Human Development Scotland (HDS) is a Glasgow-based charity with a long and respected history in the training of counsellors and psychotherapists in Scotland. We deliver professional training programmes, short courses and a clinical counselling service.

Most of what shapes behaviour, in people, relationships, teams and organisations, happens out of sight. Human Development Scotland can help with understanding this. 

Founded in 2012, we build on a distinguished lineage. Small in size, significant in ambition.

HDS employ a combination of full/part-time staff and tutors/counsellors on a contractual basis.  We also value the time and commitment from volunteers for trustee roles, as well as for administration and marketing support. 

Interim Director

We are appointing an Interim Director to provide leadership and stability while we plan for a permanent appointment. This is a role for someone with presence and good judgement, who can lead a staff team well and keep things steady through a period of change.

The Role

Working in close partnership with the Chair of the Board of Trustees, the Interim Director will:

• Provide steady day-to-day leadership and management for the staff team

• Work with the Board to review HDS’s activities and costs and to strengthen its financial position

• Develop income, including short courses, services, and grant funding

• Support and build HDS’s external relationships and profile

Terms

Fixed Term	Six to nine months, with the possibility of extension by agreement
Days per Week	Two to four days. The working pattern will be discussed at interview and settled a few weeks into the appointment, once the postholder has had time to assess the role.
Salary	£54,000 FTE (£21,600 0.4 FTE, rising to £43,200 at 0.8 FTE)
Location	Hybrid: Regular presence at the HDS office in Glasgow, particularly in the early months.
Start Date	As soon as possible

How to Apply

Our application pack including Job Description, Person Specification and application form can be downloaded below. 

• Job Description & Person Specification 
• Application Form

Closing date: Thursday 4 June 2026.

Interviews will be held online in the week beginning 8 or 15 June 2026.

For more information on the role or application process, please email [email protected] 

HDS Trustee Vacancy - A Moment of Opportunity

HDS is financially healthy and clear-eyed about its next chapter. We are strengthening our Board, expanding our psychotherapy and training offer, and finding our voice as a public advocate for deeper thinking in Scotland's workplaces, public services and communities.

We are looking for trustees who want to be part of that.

You do not need to be an expert in psychodynamic theory. You do need to be genuinely curious about what lies beneath the surface of organisations and people and committed to the belief that this kind of thinking can make a real difference.

As a trustee, you will bring sound judgement, integrity and a willingness to play an active role: attending quarterly Board meetings, an annual trustee development day, contributing to working groups, and engaging meaningfully with our mission.

We are particularly keen to hear from people with experience in Finance, HR, Strategic Leadership or Business Development, though we welcome applications from all backgrounds, whether organisational, clinical or from the wider health sector. If you want to contribute to something that matters, we would love to hear from you.

What We Offer

This is not a passive trusteeship. You will join a small, engaged Board that takes governance seriously, welcomes challenge, and is working at a genuinely exciting moment in the life of the charity.

You will have real influence over the direction of an organisation with a distinctive mission and the ambition to match it.

In practical terms: quarterly Board meetings, a development day each year, working group involvement as required, a proper induction, and ongoing support and development in your role.

Trustee roles are unpaid, as is standard in the Scottish charity sector. Reasonable expenses are reimbursed.

How To Apply

Send a brief expression of interest, no more than two pages, to our Chair Joe Lafferty at [email protected]

Tell us three things: why HDS and why now; what you would bring; and any conflicts of interest we should know about.

Application Closing Date: Friday 5 June 2026

We actively encourage applications from people whose backgrounds and lived experience are under-represented in the charity sector and on charity boards.

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