Parliamentary Affairs Officer (Holyrood)

Parliamentary Affairs Officer (Holyrood)
Flexible working, living within a commutable distance to Edinburgh

The Organisation

We are the Marine Conservation Society, a UK charity fighting for a cleaner, better-protected, healthier ocean: one we can all enjoy.

Right now, our ocean is at a tipping point. We’re polluting our waters and destroying precious habitats. We're harming the species that live there. This is reducing the ocean's ability to help fight the climate crisis. While a third of UK seas are protected on paper, less than 1% are well managed. We are determined to change this. Using people-powered action and with science on our side, we defend habitats and species, working with communities, businesses and governments to encourage ocean-based climate action solutions across the UK.

We are now looking for a Parliamentary Affairs Officer to join our Parliamentary Affairs Team on a full-time, permanent basis, working 35 hours per week.

The Benefits

- Salary of £25,000 - £28,000 per annum
- Annual leave starting at 25 days per year, plus Bank Holidays (we also close between Christmas and New Year as extra time off)
- 6% employer contributions to our stakeholder pension scheme
- Sick pay at full-pay for 8 weeks, then 8 weeks at half-pay (after probation ends)
- Great work life balance through flexible and in many cases, remote working
- Support for your health and wellbeing with a programme of activities plus an employee assistance programme for you and the people who live with you

This is an incredible opportunity for an experienced public affairs, government relations or lobbying professional to join our dedicated organisation and help to drive positive engagement with ocean conservation.

You’ll have the chance to play a vital role in our efforts to shape marine conservation policies in Holyrood, directly influencing key political decision-makers and driving impactful legislative changes for the protection of our ocean.

What’s more, you’ll get to gain invaluable experience in public affairs and government relations within the Scottish political landscape whilst enjoying flexible working arrangements and cultivating a great work/life balance!

So, if you want to join a dedicated and passionate team committed to marine conservation, then apply today!

The Role

As a Parliamentary Affairs Officer, you will support our parliamentary affairs work in Holyrood, engaging with politicians and decision-makers.

You will be responsible for ensuring that our priority messages are effectively communicated, heard and considered in order to have a meaningful impact on legislative and policy change.

Monitoring parliamentary business and outputs from government, you will provide effective summaries of key debates, reports and events in a clear, concise and timely way for a range of internal audiences.

Additionally, you will:

- Proactively maintain contact databases of key external stakeholders
- Assist the development of parliamentary and communication briefings
- Secure meetings with MSP, Ministers, civil servants and stakeholders for priority work areas
- Support the delivery of our events across Scotland with elected officials
- Represent us at relevant public events

About You

To be considered as a Parliamentary Affairs Officer, you will need:

- Experience in public affairs, government relations or lobbying
- Experience developing and implementing advocacy strategies to influence public policy
- Experience in database management
- A strong understanding of Holyrood political institutions, policies and decision-making processes
- Familiarity with public affairs tools and techniques

Please note, you will be required to attending meetings and events in Holyrood and the wider UK, on occasion.

The closing date for this role is 4th August 2024.

Other organisations may call this role Public Affairs Officer, Policy & Public Affairs Officer, Campaigns and Public Affairs Officer, or External Affairs Support Officer.

Webrecruit and the Marine Conservation Society are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.

So, if you’re ready to make a difference as a Parliamentary Affairs Officer, please apply via the button shown. This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.