Lead a National Service That Changes Lives Every Day

This is a rare opportunity to take on a newly created national role at the heart of CHAS’s mission. Every week in Scotland, three children die from a life‑shortening condition. CHAS is there for them - and for their families - providing unwavering, compassionate, specialist care.

Our Family Support teams include senior social workers, child and family workers, play specialists and other experts, working hand‑in‑hand with clinical colleagues across our two hospices, in hospitals, and in homes and communities across Scotland.

We’re looking for an exceptional Head of Family Support to shape and lead the full breadth of these services - from child & family support and therapeutic activities to bereavement, spiritual care and financial wellbeing. Your leadership will ensure families receive holistic, responsive and trauma‑informed support wherever and whenever they need it.

About the Role

Reporting to the Director of Nursing and Family Support, you will:

• Provide strategic leadership across all CHAS family support services
• Lead teams across hospices, hospitals and community settings
• Act as CHAS’s Safeguarding Lead, offering expert oversight and driving safe, compassionate practice organisation-wide.
• Champion continuous improvement, helping families make the most of their precious time together
• Strengthen resilience and support families navigating life-altering adverse experiences.

About You

You will bring:

• Significant leadership experience in children’s services, operating confidently at senior level
• A professional social work qualification, with deep knowledge of GIRFEC, UNCRC and Scottish policy
• Expertise in child protection, safeguarding, and adult support and protection
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams in emotionally complex environments
• Excellent partnership skills, working across HSCPs, local authorities, NHS and the third sector
• A compassionate, values‑driven approach that supports wellbeing, reflection and professional growth
• Confidence in shaping high‑quality, impactful services
• SSSC registration

Why CHAS?

For the families we support, time is precious - and the work you lead will help families live it fully.

Our 2024–2028 Strategic Plan commits us to providing unwavering care from the moment a child is diagnosed through living well, dying well, and beyond into bereavement. As Head of Family Support, you will play a pivotal leadership role in bringing this strategy to life for our family support workforce - shaping services, developing people, and ensuring the highest standards of safe, compassionate and effective care.

We offer:

• Broad national impact: Influence practice across Scotland and contribute to sector‑wide improvement.
• Flexibility: Based at one of our central CHAS sites: Kinross, Balloch, Edinburgh or Glasgow, with frequent presence in our hospices. CHAS provides care and support to children and families across Scotland with staff bases in Aberdeen and Inverness. This role will require Scotland-wide travel, including CHAS sites, local authority and NHS settings and office locations, as well as attendance at external events. Flexibility is essential, and business mileage expenses will be reimbursed. As a family‑friendly organisation, we recognise that flexibility works both ways, and we will support a balanced and adaptable approach to working hours and locations wherever possible.
• Professional growth: A visible, national leadership role with space and support to excel.
• Generous holidays: 35 days, rising to 40 after five years.
• Pension: Opportunity to join the Local Government Pension Scheme for Scotland, administered by Lothian Pension Fund or continued membership of the NHS Scotland Pension Scheme (if applicable)
• Comprehensive benefits:Including life assurance, wellbeing support, employee assistance programme, discount schemes such as Blue Light and Perkbox, and incremental pay progression.

Hybrid working between our Big Noise centres across Scotland and home working. We anticipate that you will be travelling to and working from one of our centres for the majority of your week.

Sistema Scotland’s vision is to improve lives and strengthen communities. Working with children, young people and their families, we focus on early intervention and stimulating generational social change. By playing music together in ensembles and orchestras, we aim to grow confidence, respect, teamwork and aspiration in the children, young people and communities we work with.

We deliver our work through six Big Noise programmes: in Raploch & Fallin in Stirling, Govanhill in Glasgow, Torry in Aberdeen, Douglas in Dundee and Wester Hailes in Edinburgh.

The Deputy Director of Music & Curriculum is a new role, reflecting the desire to support effective learning and teaching across the organisation, in line with our organisational strategy. You will work closely with the Director of Music & Curriculum to support and strengthen the musical delivery of our Big Noise programmes, including key support in quality assurance, the planning & execution of training & induction, cross-centre musical collaborations, and ensuring the principles of inclusive practice are embedded in our work. As part of the Leadership Team, you will also support the smooth running of the organisation and delivery on strategic outcomes.

You will bring extensive experience of large group/whole-class musicianship and instrumental instruction with a proven track record of success, along with experience of teaching using a Kodaly-inspired approach and applying it to instrumental pedagogy. You will also have experience of providing constructive feedback and training to musicians/teachers.

For further details please visit our website makeabignoise.org.uk/work-with-us where you can view the full job/person specification and complete our online application form (no CVs please). For any additional information please e-mail recruitment@sistemascotland.org.uk or telephone 01786 236914.

We believe our people should represent the communities we work with. That’s why we are committed to being an inclusive employer and a great place to work. We recognise and celebrate the fact that our people come from diverse backgrounds. We positively welcome applications from people from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities or longstanding health conditions, people who are LGBTQ+, and people from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds, as well as people of all ages.

Are you ready to shape the people experience at CHAS, ensuring our teams are supported, inspired and equipped to make a meaningful impact for children and families during the most challenging moments of their lives?

Join CHAS as our Head of People and play a pivotal leadership role in supporting our teams across Scotland. If you are driven by purpose, energised by organisational development, and passionate about creating an exceptional workplace culture, this is your opportunity to make a profound impact.

Reporting to the Director of People and Strategy, you will provide strategic leadership, vision and direction for the People function (HR and Learning & Organisational Development) across CHAS. You will ensure our People Strategy, policies and practices enable delivery of the CHAS Plan and support our people to thrive

You will act as a key influencer and professional lead, advising senior leaders and managers on workforce planning, employment law, organisational change, employee engagement, governance and best practice in people management, while promoting a positive, inclusive and values-led culture.

You will:

• Provide strategic leadership for the People function, ensuring effective delivery of HR, workforce planning, recruitment and retention, employee relations, learning and organisational development.
• Lead development and evaluation of the CHAS People Strategy to ensure it remains fit for purpose and aligned to organisational objectives.
• Act as a senior business partner to the Senior Leadership Team, influencing and coaching leaders to deliver excellent people management practice.
• Lead organisational change initiatives, workforce modernisation and culture development to enhance employee experience and service delivery.
• Ensure robust governance across HR policy, employment legislation, data protection, job evaluation, pay and reward, and employee wellbeing.
• Oversee effective people data, systems and reporting to support decision making, planning and performance.
• Manage and develop the People team, including HR Business Partnering, Learning and Organisational Development and Talent Acquisition, fostering a culture of engagement and continuous improvement.

About You

• You will bring extensive senior-level HR leadership experience, ideally within a multi-site or complex organisation, alongside the credibility and confidence to influence at the highest level.
• You will be a CIPD Chartered Fellow with deep expertise in employment law, HR strategy, organisational development and employee relations.
• You will demonstrate strong analytical, communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to handle complex and sensitive situations with professionalism, compassion and integrity.
• You will share CHAS values and bring a collaborative, inclusive leadership style with a commitment to supporting staff and volunteers.

People Team Structure

Reporting to the Director of People and Strategy, you will lead a function that includes HR, Learning and Organisational Development, Talent Acquisition and People Systems.

Why CHAS?

At CHAS, we support families when they need us most – offering care, comfort and compassion during the hardest moments of their lives. We are driven by a bold ambition: to reach every family in Scotland whose child is dying and provide the support they deserve.

We Offer

• Flexible Working: our teams work flexibly and in a hybrid manner with time split between home and onsite in Edinburgh, Balloch, Glasgow or Kinross
• Development Opportunities: Lead and shape the People Strategy during a period of organisational growth and transformation.
• Professional Growth: Work with industry leaders in a high-performing team where you will be encouraged and supported to excel and develop your skills.
• Supportive Leadership: you’ll have the backing of a collaborative leadership team that empowers you to drive progress, innovate, and lead with creativity
• Comprehensive Benefits: Including generous annual leave and pension, incremental salary progression, access to Blue Light discounts, a health cash plan and health and wellbeing support.