We are seeking an experienced and motivated Bid Writer to assist Advice Direct Scotland to secure sustainable income and drive long term organisational growth. This is an exciting opportunity to use your writing expertise to make a real social impact, shaping and developing high quality bids that support vital advice services across Scotland.

This role offers a highly competitive salary alongside an exceptional 4 day working week, giving you meaningful work and genuine work–life balance.

About us

Advice Direct Scotland (ADS) is Scotland’s national advice service, providing free, practical, and impartial advice to people across Scotland on issues including consumer rights, energy, debt, housing, and more.

Our mission is simple: to ensure that everyone in Scotland has access to the support they need, when they need it.

We are a modern, digital-first, omni-channel organisation, delivering advice and support through telephone, webchat, email, SMS, social media, and self-service digital tools. This innovative model allows us to reach people in the way that suits them best, ensuring accessibility, speed, and impact.

What we offer

• Salary of £32,200 per annum
• 31.25 hours over a 4 day working week
• 30.5 days annual leave (38 days pro rata), enabling excellent work–life balance
• 8% employer pension contribution
• Life Insurance for added peace of mind
• Cycle to work scheme
• EAP and Wellbeing Support
• Fresh Fruit and snacks daily
• Company events
• Company Sick pay
• Reward and benefit programmes

About the Role

As Bid Writer, you will play a critical role in securing funding and business opportunities that support Advice Direct Scotland’s services, innovation and strategic development. Reporting to the Head of Business Development, you will lead the development of high quality, persuasive and fully compliant funding applications, grants and tenders.

You’ll translate Advice Direct Scotland’s services, evidence and social impact into compelling written submissions that clearly demonstrate outcomes, fairness and value for money — strengthening our reputation as a trusted national advice provider.

What you need to succeed

Educated to degree level or equivalent professional experience in a relevant field (e.g. communications, business, public policy, or third sector work), you will bring proven experience in researching, writing and submitting high quality funding applications or tender responses, with a strong ability to tailor persuasive narratives to different funder priorities and evaluation criteria.

You will have a solid understanding of outcomes focused funding, impact measurement, fairness and value for money and be confident using data, evidence and case studies to strengthen submissions.

Strong written communication skills, exceptional attention to detail and the ability to interpret complex guidance are essential, alongside experience coordinating input from senior stakeholders, finance and operational teams. You will be highly organised, able to manage multiple deadlines in a fast paced environment.

If you’re looking for a role where your delivering real social impact, we’d love to hear from you.

Equality and inclusion

We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and we welcome applications from all backgrounds and communities.

If you require adjustments or alternative ways to apply, please let us know — we’re happy to help.

Key duties include developing effective policy narratives and using these to create change in key areas relating to anti-racism in Scotland.

The successful candidate will have excellent awareness of the Scottish policy environment and experience of previous work in informing public policy or in campaigning. They will have knowledge of equality issues and most importantly, the desire and ability to make a real improvement to racial equality in Scotland.

Partners in Advocacy has been delivering independent advocacy services since 1998 and is recognised as a trusted and established independent advocacy provider across Scotland.

We are pleased to offer an opportunity to join our Edinburgh Carers service as a Service Coordinator.

This is a rewarding role in a supportive, experienced team, where you will make a genuine difference by providing line management to the team and one-to-one independent advocacy to unpaid adult carers. You will support individuals in having their voices heard, helping them express their views, understand their rights, explore their options, and participate in decisions that affect their lives.

The role involves travelling throughout Edinburgh to meet people in a range of community and other settings. Travel expenses are covered, and you will be supported to plan your work in a way that is both effective and sustainable.

Working closely with the Service Manager for Edinburgh & The Lothians, you will help maintain accurate service data and support the development of service reports, helping demonstrate the impact of advocacy.

This is a role that offers a high degree of autonomy, alongside regular support, supervision, and opportunities to connect with colleagues across the organisation.

We warmly encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds. If your skills and experience align with the job description and person specification, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Please complete the application form, providing examples of how you meet each aspect of the job description and person specification.

Partners in Advocacy is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible working environment.

What the role is really like

• Your work will be team-focussed, in terms of practice and outcomes, though you’ll need to feel comfortable working independently at times, managing your own diary and priorities.
• You will provide one-to-one support and supervision to your team colleagues.
• Your work will support unpaid adult carers in Edinburgh who, in turn, are supporting a family member who may have mental health needs or other additional support requirements.
• Your days will vary from supporting someone in a meeting, to travelling across Edinburgh, to completing case notes at home.
• Some situations can be complex or emotionally demanding, and good professional boundaries are essential.
• You’ll need to be able to understand complex information and processes, translate them in the context of your advocacy partners’ needs, helping them to understand their rights and explore their options.
• You’ll need to be comfortable making decisions and working proactively, while staying connected to your wider team.
• You’ll be speaking to professionals and others in a range of settings, communicating, and amplifying your advocacy partners’ opinions and wishes.
• You’ll record, track, and compile statistical and other information, writing it into tracking spreadsheets, Microsoft Word forms and creating anonymised case studies.

You’ll be a good fit if you:

• Are comfortable working autonomously and managing your own workload whilst recognising and reacting to the needs and development of your team colleagues
• Have recent line management experience and value high-quality, person-centred people management
• Can recognise the right times to check in with your line manager
• Have good planning skills and are punctual
• Can build trust with people and communicate clearly in a range of situations
• Are organised and able to balance direct work and administrative responsibilities
• Have good writing and IT skills
• Are confident travelling independently across Edinburgh
• Value equality, diversity, human-rights, and person-led support
• Can research, read, and understand complex information, then translate it and explain it in clear terms

Forth Valley Advocacy is an independent advocacy service promoting the rights, freedom and dignity of vulnerable people, supporting people to have their say and defending disadvantaged people from abuse and exploitation. The service is based on human rights principles and ensures that a stronger voice is given to individuals made vulnerable by complex life situations.

Due to the upcoming retiral of one of our team, we aim to recruit a new advocacy worker to our dedicated team, enabling Forth Valley Advocacy to continue providing high quality, person centred Independent Advocacy services across the Forth Valley area.

You will join an enthusiastic group of experienced Advocacy Workers and will report to the Chief Officer. The caseload is varied and will include work with individuals who are subject to legislation, including mental health care and treatment, and people using care and support services or who are in transition between services or settings.

With a commitment to ensuring that Advocacy Partners voices are heard, you will have a strong belief in empowerment and inclusion. As a member of the expanded team, you will contribute to the development of the service as it continues to provide independent advocacy throughout this period of growth.

Due to the widespread geography covered by this post, you must be a car driver with access to a car.

*The service is based in Falkirk but covers the whole of the Forth Valley area. Hybrid working arrangements are in operation although the successful individual will be required to work from our office during the induction period.

We are committed to equality and diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds.