Team Lead - West Lothian

Position Team Lead

Location West Lothian (home-based with regular travel across West Lothian communities)

Salary £29,077 + excellent benefits

Hours 35 hours per week (flexible working)

Status Fixed term to April 2027 (subject to funding)

Closing date 19 July 2026

Play a role in shaping the future of family support in West Lothian

Great public services are built by great people.

At the Wise Group, we believe lasting change happens when talented colleagues are supported to build trusted relationships with families, communities and partners. We work alongside public services, employers and local organisations to connect support around people rather than expecting people to navigate complex systems alone. Through our Relational Mentoring approach, we're helping create stronger pathways into employment, financial wellbeing and healthier communities across Scotland.

We're looking for a Team Lead to help shape a new whole-family employability programme across West Lothian.

This is much more than an operational management role.

You'll lead, coach and develop a team of Relational Mentors while working alongside our Community Partnerships & Pathways Executive to strengthen local partnerships, improve customer journeys and ensure families experience one coordinated system of support rather than multiple disconnected services.

You'll create the conditions that enable colleagues to thrive and families to succeed.

You'll help create a culture where people can do their best work

You won't be expected to have all the answers.

Your role is to support others to find them.

You'll coach colleagues through complex situations, help remove barriers to delivery, strengthen partnership working and ensure every participant receives high-quality, person-centred support.

You'll lead with trust, curiosity and accountability, creating an environment where colleagues feel confident to innovate, reflect and continually improve.

No two days will look the same

One morning you might be supporting a mentor with a complex family situation or facilitating reflective practice across the team.

Later you could be reviewing service performance, meeting with West Lothian Council colleagues, strengthening local partnerships or working with the Community Partnerships & Pathways Executive to identify new progression opportunities for families.

This is your opportunity to help shape how whole-family support is delivered across West Lothian while developing a high-performing team that's passionate about improving lives.

What you'll do

• Lead, coach and develop a team of Relational Mentors, creating a positive, high-performing and supportive team culture.
• Provide regular supervision, wellbeing support, reflective practice and performance coaching, enabling colleagues to deliver consistently high-quality services.
• Ensure delivery across the programme remains person-centred, trauma-informed and aligned with the Wise Group's Relational Mentoring approach.
• Oversee participant journeys, supporting mentors to coordinate effective interventions, manage risk and achieve sustainable outcomes.
• Work alongside the Community Partnerships & Pathways Executive to strengthen referral pathways, employer relationships and partnership working across West Lothian.
• Use performance information, participant feedback and operational insight to monitor quality, identify improvement opportunities and support contract performance.
• Ensure safeguarding, information governance, quality assurance and health and safety responsibilities are consistently met.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation and shared accountability, helping colleagues develop their confidence, capability and leadership potential.

What you'll bring

We're looking for someone who enjoys helping people succeed.

You'll be an authentic and emotionally intelligent leader who can combine empathy with accountability, creating an environment where colleagues feel supported, challenged and empowered to deliver exceptional services.

You'll also bring:

• Experience leading or coaching frontline teams within employability, family support, community development, social justice or related services.
• Strong people leadership skills, with experience supporting performance, wellbeing and professional development.
• Confidence leading services supporting people experiencing multiple and interconnected barriers.
• Excellent relationship-building, communication and influencing skills.
• Systems thinking, with the ability to understand how organisations work together and remove barriers to better customer journeys.
• Experience using data, quality assurance and operational insight to improve performance and outcomes.
• Strong organisational and digital skills, including Microsoft 365 and CRM systems.
• A collaborative leadership style, with confidence working across organisational boundaries and building trusted partnerships.
• Knowledge of West Lothian communities and local services would be highly desirable.

Essential requirements

• Full driving licence and access to a vehicle for regular travel across West Lothian.
• Willingness to work flexibly across communities and partner locations.
• Home broadband to support flexible working.
• Successful PVG Scheme membership (you don't need to have this already, we'll apply for this for the successful candidate).

Why join us?

You'll be joining a values-led social enterprise that's helping shape the future of public services.

Rather than delivering isolated programmes, we work alongside communities, employers and partners to create stronger, more connected pathways that help people overcome poverty and build better futures.

You'll play a pivotal leadership role in shaping a brand-new service, developing an outstanding team and demonstrating how relational, place-based leadership can transform outcomes for families and communities.

This is your opportunity to influence not only how support is delivered today, but how public services work together in the future.

Shaping the future of support in West Lothian

This isn't simply a team management role.

It's an opportunity to develop great people, strengthen partnerships and help create a more connected system of support for families across West Lothian.

Together we're not simply delivering a service—we're helping create a better way for communities, employers and public services to work together.

View the Role Profile for full details about this opportunity.