We're looking for a Communications Manager to lead, oversee all the marketing, communications, and engagement functions for The Challenges Group. Working to increase our visibility as a purpose-led enterprise development organisation amongst our various audiences.
A recruitment pack can be downloaded below.
Challenges Group welcomes applicants from all backgrounds. We are dedicated to greater diversity and inclusion within our organisation and strive to provide equal opportunities to people of all races, ethnicities, religions, genders, sexual orientations, gender identifications and abilities.
Employment eligibility
To be considered for this role applicants must have British Nationality or have a right to live and work in the UK.
The Ventures Lab is a programme led by The Challenges Group, bringing over 25 years of experience in supporting impact-driven enterprises across 80 countries. Through The Ventures Lab, we apply this expertise to Scotland, building a pipeline of ventures that drive economic and social impact at scale.
Our Impact Venture Builder Programme provides a structured, hands-on approach to venture-building, offering:
1. Tailored business support to strengthen enterprises and their ecosystems.
2. Learning and leadership development to build entrepreneurial capability.
3. Access to finance through patient capital and investment readiness support.
4. Workspace and a collaborative ecosystem to nurture ideas and innovation.
5. A strong business network connecting founders to mentors, partners, and market opportunities.
Market Research Manager:
We’re looking for an exceptional Market Research Manager to play a pivotal role in shaping the success of ventures at The Ventures Lab.
This role goes beyond conducting research; it’s about equipping ventures with the tools, frameworks, and methodologies they need to understand and apply market insights effectively. You’ll provide practical, hands-on support, helping ventures navigate market trends, identify opportunities, and make informed, strategic decisions about their business models and growth.
As a Market Research Manager, you will:
* Conduct in-depth market research to assess industry trends, customer needs, and competitive landscapes for ventures in the Builder Programme.
* Support ventures in market segmentation, including defining each target market, its wants and needs, and how the venture will address them.
* Analyse market size and challenges, assessing potential demand and barriers to entry.
* Provide insights on market outlook, identifying emerging trends and long-term growth potential.
* Assist ventures in defining their target market.
* Guide ventures through competitive analysis, identifying key competitors and highlighting key differences between their businesses and the venture’s offering.
* Assess competitive advantages and positioning within the market.
* Conduct customer validation through surveys, focus groups, and interviews.
* Provide data-driven recommendations to refine business models, value propositions, and go-to-market strategies.
* Work collaboratively with entrepreneurs, mentors, and advisors within The Ventures Lab to integrate research findings into business planning.
This is more than just a role; it’s an opportunity to be at the heart of Scotland’s social enterprise movement, helping ventures reach £1m+ in revenue within 3-5 years and driving real, measurable change.
The Ventures Lab is redefining how purpose-led enterprises access the expertise they need to grow and succeed. Through our pioneering Pooled Services model, we provide high-quality business support in finance, legal, marketing, and business development, allowing ventures to focus on impact without the overheads of costly in-house teams.
Following a successful pilot with a select group of clients, we are now entering a crucial growth phase, scaling pooled services into a national offering that will support social enterprises across Scotland. This is an exciting moment to shape and lead a transformative service.
We are seeking an experienced, strategic leader to drive the scaling, innovation, and long-term sustainability of pooled services, positioning The Ventures Lab as the go-to platform for social enterprises seeking expert business support.
Role Overview
The Director of Venture Support Services will drive the strategic development and growth of The Ventures Lab’s pooled services. This role requires a strong balance of strategic leadership, operational oversight, and stakeholder engagement to ensure high-quality service delivery and long-term sustainability.
A key part of this role will be building and leading a team to deliver high-quality business support services. The successful candidate will be responsible for recruiting, managing, and developing a team of professionals to ensure seamless service delivery.
Additionally, the Director of Venture Support Services will develop a network of professional partners across various sectors and disciplines, securing a community of trusted advisors, pro-bono experts, and service providers who are committed to supporting purpose-led businesses through volunteering, discounted services, or strategic collaboration.
Growth Targets
In 2025, The Ventures Lab aims to recruit 20 new businesses into the pooled services model. From there, we plan to grow by a minimum of 50% year on year, steadily increasing our reach and impact. The Director of Venture Support Services will play a crucial role in achieving these targets by ensuring the model is scalable, effective, and financially sustainable.
Tiree Community Development Trust (known as “Urras Thiriodh”) are seeking a Head of Comms and Gaelic to take on a lead role in delivering our ambitious ongoing community development work for the beautiful and vibrant Inner Hebridean island of Tiree.
The newly created role combines management and direct project delivery work and would suit a candidate with relevant experience, strong Scots Gaelic language skills, and a pro-active approach looking to take on a challenge in a unique, bustling and diverse community development environment. You’d join a strong established team with a track record of delivering ambitious projects and vital community services, with the goal of ensuring the sustainable development of a small island community, making Tiree the best possible place to live, work, and grow. The role involves working across our company group to support communications with key stakeholders, and with a key focus on embedding the use of Gaelic across our work and ensuring ongoing efforts to retain Gaelic as a living community language.
Do you want to help alleviate poverty and improve the lives of families and children?
Within the UK, there is over £22bn a year in unclaimed welfare benefits, and in Edinburgh, it is estimated that 1 in 4 children are living in poverty. Are you understanding of people’s journeys and the challenges they face in their lives, and how poverty can have an impact on this?
This is an exciting opportunity to join our Growing Families project and help deliver a quality advice service to families with young children in Edinburgh. Working alongside the project’s current advice team and working in partnership with Health Visitors in Edinburgh, this post will support and develop this service. The Advice Worker will provide income maximisation; housing and debt advice as well as budgeting support to expecting families and families with babies and young children who are supported by their Health Visitors. Comprehensive and continuous advice training is provided by CHAI to support this rewarding role.
The Advisor will be part of our wider CHAI ‘Advice For Families’ Team and will benefit from our comprehensive training programme, peer expertise, team support, and ethos of continuous learning and development which is at the heart of our service delivery.
Are you?:
* Passionate and committed to making a meaningful difference for families and children.
* Able to quickly learn complex rules and legislation on Welfare Benefits, Debt, and Housing.
* Able to grow trusting relationships in a formal setting.
* Understanding of people’s journeys and the challenges they have had in their lives, and how poverty can have an impact on them.
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