National Advice & Support Service Manager
Salary £ 31,415 - 36,050
Edinburgh or Perth; 3 days office based
Vacancy listed 21/07/2025
Application deadline 01/08/2025
Details

Job Description


Location: Hybrid - min 3 days in the office (Edinburgh or Perth)
Salary: £31,415 - £36,050 
Salary Band: 1.7-2.1
Hours: Full Time, 35 Hours
Contract: Permanent
Directorate: National Services
Reports To: Head of National Services

Change Mental Health is a leading national mental health charity providing unique support to people with severe and enduring mental ill health. With over 50 years’ experience across Scotland, we believe people affected by poor mental health and illness deserve the highest quality of support in the community and that every person has the right to be valued and to share in the opportunities, challenges, and joys of everyday life. 

About the Service
Money and mental health are intricately linked. Mental health problems make it harder to recover from financial difficulty, and financial difficulty can both worsen and prolong periods of poor mental health. That is why our Advice and Support Service provides practical (welfare benefits and debt), emotional (time space and compassion), and social (connection to communities and services) advice and support to people experiencing money and mental health worries.

As a national service our team of 6 offers advice and support to people across Scotland via telephone and email.

About the Role
The role of National Advice and Support Service Manager is instrumental in ensuring that the service we provide to people is consistent, accessible and of high-quality. This role will oversee all operational aspects of the service including leading and coaching the Advice and Support Team to deliver a flexible and person-centred service, and providing welfare rights and debt advice expertise and management oversight of complex case management.  The National Advice and Support Service Manager will also ensure the team’s performance meets all legal and regulatory requirements, including the standards set out by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Scottish National Standards for Information and Advice Providers, and will build-in quality controls and checks around this including creating and maintaining policies and procedures to allow for the efficient, compliant and safe running of the service. 

As well as having responsibility for the operational delivery of the service, this role will also influence and shape the strategic direction of the Advice and Support Service. This will involve working with the Head of National Services to plan and develop a strategic plan for the service and play a key role in communicating this vision both internally and externally, as well as actively promoting the service. The National Advice and Support Service Manager will also develop strategic partnerships, including working with MHUK, and communicate opportunities to work with partners and colleagues from across the organisation. 

Establishing effective structures and systems to collect data and track outcome progress will be a central responsibility of the National Advice and Support Service Manager. The postholder will be skilled in data analysis and regularly produce reports that clearly demonstrate impact to a variety of stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities


Service management:
  • Manage the Advice and Support Service on a day-to-day basis, ensuring resources are well allocated, services are delivered within agreed budgets, challenges are resolved promptly, and high standards of practice are achieved.
  • Ensure that accurate welfare rights and debt advice and mental health information is being provided and that accurate, comprehensive and compliant case records are kept. This includes maintaining up to date policies and procedures and conducting regular audits of case records and information sources
  • Conduct regular service reviews and set and monitor KPIs and outcomes, ensuring evaluations demonstrate positive client outcomes. 
  • Prepare accurate, high-quality reports that supports both internal performance monitoring and external accountability including reporting to funders.
  • Ensure Change Mental Health policies and procedures are implemented and understood including Safeguarding and Health and Safety.
  • Assist with identifying and completing funding applications 


People and team
  • Manage and support the Advice and Support Team providing regular support and supervisions sessions to staff and ensuring clear objectives which link into the organisations strategic plan are set and monitored
  • Recruit, induct and lead staff to ensure the highest levels of performance and standards of conduct
  • Identify gaps in knowledge, skills and experience of the Advice and Support Team and source appropriate training and support, as required
  • Provide technical guidance on welfare rights and debt advice to staff.
  • Foster a positive team culture that promotes effective team working
  • Be part of the Management Team for National services and work closely with peers to provide guidance and support, as required

Service development and partnerships
  • Lead on the promotion of the service and proactively seek opportunities to raise awareness and develop new referral pathways 
  • Ensure that the service has an accessible pathway into user voice, participation and feedback mechanisms including building working relationships with people with lived to inform the development of the service
  • Develop and maintain positive relationships with key partners and external stakeholders to raise the public profile of the Advice and Support Service, and Change Mental Health, and to ensure Change Mental Health are best positioned for any emerging opportunities
  • Work closely with the wider Policy, Public Affairs and Communications department to deliver on the Change Mental Health Strategy

General Duties:  
  • Act in accordance with Data Protection legislation.  Ensure all records, personal, staff and client data are managed in line with Data Management and Information Governance policies.
  • Comply with legal and regulatory requirements such as provisions set out in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
  • As with all employees, workers and volunteers; to encourage people to join Change Mental Health as a member, donor or activist.
  • To act in accordance with the charity’s Health & Safety and Safeguarding policies and to notify a line manager promptly if there are any concerns.
  • To participate in regular supervision and appraisal and undertake any relevant training as appropriate to the role.
  • To work in accordance with the charity’s national policies and local operating procedures and those of external regulators or professional bodies.

Essential Criteria:
  • In-depth knowledge of current welfare rights and debt advice policies, legislation, and their practical application.
  • Comprehensive knowledge of welfare rights and debt advice standards and regulatory frameworks, including the Scottish National Standards (SNS) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requirements.
  • Proven experience in managing complex welfare rights and debt advice cases.
  • Sound understanding of the issues experienced by people with lived experience of mental health problems or mental illness, especially how these are impacted by poverty, unemployment, housing and low income
  • Demonstratable experience of managing and leading a team and supporting them through change
  • Experienced in designing and implementing operational policies and procedures to support the safe delivery of a service
  • Confident and flexible communicator who can adapt their communication style based on the audience they are engaging with, including strong influencing skills
  • Strong analytical skills and the ability to interpret and present/report data in an engaging manner
  • Ability to network and promote our service to partner organisations, including strong stakeholder management experience.
  • Ability to problem solve and use own initiative to innovate and resolve challenges, and ability to know when to escalate appropriately.
  • Ability and willingness to travel across Scotland as required
  • Commitment to the values of Change Mental Health

Successful applicants for this post will require a PVG Membership (this will be arranged by Change Mental Health during before you start your role)

Desirable Criteria:

  • Experience of designing and delivering training to a variety of audiences 
  • Experience of supporting teams to deliver mental health support 
  • Experience of supporting teams to design and deliver information webinars and other accessible sources of information
  • Experience of managing a remote team

This job profile and list of duties is not exhaustive and serves only to highlight the main requirements. The line manager may stipulate other reasonable requirements and projects commensurate with the general profile and grade of the post.

All successful candidates will require a PVG Membership. Please be aware that it is classed as an offence if you apply for this role and are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children or vulnerable adults.
Benefits

24/7 access to an award-winning Employee Assistance Programme providing free legal, financial, and medical advice as well as support with life’s challenges.
A 35-hour working week, enhanced sick pay & season ticket loan.
A great work life balance with flexible and blended working environment.
Access to purchase a Blue Light Discount Card
Cycle to Work Scheme
Enhanced sick pay and leave entitlements.
Generous 37 days’ holiday.
Paid Mental Wellbeing days.
Professional development including funded opportunities

Notes

To apply please submit your CV and Cover Letter through the online BreatheHR portal.

Please note all applications must be received by midday on 1st August 2025. Interviews are due to be held on 14th August 2025.

We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds.

If you consider yourself to have a disability, please inform us of any arrangements that we may make to the interview process.

We reserve the right to close this advert earlier or later than stated. Please don’t delay your application to avoid any disappointment.

If you have any questions or would like an informal chat, please reach out to Bethany Biggar, Head of National Services, at Bethany.Biggar@changemh.org

Attached documents
Title File
Job Description Advice_and_Support_-_Service_Manager_-_Job_description_-_July_2025.docx
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