Officers Association Scotland

What Officers Association Scotland does

Officers Association Scotland (OAS) is a Scottish registered charity (SC010665) and company limited by guarantee (SC 173449), founded in 1920 by Field Marshal The Earl Haig to support former officers transitioning from military to civilian life. Headquartered at New Haig House, Edinburgh, OAS operates with a small team of 11-50 employees and provides employment support, career guidance, welfare grants, bursary awards, mentoring, and networking services to the armed forces community across Scotland. In 2020, the organisation broadened its beneficiary mandate from officers only to include NCOs, junior ranks, and military spouses, and currently serves officers and warrant officers, NCOs and junior ranks, spouses, veterans of all ranks, Scottish veteran charities (via organisational grants), and employers seeking military talent.

The core product surface consists of a web-based member portal (portal.oascotland.org.uk) providing jobs board access, an online mentoring platform (oascotland.onpld.com), one-to-one career advisory services, an events programme (employer events, insight events, networking, and CV/interview workshops), and a resources hub with sector guides plus the 'From Combat Boots to Business Suits' podcast distributed across YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Podbean. Financial support is delivered through three programmes: organisational grants to Scottish veteran charities (£25,000 for 1 year, £15,000/year for 2 years, or £10,000/year for 3 years), bursary awards for serving or former officers pursuing education, and welfare grants for individual hardship.

OAS operates a non-revenue, mission-driven model: all services to veterans, service leavers, spouses, and employers are provided free of charge. The organisation is funded through charitable grants, donations, and government contracts, with its most strategically important single relationship being its sub-contractor role delivering the UK Ministry of Defence Career Transition Partnership to all Armed Forces service leavers. OAS is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by retired Brigadier Suzanne Anderson, holds an Employer Recognition Scheme Scotland Gold Award (2023), and operates a Business Management System designed to meet ISO 9001:2015. The organisation is a member/partner of Poppy Scotland, Cobseo, and Veterans Scotland, and in 2025 distributed organisational grants to 9 Scottish veteran charities including Royal British Legion Scotland, Poppyscotland, Walking with the Wounded, Erskine, and Scottish Veterans Residence.

Name

Officers Association Scotland

Legal name

Officers' Association Scotland

Website

https://oascotland.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Officers Association Scotland is a Scottish charity founded in 1920 that provides free employment support, career guidance, welfare grants, and mentoring to veterans, service leavers, NCOs, and military spouses across Scotland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veteran Employment Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterans Affairs & Military Family Services (BPAIAHAL)

Keywords

• Veteran employment services
• Military career transition
• Veterans welfare support
• Charity employment support
• Military skills translation

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Others, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Charitable Funding and Donations: As a registered Scottish charity (SC010665), OAS operates primarily through charitable grants, donations, and government contracts such as the MOD Career Transition Partnership sub-contract.
2. Organisational Grants: Provides annual grants to Scottish charities supporting veterans. In 2025, supported 9 charities including Royal British Legion Scotland, Poppyscotland, and Walking with the Wounded.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Officers Association Scotland provides free employment advice, career guidance, welfare support, and financial assistance to military officers, veterans, service leavers, NCOs and junior ranks, and military spouses across Scotland. Its core offerings include a Jobs Board portal, one-to-one career advisor consultations, mentoring, networking and training events, podcasts, sector guides, and three financial assistance programmes (Organisational Grants, Bursary Awards, and Welfare Grants).

Product overview

Officers Association Scotland operates as a charitable organisation providing a unified employment support service for veterans, service leavers, and military families across Scotland. The core offering centres on a Jobs Board portal connecting ex-military talent with vetted employers, complemented by Individual Career Advisor services, an Events Programme (networking, insight, and training workshops), and a Resources Hub featuring podcasts and sector guides. Financial support is delivered through three distinct programmes: Organisational Grants for veteran-serving charities, Bursary Awards for educational advancement, and Welfare Grants for individual hardship. The Mentoring Service provides additional one-to-one guidance. All services are accessible through registration and target different segments: officers and warrant officers, NCOs and junior ranks, and military spouses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Jobs Board A military-friendly jobs portal connecting veterans and service leavers with employers across Scotland, featuring filtered job listings by location, sector, and salary.
• Individual Career Advisor Service One-to-one employment advisory services providing personalised guidance on transferable skills, job options, and the Scottish labour market for officers and warrant officers.
• Events Programme Networking and professional development events including Employer Events, Insight Events, Network social gatherings, and CV/Interview Training workshops delivered across Scotland (Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh).
• Resources Hub Educational content including the 'From Combat Boots to Business Suits' podcast (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean), sector guides, and training resources covering topics such as NHS Scotland careers, consultancy, finance sector, renewables, and transferable skills.
• Organisational Grants Annual funding programme for Scottish charities supporting veterans, offering grants of £25,000 for 1 year, £15,000/year for 2 years, or £10,000/year for 3 years. In 2025, supported 9 charities including Royal British Legion Scotland, Poppyscotland, Walking with the Wounded, and Erskine.
• Bursary Award Financial support for serving, reservist, or former officers pursuing education or training at Scottish institutions to enhance employment opportunities.
• Welfare Grants Long-term and one-off financial assistance covering mobility support, home repairs, adaptations, household goods, debt relief, and training for former officers and their families.
• Mentoring Service Personalised guidance through a dedicated mentoring platform (oascotland.onpld.com) connecting veterans with experienced advisors for career support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 Scottish veteran charities supported with organisational grants in 2025
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Poppy ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLinked partner through OAS website footer; both organisations support the Scottish armed forces community; cross-referral relationship for veteran support services
• CobseocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Confederation of Service Charities - umbrella organisation for UK military charities; OAS is listed as a member/partner providing veteran support
• Veterans ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScottish veterans charity network providing coordination and support for veteran organisations across Scotland
• Reed in PartnershipminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as partner on OAS website; provides employment and recruitment support services
• Pride in Veterans StandardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccreditation scheme for veteran-supporting organisations; OAS supports the initiative for LGBT veterans and serving personnel
• UK Ministry of Defence (Career Transition Partnership)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOAS operates as a sub-contractor delivering the Career Transition Partnership to MOD; provides employment support for all Armed Forces service leavers
• Royal British Legion ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor Scottish veteran charity; organisational grant recipient in 2025; shared mission of supporting veterans across Scotland
• Walking with the WoundedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational veteran charity; organisational grant recipient in 2025; supports wounded, injured, and sick veterans to transition to civilian life
• Project 81minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVeteran support charity; organisational grant recipient in 2025
• Defence Garden SchememinorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHorticultural therapy for veterans; organisational grant recipient in 2025
• ErskinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScottish veteran care charity; organisational grant recipient in 2025; provides care and support for veterans
• Forces Wives ChallengeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity supporting military wives and families; organisational grant recipient in 2025
• On Course FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVeterans charity focused on education and career development; organisational grant recipient in 2025
• Scottish Veterans ResidencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVeterans charity providing accommodation and support; organisational grant recipient in 2025

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SSAFA - the Armed Forces Charity: UK-wide military charity providing employment, welfare, and housing support to service leavers, veterans, and families. Highly comparable mission to OAS, with a much larger national footprint and broader service portfolio.
• Help for Heroes: National UK charity supporting wounded, injured, and sick service personnel and veterans with recovery, welfare, and employment pathways. Competes for similar veteran and donor mindshare as OAS.

Direct peers

• Royal British Legion Scotland (Poppyscotland): Scotland's leading armed forces charity, providing welfare, employment, and housing support. Operates in the same Scottish geography, serves overlapping beneficiary segments, and is an organisational grant recipient of OAS.
• Walking with the Wounded: UK charity focused on employment, mental health, and care coordination for wounded veterans. Direct overlap on employment transition support; also a 2025 organisational grant recipient of OAS.
• The Officers' Association (UK): Sister charity founded on the same 1920 Earl Haig model, providing employment, welfare, and resettlement support to officers across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Closest mission-aligned peer to OAS.

Others

• Cobseo (The Confederation of Service Charities): Umbrella body for UK service charities. OAS is a listed member; Cobseo provides coordination, advocacy, and cross-charity visibility, making it a strategic ecosystem partner rather than a competitor.
• MOD Career Transition Partnership (CTP): The MOD's official resettlement programme for service leavers, of which OAS is a sub-contractor. Not a direct competitor but the principal buyer and feeder of beneficiaries to OAS services.

Emerging players

• Forces in Mind Trust: Funded by a National Lottery endowment, this trust funds research, policy, and programmes supporting UK ex-Forces transition. Comparable in mission focus on sustainable veteran employment outcomes.

Regional players

• Erskine (Erskine Veterans Charity): Scotland-based veteran charity providing care, housing, and support. Operates in the same Scottish geography, serves overlapping veterans, and is a 2025 organisational grant recipient of OAS.
• Scottish Veterans Residence: Edinburgh-based charity providing supported accommodation and resettlement for veterans in Scotland. Overlaps on the Scottish veteran-services mission and is a 2025 grant recipient of OAS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@OfficersAssociationScotland
• Xx.com/ScotlandOa
• Facebookfacebook.com/937773080511118
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-officers-association-scotland

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Officers Association Scotland