The key changes are as follows:

• Change the name of the Volunteer Operations directorate to ‘Welfare Operations’ – ‘Volunteer Operations’ no longer accurately describes the directorate's functions. The directorate provides welfare services through an integrated team of volunteers and employees as well as overseeing the network of community engagement volunteers dedicated to raising awareness and support for our welfare services. Renaming the directorate to ‘Welfare Operations’ is more fitting and aligns with ‘Social Care Operations’ and ‘Health Care Operations’.
• Consolidate the number of regions from 11 down to 6 for management purposes. This rationalisation is geared not only to ensure robust accountability but also improve consistency and effectiveness through standardisation of service delivery with a more streamlined approach.  

• New Welfare Operations team structure - The structure of Volunteer Operations has been realigned. Some roles have been removed and others introduced. Following a robust interview and selection process, the new roles and employee changes will come into effect on Thursday, 1 May and are as follows (please note there are some interviews yet to take place):

New leadership roles with redefined job descriptions: 

• Director of Welfare Operations: Julie McCarthy

• Deputy Director of Welfare Operations: Esther McLaughlin

• Head of Casework and Community Engagement: Alisdair Johnston

• Head of Specialist Welfare Services: Susie Lyles-Clarke

Regional roles:

All other roles within the directorate remain unaffected by the restructure, other than a change in line-management for some.

There will be several roles advertised after the Easter break:

x4 Community Engagement Managers

x1 Casework and Grants Manager

x1 Regional Manager for Scotland

x1 Virtual Casework Manager

x2 Virtual Casework Coordinators

As SSAFA moves to a new six-region model and continues the rollout of the NDP, we’re evolving how we deliver Marketing and Communications to match and support branches’ Community Engagement activities.

To better connect our national strategy with local delivery, and to improve how we plan, produce and promote our work, we’ve restructured our Fundraising, Marketing and Communications Directorate. This includes closer integration between our brand, digital, content and supporter engagement functions.

We’re now recruiting three new central roles:

• A Senior Brand Marketing Manager to strengthen our campaign strategy and impact.

• A Senior Digital Marketing Officer to drive targeted, data-led digital activity.

• A Multimedia Content Producer to build on our success with video and storytelling.

We have also created a Senior Community Engagement Manager role to help coordinate the support that the directorate provides to the Welfare Operations team and branch volunteers.

These changes are part of a broader shift toward a more collaborative, insight-driven and regionally empowered way of working, including the introduction of six Regional Marcomms Managers (RMMs) – one embedded in each new region, working hand in hand with the regional team. We will begin recruiting over the summer. More detail about those roles and what they’ll mean will follow.

For now, current processes and points of contact remain the same while we recruit and bed in the new structure. This change is a positive step toward more consistent, locally visible and joined-up communications across SSAFA - helping us better champion our work and those we support.