Engagement and Learning Officer (Pathways to Progress)

WORKING TOGETHERTOCOMBATPOVERTY

• Post: Engagement and Learning Officer (Pathways to Progress)
• Salary: £39,717 per annum, + 8% Employer Pension
• Duration: fixed term until 31 March 2028
• Hours: 35 per week
• Location: Glasgow, Hybrid
• Line Manager: Living Wage Scotland Manager

JOB PURPOSE

To deliver a programme of stakeholder engagement and dissemination of evidence as part of Poverty Alliance’s 3-year Pathways to Progress project on improving job standards in the social care sector. Pathways to Progress is funded by The Robertson Trust and led by the Living Wage Scotland team at Poverty Alliance. The Engagement and Learning Officer will lead on developing and holding key stakeholder relationships, consolidating and sharing information and learning across the project and maximising opportunities for external promotion of the project findings.

Working within the Living Wage Scotland team, the Engagement and Learning officer will be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with industry experts, workers and employers, supporting them to engage with and participate in various elements of the project. This will include maintaining an effective project steering group and working collaboratively with an external consultant in the development, delivery and evaluation of a workshop series for two large social care employers.

While ensuring various stakeholder perspectives are reflected in the project, the post holder will build and share intelligence to inform and strengthen Living Wage Scotland’s approach to employer engagement.

The post holder will have experience in managing a variety of stakeholder relationships, will be a confident communicator with strong facilitation skills, and will have a sound understanding of the Social Care sector in Scotland.

The role will suit an individual who has a background in complex stakeholder management, knowledge of the Social Care employment landscape in Scotland, as well as a clear commitment to social justice and engaging employers on actions that can help address poverty.

JOB BACKGROUND

The Poverty Alliance is the national anti-poverty network in Scotland, with membership including representatives from the community and voluntary sectors, trade unions, faith groups, statutory bodies and others across civil society. Our members, the Scottish Government, local authorities and charitable trusts financially support us to carry out our work.

Established in 1992, the Poverty Alliance has a long track record in working with individuals and communities to take action to address poverty. We have sought to put participation, of both individuals experiencing poverty and organisations in our network, at the heart of our program and project work.

Living Wage Scotland was established by the Poverty Alliance in 2014 to recognise employers in Scotland who commit to paying the real Living Wage. It is a partnership with the UK Living Wage Foundation, and the programme now delivers a broader range of employer engagement activities to drive up standards so that more jobs tackle in-work poverty. Living Wage Scotland delivers accreditation schemes that support fair work (namely Living Wage, Living Hours and Living Pension accreditation), and are seeking to expand our work with Social Care employers across Scotland.

To help take forward this approach, Living Wage Scotland/The Poverty Alliance will be delivering a new project Pathways to Progress, with the aim of working with social care employers and employees on identifying, developing, testing and embedding changes at an organisational level to improve job standards to reduce in-work poverty. A key component of this project is a workshop series with two social care employers in Scotland. This project is one of 10 projects funded via The Robertson Trust’s Work Pathways programme focused on delivering ‘big change that lasts’ through improving job quality to tackle in-work poverty.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Key responsibilities are:

1. Deliver a programme of stakeholder engagement as part of the Pathways to Progress project

2. Contribute to the effective design and delivery of workshops and engagement activities for two large Social Care employers

3. Coordinate the dissemination of evidence, learning and evaluation from the project to appropriate audiences

Detailed responsibilities include:

1. Deliver a programme of stakeholder engagement as part of the Pathways to Progress project including:

1.1 Enhancing and supporting employee voice

Contribute to enhancing worker engagement across the project in collaboration with research and project team colleagues within Poverty Alliance

1.2 Employer and Stakeholder Engagement

Coordinate the formation and meetings of a Social Care expert group, facilitating key topics, and producing high level outputs

Oversee engagement with a broad range of stakeholders relevant to the Social Care sector and the project aims, (including employers, membership organisations/ associations, policy makers, public bodies)

2. Contribute to the effective design and delivery of workshops and engagement activities for two large Social Care organisations

2.1 Liaise with researchers and external consultants on the scope and design of workshops or alternative formats of engagement with staff from social care organisations

2.2 Support relevant stakeholders to participate in the codesign of their participation.

2.3 Facilitate the inclusion of evidence from worker experiences into engagement approaches.

2.4 Oversee the delivery and facilitation of workshops or alternative engagement activities to contribute to project outcomes

2.5 Capture feedback and evidence to support evaluation and maximise participant experience

3. Coordinate the dissemination of evidence, learning and evaluation from the project to appropriate audiences

3.1 Contribute to the development of key messages and marketing materials to support dissemination activities

3.2 Share intelligence and recommendations with the wider Living Wage Scotland team and partners to inform and enhance Social Care employer engagement approaches

3.3 Liaise with Poverty Alliance colleagues and wider membership as appropriate on the development of policy and influencing positions relating to Social Care

3.4 Engage with a range of stakeholders to disseminate learning, key messages and recommendations emerging from the project including through:

Delivery of learning events

Promotion at Living Wage Scotland and/or Poverty Alliance events

Identifying new opportunities for promotion

General

To ensure compliance with the Poverty Alliance governance procedures, our values, policies and guidelines.

Contribute to a positive working environment in which equality and diversity are valued and staff are enabled to do their best.

To carry out other tasks and duties as reasonably required by the Living Wage Scotland Manager

Essential Experience

Demonstrable track record of working in partnership and developing relationships with a range of stakeholders.

Experience of influencing, supporting or managing change at organisational level.

The ability to understand and synthesize complex details and to articulate these in a simple and accessible way for different audiences.

Experience of developing and delivering effective communications, promotion and marketing approaches.

Essential Knowledge, skills and attributes

Knowledge and understanding of the fair work policy landscape and social care sector in Scotland.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including skills in facilitation, with the ability to communicate effectively to a range of audiences.

Good analytical problem-solving skills.

Demonstrable commitment to collaborative teamwork.

Excellent organizing and prioritization skills, and the ability to work flexibly to accommodate a demanding workload.

Demonstrable commitment to inclusive working, ensuring equality and valuing diversity.

Excellent interpersonal skills and well-developed skills in facilitation and engagement.

IT skills, in particular Salesforce, MS Office, MS Teams, SharePoint, Zoom.

Desirable Criteria

Experience of working with and/or representing marginalised groups to amplify their voices and share lived experience as evidence.

Experience of employer or business-to-business engagement.

Experience of effective group facilitation

Good understanding of relevant anti-poverty and social justice policy in Scotland.

Knowledge of employment and HR laws, policy and practice in Scotland.

Awareness of systems change methodologies and their scope for application at an organisational level.

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