We're hiring! Emergency Support Lead

About this role

This is an exciting and challenging opportunity to work with a driven team of social enterprise and community developers in one of Scotland’s most well regarded and effective social enterprise support providers. Community Enterprise Ltd is a well-established third sector support organisation with a progressive outlook and a diverse portfolio.

Alongside our usual consultancy work, we are increasingly working with organisations who are in distress. The third sector in Scotland is currently facing multifaceted issues, largely driven by rapid changes and financial and operational challenges over recent years. These issues have been growing for some time, but it has reached crisis point for many. Many are providing crucial frontline services and need particular support to continue.

Community Enterprise, with partners from Just Enterprise, the Scottish Community Alliance, and the Development Trust Association launched an online “crisis button” for organisations facing severe and urgent challenges who need the right support and quickly. Over 140 organisations have accessed the service since its launch.

The SCVO Third Sector Tracker is indicating on-going issues, with the recent iteration saying that 8 in 10 third sector organisations are struggling financially, and the majority are dipping into reserves and these indicators are worsening when compared with previous waves over the last two years.

We need to grow the team to keep pace with the demand for this service. We have become established as the ‘go to’ provider for organisations in distress and having secured funding to deliver this service, are now looking to appoint a dedicated lead. 

The role will be based within the development team but will focus on those facing challenges.  Though some support will be provided by the post holder, this is also a co-ordinating role, drawing together support from across Scotland.  We are particularly keen to enhance the capacity and skillset of our team by recruiting someone with strong financial and governance skills and experience.  The successful candidate will also support the core work of the development team.

In our experience, this kind of work can be hugely rewarding but also challenging. Some of the best outcomes for clients have been the result of a collaborative effort and additional support is therefore available within the team at Community Enterprise and through an extended specialist support network beyond our core team.

Main Duties

Coordinating the Crisis Support Service:

1. Respond to emergency enquiries from organisations themselves or through partner referrals within 24 hours of the request being received.
2. Meet (online) organisational representatives to gather background information, assess the level of the crisis and determine what support is needed.
3. Make appropriate referrals to other agencies for that support or where appropriate to Community Enterprise led programmes.
4. Where referrals to other agencies have been made, continue to maintain light touch contact.
5. Monitor, assess and report on the impact of the crisis support service in collaboration with the Development Director.
6. Produce progress reports to funders and stakeholders where required.
7. With support from the Marketing Officer, promote the crisis support service to relevant bodies. This may include producing promotional materials and presentation at workshops, conferences, stakeholder meetings and round table discussions.
8. Foster strong working relationships with others working in this space, this may include encouraging and supporting peer learning and collaboration among partner agencies to improve crisis support within the sector.
9. Find or develop new information and practical resources for organisations in crisis

Client facing interventions (crisis):

   10. When appropriate to be done by Community Enterprise, deliver that support directly. This could involve  support with ideas generation, social enterprise activity, commercialisation of services, cost savings, financial modelling, mergers and fundraising. This may be in partnership with another development officer and could be in partnership with other agencies.

It should be noted that support will not involve insolvency, legal or HR advice for which we have other arrangements.

Client facing interventions (general):

Although this is not the core purpose of the role, where capacity allows:

11. Work as a member of the Development Team to deliver consultancy, advice, learning and support activities for existing and emerging social enterprises.
12. Identify and analyse the key issues affecting individual organisations and communities and contribute to creating appropriate documents and reports and plans. These can include, options appraisals, research summaries, funding assessments, strategies and business plans.
13. Undertake financial analyses of an organisation to identify key issues and/or set out cash flow projections to identify future options, prepare budgets, detailed financial reports and cash flow forecasts. Support organisations to improve their financial management and position.
14. Working with other staff, undertake or support market research and community consultation.
15. Maintain up to date and accurate records on our information management system.
16. Prepare regular reports on activities for the Development Director.
17. Collaborate with co-workers engaged in other Community Enterprise ventures to ensure a joined up, added value approach.
18. Contribute to the achievement of Community Enterprise’s overall organisational objectives and targets.
19. Such other tasks as may be required which are consistent with the duties and responsibilities of the post.

Person Specification

Real experience, aptitude, values, fit with team and a sensitivity to the enterprising third sector are more important to us than formal qualifications.  There is no requirement necessarily for an ICAS or ACCA accountancy accreditation but the postholder must be comfortable with numbers, spreadsheets, financial modelling, budgets and cash flow projections. A knowledge of third sector governance is also important. This post needs someone who can combine financial and organisational knowledge with a practical and sensitive approach to individuals and organisations in challenging situations.  Analytical skills are crucial.  Demonstrable experience in financial management and reporting is important.