About Money Advice Scotland (MAS)

MAS is Scotland’s leading money charity, committed to promoting financial wellbeing across Scotland. We support individuals in debt, provide essential training and resources to money advisers, and influence policy to create a fairer financial landscape. As a membership organisation, we empower the money advice sector through comprehensive training, events, and resources, ensuring that advisers are well-equipped to meet the growing demand for financial guidance.

In addition to advocating for fair treatment of people in debt, we play a crucial role in influencing policy and improving financial capability. Our efforts include delivering educational workshops in schools, colleges, and workplaces, and providing a strong, persuasive voice for consumers and the advice sector. By working closely with our members, we address early signs of consumer harm and help shape a more just and responsive financial environment in Scotland.

Job Purpose

MAS is moving into an exciting new phase of its evolution. The Board of Trustees, in conjunction with the Senior Leadership Team have agreed to an ambitious new strategy to secure Money Advice Scotland as a thought leader with a clear mission:

“Money Advice Scotland is empowering all sectors in Scotland to build a collaborative and multi-disciplinary front-line to tackle the human impact of debt and improve financial well-being. Money Advisors can’t do this alone. Each sector is different with unique challenges and a specific role in helping Scotland’s money advisors tackle debt issues in the classrooms; workplaces and homes of Scotland. We will engage with each sector, understand its role and help to equip key decision makers to join our ‘trauma-informed’ debt network.

Let’s broaden the front-line of understanding and support to deal with individuals with debt. Wherever they are. And whoever they are.”

We are looking for a new CEO to help to deliver this vision. A natural campaigner with a track record of matching societal need with campaigns which cut-through and engage partners and potential funders. Our new CEO will have several key attributes:

• a track record of creating thought leadership via advocacy and campaigning underpinned by collaborative research
• well-networked in some or all of the sectors we are targeting (business, financial services, housing, education and political)
• a communicator and campaigner. Someone equally comfortable winning hearts and minds in the Boardroom as they are in the Newsroom
• commercially-savvy and politically connected
• someone who understands trauma and how to rectify it

The CEO will provide visionary leadership and work closely with the Board of Trustees and the Senior Leadership Team to advance the mission of MAS. Building on the strong foundation already established, the CEO will focus on driving the organisation’s external growth by forging strategic partnerships, expanding our influence, and developing new income streams. With a clear strategic plan in place, the CEO’s primary role will be to champion MAS’s mission externally, positioning the organisation as a leader in financial well-being across Scotland.

While the Senior Leadership Team oversees day-to-day operations, the CEO will be a dynamic and outward-focused leader, responsible for enhancing our public profile, fostering key relationships, and ensuring the financial sustainability of the organisation through innovative income generation and strategic networking.

Main Purpose:

To break the cycle of food bank dependency by building financial capacity, energy capability and independent living skills within the target community; reducing social isolation, tackling poverty and inequality, reducing social drift, building community cohesion and developing community capacity and resilience.

Roles & responsibilities

The post-holder will support TRI (Tackling Rural Isolation) Outreach Support Service users to achieve increased financial capacity, become energy capable and develop independent living skills, by providing bespoke advice, support & advocacy as follows:

• Assistance with mitigating the impact of the cost of living crisis and maximising income.
• Help with financial and digital inclusion: support to access bank accounts & to digitally access cheaper services to free up income and build digital capacity, confidence and savings.
• Support to access appropriate affordable borrowing; to explain implications of borrowing; and to access debt resolution strategies.
• Support to access, efficiently use and manage economically viable energy provision in partnership with the Stirling CAB Energy Advice team
• Social prescribing & assistance to access further support to address underlying vulnerabilities such as loneliness, mental health, addiction, chaotic lifestyles, offending behaviours.
• Support to better integrate into the local community to address social & economic isolation and loneliness.
• Support for developing financial confidence and responsible financial management, improving independent living skills.

Full details can be found in the job description below.

Are you passionate about making a difference to your local community? Are you willing and able to give up some of your valuable time to work with a Charity that has a social ethos and values to make a difference in the local communities we serve? As the need for our services has grown, we are looking for new trustees to contribute to help us develop and deliver our strategy, values and vision.

About East Ayrshire Citizens Advice Bureau

As a member of the Scottish Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux network, East Ayrshire CAB provides free, independent, impartial, and confidential advice and information to ensure that people understand their rights and responsibilities and can express their needs effectively. We campaign and influence to tackle the root cause of the problems people face and work to strengthen their rights.

East Ayrshire CAB currently operates from two offices in Kilmarnock and Cumnock. We have 17 staff and are supported by 12 volunteers including board members. The Bureau supports individuals with a wide range of general enquiries whilst project staff provide specialist support on topics including benefits, debt, utilities, and money matters.

The Role

We’d like to enhance our board to better reflect the diverse individuals and communities we work alongside, so we welcome applications from all backgrounds. Our bureau is a place for learning, innovating and connecting, so whether you’re already an experienced trustee, or taking your first step, we’d love to hear from you. Just some examples of the experience or expertise you may bring include:

• Equality, diversity and inclusion

• Third sector leadership and governance

• Digital strategy

• Legal

You may bring different skills and strengths – more important is your passion to use your skills and experience in guiding and supporting us as we tackle the challenges people face today.

Becoming a volunteer Board member is not just about what you can offer us, it is a rewarding role that helps you learn new skills, broaden your network, raising your profile and make a real difference for the people in East Ayrshire.

There are an average of six Board meetings per year to commit to as well as preparation time and regular collaboration /communications with the team and stakeholders.

The post holder will be responsible for developing and delivering training courses/sessions to enable the EASE Project end users (AFTAR/CAB tenants of five partner Housing Associations, located throughout North Lanarkshire) to empower digitally excluded clients to claim online benefits, grants, offer IT sessions and employability sessions. The post- holder will have responsibility for planning group training sessions as well as one to one coaching sessions for the end users in their own home, or at community based venues or at partners’ premises. Learning will be evaluated through client user surveys and other feedback.

Owing to the flexible delivery nature of this project, a clean current driving licence and use of a car is required for this post.

Employee Benefits

• Competitive reward package including annual performance bonus scheme

• 5% employer pension contributions

• Generous holiday entitlement 38 days inclusive of public holidays

• Additional holidays for length of service

• Family friendly policies

• Home & Flexible working scheme

• Occupational Sick Pay

• Dedicated Training and Personal Development Budget as part of our Talent Management Pool

• Leadership Mentoring

• A wide range of Social Events and Team Building Days