conduct initial teacher training and follow-up.
- Ensure a smooth initial launch of Chapter One’s programme in every classroom.
- Fully understand the operation of the Chapter One platform and database and effectively communicate this to others as needed.
- Liaise with colleagues performing technical and volunteer support roles.
- Through regular visits to/contact with schools, provide on-going embedded professional learning and support to teachers throughout the year as needed.
- Proactively monitor classroom adherence/fidelity to the Chapter One model, including systematic review of data reports and volunteer feedback, taking proactive action to resolve problems that arise.
- Analyse and manipulate data (largely in Google sheets) to produce reports and identify trends.
- Create regular data summaries for all participating classrooms.
- Lead annual review meetings for senior leadership at participating schools.
- Support programme monitoring, evaluation and research as required.
- Coordinate in person and virtual school ‘visits’ of volunteer teams to classrooms where necessary. This may include opportunities for Chapter One children to visit the office of the volunteers.
- Liaison with corporate partners as required.
- Weekly communication and status updates with Senior Programme Manager(s) and wider team.
- As a new school year approaches, secure commitments from returning schools and help find and target new schools to join Chapter One’s programme.
We are looking for applicants with the following essential qualities:
- Highly motivated individual with excellent interpersonal and organisational skills.
- Proven track record of working at a senior level in education, project management or a related field.
- Proven strength in both written and verbal communication.
- Highly IT literate, with excellent computer skills, able to troubleshoot software and technical hardware issues, adept with Google suite and Microsoft Teams.
- Ability to manipulate and analyse data to draw useful conclusions to improve programme delivery.
- Proven ability to work independently.
- Self-starter and quick learner.
- Ability to adapt and embrace a changing environment.
- Ability to drive and access to a car for work purposes.
Ideally, applicants will also have the following desirable qualities:
- Two years of teaching/education experience with primary age children.
- University degree.
Application notes
For further information and to apply, please click here.
We are seeking a change advocate with strong project development skills, a focus on funding for stability, and experience in commercialisation to manage our Reading is Caring programme.
Scottish Book Trust is a national charity that believes books, reading and writing have the power to change lives. A love of reading inspires creativity, improves employment opportunities, mental health and wellbeing and is one of the most effective ways to help break the poverty cycle. We work towards a Scotland where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive through literacy.
What we offer
• Full fixed-term role
• Competitive salary
• Flexible hybrid working between home and our Edinburgh City Centre Office, with great access by train, bus, and tram
• Generous holiday entitlement
• Company Sick Pay
• Pension with 5% employer contributions
• Death in service benefit
• Free access to employee assistance programme
Scottish Book Trust’s Reading is Caring (RiC) team delivers the Reading is Caring programme that is designed to train both professional and family carers in how to use shared reading techniques to improve the connection and enhance wellbeing with the person living with dementia.
Following a successful award of funding from the Dementia Resilient Communities Fund, Scottish Book Trust is looking to appoint a Reading is Caring Manager to continue the development of the programme over the next 12 months. The Reading is Caring Manager will be responsible for the strategic planning, development and evaluation of the Reading is Caring programme. Our aim is for the programme to become a nationally accessible, self-sustaining model of training in our evidence based shared reading methodologies by advocating for and promoting the programme across the dementia sector.
Due to the limited nature of the funding, we are ideally looking for someone who can start this full-time position immediately to ensure delivery of the project goals within the funding time frame.
The role also includes developing/securing multiple income strands to enhance ongoing sustainability.
The role line manages the RiC Trainer and RiC Co-ordinator, as well as supervising freelancers on short term contracts
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
About Aberlour Sycamore Children’s Houses
Aberlour Sycamore Services’ vision is to provide warm, loving homes for children where everyone learns, laughs, grows into their future and is treasured always. At any one time, the residential houses within Sycamore require additional support to help to maintain stability and balance within the teams. Sycamore services are widely recognised in Scotland for providing a range of quality therapeutic residential houses for some of the most vulnerable children and young people in the country. The Service is a national resource and as such receives referrals from throughout Scotland.
What we are looking for....
We are looking for individuals who can integrate seamlessly into our existing team, working alongside it and relief adults to support excellent service delivery. We are looking for 2 Residential Workers to work 37.5 hours per week to work within our home in Glenrothes. You will work as part of a residential rota including early, late, sleepovers and weekend shifts. You will have a knowledge and understanding of the importance of attachment, trauma and how this can impact on an individual’s development. At times our children express their distress through their behaviour and the role can be emotionally and physically challenging; we are therefore looking for someone who is resilient, understands that behaviour is a means of communication and is trauma responsive.
You will be skilled in building therapeutic relationships with the children, young people and young adults to enable them to feel safe, loved and cared for.
You must have the ability to quickly build your relationships with the adults within the house. The nature of the role is such that you could be working to cover a shift or longer periods as required, including days and wakened nightshifts and you may also be supporting young people to attend school or participate in other learning programmes. You must therefore be able to quickly adapt to the working environment within each house.
You will be comfortable with working within Aberlour’s culture embracing respect, integrity, innovation and the ability to challenge. Demonstration of these qualities will be particularly important in this role given that you will be dipping in and out of the different teams. You must be able to be an exceptional role model for other staff and the young person.
Undertaking the role of Residential Worker will afford you the opportunity to develop and build on a range of transferrable skills which are valued in a range of employment. You will be able to demonstrate excellent flexibility and adaptability with exceptional interpersonal skills, ability to work with different teams and different children, young people and young adults living within our Sycamore Houses.
To have a look at our values to understand more about what we are looking for from our employees click here.
What we offer...
As well as a supportive team and excellent training opportunities, we want all our employees to feel valued and rewarded for the vital work they do. When you work with us, we'll recognise your efforts with generous annual leave, an excellent employer pension scheme and a range of deals and discounts across various retailers. Please click here to have a look at our Employee Benefits.
About Aberlour Sycamore Children’s Houses
Aberlour Sycamore Services’ vision is to provide warm, loving homes for children where everyone learns, laughs, grows into their future and is treasured always. At any one time, the residential houses within Sycamore require additional support to help to maintain stability and balance within the teams. Sycamore services are widely recognised in Scotland for providing a range of quality therapeutic residential houses for some of the most vulnerable children and young people in the country. The Service is a national resource and as such receives referrals from throughout Scotland.
What we are looking for....
We are looking for individuals who can integrate seamlessly into our existing team, working alongside it and relief adults to support excellent service delivery. We are looking for a Residential Worker to work 18.75 hours per week to work within our home in Glenrothes. You will work as part of a residential rota including early, late, sleepovers and weekend shifts. You will have a knowledge and understanding of the importance of attachment, trauma and how this can impact on an individual’s development. At times our children express their distress through their behaviour and the role can be emotionally and physically challenging; we are therefore looking for someone who is resilient, understands that behaviour is a means of communication and is trauma responsive.
You will be skilled in building therapeutic relationships with the children, young people and young adults to enable them to feel safe, loved and cared for.
You must have the ability to quickly build your relationships with the adults within the house. The nature of the role is such that you could be working to cover a shift or longer periods as required, including days and wakened nightshifts and you may also be supporting young people to attend school or participate in other learning programmes. You must therefore be able to quickly adapt to the working environment within each house.
You will be comfortable with working within Aberlour’s culture embracing respect, integrity, innovation and the ability to challenge. Demonstration of these qualities will be particularly important in this role given that you will be dipping in and out of the different teams. You must be able to be an exceptional role model for other staff and the young person.
Undertaking the role of Residential Worker will afford you the opportunity to develop and build on a range of transferrable skills which are valued in a range of employment. You will be able to demonstrate excellent flexibility and adaptability with exceptional interpersonal skills, ability to work with different teams and different children, young people and young adults living within our Sycamore Houses.
To have a look at our values to understand more about what we are looking for from our employees click here.
What we offer...
As well as a supportive team and excellent training opportunities, we want all our employees to feel valued and rewarded for the vital work they do. When you work with us, we'll recognise your efforts with generous annual leave, an excellent employer pension scheme and a range of deals and discounts across various retailers. Please click here to have a look at our Employee Benefits.
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