Policy and Campaigns Officer

Salary: £24,836 pro-rata (£19,869 pa)

28 hours a week / 4 days a week (0.8 FTE) Flexible work pattern available

28 holiday days including bank holidays (pro rata of 35 days) 6% employer pension contribution

The post is home based and will involve occasional evening and weekend work when required.

Humanist Society Scotland is looking for someone with a proven track record in policy and campaign work. The successful candidate will develop and support the policy and campaign work of Scotland’s national charity for people seeking an ethical, rational, secular future. Our current campaigns include fighting for safe access to reproductive services for women, making the case for compassionate assisted dying laws, and working to reduce the influence of religious privilege in the Scottish education system.

This is a role that seeks to build on the charity's existing policy and campaign work and improve the organisation's ability to inform national policy and engage our supporters and members in making the case for change.

We are looking for an individual who has experience of the Scottish political and media landscape and can help make the case for the campaign issues we care about. You will be passionate about progressive change and share our vision for a caring and compassionate Scotland informed by reason. Your work will be in line with our organisational values of cooperation, integrity, reason, courage and sustainability.

The successful candidate will have experience of working on campaign and policy development. They will have excellent communication skills and knowledge of the Scottish parliamentary system and politics. They will relish collaborative working and be willing to represent the organisation at external events and through partnerships and umbrella groups. They will understand the role of media relations in awareness raising.

Key Responsibilities of the role

• Monitoring Scottish Government, Scottish Parliament and local government to identify opportunities to advocate for humanist values
• Developing relationships with MSPs, local councillors, civil servants, media outlets, partner organisations, international humanist organisations and others to make the case on humanist causes
• Researching and developing policy papers and consultation responses on important issues for the organisation
• Devising and delivering engaging campaigns that put humanist values on the national agenda
• Represent Humanist Society Scotland externally, including at party conferences, national and local government meetings, inter-agency meetings, public talks and local group events.
• Collaborating with partner organisations and umbrella groups working towards the same goals such as assisted dying groups, human rights coalitions and Stop Climate Chaos Scotland.
• Supporting the communications and media work of the Society as required by the Communications Manager

About Humanist Society Scotland

Humanist Society Scotland is part of the global Humanist movement of people and organisations. We are a registered charity of over 15,000 members, governed by an elected Board of Trustees. We are the longest-running and most trusted provider of humanist wedding ceremonies in Scotland, and we also offer humanist funerals and naming ceremonies through our network of trained celebrants.

Our Vision

A caring and compassionate Scotland informed by reason.

Our Mission

To be the champion for Humanism in Scotland.

Read more in our:

Strategic Plan 2020-2023

2021 Scottish Parliament Election Manifesto

2022 Annual Report

Person Specification

Essential

• Professional experience of campaign development and delivery.
• Professional experience of policy research and development and consultation responses
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal and strong interpersonal qualities
• Strong knowledge of the Scottish political landscape and willingness to work on a cross-party basis to achieve aims.
• Experience of working collaboratively with other organisations and with local and national government partners to achieve shared goals.
• Ability to work with a variety of different stakeholders and manage relationships effectively, including through meetings with partner and umbrella groups
• Experience as part of a team working with the media to promote organisational values
• Ability to work flexibly in response to rapidly changing external events.
• Ability to travel within Scotland and attend meetings on behalf of Society
• Empathy with humanist values and Humanist Society Scotland’s charitable objectives

Desirable

• Knowledge of human rights and equality law and practice, especially concerning freedom of religion and belief and freedom of expression
• Experience of fundraising for campaigns
• Experience of working first-hand with the media to promote organisational values
• Qualifications or professional registrations related to public affairs, research, campaigns and/or policy work
• Experience of data-led campaigning
• Experience of working in the charity/voluntary sector

This role will mainly be home-based. However the role-holder will need to be able to attend face-to-face events at the Scottish Parliament and meetings with Scottish Government staff and agencies, partner organisations, local groups across Scotland and occasional travel further afield. While every day will be different, the role holder will be therefore required to travel to locations across Scotland on a reasonably regular basis, although most events/meetings will take place in the Central Belt of Scotland.

How do I apply?

To apply please return a CV and cover letter (no more than 2 sides A4) to recruitment@humanism.scot

Please use your name and 'Policy and Campaigns Officer’ as the subject line of your email.

Your cover letter should detail how you meet the person specification set out in the job advert. Please give succinct, experience-based examples of how you meet each criterion. Speculative CVs with no cover letter will not be considered.

What happens next?

After the closing date, we will review the applications. If you are shortlisted, we will invite you to an interview. Interviews normally take place online via a video call. Due to the volume of applications we are unable to give feedback at this stage. Feedback will be given to those at the interview stage.

Closing Date: Sunday 5th November 2023

Interview Dates: Monday 13th & Tuesday 14th November 2023