Job title: Project Worker (Older Persons Service)
Location: This post is based at LinkLiving’s Kirkcaldy office.
Hours of Work: 30 hours per week (4 days per week)
Are you passionate about helping people to live a better life? Do you want to work for a charity where your health and wellbeing matter just as much as the people you support? Do you want to be part of a trauma-informed team where you will be supported to develop creative and flexible ways of working?
At LinkLiving, our values and people are at the heart of everything we do including how we recruit our staff. It is important for us to find people who share our values, which are:
LinkLiving is a Scottish health and wellbeing charity that supports people to manage or overcome the effects of negative life experiences (including trauma, mental health challenges, poverty and inequality) so that they can build on their strengths and aspirations in order to live their best possible lives. We support people through a range of models including:
The Service
Our Older Persons Service provides support to people aged 65+ by providing both volunteer befriending in West Fife and a range of weekly social cafes across Fife. Both services aim to reduce loneliness and isolation and to help people maintain or build links within their communities.
Volunteer Befriending
There is a high rate of loneliness in Fife, particularly amongst older people. The Older Persons’ Service Volunteer Befrienders provide much needed companionship and light touch support to help the older people of West Fife to maintain or improve involvement in their communities.
Social Cafes
Weekly social cafés offer older people aged 65+ who have become isolated or lonely to meet others, socialise, take part in activities, and maintain or improve involvement in their communities.
The Job
You will work as part of a small team to deliver our volunteer befriending service and our weekly social cafes which are situated in Rosyth, Torryburn, Cowdenbeath and Tayport. Our social cafes provide a welcoming environment for people within the community who participate in a wide range of activities which is part of your role to organise. This includes visits from other organisations who can provide additional support for café members as well as ensuring everyone has fun.
As the Project Worker you will recruit, train and support volunteers as café helpers, befrienders and drivers. A big part of this role is volunteer management so having some experience in this area is preferable. It is important to have local knowledge as you will be required to develop relationships with other organisations to maximise opportunities for the people we support. You will be responsible for your own workload; daily decision making and be expected to work with minimum supervision.
About You
As the ideal candidate, you bring a relevant qualification in Volunteer Management or extensive experience working with volunteers. You have successfully coordinated and supervised teams, showcasing your ability to lead and motivate others. With a deep understanding of working with volunteers, you create a supportive and inclusive environment.
Your knowledge of the voluntary sector and volunteering initiatives allows you to navigate this domain effectively. You have a proven track record of developing and delivering community projects. Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, combined with IT proficiency, enable you to engage diverse audiences.
You are experienced in developing and delivering training programs and utilising evaluation methods to ensure project effectiveness. Producing reports and analysing data are among your strengths.
Your non-judgmental attitude and willingness to embrace diversity contribute to an inclusive atmosphere. You adapt well to new environments and thrive in collaborative team settings. You excel in prioritisation and planning, and you establish relationships/partnerships with other voluntary and statutory agencies.
Having a driver's license and the ability to travel between services is required.
Overall, your qualifications, experience, skills, and personal attributes make you an exceptional candidate to effectively manage volunteers, coordinate community projects, and contribute to our organization's success.
For a comprehensive list of the essential and desirable criteria required for this post, please refer to the Job Specification in the Job information Pack above.
What’s in it for you?
The benefits of being a LinkLiving employee (subject to the policies and benefit terms and conditions) include:
For a full list of benefits available to employees, please see the following link - https://www.linkliving.org.uk/about-us/work-for-us/
This post is subject to Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme registration. Link will meet the cost of any new PVG scheme membership or scheme record update.
Further Information
Interested? If you have any questions about the role, please email jobs@linkhaltd.co.uk and we can arrange for someone from the service to call you for an informal chat.
To find out more about what LinkLiving do and to view the generous pay and benefits package, please visit our website at https://www.linkliving.org.uk
If you’re thinking about working in adult social care, download the Guide to adult social care jobs in Scotland for in-depth information on everything you need to know to get started. In addition, you can enrol on a free, online 6 week part-time tutor-supported ‘Introduction to a Career in Social Care’ course. The course introduces the area of social care and can be a stepping-stone to employment or further training.
Closing Date: midnight on Monday 05 February 2024
Interview Date: Interviews are being held around 15 February 2024, exact date to be confirmed, at our office in Kirkcaldy
How to Apply
To complete an application form, please click on the “Apply online” button below. Instructions on how to complete the form are at the top of the page.
We can offer suitable alternative methods to apply if requested including although not exclusively; hard copy, Braille and audio. You can request these by emailing our Resourcing Team at jobs@linkhaltd.co.uk and detailing which format you would require.
Please note should an internal applicant be successful in applying for this position on either a seconded or permanent basis, they will move to the terms and conditions associated with the role for the duration of the time they are in post. The terms and conditions are outlined in the job information pack.
We aim at all times to recruit the person who is most suited to the job and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and from anyone who shares our commitment to inclusion. Our offices are fully accessible to wheelchair users and, as a Disability Confident Leader, we will interview all disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria.
