Team Leader

Are you passionate about play, and ready to lead the practicalities of delivery?

We are seeking a Team Leader to coordinate and deliver high-quality, self-directed play opportunities across Midlothian. This is a frontline role, combining practical delivery with day-to-day coordination and some line management.

About Play Midlothian:
Play Midlothian is a registered charity (no. SC025474) working to enable every child in Midlothian to thrive through play by creating opportunities, removing barriers and addressing inequalities. We have an office base at the One Dalkeith Business Hub in central Dalkeith, but deliver services throughout Midlothian, and if commissioned, beyond.

About the Role:
On appointment, the postholder will lead Out2Play (enabling children to play outside in greenspaces close to their homes) and some of our Play in Mind sessions (supporting children’s mental health through adventurous play in woodlands).

The postholder will also staff other sessions run by Play Midlothian, working across each of our services. We champion self-directed play, with a focus on loose parts, and use varied community settings to create rich play opportunities. A high proportion of sessions take place outdoors, all year round.

Travel and transportation of play resources to multiple sites across Midlothian is required for successful delivery of our services. Most sessions take place after school hours and at weekends, with some during the school day, so flexibility is required, though we share out weekend working on a rota so that everyone gets predictable weekends off.

This role would suit someone with playwork, youth work or family support experience who is ready to step into frontline management — or an existing manager looking for a values-led, varied, community-based role.

If you are enthusiastic about enabling children to play in their own ways, we would love to hear from you.

How to apply:
The role requires PVG scheme membership for children. The post is subject to the record accessed prior to the post commencing. Play Midlothian will meet this cost for the successful applicant.

Please note that if selected for interview, you will also be asked to attend and reflect on a play session of up to 1.5 hours in the week leading up to the interview – various day and time options will be available.

An application pack can be downloaded from our website at https://www.playmidlothian.org.uk/jobs, where the link to apply can also be found.

The application deadline is midnight Monday 17 August 2026
Interviews will take place on Tuesday 25 August 2026