Help us build an organisation where young women can thrive.

At SAY Women, we believe every young woman deserves to feel safe, supported and able to shape her own future.

We support young women aged 16–25 who have experienced childhood sexual abuse, sexual violence and homelessness, or are at risk of homelessness. Our work is feminist, person-centred and rooted in relationships, community and the belief that young women should have a real say in the services that affect their lives.

We’re looking for an Operational Lead to help us strengthen and grow our organisation, ensuring we have the people, systems and infrastructure we need to make the greatest possible difference.

About the role

This is a key leadership role working closely with our CEO and Senior Management Team. You’ll provide strategic oversight across the organisation, making sure our operations are effective, our systems work well and we meet our responsibilities as a charity and employer.

We’re looking for someone who can see the bigger picture while understanding the practical realities of running a busy, frontline organisation. You’ll be confident identifying what needs to change, developing better ways of working and bringing people with you.

From governance, risk and compliance to people management, communications and organisational performance, you’ll help create the foundations that allow our services to thrive.

This isn’t about creating processes for the sake of it. It’s about making sure the way we work reflects our values, supports our staff and enables us to deliver the best possible support to young women.

What you’ll be doing

· Leading operations and organisational development: Turn our strategy into effective operational plans, improve systems and processes, and lead projects and organisational change.

· Strengthening governance and compliance: Oversee policies, risk management, GDPR, health and safety, regulatory requirements and charity governance processes.

· Supporting our people: Provide effective line management, oversee recruitment and HR systems, support consistent people management and contribute to a positive, supportive workplace culture.

· Overseeing communications and digital: Lead the development and delivery of our communications strategy, including social media, our website, branding and digital presence.

· Driving performance and reporting: Coordinate organisational performance information, KPIs, annual reporting and funder returns, ensuring we can demonstrate our impact and meet our commitments.

· Developing our infrastructure: Ensure our offices, accommodation, IT, equipment and operational resources are safe, effective and fit for purpose.

· Supporting sustainable growth: Strengthen our operational and purchasing systems, improve efficiency and ensure we have the foundations to grow sustainably.

You’ll work collaboratively across SAY Women, supporting managers and colleagues to develop solutions rather than simply imposing processes. You’ll also help ensure that young women’s voices, our feminist values and our trauma-informed approach are reflected in how the organisation operates.

About you

We’re looking for someone who brings strong operational leadership, sound judgement and a genuine commitment to our values.

You’ll have:

· Significant experience in operational management, ideally within a charity, public sector or other values-led organisation.

· Experience developing and improving organisational systems and processes.

· Experience leading and supporting staff.

· A strong understanding of governance, risk and compliance.

· Experience working with organisational data, performance information and reporting.

· Experience managing projects and implementing change.

· Knowledge of GDPR, information governance and health and safety.

· Excellent organisational, communication and problem-solving skills.

· The ability to think strategically while remaining grounded in the realities of frontline service delivery.

· A collaborative approach and the ability to build positive relationships across an organisation.

Experience in the violence against women and girls sector, homelessness, social care or charity governance would be an advantage. Experience of communications, digital systems or working within a growing organisation would also be welcome.

Just as importantly, you’ll share our commitment to feminist, person-centred and trauma-informed practice. You’ll understand that how we work matters just as much as what we deliver.

Why join SAY Women?

SAY Women is an organisation with purpose, ambition and a strong sense of community. We’re growing our reach, developing our services and working to challenge the inequalities that shape young women’s experiences of violence, abuse and homelessness.

We want to be an organisation where staff feel supported, young women have influence and our values are reflected in the decisions we make every day.

This is an opportunity to play a significant role in that journey: helping shape how we work, strengthening our foundations and supporting our next stage of development.

We take the work seriously, but we also believe in kindness, relationships, laughter and finding joy along the way.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS ROLE IS OPEN TO WOMEN ONLY (EXEMPT UNDER SCHEDULE 9 OF THE EQUALITY ACT 2010).

SAY Women strives to be an equal opportunity employer and we welcome applications from individuals who are disadvantaged and under-represented in the labour market.

For more information, please download a copy of the Job Description & Person Specification below.

Since being granted our Royal Charter in 1599, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow has been improving health and healthcare for people around the world.

Today, we are a professional membership body providing education, assessment and development to more than 15,000 Fellows and Members at all stages of their careers. We are a UK organisation with a global membership.

Our estate in the heart of Glasgow city centre includes modern conferencing and events facilities, a rich and extensive heritage collection with museum status, a library and our multi-award winning events offering, 1599 at the Royal College.

Our purpose is built around delivering:

• Excellent education and outstanding member experience
• New standards through assessment and gold standard qualifications
• Transformative impact on the health and wellbeing of the wider world

Our vision: To build an influential global community that enables our Members to develop the skills, knowledge and influence to improve healthcare standards worldwide.

Our mission: We want to enable our Members to achieve their full potential as healthcare professionals and give them an influential voice in the world.

Our values: The College is not a building or a tradition, but a global community. In all that we do, we’re committed to putting our people first: Fellows and Members, those undertaking our education and assessment, colleagues and partners.

For us, how we work is as important as what we do, and we aim to live by our values. They embody the essence of the College motto, conjurat amice, meaning ‘together in friendship’. It’s an approach that is as relevant today as it was 425 years ago.

• Community Working together to support one another to succeed; listening to and engaging with partners and people, locally, nationally and globally, to achieve our core purpose.
• Integrity Valuing and learning from our heritage and commitment to excellence; never compromising on our core purpose, our standards and the quality of delivery.
• Innovation Proactively challenging current thinking with a forward-looking agile approach that meets the changing needs of our members and all those who interact with us.
• Inspiration Leading by example through open dialogue, teamwork and engagement to maximise our potential and affect change.
• Inclusivity Demonstrating care, kindness, civility, generosity and mutual respect through the way we welcome, work and interact with people.

People have always been at the heart of our College. For more than four centuries, we have brought healthcare professionals together to learn, share expertise and improve healthcare. Today, we are the UK’s only multidisciplinary Royal College, with a global community of more than 15,000 Fellows and Members. It is an extraordinary network, united by a shared commitment to improving standards of healthcare and making a difference to patients and communities around the world.

This is a particularly exciting time to join us. Our organisational strategy (2025 to 2028) sets out clear ambitions for education, assessment, global engagement, membership and operational excellence. We also know that fundraising will help us go further: widening access through scholarships and bursaries, supporting global health initiatives, investing in leadership and wellbeing, and opening up our remarkable heritage and collections to wider audiences.

We are now ready to approach fundraising with greater purpose. Our Trustees have approved a three-year Fundraising Strategy to move the College from largely opportunistic activity to a structured and professionally managed programme. The direction is agreed and there is real support for making it work. What we need now is the right person to turn that ambition into action.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to build a new fundraising function. You will shape the propositions, develop the pipeline, establish strong donor relationships and put in place the systems and standards that will support fundraising for years to come. You will work closely with me, our Trustees, senior colleagues, Fellows and Members, while bringing the professional judgement to inform where our best opportunities lie.

We are ambitious, but we are also realistic. We know that successful fundraising takes time. That early progress will be seen not only in income generation, but in the strength of our relationships, the quality of our propositions and the confidence with which the College engages potential supporters. You will have the scope and support to make your mark, alongside colleagues who understand that building a successful fundraising programme must be a shared endeavour.

For the right person, this is a rare opportunity: to establish a new function within an historic and internationally connected College, and to help translate our purpose into opportunities for people to support work that matters.

Are you an experienced leader with a passion for inclusion and improving outcomes for young children with additional support needs and their families?

Early Years Scotland is seeking an ambitious and knowledgeable Service Manager to lead the development, delivery and growth of our Inclusion Services, building on the success of our Creating Caring Connections programme. This is an exciting opportunity to shape and expand innovative services that support children, families and practitioners across Scotland.

Working closely with the senior leadership team, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for Inclusion Services, ensuring high-quality, responsive and impactful support for children with additional support needs and their families. You will develop programmes, build partnerships and champion inclusive practice across the early years sector.

You will also play a key role in supporting practitioners and partner organisations through the design and delivery of specialist professional learning, helping to build confidence, knowledge and capacity to meet the diverse needs of children and families.

Early Years Scotland is a registered charity and Scotland’s leading national specialist organisation dedicated to supporting our youngest children, from pre-birth to age five. With over 50 years of experience, we are committed to improving outcomes for children, supporting families and strengthening the early years workforce.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic development and delivery of Early Years Scotland’s Inclusion Services.
• Build upon and expand the successful Creating Caring Connections programme, increasing its reach and impact.
• Lead, coach and develop staff teams, providing professional supervision and supporting a culture of reflective practice.
• Develop and maintain strong partnerships with local authorities, health services, education providers and third-sector organisations.
• Design and delivery specialist professional learning relating to inclusion, neurodiversity, attachment, trauma-informed practice and family support.
• Support early learning and childcare settings and partners to strengthen inclusive practice and improve outcomes for children with additional support needs.
• Manage projects and services, ensuring effective governance, safeguarding, risk management and quality assurance.
• Monitor and evaluate programme impact, using evidence and feedback to drive continuous improvement.
• Contribute to organisational planning, funding opportunities and service development.
• Represent Early Years Scotland locally and nationally, acting as a champion for inclusion and children’s rights.

What We Are Looking For

• Proven experience leading services, projects or programmes supporting children and families.
• Significant experience supporting children with additional support needs and their families.
• Experience managing, coaching and developing staff teams.
• Experience working effectively within multi-agency partnerships.
• Knowledge and understanding of neurodiversity and inclusive practice.
• Experience developing and delivering training, professional learning or workforce development programmes.
• Strong understanding of GIRFEC, The Promise, UNCRC, Additional Support for Learning legislation and early years policy.
• Experience monitoring and evaluating outcomes and using evidence to inform service improvement.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building and influencing skills.

Qualifications

Applicants should hold a relevant degree level qualification in an area such as:

• Childhood Practice/Studies
• Education
• Social Work
• Psychology
• Occupational Therapy
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Community Education
• Nursing or Allied Health Profession

In addition, applicants should be able to demonstrate specialist knowledge or training in additional support needs through qualifications or professional development such as:

• Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma in Autism
• Autism Practice Qualification
• Additional Support Needs qualification
• Inclusive Education qualification
• Attachment and Trauma-Informed Practice training
• Neurodevelopmental Conditions training
• Positive Behaviour Support qualifications
• Other relevant specialist inclusion qualifications

What Early Years Scotland Will Offer

• Competitive salary and generous annual leave.
• Family-friendly policies that support work-life balance.
• 5% employer pension contribution after three months.
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme.
• Ongoing professional learning and development opportunities.
• The opportunity to shape and grow a nationally recognised inclusion programme.
• A supportive, collaborative team culture where your contribution is valued.
• Hybrid working options following successful probation.