Project Leads - England & Scotland

We’re looking for someone who is people-focused, caring, and wants to make a real difference to others who are experiencing life in prison. 

You don’t need to know everything about our project before you join – we’ll give you the information and tools you need to understand what we do – but you should be open-minded, proactive, and genuinely passionate about our mission and the people we support.

This is a voluntary role during an initial probation period (likely 3 months depending on skills and experience), with a view to offering a paid annualised hours contract (likely to be part time) with an additional bonus structure in place. 

Details to be discussed further at interview stage.

Start date: Immediate.

Multiple positions are available if more than one candidate meets the criteria.

About us

My Life is a mental health charity based in Suffolk, initially established in 2016 as Student Life. The charity is a proud Ban The Box employer.

Unlock My Life is our unique, peer-led mental health and wellbeing project delivered in prisons across the UK. 

We provide education and encouragement for prisoners to discuss mental health and how it impacts them, and support one another through their sentences with our Mental Health Ambassador programme. 

You can find out more about our work at www.unlockmylife.org.uk

Key responsibilities

• Deliver mental health and wellbeing awareness training in prisons.
• Co-ordinate and attend Mental Health Ambassador (MHA) meetings in prisons on a regular basis.
• Work with MHAs to understand how they find their role, and how they have used their training to support their peers.
• Support MHAs with journal-keeping.
• Ensure prompt and effective communication with prisons, including before, during and after visits, including security and senior/governor roles.
• Take ownership of the prisons within your region, ensuring regular visits are made and participants maintain trust in the project.
• Collect data from prisons using feedback forms and return to the operations team for evaluation.
• Complete administrative tasks from home, such as updating our database with visit feedback, maintaining contact with MHAs through Email a Prisoner, providing content/images for marketing, and preparing paperwork/materials for visits.
• Contribute to ongoing development of the project, providing feedback and suggesting changes where they may be needed.
• Work with the operations team to ensure all prison details held are accurate and up to date.
• Support the development of My Life Unlocked – our through the gate support service.
• Attend regular online and in-person team meetings, including social events (usually held in Suffolk/London).

The ideal person has

• Lived experience of the criminal justice system (this is essential, as lived experience informs our project delivery).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Confidence speaking in front of a group.
• Good IT skills (you will be required to use a laptop, printer and projector as part of your role – training will be given but some existing skills are necessary).
• The ability to work collaboratively within a team while also being self-motivated when working remotely.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• Their own transport (desirable due to the remote location of many of our prisons).
• Fluency in English (other languages are a bonus).

We are particularly keen on recruiting people who currently live in – or are able to relocate to – the South West/North of England, and Scotland; however, other region roles are available. For Scotland, you must be within easy travelling distance of both Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Company benefits

• Employer-paid health cashback scheme, which gives money back for essential health and wellbeing appointments/treatment such as dental, optical, complementary therapies and scans.
• Access to a 24/7 counselling helpline and structured counselling sessions.
• GP appointments provided by a dedicated helpline.
• Casual dress (with branded polo shirts and fleece given on completion of probation to wear during prison visits).
• Generous annual leave entitlement including paid time off over the Christmas period.
• Regular social events/team building, including an all-expenses-paid Christmas celebration.
• Flexible working arrangements, including working from home.
• Company pension (if eligible).