Title / Family Friendly Working Scotland (FFWS) Programme Assistant
Location / Flexible. Either home-based but within easy commuting distance to Central Belt for regular meetings / events or in shared office space in Edinburgh or Glasgow.
If home-based you will need to have a fast and reliable internet connection;good telephone reception (mobile or landline) and access to transport links to aid travel across Scotland. Support is available for home-working set up costs for the right candidate.
Hours / We are happy to talk flexible working.
21 hours per week. We are willing to discuss possible reduced-hours models (min 15 - max 21 hours per week) and to consider job-share partnerships. Standard hours for Working Families are 0900-1700 with one hour for lunch but with flexibility over hours (and time off in lieu for agreed hours worked outside normal working day) from an employee and employer perspective to be agreed on appointment. Due to the nature of the work it is anticipated that there may be a requirement to work outside of normal hours (particularly when launching new activities, interacting with the media & Scottish Government etc).
Report to / Report to FFWS Programme Co-ordinators. Managed by Head of Policy, Communications and Research, Working Families.
About the organisation / Working Families is the UK’s leading work-life organisation, based in Camberwell in London and employing 18 staff. The charity helps working parents and carers and their employers to find a better balance between responsibilities at home and work. We provide a dedicated helpline for parents and carers, organise conferences and events, undertake ground-breaking research and work with employers and government on promoting and implementing good working practices.
Terms & Conditions / Salary c£24k pro rata dependent on experience.
Plus 5% employer pension contributions. 30 days leave per annum plus public holidays, pro-rated to hours worked. In line with our campaigning for greater work-life balance for all, we have an internal philosophy which is supportive of parent, carer and personal needs and responsibilities outside work.
Role Overview
Fathers Network Scotland, Parenting across Scotland, Working Families and the Scottish Government are collaborating on a programme of work to promote a Family Friendly Scotland in the field of employment. The role of the programme assistant is to support the programme team to develop and deliver the Family Friendly Working Scotland programme (FFWS), which aims for more families in Scotland to be able to combine work and family roles, and for more employers in Scotland to benefit from the business gains which come from employees being able to do this. This is a new post, funded initially by the Scottish Government until 31 March 2016, with scope for development and expansion as we work towards implementing our strategic priorities.
Overall Objectives
You will be responsible for:
- Providing high quality project support to the FFWS programme team.
- Managing work streams within the programme.
- Providing a broad range of support, from administration to events.
- Supporting communications work across the partnership including ensuring that the FFWS website pages and social media channels are kept up to date and are engaging for stakeholders and the wider general public
To successfully deliver on the objectives of the role, the post holder will need to:
- Work closely with colleagues in Scotland and London.
- Work closely with colleagues in FFWS partner organisations – Fathers Network Scotland, Parenting Across Scotland and the Scottish Government.
- Maintain and develop links with relevant organisations to ensure exchange of information and encourage joint initiatives.
- Manage, updateand produce regular and creative content for the FFWS website and social media.
- Market to and communicate with employers and other stakeholders, logging interest and collating details of employer and stakeholder participation.
- Assist with all aspects of event coordination and planning including The Scottish Top Employers for Working Families Awards and key stakeholder engagement events.
- Attend events.
- Manage information via a database.
- Support the production of research and other FFWS reports.
- Ensure project plans and work schedules are kept up to date.
- Assist with coordination and planning FFWS activities relating to National Work Life Week and Go Home on Time Day including producing reports and analysis for both.
- Deal with enquiries relating to FFWS.
- Deputise in the absence of the FFWS programme co-ordinators.
Person Specification / Essential / Desirable
Experience / Demonstrable administrative and project support experience. / Experience of working with databases.
Experience of working in customer relations environment.
Qualifications / Educated to at least Level 6 on the Scottish credit and qualifications framework (Scottish Higher Certificates). / FE/HE qualification in a relevant field such as marketing or administration.
Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes and Abilities / Numerate and literate.
Excellent knowledge of MS Office, in particular Word and Excel.
Excellent communication skills both written and oral, and specifically the ability to produce compelling and creative copy for marketing materials.
Excellent organisational skills to plan and co-ordinate events.
Ability to maintain records accurately.
Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships.
Team player able to work collaboratively in small team environment.
Ability to work without supervision.
Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously to deadlines.
Understanding the need for excellent supporter care and relations.
Pro-active and solutions focused with a high level of motivation and enthusiasm. / Understanding and/or knowledge of the not-for-profit sector.
Personal Qualities / Trustworthy, patient and a good relationship builder.
Sense of humour and even-tempered.
Empathy with and commitment to the charitable objectives of Working Families.
Able and willing to occasionally work evenings and weekends as required by the role.
Application process:
To apply for this position please apply using the Working Families application form. Applications should be emailed to 12 noon on Monday 11 May 2015.
If you would like an informal discussion about the role please contact Julie McCarthy, Head of Policy, Comms and Research on 020 7253 7243.
Only applicants who are invited to interview will be contacted, if you have not heard from us within 2 weeks of the closing date please assume that you have not been successful on this occasion.
Interviews are likely to be held on Thursday 21 May in Edinburgh. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to prepare a short presentation.
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