We have a great opportunity for a qualified bike mechanic to join our friendly and dynamic team at Bridgend Farmhouse.

About Bridgend Farmhouse

Bridgend Farmhouse is a community-owned hub set within a restored farmhouse with a focus on wellbeing, collective care, healthy living, sustainability and ecological responsibility. We promote access to healthy, affordable food, time in nature, crafts, outdoor activities and practical tools for developing resilience within our local and wider community. We are welcoming, participatory, inclusive and innovative. Please see The Story of Bridgend Farmhouse and Bridgend Farmhouse is Open.

Cycling Developments at Bridgend Farmhouse

The Bridgend Farmhouse has always been passionate about cycling. We have an existing Bike Workshop and a soon to be completed Bike Barn. We host a social enterprise (‘A wee pedal’) dedicated to cycling activities and led rides and we have a direct connection to a network of cycle routes via Craigmillar Park. We have recently been given funding through Paths for All, Cycling Scotland and City of Edinburgh Council to support our cycling operation.

The Role

Our new Community Lead Bike Mechanic will oversee our bike refurbishment programme, refurbishing bikes for sale or matching them with people in our local community as well as some bike maintenance and servicing. The role involves training and support of volunteers / individuals on skills development placements, coordinating the rotas of our sessional bike staff and networking in the local community in order to share practice and promote access to our cycling initiatives. The person in this role will be motivated and organised, a qualified bike mechanic, have demonstrable experience of providing staff or volunteer support and will have a commitment to engaging with people who may previously not had access to cycling due to cultural or economic barriers, lack of skills or confidence.

Requirements for the role

• Qualified Bike Mechanic – Velotech gold or equivalent as a minimum.

• A passionate belief in the benefits of cycling and active travel.

• Experience of bike refurbishment.

• Experience of matching people with a suitable bike to meet their needs.

• Knowledge of cycling industry / community.

• High level of project coordination, organising and delivery skills.

• Excellent team worker.

• Flexible self-starter.

• Excellent communication skills.

• IT knowledge and experience to include Microsoft Office Applications.

• Enthusiasm for making a difference to the lives of disadvantaged people.

• Experience of providing support and training to staff and / or volunteers.

• A commitment to playing a part in the success and ongoing development of our Cycle Operation.

Responsible to: Active Travel and Facilities Coordinator and Bike Operation Planning Group

Please see attached Job Description or see the role on the Bridgend Farmhouse website.

Bridgend Farmhouse is an award-winning community benefit society with charitable status based in South East Edinburgh. Our mission is learning, working, and growing together to develop a flourishing community and place. Following a successful campaign to gain community ownership of the land, the community project renovated and extended the 18th century farm steading and now runs a thriving community hub where people meet to carry out creative, physical, and purposeful activities and to share their skills and knowledge with others. We work to address social inequalities, reduce isolation and loneliness, strengthen community involvement, build local resilience, develop environmental education and stewardship, and support people to be active agents in their life. Our members are our 400+ Community Shareholders, and we are led by our Board of Trustees who are elected from our membership and are predominantly local people. We work with a sociocratic model of sub-groups and Volunteers’ Forum to inform and influence decisions at all levels of the organisation.

Overview of the post

This post has been created to support disadvantaged young people (aged 16 to 25) in our community of benefit to have better life chances. Our area of benefit can be seen here: bit.ly/37hxdgS. This is one half of a shared post, where the other Skills Development Coordinator at Bridgend Farmhouse is working to benefit socially isolated adults in the same area.

The Skills Development Coordinator for Young People will provide bespoke support to individuals from the target group to develop practical, social, emotional, literacy, and/or creative skills that enable them to play their part in a connected and inclusive community. The post holder will coordinate and develop learning, training, and volunteering opportunities with participants according to individual needs and goals. Participants will be supported to engage with and make the most of activities at Bridgend Farmhouse and appropriate opportunities elsewhere.

Main responsibilities

• Identify, recruit, and work with disadvantaged young people aged 16-25 from across the local community
• Develop and maintain working relationships with external partners, including referring agencies such as secondary schools and Skills Development Scotland, and develop appropriate referral and information sharing systems
• Support target groups to become involved in Bridgend Farmhouse activities by developing a welcoming and inclusive programme for volunteers and participants: design and deliver volunteers journey; support individuals to design structured volunteering opportunities; encourage peer-led group working, learning activities, and opportunities for skills exchange; recruit and supervise sessional workers in delivering skills development projects
• Meet regularly with participants, as individuals and as groups, to gather feedback on progress, provide guidance, and encourage ideas about future activities
• Support participants to gain accreditation and/or recognition of achievements and to access external resources that help develop their skills and personal development
• Develop and manage an administrative system for managing individuals’ participation. Develop and maintain an evidence base for tracking individuals’ progress.
• Manage and track projects' budget
• Gather regular evaluations, case studies, and feedback, and incorporate them into reports for funders
• Be familiar with and implement Bridgend Farmhouse policies and procedures, including safeguarding, equal opportunities, health and safety, our underlying values, and sociocratic decision making structures. Ensure the safety and wellbeing of volunteers and participants at all times
• Work with Bridgend Farmhouse volunteers to run a regular Volunteers’ Forum and participate in collective decision-making structures within the organisation
• Be prepared to work occasional evenings or weekends in response to organisational needs

Person Specification

Essential experience and skills

• Qualification in community education, community development, or extensive community development or skills development experience
• Recruiting, supervising, and working with volunteers
• Supervising and supporting sessional workers
• Experience of facilitating the delivery of nationally recognised qualifications, either directly or working in partnership with an external provider
• Experience of working with people in a peer-led setting or model
• Experience of working with young people in an informal education setting
• Building and sustaining strong working relationships with diverse stakeholders
• Conducting monitoring and evaluation
• Self-motivated and able to plan, prioritise, and administer their own work
• Confident user of Microsoft applications and social media platforms

Desirable experience and skills

• Experience of sociocratic or collective decision-making structures with volunteer/member-led groups
• Knowledge of and connections with our local area and communities
• Experience of project and budget management
• Experience of following data protection requirements
• Understanding of outcomes-based approaches
• Digital skills to create visual literature (leaflets, flyers, etc.) and digital evaluation

PROJECT: Skills Development Project

REPORTS TO: Board of Trustees and General Manager

RESPONSIBLE FOR: Volunteers, participants, and sessional workers

Disclosure (PVG) requirements: The appointment is subject to Bridgend Farmhouse being satisfied that the candidate meets the requirements of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007.

Bridgend Farmhouse is an award-winning community benefit society with charitable status based in South East Edinburgh. Our mission is learning, working, and growing together to develop a flourishing community and place. Following a successful campaign to gain community ownership of the land, the community project renovated and extended the 18th century farm steading and now runs a thriving community hub where people meet to carry out creative, physical, and purposeful activities and to share their skills and knowledge with others. We work to address social inequalities, reduce isolation and loneliness, strengthen community involvement, build local resilience, develop environmental education and stewardship, and support people to be active agents in their life. Our members are our 400+ Community Shareholders, and we are led by our Board of Trustees who are elected from our membership and are predominantly local people. We work with a sociocratic model of sub-groups and Volunteers’ Forum to inform and influence decisions at all levels of the organisation.

Purpose and overview of the post

This post has been created to support disadvantaged young people (aged 16 to 25) and socially isolated adults in our community of benefit to have better life chances. Our community of benefit can be seen here: bit.ly/37hxdgS

The Skills Development Coordinator will provide bespoke support to individuals from the target groups to develop practical, social, emotional, literacy, and/or creative skills that enable them to play their part in a connected and inclusive community. The post holder will coordinate and develop learning, training, and volunteering opportunities with participants according to individual needs and goals. Participants will be supported to engage with and make the most of activities at Bridgend Farmhouse and appropriate opportunities elsewhere. Work will be divided equally between the two target groups – disadvantaged 16-25 year olds and socially isolated adults.

Main responsibilities

• Identify, recruit, and work with disadvantaged young people aged 16-25 and socially isolated adults from across the local community
• Develop and maintain working relationships with external partners, including referring agencies such as secondary schools and Skills Development Scotland, and develop appropriate referral and information sharing systems
• Support target groups to become involved in Bridgend Farmhouse activities by developing a welcoming and inclusive programme for volunteers and participants: design and deliver volunteer induction; support individuals to design structured volunteering opportunities; encourage peer-led group working, learning activities, and opportunities for skills exchange; recruit and supervise sessional workers in delivering skills development projects
• Meet regularly with participants, as individuals and as groups, to gather feedback on progress, provide guidance, and encourage ideas about future activities
• Support participants to gain accreditation and/or recognition of achievements and to access external resources that help develop their skills and personal development
• Develop and manage an administrative system for managing individuals’ participation. Develop and maintain an evidence base for tracking individuals’ progress. Track and work within the budget. Gather regular evaluations, case studies, and feedback. Prepare reports for funders
• Be familiar with and implement Bridgend Farmhouse policies and procedures, including safeguarding, equal opportunities, health and safety, our underlying values, and sociocratic decision making structures. Ensure the safety and wellbeing of volunteers and participants at all times
• Work with Bridgend Farmhouse volunteers to run a regular Volunteers’ Forum and participate in collective decision-making structures within the organisation
• Be prepared to work occasional evenings or weekends in response to organisational needs
• Undertake other duties as may be reasonably required by the General Manager

Person Specification

Essential experience and skills

• Qualification in community education, community development, or extensive community development or skills development experience
• Recruiting, supervising, and working with volunteers
• Supervising and supporting sessional workers
• Experience of facilitating the delivery of nationally recognised qualifications, either directly or working in partnership with an external provider
• Experience of working with people in a peer-led setting or model
• Experience of working with young people in an informal education setting
• Building and sustaining strong working relationships with diverse stakeholders
• Conducting monitoring and evaluation
• Self-motivated and able to plan, prioritise, and administer their own work
• Confident user of Microsoft applications and social media platforms

Desirable experience and skills

1. Experience of sociocratic or collective decision-making structures with volunteer/member-led groups
2. Knowledge of and connections with our local area and communities
3. Experience of project and budget management
4. Experience of following data protection requirements
5. Understanding of outcomes-based approaches
6. Digital skills to create visual literature (leaflets, flyers, etc.) and digital evaluation

PROJECT: Skills Development Project

REPORTS TO: General Manager

RESPONSIBLE FOR: Volunteers, participants, and sessional workers

Disclosure (PVG) requirements

The appointment is subject to Bridgend Farmhouse being satisfied that the candidate meets the requirements of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007.

The Community Food Coordinator will oversee the delivery of community cooking, catering and training sessions at Bridgend Farmhouse community kitchen. The post holder will coordinate and develop learning, training, and volunteering opportunities in the kitchen with participants, according to their needs and abilities, and work closely with the Community Garden Coordinator on the delivery of the Farm2Fork project. The successful applicant will also help to develop partnership work and collaboration with other organisations and interest groups to utilise our kitchen and café.

The Community Food Coordinator is responsible for the smooth running and maintenance of our kitchen, café and food storage facilities. They will create, develop and maintain robust systems, such as planning rotas and food rotation to contribute to the smooth running and growth of Bridgend Farmhouse. This role will require flexibility, including some evening and weekend work, to allow the team to meet community members’, groups’, and external stakeholders’ needs, to ensure the success of the organisation, and highlight Bridgend Farmhouse as a community space to learn, work, and grow together. The post holder will also identify further funding and income-generating opportunities to sustain this project beyond the current length of two years.

Please download the Job Description below for further details about the role.

Are you an individual with a particular passion and strategic vision to develop a local community owned asset with a strong, democratic value base?

Bridgend Farmhouse is a successful award winning community benefit society with charitable status based in South East Edinburgh. Following an effective campaign, it gained community ownership of the land in 2015 and has become a thriving community hub where people meet to carry out creative, physical, and purposeful activities and to share skills and knowledge with others. The organisation works to address social inequalities, reduce isolation and loneliness, strengthen community involvement, build local resilience, develop environmental education and stewardship, and support people to be active agents in their life. In 2021, Bridgend Farmhouse received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – the highest award a voluntary group can get in the UK.

Bridgend’s Board of Directors/Trustees is elected annually from a base of 400+ community shareholders, predominantly local, who aim to create a Sociocracy model of working together. The Board is currently steering change within our community hub and after a wide consultation we are now implementing the findings of a change management process. You would be joining at an exciting time when Bridgend Farmhouse is emerging from the recent lockdowns and beginning to slowly re-engage with its local community.

Role and responsibilities of Bridgend Farmhouse Directors/Trustees:

Bridgend Farmhouse Directors/Trustees have a generic role in ensuring that the organisation meets its vision, aims, and objectives and fulfils the requirements of its regulatory bodies.

We are keen to invite people living in South East Edinburgh – with experience of governing organisations and passionate about community development – to sit on our Board of Directors/Trustees.

Directors/Trustees will:

• Collectively develop strategy and priorities for the community hub to deliver the best possible community development practice and activities.
• Monitor and track how well the Farmhouse is delivering its contracted outcomes and the results of local consultations and surveys, taking action to ensure that staff, finance, and premises are used effectively and responsibly.
• Obtain funding to ensure sustainability of Bridgend Farmhouse and monitor its finances to ensure resources are used efficiently and effectively.
• Take steps to ensure that risks are identified and actions taken to minimise these.

Our Directors/Trustees are expected to:

• Be impartial – not act for any individual or group – and uphold collective decisions made by the Board.
• Question and challenge information constructively.
• Support our staff and invest in them.
• Be sensitive to the views of others inside and outside of the Board meetings.
• Create a positive culture which upholds the values and vision of Bridgend Farmhouse as a flourishing community aiming to learn, work, and grow together; promote equality and diversity; advance arts, heritage, and local culture; and encourage sustainability and environmental protection.
• Analyse and review complex issues, weigh up conflicting opinions, and reach sound and reasoned decisions.

What kind of person are we looking for?

We are particularly keen to recruit people with specialist skills in:

• Accounting & Finance
• Legal matters
• Business / Social enterprise
• Marketing & PR
• Management / Project management
• HR
• Health & Safety
• Hospitality / Events management

We consider it is our responsibility to promote diversity at the workplace. We encourage applications from all the ethnic minority backgrounds.

Bridgend Farmhouse is an award winning, community-owned and led organisation in South East Edinburgh whose aim is to enable people to learn, work and grow together to create a flourishing community and place.

This is a pivotal role, with overall responsibility for the development, operations and sustainability of Bridgend Farmhouse’s community facing activities, volunteering and external partnerships. We were one of first urban asset transfers in Scotland in 2015, and opened as a community hub in 2018, when our first staff joined us. So, Bridgend Farmhouse is relatively young as a staffed organisation, but has its origins in community development activities dating back over eleven years. The challenge for this role is to increase the profile and reposition Bridgend Farmhouse, a Community Benefit Society with Charitable status which has survived the negative impacts of COVID-19, whilst providing a range of vital services during the pandemic, and is beginning to emerge from lockdown. We have also just completed a large piece of community action research with other 400 households and detailed governance review with over 45 members, staff, trustees and volunteers.

The successful candidate would support the Board of Directors/Trustees to implement recently agreed structural changes, strengthen its governance and be responsible for the day-to-day organisation of a vibrant community hub which serves South East Edinburgh. We need a highly organised, resilient self-starter for this challenging but very rewarding role.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced manager who has an understanding of working with a community-led organisation. You will have a strong track record of operational and project management in a comparable setting, and be competent and confident in managing budgets and financial performance. You will have excellent people management skills and a record of creating strong working partnerships with organisations, community groups and volunteers. Experience of working to a Board of voluntary directors and of monitoring, evaluating and reporting on outcomes is also essential.

We are a vibrant community-led organisation in South East Edinburgh whose aim is to enable people to learn, work, and grow together to create a flourishing community and place. Our new post of Skills Development Coordinator will support disadvantaged young people (aged 16 to 25) and socially isolated adults across our community of benefit to have better life chances.

The role involves recruiting and supporting individuals from the target groups to develop practical, social, emotional, literacy, and/or creative skills that enable them to play their part in a connected and inclusive community. The post holder will coordinate and develop learning, training, and volunteering opportunities for participants according to individual needs and goals.

To apply, you will need a strong track record in community development and/or skills development and experience of managing volunteers and sessional workers. You will be competent in building strong working relationships with diverse stakeholders. You will have experience of facilitating the delivery of nationally recognised qualifications, either directly or working in partnership with an external provider. You will be used to working with people in peer-led and informal education settings. If you are also self-motivated, well-organised and have digital, monitoring, and evaluation skills, this may be the post for you.