Sexual violence advocate jobs in edinburgh

We are looking for a Survivor Engagement Officer to join our team and help strengthen the meaningful involvement of victim-survivors in all aspects of SEA’s work.

About the role

We are looking for a Survivor Engagement Officer to join our team and help strengthen the meaningful involvement of victim-survivors in all aspects of SEA’s work. 

A core part of this role is building and sustaining trusted relationships with by-and-for and community-led organisations to support outreach, engagement, and the inclusive recruitment of survivors from Black and minoritised communities and other marginalised groups. We are particularly keen to receive applications from Black and minoritised women, and/or applicants with strong experience working with these communities.

You will also support the coordination and facilitation of SEA’s Experts by Experience Group (EEG), moderate our online Survivor Forum, and contribute to delivering our Survivor Engagement Strategy. You will help ensure that survivor voices - especially those from underrepresented communities - shape our services, policy and communications work. 

You would be joining SEA at an exciting time, as we strengthen our approaches to inclusive survivor engagement and implement a new strategy to widen participation and reach.

About you

You will be a skilled relationship-builder with strong experience of working with Black and minoritised communities and/or community-led organisations.

You will have excellent communication and facilitation skills, and experience supporting or engaging survivors and/or marginalised groups in a trauma-informed and inclusive way. 

You will bring a strong understanding of anti-discriminatory and survivor-centred practice, and a commitment to widening participation in systems change work. 

Experience supporting collaborative engagement projects or survivor groups would be desirable, as would experience moderating online spaces or forums.

About SEA

Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) is the only charity in the UK dedicated to raising awareness of economic abuse and transforming responses to it. All our work is informed by Experts by Experience – a group of women who speak about what they have gone through so that they can be a force for change. Economic abuse occurs when someone’s partner controls (through restriction, exploitation and/or sabotage) how they acquire, use and maintain economic resources such as accommodation, food, clothing and transportation.

What we offer

• 25 days annual leave, plus 5 Wellbeing Days and Statutory Bank Holidays 
• Home working (UK based) with regular UK travel
• Flexible working 
• 5% Employer Pension Contribution 
• Reflective practice
• Health Cash Plan, including Employee Assistance Programme 
• Enhanced sick pay, family leave and carer’s leave 
• The chance to be part of our highly professional, supportive team

To apply

To find out more about the role, or to apply, please visit our website using the link below.

Applications open from 23 June 2025 and close at 11.59pm on 13 July 2025. Interviews will take place virtually, on 30th July & 4th August 2025.

This post is only open to women applicants, as being a woman is considered a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.

Direct applications only – no agencies please.

Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) is committed to developing an inclusive team which reflects the diversity of the communities we support. Our culture celebrates diverse voices, and we particularly encourage applications from Black and minoritised applicants and disabled applicants who are under-represented at SEA.

SEA is a Disability Confident Committed, and Kinship Friendly Employer.

Trauma Treatment International (TTI) is a registered charity in the UK. Our focus and expertise is in providing evidence-based psychological treatment and support to victims of collective violence around the world. As well as providing treatment for victims directly, we work with organisations and communities to manage, mitigate and prevent trauma. 

This is a highly rewarding role and an exciting opportunity to join and lead our small, yet experienced and impactful team. The role offers the platform to work creatively and flexibly internationally, network with fantastic organisations and help to influence, shape and sustain TTI’s strategy and activities in this pivotal time in the organisation’s development.

Description

 Key Areas of  Responsibility

Clinical strategy and plans for growth

• Have responsibility for the strategic development of TTI’s clinical team, clinical delivery and clinical outcomes, to meet TTI’s ambitious and transformational Strategy 2025-2030.
• Provide clinical leadership to the development of TTI’s strategic vision and annual delivery planning, models of service delivery, standards and clinical governance.
• Support and enable partners, service users and especially those with lived experience to inform TTI’s clinical service design, delivery and evaluation and to engage in communications and research activities in a way that is psychologically safe and follows principles of trauma-informed practice.
• Manage TTI’s clinical capacity and skills, and oversee the growth and development of the team, including recruiting, supervising and managing workload/ assignment of internal staff, associates and external multi-disciplinary team to ensure the organisation’s ability to meet service demand.
• Develop and implement strategies to actively promote diversity in the clinical team and champion culturally sensitive approaches to trauma treatment through research, partnerships and new projects.
• Liaise directly and regularly with TTI’s Trustee with responsibility for clinical oversight, and provide regular reports to the Board of Trustees to support strategic decision-making and risk oversight.
• Oversee the smooth running and effectiveness of specialist clinical advisory groups (clinical advisory groups, research advisory groups and project advisory groups) for TTI that meet the strategic requirements of the organisation and build the evidence base, engage experts and build the reputation and scope of TTI’s work with professionals, networks and sectors in the UK and internationally.
• Take a lead in developing clinical research opportunities, identify opportunities to develop Quality Improvement Projects and disseminate learning internally and externally in collaboration with the communications team.
• Build relationships with Clinical Leads in organisations with shared aims, to build TTI’s relationships and opportunities for partnership and project working.
• Lead the design of internal wellbeing policies and activities and embed trauma-informed knowledge and skills across the organisation, including with clinical and non-clinical staff and trustees.

Delivery of Clinical Services

• Drive TTI’s clinical delivery, in line with TTI’s overarching strategic objectives, including setting long-term and annual objectives and KPIs, within the context of clinical evidence- based best practice, trauma informed principles, participation of those with lived experience and budgetary, donor and risk-management requirements.
• Oversee the development and implementation of TTI’s clinical treatment pathways for survivors of torture, trafficking, slavery and violent conflict or those affected by vicarious trauma or burnout through their work in human rights, including:
  • up to date and evidence based clinical pathways for the main clinical presentations we see at TTI
  • robust assessment, formulation, treatment and ending processes
  •  robust partnership agreements with organisations referring people to TTI for clinical treatment.
• Develop and refine TTI’s clinical services in response to community needs and local/global events, in line with TTI’s strategy, including for working in international communities affected by violent conflict.
• Maintain an appropriate clinical caseload.
• Deliver services to TTI’s organisational clients, (including organisational reviews, trauma training, 1:1 professional consultations, critical incident support), especially to pilot, test and quality control these aspects of TTI’s delivery.
• Support gaps in clinical team capacity as required to ensure smooth running of delivery and excellence of service to our individual and organisational clients.
• Support internal processes led by the fundraising team to design new projects and develop grant applications in order to grow the reach and impact of TTI’s work.
• Support the development of international projects and partnerships and oversee the safe delivery of international work, whether in person or online, in collaboration with the Projects and Partnerships Lead.
• Attend conferences and networks of psychologists in order to learn and embed TTI’s clinical reputation and access to learning and dissemination.

Quality Assurance and Evaluation

• Deliver an evidence-based and continuous evaluation culture and promote internal reflection and learning.
• Maintain and further develop a robust framework for quality assurance and evaluation of TTI’s clinical activities, including engagement of clients, service users and those with lived experience.
• Oversee the consistent use of evidence based clinical measures and ensure robust processes to monitor, evaluate, learn and report on the quality and impact of TTI’s clinical activities and outcomes.
• Support the transition of TTI’s clinical team and associates onto client management software,  with a focus on good data, confidentiality and consistency of adoption.
• Ensure that all systems and processes for storing, managing and reporting on clinical/client data provide robust confidentiality, security and meet TTI’s policies and legal frameworks including Data Protection Act 1998, Caldicott principles.
• Provide regular, timely and accurate data on TTI’s clinical activities and outcomes, to contribute to reports for donors, communications campaigns and annual impact reports and as required throughout the calendar year.
• Provide quarterly performance reports to the CEO and Clinical Trustee on clinical performance, based on clinical data and input from the clinical team and attend Board meetings as requested to report on clinical delivery.
• Oversee TTI’s processes for gathering and responding to feedback from clients and service users, and manage formal and informal complaints relating to the delivery of clinical delivery with the CEO.

Clinical Risk and Safeguarding

• Hold delegated authority from the Board for TTI’s clinical risk management, including engagement in TTI’s Risk-Management Sub-Committee, driving implementation of risk-management and mitigation actions relating to clinical delivery and leading TTI’s monthly internal QSP meetings.
• Feed into internal annual policy review processes, as they relate to clinical delivery, risk management and compliance with clinical duties and trauma-informed practice.
• Be the Safeguarding Lead for TTI, escalating to the Senior Safeguarding Leads as required and ensure processes are in place to meet TTI’s Safeguarding Policy and procedures within the clinical team and associates.

People Management

• Line manage and supervise senior clinical staff and provide support in their duties to manage and supervise their direct reports.
• Notice and respond appropriately to any performance management issues.
• Organise CPD opportunities for internal staff and associates. Oversee the Head of Treatment Services in delivering peer support for internal staff and associates. Update staff of any relevant changes in professional guidance.  
• Support the wellbeing of the clinical team and embed a culture of self-care, trauma-informed practice and delivery excellence.
• Take up monthly external supervision provided by TTI.
• Identify skills gaps and strategies to fill these across the clinical function, within budgetary constraints and maximising access to and sharing of internal knowledge and expertise.
• Maintain up to date knowledge of requirements, guidelines and best practice from clinical governing bodies.

General

• Provide clinical input into communications materials and content in line with TTI’s Communications Strategy as required by the communications and marketing teams.
• Compliance with organisational policies and practices, and attendance at mandatory training.
• Any other appropriate duties as required by the organisation.

Personal Specification

 Essential Criteria

• HCPC registered psychologist who has completed Post Graduate doctoral level training in counselling or clinical psychology.
• Minimum 5 years post registration experience working within mental health services.
• Managerial and leadership experience
• Clinical experience across the life span of individuals
• Up to date knowledge and experience of working with clients with PTSD, complex PTSD, survivors of human rights abuses, such as torture, and/or war related trauma and/or asylum seekers.
• Training in at least two UK NICE guidelines evidence based treatment for PTSD.
• Significant experience of psychological assessment and treatment of clients across a range of settings (could include one or more of NHS, voluntary sector, international humanitarian, community-based, inpatient, field hospital, disaster response etc).
• Experience of developing and delivering training online and in person.
• Knowledge of risk management, safeguarding
• An understanding of the complexities of experience of those surviving torture, trafficking and slavery, persecution and violent conflict
• Understanding of workforce exposure to trauma or traumatic material and experience in staff support
• Evidence of post qualification development
• Training and supervisory experience
• Project management experience
• Ability to manage, motivate, support, develop and lead an online team and promote safe remote working
• A degree of financial awareness with an appreciation of the need to balance the provision of quality care against a budget
• Knowledge of appropriate standards and external regulatory bodies, such as the Care Quality Commission.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of crisis response work
• Knowledge of languages or cultures of those we seek to support
• Lived experience of the issues reflected in TTI’s mission and aims
• Working knowledge of relevant Mental Health, Asylum, Employment and Health & Safety Legislation (e.g. Human Rights Act 1998, Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, Mental Health Act 1983 and Mental Incapacity Act 2005) 
• Experience of working in the charity sector or international development sector in the UK or internationally
• Experience in facilitating critical incident response sessions and reflective practice

Qualifications

• Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy)
• Doctorate in Counselling Psychology (DPsyc)

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU:

• 33 days annual leave, pro rata to reflect contractual hours (including bank holidays and 3 mandatory days over the Christmas period)
• 3% Employer Pension contribution
• Commitment to staff wellbeing as a trauma informed organisation
• Commitment to personal and professional development
• Flexible working to fit your personal circumstances
• Opportunity to lead the organisation’s clinical development and make your mark as the organisation grows