Join Veterans Scotland as Project Lead for Project Mercury
Join Veterans Scotland as Project Lead for Project Mercury
Join Veterans Scotland as Project Lead for Project Mercury (Fixed Term; 2 Years)
A unique opportunity has arisen within Veterans Scotland to shape the support provided to Veterans and the Armed Forces Community across Scotland. At Veterans Scotland we champion the interests of our 70+ member organisations – working at local, regional, and national levels to promote collaboration, influence policy, and deliver meaningful support to those who have served. Our mission is to create a community where Veterans are respected, supported, and able to thrive.
The Opportunity
We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Project Lead to oversee this two-year initiative funded by the Forces in Mind Trust. The project aims to enhance the understanding and implementation of the Armed Forces Covenant across Scotland, ensuring Veterans and their families receive fair, accessible, and consistent support from statutory and non-statutory organisations. This pivotal role offers the chance to influence policy, strengthen partnerships, and improve service delivery for Veterans and the wider Armed Forces and Veterans Community.
A copy of the Role Description below
Contract Details
Fixed-term, 2-year contract subject to 3 month probationary period and suitable references.
0.6 FTE (equivalent to approximately 22 hours per week); Competitive Salary dependant on experience, Eligible for pension scheme.
Start date: June 2025
Location: Hybrid working, based at New Haig House, Logie Green Road, Edinburgh
Reporting to: General Secretary
If you are passionate about supporting Veterans, possess strong leadership skills, and want to make a lasting impact, we want to hear from you.
Closing Date: Friday 9 May 25
To apply, or for more information, please send a copy of your CV and a covering letter of application to:
Jim Wilson; General Secretary; Veterans Scotland
email: gensec@veteransscotland.org.uk
Tel: 0131 550 1569
Veterans Scotland is committed to equal opportunities and welcomes applications from all backgrounds.
The Opportunity
Veterans Scotland (VS) represents, promotes and furthers the interests of the Armed Forces and Veterans Community (AFVC), supporting the needs and opinions of our member organisations, individually and collectively at central and local government levels and with other national and international agencies.
Our role is to drive progress and change for the good of the whole, not just a few. We serve as the face and voice of our members and the wider AFVC, providing leadership when necessary and appropriate on behalf of our membership. VS achieves this by promoting collaboration and cooperation, building and sharing expertise, supporting and directly representing our members interests, to ultimately provide the best possible level of support to beneficiaries. VS brings together subject matter experts from the private, public and third sectors under our working groups to collaborate and liaise with statutory organisations, local authorities, Scottish Government and the Scottish Veterans Commissioner to make recommendations that shape policy and future direction. At VS, we’re passionate about making a difference. That means delivering better outcomes for the AFVC, helping veterans realise their potential and doing our part to create and sustain a Veterans Community that is relevant, respected and flourishing. We have four high level goals to deliver this.
We are:
– Forward thinking: alive to new ideas and changes in public attitudes, drawing strength from our heritage.
– Proud and self-reliant: respected for our significant and ongoing contribution to Scotland and to society.
– Organised and focussed: to provide better and more responsive support to those who need it, now and in the future.
– Pragmatic and efficient: making effective use of resources, underpinned by a sustainable financial model.
Job Description – Project Lead
VS Project Mercury is a 2 year project, funded by the Forces in Mind Trust. This role is a fixed term two year role to deliver a Scotland wide project at local and regional authority level on behalf of VS. The aim of the project is to fully inform and educate staff, policy makers and leaders in statutory and non-statutory organisations, including those commissioned by statutory bodies of their obligations under the Armed Forces Covenant. (AFC). The AFC is a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly.
The role will have line management responsibility for a part-time administrative coordinator and will work closely with the permanent VS team.We are looking for an individual with excellent project and programme leadership skills, a clear vision, that translates into actionable plans, to guide the project team, partners and stakeholders towards achieving the Project Mercury goals. Through collaboration and working in partnership, the role will support the development and adaptation of policies and working practices to ensure that the AFC obligations are met and there is a better understanding of the ongoing issues faced by our AFVC.
The role will work in partnership with Local Authorities Champions to develop awareness and expertise of the AFC toolkit.
The role will connect the dots, bringing statutory services and third sector organisations together, sharing knowledge and best practice, growing collaborations and partnerships across local communities. Stakeholder groups include but are not restricted to: Local Authorities, NHS Scotland, statutory organisations and employers, Education, Employment, Housing, Health providers and ex-Service and other third sector organisations.
The role will promote understanding of the needs of the AFVC to improve their economic security, health, resiliency and eliminate disparities, barriers to health and improve service delivery across Scotland.
The role will be responsible for “informing” both up the chain and down the chain about parity of service provision and access regardless of where the member of the AFVC lives to ensure the playing field is level. This includes, Scot Gov, SVC, the OVA and CoBSEO, where disparity of provision or access for the AFVC is identified within or between the devolved nations.
The role will primarily be stakeholder facing and the successful candidate will have a highly successful track record of the delivery of high profile projects, with multiple stakeholders at either local or national public sector level.
Role and Responsibilities:
Leadership & Change Management: Provide strong, compassionate leadership to drive transformational change and strategic development for Project Mercury.
Operational Management: Prepare, lead and manage a comprehensive project plan, including scope, timelines, budget management, resource allocation and performance monitoring.
Stakeholder Management: lead engagement with project stakeholders across local authorities, National Government, statutory and non-statutory bodies (including Education, Housing, Health, Employment), to establish strong working relationships. Manage stakeholder mapping and prepare communications to stakeholders and respond to stakeholder enquiries.
Prepare and manage workshops, roundtable and forum logistics including developing agendas, project plans and production of reports.
Responsibility for the co-ordination of National and Regional Gatherings of Armed Forces and Veterans Champions that take place annually, as well as the design & delivery of an education package to Local Authority customer facing staff.
Collaboration & Communication: Build strong relationships with team members, stakeholders, and other key individuals, fostering trust and collaboration.
Service & Quality Improvement: Work with Local Authority Champion teams to enhance role, deepen expertise, integrate services at local and regional level and leverage technology for innovation.
Experience and Skills Required:
A transformational perspective in developing and implementing strategy. An ability to drive improvement and manage performance for execution at all levels.
A robust sense of ownership and accountability for delivering project outcomes.\High degree of accuracy in executing work, ability to schedule work and deliver to tight deadlines.
Lead working groups, set objectives and provide ongoing appraisal of performance using well developed professional knowledge and skills to deliver on
Project Mercury outcomes.
Significant experience of managing engagement with multiple stakeholders including local authority level on major high profile public sector projects.
A clear understanding of issues relating to Veterans accessing the AFC services, and an appreciation of the Veterans and local authority political environment.
Proven ability to work and multi-task under pressure, respond quickly to changing situations in complex project environments, prepare responses /narrative quickly and clearly and use personal initiative.
Role model for collaboration, fostering a culture of partnership across the broader community, promoting a culture of care and inclusivity, challenging unacceptable behaviour and enhancing the culture of the Local Authority/AFVC, balancing concern for Veterans issues and the delivery of the AFC.
Excellent interpersonal and networking skills, highly articulate team player.
Familiarity with using various CRM systems essential.
Underlying principles for support to the AFVC
In this context the term ‘Veteran’ refers to members of the Armed Forces and Veterans Community. A Veteran is someone who has served at least one day in HM Forces. Under the AFC, statutory and certain other organisations are obliged, to ensure no disadvantage, in accessing their services as a result of Military Service.
Veterans are first and foremost members of civilian society.
Veterans’ first point of call for support should be those services that are available to the wider community.
Support should be provided at the most appropriate level possible, i.e. if a matter can be resolved through local services this is preferable to raising it at Ministerial level.
Where appropriate, it is desirable for organisations to use common language and descriptions in the provision of support – this is a significant challenge across all areas.
When monitoring demand for services, and collating data on that demand, comparisons with the wider community need to be made.
Organisations engaging with a veteran in the provision of a service must recognise where they may be referred to as necessary.
Some organisations provide very specific support whilst others are more general; understanding each organisations strengths and communicating it is important.
Comparisons between veterans and the civilian population, in respect of demand on services, must be made.
Where statutory veterans services (as opposed to charitable services) are created, they must be based on reliable evidence of need.
Term: 2 year Fixed Term 0.6 FTE June 2025 – June 2027
Reporting to: General Secretary
Terms and Conditions: Salary dependent on experience, eligible for pension scheme
Workplace: Hybrid and Veterans Scotland House, New Haig House, Logie Green Road, Edinburgh with travel across Scotland.
