Programme manager jobs in bathgate, west lothian

Are you a leader who would like to make a real difference in faith-based peace and reconciliation?

Would you love a role that allows you to support people and faith communities to flourish as they navigate change, conflict, and differences well?

Then this exciting role might be for you…

Job Summary
Under its current 5-year strategy (2021 – 2025), ‘Choosing Peace in times of fear & division’, Place for Hope has successfully grown and diversified its partnerships, funding and volunteer team. This has enabled us to grow our reach and impact in equipping people and faith communities to be peacemakers working towards a more peaceful and reconciled world. 

The new Director of Place for Hope will continue to develop Place for Hope as they work with Trustees, Staff and Volunteers to shape and finalise the next 5-year strategy that ensures Place for Hope is fit for purpose in a changing UK landscape for charities and faith communities. They will provide leadership and to be responsible for the overall management and administration of the charity within the strategic and accountability frameworks agreed by the Board of Trustees. 

Previous experience essential to the role includes: values-based leadership; peace, conflict transformation and/or mediation; collaborating and communicating effectively with different Christian denominations and other faiths, excellent organisational and communication skills, and experience in income generation (including through building diverse partnerships).The ideal candidate would also have an interest in supporting faith communities to transform conflict, navigate change well and be able to support an internal CPD programme and culture of reflective practice. 

This is an exciting time to join Place for Hope and play an important role in equipping individuals, faith and wider communities to be peacemakers in a world increasingly conflicted and divided.

Details

Salary Scale:                £50,410 per annum (full time equivalent)

Hours per week:      35 hours per week
Status:                          Permanent (following 3-month Probation)

Location:                      Home based with frequent travel across the UK and with some flexibility for weekend/evening work

Closing Date for Applications:  Thursday 5th June 2025 at 10am
Interviews:  will be held across the week commencing Monday 16th June 2025

Start date:  Start of August 2025 (ideally, open to discussion)

Organisation Profile
Place for Hope is a Scottish-registered Charity working across the UK, passionate about developing peacemakers in faith communities. We accompany people experiencing conflict and support, equip and train them to navigate change and conflict well and build strong, healthy relationships and communities. To deliver this purpose, we are privileged to have a highly trained, diverse, and multi-denominational team of volunteer Practitioners who have expertise in mediation, training, coaching and facilitation. The Practitioners are supported by our small, dedicated staff team. 

Equal Opportunity Employer 
Place for Hope has a genuine commitment to being a diverse and inclusive workplace. Place for Hope, as an independent Scottish-registered Charity (SCO45224), is an equal opportunity organisation and does not discriminate on the grounds of race, religion or belief, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or age. 

Please note that this role is only open to candidates with an existing right to work in the UK. In accordance with the Equality Act of 2010 and due to the nature and context of the role there is also an ‘occupational requirement’ for the post holder to be of the Christian faith.

Role: Senior Officer, Policy & Advocacy (Climate Change & Environment)

Reporting To: Policy & Advocacy Adviser (Climate Change & Environment)

Salary: £47,333

Location: Remote working (preference for GMT +/- 8h). 

For non-UK candidates: Please note that you would be hired via Deel either as a contractor or as an employee with local national benefits.

Contract duration: 3 year fixed-term contract, renewable

Probation period: 6 months

Contract type: Full-time or part-time (minimum 4 days a week), compressed hours and flexible working arrangements available

Closing date: 13 June 2025 at 23:30 UK time

What does United for Global Mental Health do?

At United for Global Mental Health, we work with trusted partners to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and increase support for mental health worldwide.

The United for Global Mental Health team is made up of diverse, passionate and knowledgeable individuals based in the UK and in countries around the world. By combining our extensive in-house expertise in advocacy, financing and campaigning with the unique insights of our many partners, we’re making progress on ensuring that everyone, everywhere has someone to turn to in support of their mental health. You can read about our three-year strategy and our 2024 impact report here.

What will I be doing? 

This role will support the delivery of several activities within our portfolio of activities on climate change, the environment, and mental health. The four main areas of work that the Senior Officer will be responsible for include:

• Leading work with national partners (50% of post)

• Integration of people with lived experience (hereafter referred to as PWLE) across the portfolio (25% of post)

• Developing our advocacy on the intersection of air pollution and mental health (15% of post)

• Developing our advocacy on the intersection of biodiversity loss and mental health (10% of post)

National level work (50% of post)

A key component of the current project will be to support national partners in a subset of countries globally (approximately 6 countries) to advocate for action on climate change and mental health. The final set of countries is yet to be defined but will likely include one country per WHO region and one country from the Small Islands Developing States. The specific responsibilities of this component will include:

• Lead in the selection of national partners in each country. This will include supporting the running of a competitive process to select one civil-society organisation based in each country to conduct the work

• Strengthen the capacity of national partners to work on climate change and mental health (e.g., via training to national partners to be delivered by the Senior Officer), if required

• Support national partners in advocating for the integration of mental health into climate policies, including but not limited to Nationally Determined Contributions, National Adaptation Plans, Heat Health Action Plans etc.

• Lead in cohort-building activities for this subset of countries (e.g., organising regular meetings, ensuring shared learnings etc.)

• With the support of our Operations team, support in the logistics of sub-contracting national partners and monitoring deliverables

Involvement of people with lived experience (25% of post)

The meaningful engagement of PWLE of mental health challenges is central to all work at United for Global Mental Health. The specific responsibilities of this component will include:

• Leading on setting up and coordinating a Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG), which will meet every two months to provide guidance to UnitedGMH and national partners on their work on climate and health. The Senior Officer will be responsible for recruiting approximately 12 PWLE (2 x WHO region), organising regular meetings, and ensuring that the feedback of PWLE is integrated across different projects

• Support the attendance of PWLE to key global advocacy moments in a meaningful, safe, and impactful way

• Support national partners on the integration of lived experience considerations in their work on climate change and mental health 

Work on air pollution and mental health (15% of post)

The evidence on air pollution and mental health is a nascent, but rapidly growing, area of interest. The specific responsibilities of this component will include:

• Scope what concrete opportunities exist for integrating mental health considerations into air pollution policies at the global, regional, and national levels 

• Build connections with organisations working on air pollution and clean air policies

• Refine our messaging on air pollution and mental health

• Lead on the production of one advocacy brief on air pollution and mental health

Work on biodiversity loss and mental health (10% of post)

There is emerging evidence on the association between biodiversity loss and mental health, but very little work has yet been done in the policy space. The specific responsibilities of this component will include:

• Scoping what concrete opportunities exist for integrating mental health considerations into biodiversity policies at the global, regional, and national levels 

• Build connections with organisations working on biodiversity, conservation, and nature

• Refine our messaging on biodiversity and mental health

• Lead the production of one advocacy brief on pesticide use and suicide

• Lead on our engagement with the Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of the Parties (biodiversity COP)

Is this job for me?

Requirements

• A minimum of 3 years of experience working on global mental health policy, advocacy, research, or practice

• Expertise in managing and engaging with multiple different types of stakeholders (e.g., civil society, UN agencies, governments etc.) 

• Experience working on co-creation, patient and public involvement (PPI), or working with people with lived experience of mental health problems

• Excellent project management skills and strong planning skills including attention to detail, critical thinking, multi-tasking and problem-solving

• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written

• Ability to work collaboratively in a team

• Expertise in the development of funding proposals and ability to track and report on grant deliverables

• Expertise in organising meetings, events, and small gatherings of partners and other stakeholders

• Ability to travel 2-3 times a year internationally

Desirable

• Expertise in climate change and mental health is desirable but not required

• Experience of working in low- and middle-income countries on mental health is desirable but not required

• Experience of working on influencing policy within a government is desirable but not required

• Fluency in English is essential, the ability to work in a second UN language would be an advantage (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian)

Diversity and inclusion

Equity, diversity and inclusion are central to UnitedGMH’s core mission and values, and the organisation is dedicated to promoting this across our work and also within the workplace. We will ensure that this commitment is embedded in all operational aspects of the organisation and also implemented within our day-to-day working practices.

Reasonable adjustments statement

We aim to ensure that all applicants are provided with the same opportunities during the recruitment process. Should you have a disability and require a particular adjustment to be made to allow you to fully participate in the recruitment process, please ensure that this is made known to the person arranging your interview.

How can I apply?

To apply please submit your CV and a cover letter (800 words maximum) via Charity Job. 

Selection process

• A subset of candidates will be invited to:

  • Submit a short written assignment

  • Participate in at least 2 online interviews between the 1st of July and the 18th of July

Benefits

• 28 days of holiday a year plus national holidays in your country of residency 

• Possibility of being hired by Deel as a local employee (with local pension and social security benefits) or as a contractor (decision up to the employee based on personal preference)

• Up to 1000£ a year of allowance for office space

• Up to 500£ a year in personal development training allowance

• A minimum of 1 in-person team retreat a year

• Possibility to work from anywhere in the world (where you have the legal right to work from)

• Possibility to work compressed hours 

• Access to Employee Assistance Programme via HealthAssured

• [For UK-based staff] You contribute 5% of your salary and we pay for 3% (8% total)