Project Officer: A Menu for Change Project
Further to your interest in this post, please find:
· Information about CPAG and about the post
· Job description
· Person specification
· Application form
· Equal opportunities monitoring form
· Additional information on Terms and Conditions of Employment
To apply, please return the application form, taking particular care to provide full details of how you meet the person specification. We would also be grateful if you would return the recruitment monitoring form if you are willing to do so (this is not a requirement for consideration for the post but will help us review our recruitment procedures). Please send your application and monitoring form by email, to or by post to:
Recruitment
Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland
Unit 9 Ladywell
94 Duke Street
Glasgow G4 0UW
marking the envelope “Confidential”.
If you require further information or need us to make any special arrangements to enable you to participate in the selection process please contact us on 0141 552 3303.
Closing date for applications: Midnight 26th February 2017
Interviews: 21st March 2017
General Information
Project Officer: A Menu for Change Project
What we are looking for
We are looking for an experienced Project Officer with a strong background in the use of a variety of participatory methods of learning and an in depth understanding of the benefits system and the social security rights of households at risk of food insecurity. You will have an in-depth understanding of poverty in Scotland, the role of social security in tackling poverty, and issues of food insecurity. You will be able to operate effectively within a matrix (i.e. across organisations) team environment, be able to work to challenging deadlines and manage your own workload, whilst making decisions and problem solving on routine, new and complex problems. We will expect you to have strong written and verbal communications, facilitation, interpersonal and negotiation skills. You will have experience of working in partnership/engaging with the public and third sectors and of organising and managing events. Your work will be people-led, responding to the ideas and challenges faced by key stakeholders at local level, and well connected to communities, networks and services.
About CPAG
Child Poverty Action Group works on behalf of the one in four children in the UK growing up in poverty. It doesn’t have to be like this. We use our understanding of what causes poverty and the impact it has on children’s lives to campaign for policies that will prevent and solve poverty – for good. We provide training, advice and information to make sure hard-up families get the financial support they need. We also carry out high profile legal work to establish and protect families’ rights.
CPAG’s activities include: policy and campaigning; lobbying and media work; welfare rights advice; training and test case work; research, information, publishing and membership work. There are two offices from which this work is undertaken, the main office being in London and CPAG in Scotland, located in Glasgow. There is a recognised union to which most of the permanent staff belongs.
What We Do
Policy and Campaigning
We seek to achieve positive outcomes through our high-profile lobbying and campaigning work – using our expertise and evidence to influence government, policy makers, national and local media. We publish research and information on the causes and effects of child poverty (including regular briefing materials on our website (www.cpag.org.uk/scotland) and seek radical and practical solutions. Our journal Poverty, published three times a year, aims to carry articles and features that inform, stimulate and develop the debate on poverty, its causes and consequences, and the action required to tackle it.
Rights and Advice
We help ensure that families receive the support they are entitled to by providing expert advice, training and information to frontline advisers and support workers on all aspects of the social security and tax credit systems. Our staff in London and Glasgow respond to around 6,000 queries a year on our advice line from frontline advisers and support workers. Our bi-monthly Welfare Rights Bulletin keeps advisers up-to-date on new legislation and developments. Around 7,500 people a year attend CPAG’s training courses. Through carefully selected test cases, we challenge unjust legislation or unfair or discriminatory decisions.
Publishing and Resources
CPAG is a major publisher of handbooks used by thousands of volunteer and paid advisers, community workers, lawyers and members of the public. The Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook gives full coverage of all aspects of social security and tax credits. We publish a legal reference work – CPAG’s Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefits Legislation – and handbooks including on the child support scheme, fuel rights, debt advice, migration and social security, council tax, student support and benefits, and personal finance. For more information about the work of CPAG in Scotland visit our website at www.cpag.org.uk/scotland.
Background to the Post
A Menu for Change is a new partnership project, funded by the Big Lottery Fund Scotland and led by Oxfam Scotland in partnership with the Poverty Alliance, Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland and Nourish Scotland, which seeks to reduce the need for and reliance on emergency food aid.
Project Officers will be based within three partner organisations – The Poverty Alliance, Nourish Scotland, and Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland – and will work as a team to lead the implementation of the project goals at a local level.
The project will identify and work intensively and flexibly in three local authorities – yet to be determined – with the aim of evolving the response to food insecurity. The project seeks to ensure that when people do experience acute income and food crisis they receive an improved response which meets their immediate need whilst also addressing the underlying causes to prevent recurrence. The project will also explore and promote early intervention measures to support the prevention of food insecurity. Central to our approach will be promoting more dignified ways of support such as enhancing access to cash through the UK and Scottish social security systems, welfare rights advice, and healthy food in community-based settings. Within the three areas we will engage a range of actors in the third and public sectors in a change process, utilising an Action Learning Set methodology, to support improved policy and practice. The project will also support a number of pilot projects which expand the options available to those facing crisis and/or services which support early intervention to prevent income and food crisis.
The project also aims to contribute to the longer-term prevention of food insecurity through additional research, national advocacy and community engagement activities.
The project staff team will work flexibly across the three local authorities but be based across the four partner organisations as follows: the Project Manager, Research and Policy Officer, and Project Assistant will be based in Oxfam Scotland; one full-time Project Officer based at the Poverty Alliance; one 0.9 post Project Officer based at Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland; and two 0.5 post Project Officers based at Nourish Scotland.
The post is a 30 month fixed term contract. It will be based in CPAG in Scotland Glasgow office, but travel to other areas of Scotland will regularly be required.
Terms and Conditions of Employment
Job title: Project Officer: A Menu for Change Project
Salary: £27,852 pro rata to £31,446 full time equivalent plus an automatic enrolment into CPAG’s nominated Group Personal Pension Scheme. This post is externally funded by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund.
Hours: 31 hours per week. Normal working hours are 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (including a 1 hour unpaid lunch break). Overtime is not payable, but CPAG operates a ‘core hours’ and TOIL (Time Off In Lieu) policy.
Annual leave: 30 days a year annual leave (as well as 4 days during the Christmas/New Year period when the office closes down). The holiday year runs from April to March. The basic annual leave is pro rata depending on starting date and hours.
Other benefits Interest free travel loan, income protection insurance and ‘death in service’
include: provision , and a range of leave entitlements for family and other reasons (details are on the attached sheet).
There is a six-month probation period for this post.
CPAG’s Commitment to Equal Opportunities
CPAG recognises that discrimination can occur and will promote anti-discriminatory practices for people who may be discriminated against on grounds of race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, religion, belief, gender, class, HIV & AIDS, age, disability, marital status, pregnancy, people who are gay, lesbian or transgender, people who have dependents or people who are using mental health services. Selection criteria and procedures will be reviewed to ensure that individuals are selected and treated on the basis of their relevant merits and abilities. All employees will be given equal opportunity and, where appropriate and possible, special training to enable them to develop their potential both within and outside CPAG.
CPAG is committed to a programme of action to make this statement effective, and will bring it to the attention of all employees.
Job Description
Job title: Project Officer: A Menu for Change Project
Reports to: CPAG in Scotland Welfare Right Co-ordinator and matrix managed by A Menu for Change Project Manager
Salary: £27,852 pro rata to £31,446 full time equivalent (0.9 post)
Working hours: 31 hours per week. Normal working hours are 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Job purpose
Working with your colleagues, you will:
· Develop and maintain effective internal and external partnerships and relationships, facilitating and supporting a group of key statutory, third sector and community stakeholders in three local authority areas to: reflect on the drivers of food bank use; identify barriers to accessing social security and sustainable food solutions; and to develop local actions that will reduce the need for foodbanks, using an Action Learning Set approach.
· Work to improve policy and practice related to food insecurity, and deliver regional networking events and a national conference.
· Represent the A Menu for Change project to external stakeholders and contribute to project promotion, media and other communications activities.
· Contribute to project monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning as well as having responsibility for managing elements of the project budget.
Tasks and responsibilities
· As part of a small team, facilitate and support a group of key statutory, third sector and community stakeholders in three local authority practice development areas to reflect on the key issues in relation to food insecurity locally, identify barriers to addressing the key issues, and develop local actions that will reduce the need for foodbanks. The project will use an Action Learning Sets approach to this work.
· Develop and maintain effective partnerships and good working relationships with key local stakeholders from statutory organisations, the third sector and wider community.
· Analyse and interpret key issues in relation to food insecurity locally, including: local service provision and partnership working; active referral pathways; access to social security entitlements; and community food provision.
· Support community pilot projects within practice development areas.
· Ongoing support for key stakeholders within practice development areas to implement a programme of policy and practice change which will address the key local issues in relation to food insecurity, including access to advice, social security, and community food in line with the priorities of those local stakeholders.
· Develop and deliver networking events and a national conference.
· Represent A Menu for Change project to external stakeholders, some at senior level.
· Promote A Menu for Change at seminars, conferences, meetings etc.
· Contribute to project marketing & promotion materials, supported by relevant media and communications staff, including the generation of case studies, website and social media content, media op-eds, blogs and other communications outputs.
· Manage budgets for specific project activities/workstreams.
· Contribute to project monitoring, evaluation, learning and project reports (financial and narrative).
· As the Project Officer based at CPAG in Scotland and working closely with the Research and Policy Officer based in Oxfam, ensure project team activity and resources reflect an accurate picture of devolved and UK social security policy and developments.
· To comply with all CPAG’s policies and standard practice, with specific attention to Diversity and Equality.
· To take on any other reasonable tasks which contribute to achievement of the job purpose and aims of CPAG.
Person Specification
Post: Project Officer: A Menu for Change Project
Skills, Experience and KnowledgeEssential / Desirable
Significant experience of using a range of participatory learning techniques to promote policy and practice change. / Experience of Action Leaning Sets methodologies.
In-depth knowledge and understanding of poverty and food insecurity in Scotland, and an ability to think critically about causes and solutions including an understanding of the role of social security in tackling this. / Experience of working with local authorities and local statutory agencies.
In-depth knowledge of the benefits system and the social security rights of households at risk of food insecurity. / Understanding of community food policy and practice as a response to food insecurity.
Experience of working with multi stakeholder projects and initiatives at a local level. / Knowledge and understanding of the policy environment regarding diversity issues in Scotland and the intersection of these with poverty issues.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Highly developed facilitation, interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills
Experience of organising and managing events.
Ability to manage own workload and deliver to deadlines utilising planning, prioritisation and organisational skills.
Ability to adapt priorities in order to respond to changing demands.
The ability to work in a team and to support other team members in a friendly and helpful manner. Comfortable working with team members across different partner offices.
Innovative and creative approach to problem solving.
Experience of working in partnership/engaging with the public and third sectors.
Experience of monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment.
Experience of budget management and financial reporting.
Other qualities
Essential / Desirable
Commitment to CPAG’s aims and objectives. / Full UK driving licence.
Other contractual requirements
Essential / Desirable
Ability to spend occasional nights away from home.