Head Of Professional Status Jobs in Edinburgh

Reporting to the Director of Training and Quality, the Head of Quality will have responsibility for maintaining high quality standards across all operations relating to the delivery of Bikeability, the government’s national cycle training programme.

The post-holder will be familiar with the vocational qualification landscape and will hold (at least) Level 4 qualification in quality assurance.

They will ensure that quality is at the heart of Bikeability by development and delivery of the quality assurance system. 

The Bikeability Trust 

The Bikeability Trust’s purpose is to ensure that all cycle training is delivered to a gold standard, inspiring everyone to cycle with competence and confidence.   

We are:  

• Expert: The Trust has successfully administered the Bikeability programme on behalf of government since 2018, delivering high-quality delivery guides and instructor training, and our workforce has thousands of years combined experience teaching people to cycle.  

• Inspiring: Every rider completes our training feeling able, confident and motivated to cycle safely on the roads for short journeys. Transforming the traditional image of cycling to an everyday, everyone activity.    

• Quality focussed: Our instructors deliver high-quality, consistent and standardised cycle training. We aim to ensure that every rider achieves the same outcomes to the same standard, taking into account their individual capabilities, including special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).  

• Inclusive: We take action to reduce barriers to participation, support underrepresented groups and ensure that anyone who wishes to access Bikeability cycle training is able to do so, and cycling is seen as an activity for all.   

• Efficient: Our delivery programme offers value for money and is delivered in an economic, proportional and efficient way.  

• Influential: We share our evidence of the impact of cycle training across a variety of sectors (transport, education, environment, health, leisure, etc) and work collaboratively with stakeholders, partners and commercial organisations to achieve our vision and influence behaviour change.  

Responsibilities  

Quality Assurance Management  

• Develop with Director of Training and Quality the annual plan of quality improvement and training standardisation for the Bikeability Industry. This may include but not limited to: 

• Writing and continually improving IQA guidance for training providers. This may include written guidance, video, webinar and other resources 

• Developing and leading CPD for instructors and training providers 

• Developing procurement guidance for grant recipients to assess quality 

• Assimilating learning from complaints and serious incidents into quality improvement and training standardisation plan 

• Keeping informed around any legislation or guidance changes that require amends to the Bikeability Delivery Guide. Ensure the guide is updated and communicated effectively 

• Leading guidance, training and support to Quality Consultants to ensure standardisation and consistency of visits and reports 

• Introducing and leading on training for training providers’ IQA leads 

• Running the quarterly meeting for training providers’ IQA leads 

• Produce an annual thematic report on quality

• Develop initiatives to support and improve instructor recruitment and retainment. 

• Work with communications team to effectively communicate the quality assurance system to Bikeability Industry

• Offer subject matter expertise, expert insight and support to the Bikeability Effectiveness Advisory Group and Regional Networks 

• Manage the quality team for the Bikeability programme: 

• Safeguarding, complaints and serious incidents monitoring, reporting and learnings 

• Training Provider External Quality Assurance visits and standardisation of delivery to identify industry needs 

• Acting on whistleblowing concerning misuse of public funds or the Bikeability brand 

• Annual system of registrations and renewals for instructors, training providers and grant recipients

• Responding to enquiries from members of the public and professionals through contactus

• Awards materials delivery and monitoring 

• Supporting digitisation enquiries from the Bikeability Industry 

• Overseeing the Bikeability conference 

• Collating, analysing, reporting and acting on data/feedback collected through digitisation 

• Monthly and quarterly reports on delivery of core services for Department for Transport and Board of Trustees 

• Lead the Bikeability annual conference planning (working with a cross departmental project team) 

Digitisation 

• Ensure that grant recipients, training providers and instructors receive timely support on digitisation and technical help where required working across the quality team 

• Work with the operations team to report on the impact of quality 

Get Cycling in Schools (GCiS) 

• Provide leadership to the project team to fulfil objectives and outcomes of the programme 

• Ensure financial processes are followed and budgets are reconciled on GCIS spend 

• Ensure GCiS outcomes reporting as part of the quality team monthly and quality reporting

General  

• Recognise the need to be flexible when working for a small organisation and carry out other duties that may be required 

• Commitment to personal continuing professional development

• Take on another other task as agreed with line manager 

Person specification 

The successful applicant will have: 

• A first or higher degree 

• L2 Award in Instructing Cycle Training qualification status and enhanced DBS 

• Level 4 Quality Assurance

• Excellent organisational and customer care skills 

• Strong written and oral communication skills 

• Have a growth and continuous improvement mindset 

• Ability to use Microsoft 365 packages including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams 

• Ability to work effectively as part of a team and independently 

• It is also essential that the post holder has experience of one or more of the following:

• Experience of managing Bikeability programmes

• Customer service and complaints

• Safeguarding

Skills 

• Excellent communicator (both orally and in writing) with effective listening, influencing and negotiation skills 

• Highly effective decision-making skills with excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities 

• Excellent administrative, organisational and IT skills 

• Intellectual rigour, financial acumen and the ability to accurately analyse and explain complex issues 

We value staff and a range of experience at the Bikeability Trust, so the person specification is a guide to the skills. We encourage diverse applicants and transferable skills.

About us:

The UK Cyber Security Council works to bring together stakeholders to build and drive engagement in the cyber security profession, through developing standards and ethical practice, demystifying career routes into the profession and promoting the profession.

In collaboration with multiple UK Government departments and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) we develop, promote and oversee nationally recognised standards for cyber security, in support of the UK Government’s National Cyber Strategy to make the UK the safest place to live and work online.

The UK Cyber Security Council also offers organisational membership, which is open to all organisations that share an interest in promoting, supporting, and developing the cyber security profession.

About the role:

The Quality and Performance Manager will be responsible for cultivating a culture of excellence, emphasising high performance, quality, and compliance to exceed targets across the external licensed bodies. In this role, you will utilise your skills in stakeholder management, influence and coaching to enhance performance within the licensing area.

Your primary focus will involve collaborating with key stakeholders to ensure the seamless and efficient delivery of the professional registration process, tailored to meet the specific requirements of our users and participants. You will drive continuous improvement and promote best practices. A pivotal aspect of this position involves identifying performance challenges and effectively motivating and managing organisations and their teams to find solutions and elevate performance levels.

The ideal candidate will excel in building relationships and communication, maintaining productive cross-contractual and interdepartmental relationships with key stakeholders across different organisational levels to optimise performance.

Collaborating closely with external partners and the internal professionalisation and wider Council team, you will enhance and streamline performance by identifying, developing, and assisting in the implementation of innovative and impactful solutions. This role is centred around achieving results, requiring exceptional management and decision-making skills that can be applied to the intricate operations of complex licensed contracts.

To support these responsibilities, the role holder should possess knowledge and experience in reporting, analytics, data management, budgeting and enabling comprehensive and robust performance optimisation. Through ongoing performance analysis, you will provide guidance to licensed bodies to address and mitigate performance, quality, and compliance concerns while identifying key areas for improvement, ultimately establishing a proactive approach to managing performance related risks.

The role holder will need to work closely with the Head of Professionalisation to ensure updates, best practice and areas for improvement are communicated effectively and in an impactful way both internally and externally. It is expected that you will attend a range of external and internal events and initiatives to help raise the profile of and work of the Council, support pipeline growth and grow demand. 

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Quality

· Develop, implement, and manage quality practices that meet the requirements of the license, as well as requirements set by Government (NCSC and DSIT) to ensure that processes and procedures are compliant. 

· Manage and improve the quality framework that delivers an excellent standard of assessment, ensuring that the outcomes are exceeded and improving applicants’ experience. 

· Take a lead role in developing the Councils approach to understanding and measuring quality and outcomes through the whole professional registration process being administered by licensed bodies. Highlight areas of improvement, identify solutions and put plans in place,

· Develop a community where good practice can be shared. 

· Be responsible for ensuring all relevant individuals are added to the professional register in a timely manner and communicated to appropriately by all parties

· To manage the day-to-day relationship with external partners and stakeholders, deal with any queries in a timely manner. 

· Research, build and embed a feedback system to contribute to continuous improvement

· Work with the Director of Finance and Operations to ensure that payment structures are in place and undertake monthly reconciliation

· Ensure a robust moderation processes and plans are in place, work with the Technical Advisory Panel members and chairs to ensure members are aware of moderation support needs, complete them within agreed timescales and provide timely feedback to licensed bodies.

Performance

· Responsible for the performance management of contracts, ensuring internal and external reporting requirements are adhered to, KPI’s are set, managed and continuously reviewed and reported to LT.

· Oversee all renewal and extensions for client contracts, which will include financial and system performance based KPI’s, including the need to be accountable for the accuracy of financial tracking, cost control, overhead management, and invoicing. 

· Managing audit requirements in relation to the contracts, including preparing documentation, coordination, addressing findings and maintaining records.

· Working with various internal and external partners to identify and define solutions for complex issues, working with the appropriate stakeholders to design and implement positive outcomes.

· Work with the marketing and comms lead to ensure that Marketing and comms plans meet the requirements of the license, and that the Council strategy is aligned to support. 

· Work with the events and membership co-ordinator to highlight opportunities for collaboration with stakeholders and partners that will support Council strategic objectives. 

General Responsibilities

· Lead on workstream as guided by Head of Professionalisation and in collaboration with Professionalisation team members

· Manage key risks and follow escalation process when necessary

· Ensure there is cohesive and aligned work with colleagues within the organisation

· Maintain open and effective communication with internal and external colleagues

· Prepare status reports as required for the Head of Professionalisation

· Comply with data protection legislation and act responsibly on matters of data disclosure both internally and to third parties

· Represent the Council in stakeholder meetings and external events

· Represent the Council in a professional manner and to act at all times in a manner which will not damage its reputation.

· Work from a positive, growth mindset to solve issues and problems that may arise and to adhere to the organisation values

· Carry out such tasks as the COO/Head of Professionalisation may from time to time deem necessary for the effective and efficient functioning of the Council

Person Specification:

Essential:

Experience

• Experience with self-assessment process and Quality Improvement plans
• Experience of creating cultures that embody positive change, continuous improvement and equality
• Experience of managing a supply chain including setting and achieving KPIs and contract conformance
• Management experience and understanding of contractual and performance management with the ability to deliver results
• Experience of successfully delivering an outcome-based contract
• Experience of driving performance, identifying areas of concern and implementing projects for performance improvement

Skills, knowledge and qualifications

• Clear understanding of the purpose of professional registration and associated processes
• Strong interpersonal skills, ability to negotiate and influence a wide range of stakeholders
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to communicate clearly and effectively
• Ability to analyse a range of data from a range of sources to develop insights and support decisions
• Ability to respond quickly in a fast-moving environment, and make key decisions aligned to business goal

Personal Attributes & Approach

• Commitment to a registrant-centred approach
• Confident, positive and hard-working team player – happy to go above and beyond
• Ability to work flexibly within changing priorities and a capacity to be adaptable as required to deliver completed tasks to set deadlines
• Excellent IT and digital skills including Microsoft 365
• Ability to work on own initiative, as well as in consultation and negotiation with senior managers and other stakeholders as required
• Commitment, determination and resiliency

Desirable:

· Relevant QCF Assessor Qualification – e.g. D32/D33/A1/CAVA/TAQA Assessor

· Relevant Internal Verifier/Internal Quality Assurer qualification – e.g. D34/V1

· Previous audit experience

· Demonstrated success in producing efficiencies/increased outcomes against target

· Significant operational management experience

Next Steps

Deadline for application: Friday 28th March 5pm

Interviews: w/c 7th April or w/c 21st April

Start date: As soon as possible

Are you a proactive fundraiser with a proven track record of raising funds from individuals?  Are you passionate about creating excellent supporter journeys? Do you enjoy creating content for digital marketing? If so, this is the role for you!

About Us 

Hamlin Fistula UK is dedicated to our mission of ending obstetric fistula in Ethiopia. We are a small passionate team, committed to working closely with Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia to transform lives and restore hope for women affected by childbirth injuries.

The Opportunity 

We are seeking an experienced and ambitious Fundraising and Communications Manager to lead and grow our income from individual donors, community fundraising, and in-memory giving. You will work closely with the Head of Fundraising to develop and deliver our individual giving strategy, with the goal of increasing supporter engagement and sustainable income. 

With a generous investment budget and an opportunity to test and refine fundraising approaches, this is a fantastic role for a creative, data-driven, and results-oriented fundraiser looking to make a real impact. 

You will take ownership of donor recruitment and retention, ensuring an exceptional supporter experience. You will also lead digital fundraising and marketing, producing compelling content for our website, social media, and email campaigns. 

This is a flexible, part-time role, ideal for someone who thrives in a collaborative environment and is passionate about our mission. 

What You’ll Bring 

• Experience: A strong background in public fundraising, with demonstrable experience of meeting targets for recruitment and retention of individual donors. 

• Digital Skills: Strong digital marketing skills, including content creation, social media management and email marketing. 

• Approach: Highly organised, with the ability to take the initiative and manage your own time to meet deadlines whilst managing a varied workload. 

• Personal Drive: Enthusiasm, energy, and a commitment to get things done, along with excellent interpersonal skills to work effectively with diverse stakeholders. 

What We Offer 

• Flexible Working: This role can be carried out remotely from anywhere in the UK, with quarterly face-to-face team meetings (travel costs covered) to maintain a collaborative spirit. 

• Generous Benefits: As well as an annual salary of £41,600 (pro-rata), Hamlin Fistula UK offers a 10% pension contribution and health cashback scheme including physiotherapy, eye care and dental treatment.

• Supportive Team Environment: Work within a small, highly motivated team that values creativity, collaboration, and impact. 

Ready to Make a Difference? 

If you’re looking for a role where your skills directly contribute to life-changing work, we’d love to hear from you. Bring your expertise in public fundraising, your skills in digital marketing, and your drive to create lasting impact to Hamlin Fistula UK. 

How to Apply

Click the Quick Apply button below. You’ll be asked to submit a CV and cover letter and answer a few short screening questions to help us ensure the role is a good fit for you. 

There will be a webinar with the CEO and Head of Fundraising to learn more about the role and ask any questions on Thursday 13th March at 12.30pm. Please see the details in the job pack attachment for how to sign up. A summary of all questions and answers will be shared with everyone who signs up, in case you are not able to attend the webinar.

Salary: £38,000 per annum 

Contract: Permanent 

Reports to: Head of Policy and Research

Hours: Full time (40 hours per week including one hour lunch break each day) 

Start date: May 2025 

Location: Home-based (travel costs paid for meetings) 

Annual leave: 27 days FTE per annum plus Bank holidays (22 days FTE per annum whilst the 4 day week is in place) 

Please note that at Waterwise we work a Four Day Week, under voluntary agreements which all staff members sign. This means that you will be contracted and paid as full-time but you will sign a voluntary agreement stating that you commit to employing efficiency tools both individual and team-wide to deliver and be paid for 5 days work within four normal 9 to 5 days - the office is closed on Fridays. Training will be provided and you will be expected to continue to refresh your training and to keep up use of the efficiency tools. Annual leave is also pro rata’d. More information on a Four Day Week can be found here. We can answer any questions you may have about this at interview.

Waterwise 

Waterwise is the leading independent voice in the UK for using water wisely, for the benefit of people and the planet. Our vision is that water is used wisely every day, everywhere, by everyone. We are the UK’s conscience on water efficiency, on behalf of people and the planet, and are experts in water efficiency policy, regulation, research, behaviour and campaigns. Waterwise is a people-led organisation which prioritises the wellbeing of its staff.

Water scarcity is an urgent issue right here, right now, right across the UK - consistent record-breaking high temperatures and low rainfall, and recurring drought, show how climate change and population growth are already putting our water resources under severe pressure, and this challenge is growing. Water efficiency has to be a big part of the solution, and we support and challenge governments, industry, customers and others to be innovative and ambitious on water efficiency. Our work includes campaigns, events, media, policy and regulatory influencing, research projects, stakeholder engagement and services such as Waterwise Training and the Waterwise  Checkmark. We are funded by supporters across and beyond the UK water sector. Our Waterwise Strategic Direction to 2030, published in August 2022, tells you a bit more about us. Our UK Water Efficiency Strategy to 2030 tells you a bit more about our ambition.

At Waterwise we put staff wellbeing first, and our staff surveys show that our team knows, feels and appreciates this. Our values are 

People: We will prioritise staff wellbeing, be an inclusive, kind and positive team. 

Purpose: We will deliver independent and ambitious leadership to drive social and  political change on water efficiency 

Pioneer: We will be forward-thinking and visionary in our approach, being brave and  innovative in challenging the status quo 

Passion: We will campaign to protect water and the planet and work to keep our own  environmental impact as low as possible 

We are always looking for bright, committed people with a diverse set of skills and  experience to help achieve our vision that water is used wisely every day, everywhere, by  everyone. We are a lively, happy, friendly team, and we can’t wait to read your application! 

At Waterwise, we’re committed to driving equity and preventing discrimination at work and in the work we do. Please see more on this below. 

We are also working to reduce Waterwise’s own carbon and environmental footprint. 

Policy Manager role description

You will report to the Head of Policy and Research and be part of a small but growing sub-team leading on our policy advocacy work and winning and delivering water efficiency research projects. 

Key responsibilities in the role include: 

• Supporting and influencing policy development including engaging with policymakers through meetings and consultation responses

• Supporting the delivery the UK Water Efficiency Strategy to 2030 and helping provide secretariat support to the associated forum and groups 

• Leading Waterwise’s work with stakeholders on policy across the UK

• Working with the Head of Policy and Research to maintain a network of relevant stakeholders and supporters across the UK

• Working with communications and marketing colleagues to provide content for blogs, trade media and press

• Working on discrete research projects as and when necessary, including undertaking a project management role on some projects

• Assisting the team with events (e.g. Waterwise annual conference), campaigns (e.g. Water Saving Week) and training

• Attending and speaking at conferences, seminars and meetings to represent Waterwise

• Working with colleagues to develop new funding proposals and providing financial information to the CEO

Other tasks and duties may arise and training will be provided. There will also be an opportunity to develop skills in being interviewed for the media.

The above is not an exhaustive list of activities but hopefully gives you a sense of the role  and requirements. 

Policy Manager person specification

We need someone who is proactive and a self-starter, with excellent communication and organisational skills. You will have a track record in policy and evidence work and/or water sector stakeholder engagement management to join our small, high-powered, influential team. The role involves policy and strategy support, project and programme management and delivery as well as stakeholder engagement. It's a great opportunity to be immersed in the water policy, regulatory and delivery agenda, as well as engage in external meetings and networks.

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours

• Experience in influencing and advocating for policy change - including planning and delivering against agreed objectives

• Experience working with external stakeholders

• Experience in supporting delivery of stakeholder groups such as steering groups, task and finish groups, workshops, webinars and conferences

• A good understanding of the UK water industry and, ideally, some experience with water efficiency

• Excellent interpersonal skills to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders, including policy makers

• Strong organisational skills, including the ability to plan and work proactively to meet deadlines

• Excellent attention to detail 

• Ability to positively promote Waterwise and its work

• Experience in project management such as developing leads and bidding for projects desirable but not essential if a commitment to develop skills in this area

• Ability to work flexibly within a small team that works from home

• Ability to manage own time and prioritise tasks

• Ability to communicate across the team about your work and workload

• Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and wellbeing 

• Eligibility to work in the UK

Benefits 

At Waterwise the wellbeing of our employees is our number one priority. To recognise the  fantastic work our team does in driving water efficiency, and to support their wellbeing, we  have a wide range of employee benefits, beyond statutory commitments. These include: 

• Positive, values-based environment and an inclusive culture where it feels safe for  employees to say ‘no’ on grounds of workload 

• Strong emphasis from CEO on wellbeing and workload management 

• Homeworking and a small allowance for occasional shared office working 

• Four Day week - being paid full-time but working 80% of this (or pro rata equivalent), in exchange for using tools to work efficiently - for full-time employees this equates to a day off every week, in addition to annual leave

• Flexible working 

• Part-time working 

• 27 days annual leave per annum for full-time employees (or pro rata equivalent for part-time colleagues), plus Bank Holidays (pro rata’d to 22 days full-time equivalent as we work a Four Day Week)

• Death in service benefit at x2 of salary 

• Paid chartered and professional memberships 

• Individual and team training budgets 

• Maternity leave and maternity adoption leave beyond statutory 

• Childcare costs for activities undertaken outside normal working hours 

• Sickness pay beyond statutory 

Equity, diversity and inclusion 

At Waterwise, we’re committed to driving equity and preventing discrimination at work and in the work we do. We know that simply having a diverse workforce is not enough. We want to create an inclusive environment within Waterwise and in our work and events, where everyone can contribute their best and develop to their full potential. We celebrate and value how different everyone is, and we work hard to ensure everyone is treated with dignity and respect. This aligns with our ‘People’ value that we will prioritise staff wellbeing, and will be an inclusive, kind and positive team.

Please see our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement here. 

We are committed to treating all current and prospective employees fairly and to ensuring  that our workplace and employment practices are free from discrimination, harassment or  victimisation on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil  partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. We  strongly encourage applicants from a wide range of backgrounds and with different identities and experiences to apply. Everyone in our team has a role to play in helping Waterwise become more diverse and inclusive, and we hope you will join us for this next stage in our journey - for this role we therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be under-represented in Waterwise’s workforce. These include people of the global majority, LGBTQI+ people, and men.

We want to ensure that our recruitment process is inclusive of and accessible for everyone.  If you are interested in applying for a role with us and think you may need some additional  support or reasonable adjustments made to any part of the recruitment process, please get  in touch on the email address below.

How to apply 

To apply for this role, you will need to answer role-related questions.  Please provide evidence and examples from your work history or other aspects of your life to  answer the questions and demonstrate how you meet the criteria required. Please refer to the person specification when you are doing this.

Our goal is to remove bias from the hiring process and so rather than asking you for a CV  and cover letter, we have set up role-related questions which will allow us to assess your  approach to a problem and understand what knowledge and skills you have. Your answers  will be anonymised, randomised and reviewed by the selection panel. We will use these  scores to shortlist for interviews. We also think giving feedback is incredibly valuable for  candidates, so at the end of the process, you'll see how well you performed during the  application process.

The closing date for applications is 23:59pm on 16th March 2025. There will be a two-stage interview process. First interviews will be held on 25th March 2025 and second interviews will be held on 9th April 2025.  First interviews will be held online via Zoom and second interviews will be held in person in Birmingham (venue TBC).

We will consider flexible working requests within this role - please state your preferred hours  and working pattern within your application.

The Operations Manager will work closely with the Managing Director to ensure the charity operates effectively. The Operations Manager will lead on the development of policies and procedures to ensure regulatory compliance, and robust management processes.

The Operations Manager will add to the staff team by bringing a skillset that is grounded in administration processes, excellent IT competence, and a numerate, systemising and detail-orientated mindset.