Hours: 14 hours. Flexible working across Monday, Wednesday, or Friday; must be able to attend team meeting every Wednesday morning.

Contract: Fixed Term (1 year) with the possibility of extension depending on project needs.            

Salary: £24,000 pro rata + 3% pension

Location: The Maya Centre, Unit 8, 9-15 Elthorne Rd, London, N19 4AJ 

Please note: This post is open to female applicants only as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010. 

The Maya Centre

The Maya Centre is a unique women-only charity based in Islington, offering free specialist counselling and holistic support to women on low incomes whose mental health and wellbeing have been affected by experiences ranging from deprivation and isolation to racism, exploitation and violence against women and girls (VAWG).

65% of our clients come from Black, minoritised or refugee backgrounds and we adopt specifically intercultural and intersectional approaches in supporting them towards greater voice, choice and control in their lives. We offer our trauma-informed services in over 14 different languages, including:

– one-to-one psychodynamic and integrative counselling

– group work including psycho-education and arts therapies

– complementary therapies including reiki, massage and reflexology

– targeted support – Irish Women’s Project and Black Women’s Therapeutic Group

– community outreach and wellbeing workshops

We are about to launch the Women’s Hub Project, our community wellbeing service: creating safe, intercultural spaces where minoritised and isolated women (who are traditionally not heard, involved or included) can come together, co-design their own wellbeing workshops and support each other towards increased resilience and wellbeing.

We are looking for friendly and passionate Community Navigator with lived experience of minoritisation who would effectively engage and support BAME and Refugee women from within their specialism area group. Building strong community connections, the Community Navigator will work with one volunteer to facilitate a weekly drop -in group offering:

• Personal Wellbeing Plans
• 1-2-1 support, advice and signposting to wider community services
• Group discussions on wellbeing, including co-design of wellbeing workshops
• Support to engage with therapeutic services, including advocacy to ensure that barriers are removed.

Key responsibilities:

1. To build trusting, supportive and empowering working relationships with women, both individual and within a group setting.
2. Set up and oversee a Peer Support Group, including drop-in 1-2-1 advice.
3. Map and build relationships with other services and activities in the borough to provide information, advice and link women to the wider community’s resources.
4. Support individual women to identify their needs and aspirations and create their own Personal Wellbeing Plan.
5. Manage 1 volunteer within peer group.
6. Support women to identify key wellbeing needs /interests/workshop requests.
7. Support women to access, engage and complete therapy by identifying and addressing barriers to engagement.
8. Work collaboratively within a team of Community Navigators, taking on other shared team tasks as necessary.

How to apply

Please email Michalina@mayacentre.org.uk for Job description and Person specification pack

We want our organisation to reflect the diversity of the women we serve, and we particularly welcome applications from those with lived experience, and from under-represented groups within the mental health sector including women aged 18-25, women from Black, Asian, LGBTQ+ and other minoritised identities.

We are especially keen to hear from speakers of the following languages: Turkish, Somali, Bengali, Arabic, Albanian, Dari & Pashto as well as Eastern European languages.

To apply for this post please send us a CV and cover letter that demonstrates how you meet each item on the person specification: please illustrate with examples from either paid or voluntary experience.

Email your completed application to: admin@mayacentre.org.uk with subject title ‘Community Navigator.’

The closing date for applications is Friday 14th May 2022, 5pm.

Please note we advise that you submit your application as soon as possible as we will interview as we are receiving applications, and should we find the right candidate we might close the application process early.

Hours: 25 hours per week (9.30 am -5.30pm Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. 9.30 am -1.30pm Wednesday. Flexible working is available pending a formal application. Some weekend work may be requested on occasion, for which Time off in Lieu (TOIL) will be given)
Salary: National minimum wage
Location: The Maya Centre, Unit 8, 9-15 Elthorne Rd, London, N19 4AJ (possibility of remote/ home working during Covid-19)
Please note: This post is open to female applicants only as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010. 

About The Maya Centre

The Maya Centre is a community-based charity in Islington offering free psychodynamic psychotherapy and holistic support to women on low incomes who have experienced gender-based violence or exploitation. 65% of our clients come from Black, Ethnic Minority and Refugee backgrounds and we offer our services in over 11 different languages.

We provide a safe and nurturing women-only space which invites service-users to build trust, increase resilience and self-care and form effective support networks both within and beyond the experience of therapy. Our services include one-to-one psychotherapy, group and arts psychotherapy, a range of complimentary therapies and wellbeing workshops.

About the Kickstart Scheme (and criteria)

We are pleased to be a part of the Kickstart Scheme, offering jobs for young people aged 18-24, who are currently claiming Universal Credit and are at risk of long-term unemployment. The Maya Centre will welcome the candidate as a member in the Core Team and provide full training and support.

About the Role

We are seeking a friendly and efficient Executive Assistant to provide welcoming front-of-house support to women attending our counselling services and high quality administration support to our busy clinical and management team.

Key responsibilities:

• Maintain a presentable, organised, and calm environment suitable for delivery of therapeutic services.
• Provide executive and administrative support to the CEO in relation to operational and HR tasks.
• Answer the intercom and greet service-users and visitors to The Maya Centre, updating the visitor’s book.
• Answer and make telephone calls in a professional and courteous manner.
• Monitor and respond to incoming emails and voice mails, sort and distribute post.
• Undertake a range of administrative duties including inputting data, scanning, filing of paper and electronic documents.
• Monitor and replenish office/kitchen consumables, stationery supplies and schedule equipment maintenance/ repairs.
• Ensure a safe working environment for self and others in line with the Health and Safety and Fire Risk requirements.
• Always maintain confidentiality, adhering to The Maya Centre Confidentiality Policy and General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

About you

The ideal candidate will first and foremost show a passion for the services we provide at The Maya Centre. You will have good people skills (warm, approachable, and non-judgmental), and a high level or discretion and confidentiality. You will also be organised with a good eye for detail and an efficient approach to work. Some experience of volunteering in a community or at a charity is desirable. The ability to speak a community language as well as English is welcome

How to apply

You can apply by emailing a CV and covering letter with ‘Executive Assistant’ in the subject line to admin@mayacentre.org.uk. Alternatively, you can apply by contacting the Job Centre and telling them you’d like to apply for the Kickstart Scheme at The Maya Centre (application ID: KS374C2DCE).

Please note the closing date for this role  is 28th February 2022.