6 Business development assistant jobs in Edinburgh, Scotland

Are you an organised, detail-oriented professional with a passion for serving others through excellence in payroll and HR?

We are seeking a Payroll & HR Assistant to support our vital back-office functions, ensuring all employees are paid accurately and on time. This is a great opportunity to contribute to a mission-driven organisation that combines professional standards with a heart for faith-based service.

We are a growing charity that values and invests in our people. We believe in developing our employees and actively support career progression. You’ll join a team where your contributions are recognised, your development matters, and where you can grow professionally while helping us fulfil our mission.

As a Payroll & HR Assistant, you’ll play a crucial role in processing monthly payroll for over 700 staff, responding to pay queries, and supporting recruitment and HR administration.

If you have experience in payroll, a working knowledge of HR processes, and a desire to make a real difference, we’d love to hear from you.

Responsibilities:

• Accurately process monthly payroll using Sage Payroll for all care homes and schemes.
• Ensure all statutory and voluntary deductions are correctly applied.
• Handle queries from staff and managers regarding pay and benefits.
• Support recruitment processes and general HR administration.
• Ensure compliance with HMRC, pension providers, and payroll-related legislation.
• Assist in annual payroll processes, including year-end and P11D submissions.
• Play a key role in keeping internal systems up to date and in line with best practice.
• Regularly attend Head Office prayer times.
• Support the HR team, especially in matters related to the organisation's objective of advancing the Christian faith—such as advising managers or supporting recruitment for roles that require the post holder to be a practising Christian under an Occupational Requirement.

Skills/Experience:

• At least 1 year of payroll experience, including PAYE knowledge.
• Familiarity with Sage Payroll (or similar system).
• Strong organisational and time management skills.
• High attention to detail and data accuracy.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Comfortable using Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Creative thinker and problem-solver.

This role has an Occupational Requirement to be filled by a Christian under the provisions of the Equality Act (2010)

Hours:

Full-time, 35 hours per week

Benefits:

• Remote/hybrid working (Head Office: Tower Bridge, London)
• 5 weeks’ paid holiday per year, plus bank and public holidays
• Pension scheme
• Ongoing training and support
• Team events
• Medicash
• Perkbox – including an Employee Assistance Programme
• Care Friends referral scheme
• Long-service and birthday rewards

— What our staff say about us: …“It is a friendly and welcoming place to work” … —

Pilgrims’ Friend Society is a registered charity. Our Christian ethos is central to everything we plan and do. We are committed to having a diverse senior management team and we encourage applications from disabled and Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic candidates, as these groups are underrepresented on our senior management team at present.

Permanent | Full-time 

Salary: £58,560 – £71,480 per annum

Hours: 35 per week

Location: Home-based with regular national travel 

Job reference number: 1766

Help shape the future of Cranstoun’s services 

Cranstoun is a social justice and harm reduction charity supporting and empowering people to live healthier and safer lives. Each year, we support more than 45,000 people through services including substance use, criminal justice, domestic abuse, housing and services for children and young people. 

Following a successful five-year strategy and significant growth, we remain ambitious about the difference we can make. As we enter our next phase, we are investing in the leadership and operational capability needed to support our continued development. We are now recruiting an Assistant Directors of Service to join our senior management team.

This is a significant senior leadership role offering the opportunity to lead substantial service portfolios while helping shape how Cranstoun’s services are led and delivered across the organisation. 

The role

Reporting to the Director of Operations, you will lead a substantial portfolio of complex commissioned services and senior operational managers. 

You will lead eight services with nine direct reports, spanning substance use and services for children and young people. You will have clear accountability for ensuring services are safe, effective and well-led, with strong contractual performance, financial sustainability and positive outcomes for the people and communities we support. 

You will provide operational grip and evidence-based assurance, strengthen safeguarding and management accountability, build effective relationships with commissioners and partners, and ensure risks and underperformance are identified, escalated and addressed early. 

You will also work collectively with fellow senior operational leaders to embed a One Cranstoun approach, strengthening common standards, sharing learning, developing leadership capability and improving quality and resilience across our services. 

What you will be accountable for 

As an Assistant Director, you will take senior operational accountability for: 

• Safe, effective and well-led services – ensuring strong safeguarding, quality, operational risk management and service user outcomes.  
• Contractual performance – ensuring services deliver against contractual requirements and KPIs, with strong commissioner relationships and timely action to address underperformance.  
• Financial sustainability – maintaining strong financial oversight, effective workforce management and oversight of the sustainability of individual contracts.  
• Evidence-based assurance – using reliable performance, quality, workforce and financial information to identify risks and drive improvement.  
• Collective organisational leadership – working beyond individual portfolio boundaries to build consistent standards, stronger leadership and shared ways of working across Cranstoun.  

You will lead and develop senior operational managers, set clear expectations and create a culture in which support and accountability operate together. 

You will also lead and contribute to service mobilisation, transformation, workforce planning and continuous improvement. 

Who we are looking for 

We are looking for established senior operational leaders with substantial experience leading complex commissioned services and geographically dispersed teams. 

You will bring a strong track record of: 

• leading safe, high-quality services for people with complex needs;  
• safeguarding, quality and operational risk management;  
• contract and performance management;  
• managing significant service budgets and improving financial performance;  
• building effective relationships with commissioners, regulators and strategic partners;  
• leading service improvement, mobilisation and organisational change;  
• developing senior operational managers and addressing underperformance; and  
• using performance, quality, workforce and financial information to provide assurance and drive improvement.  

You will need to combine strategic leadership with operational pragmatism, understanding the detail when necessary while maintaining oversight of performance, risk, quality and sustainability across a complex portfolio. 

Above all, we are looking for collaborative, credible and values-led leaders who can support and challenge in equal measure, build leadership capability and bring people together around common standards and organisational priorities. 

Specialist experience 

For this role, significant senior leadership experience within substance use services is essential, including experience of leading CQC-regulated provision and maintaining high standards of quality, safety and regulatory compliance. 

You will also need a strong understanding of safeguarding and the governance required to deliver safe and effective services for children and young people. Direct operational experience of Children & Young People services would be valuable, but we are equally interested in candidates who can demonstrate strong safeguarding and CYP governance experience alongside substantial substance use leadership. 

This permanent appointment offers the opportunity to provide long-term leadership to a significant portfolio and help shape the future development of Cranstoun’s services. 

Be part of Cranstoun’s next chapter 

Our successful five-year strategy has seen Cranstoun grow considerably, extending our reach and the range of services we provide. We remain ambitious and innovative, committed to developing services that respond to the changing needs of people and communities. 

As we look to the future, we are investing in the leadership, operational capability and organisational infrastructure needed to support our continued development, strengthening operational governance, consistency and assurance across our services. 

This role offers the opportunity to do more than manage established portfolios. You will help shape the future of our services and build an Operations Directorate characterised by high standards, clear accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement. 

Find out more 

Please refer to the accompanying recruitment pack for the full Job Description, Person Specification and details of the application process.

Please note: All posts are subject to an Enhanced DBS check.

How to Apply:

For more details and to apply, please visit our website via the apply button. Please quote the appropriate Job Ref in all correspondence.

Applicants must be able to provide satisfactory evidence of their right to work in the UK at the application stage.

Sponsorship is not available for this post. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK that does not require employer sponsorship for the duration of the appointment.

Closing date: Sunday 20 September 2026.

We are an inclusive employer, committed to promoting equality and diversity in all areas of our work. 

Registered Charity No: 1061582

As Fearless Youth Lead for Scotland, you will lead a national programme that empowers young people to understand crime-related issues and overcome barriers to reporting crime safely and anonymously. Working with schools, communities, government partners and key stakeholders, you will drive engagement campaigns, develop meaningful partnerships and lead a small team to deliver positive outcomes for young people across Scotland.

Please read the full job pack , before submitting your CV and covering letter.

FTC until March 2029 | Full time | Based in Scotland (Glasgow/Edinburgh) with regular travel | £36,000 - £38,000 DOE | PVG required

We're looking for an inspirational people person to join us as a Assistant Shop Manager in our Edinburgh Tollcross shop. This is an exciting opportunity, and we'd like you to join us to help raise vital funds for homeless and badly housed people.

You will work closely with the Shop Manager to ensure the shop looks welcoming, visually appealing and the team of volunteers are motivated and keen to engage with customers and maximise sales.

About the role

You will assist the Shop Manager in the recruitment, support and development of a strong community focused shop team and empower them to maximise Shelter's income. Representing Shelter in your local community, ensuring that you and your team share your knowledge of Shelter's cause with customers, volunteers, donors and potential Shelter clients will also be important aspects of the role. You will always ensure a safe, clean, bright and happy environment for your team to work in and for your customers to shop in, in turn attracting potential donors and volunteers.

About you

You are a naturally energetic person with an enthusiasm for managing and empowering people. You know how to recruit and develop a team of volunteers, and your extraordinary motivational skills will enable you to inspire your team to increase sales and control costs. Above all, you are ready to take on a new challenge and have a keen interest in Shelter's cause.

Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society.

Benefits 

We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We’re here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.

How to apply

Please click ‘Apply for Job’ below. You are required to submit your work history and a supporting statement.

Please provide specific examples of how you meet the criteria in the 'About you' section of this advert, following the STAR format, and ensure you demonstrate how you address the behaviours below throughout your support statement responses:

• We prioritise diversity and have an inclusive and open mindset

Any applications submitted without a supporting statement will not be considered

About Shelter Scotland

A home is a fundamental human need, as essential as education or healthcare. Yet over a million people in Scotland struggle on a daily basis with homelessness, bad housing conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction. So, we are striving for change, with individuals, in communities, across society, and leading the way to a safe home. We need ambitious, best-in-class individuals who are passionate about our cause to join us at this exciting time. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

At Shelter Scotland we are united by our purpose to defend the right to a safe home. Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. We believe that to win that fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement for change. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, fair, equitable and transparent.

We have committed to combat racism both within and outside Shelter Scotland and welcome you on our journey to becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.

Shelter Scotland helps over half a million people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We’re here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

Safeguarding statement

Safeguarding is everyone’s business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.

At Shelter Scotland, we welcome and encourage applications from everyone regardless of age, disability, gender, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. We also encourage applications from people, who have been homeless or have been at risk of homelessness. We are facing diverse problems, so need diverse people to tackle them. In addition to this, we encourage an approach to involving people with personal insight of housing issues and homelessness in our recruitment processes.

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.

Accreditation Manager        

Salary: £58,000p.a.

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 37.5 hours per week 

Location: Wigan or Home Based with extensive travel throughout the UK and occasional international travel.

Keep Britain Tidy is one of the UK’s leading environmental charities. At a time when we are living in a world that is facing its greatest environmental challenges, the work we do has never been more important or more urgent.

About the role

This is a leadership role for someone who can combine strategic thinking, strong project management, commercial awareness and excellent stakeholder engagement. You will ensure our accreditation programmes continue to inspire participation, generate income and deliver measurable impact for people, places and the environment.

As Accreditation Manager, you will lead the strategy, growth and delivery of our accreditation programmes, ensuring they support accessible, high-quality places, promote wellbeing and sustainability, generate income and demonstrate measurable impact. You will oversee budgets, partnerships, quality assurance, impact reporting and programme teams, while acting as a senior contact for government, sector bodies, partners, customers and stakeholders in the UK and internationally.

We are looking for someone with strong leadership, project management and relationship-building skills, together with the confidence to work with senior stakeholders and represent the organisation externally. You will bring experience of managing budgets, developing commercial or partner-funded relationships, solving complex problems and leading teams to deliver high-quality outcomes.

Knowledge of the green spaces sector is essential, while knowledge of the coastal and hospitality sectors would be an advantage.

Benefits

All our roles benefit from generous holiday entitlement and pension contributions, including the opportunity to join the UK’s first net zero carbon pension scheme and to receive extra days leave for using alternatives to flights. You can view our range of benefits on our website.

Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to building a diverse workforce and welcome applicants from all backgrounds including those from underrepresented groups.

If you need any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please let us know. 

How to Apply

If this sounds like the perfect role for you and you’d like to help us make a difference, we’d love to hear from you.  Please review a copy of the full job description and ensure you meet the essential criteria before applying. 

After reading the application information, if you would love to work with us please continue to apply.

As part of the application process you will need to answer 3 sift questions relating to your relevant experience and submit your tailored CV which highlights how you meet the essential criteria of the role.  We also ask that you complete equal opportunities monitoring information as we want to try to make sure that our workforce is representative of the population and we are not excluding any community. Please note that this information will be held separately.

Please submit your application before the closing date.

The deadline for applications is 09:00 Monday 28 September 2026. Please note we reserve the right to close this vacancy early, so recommend that you submit your application at the earliest opportunity. 

Interviews will be held via MS Teams on 14 or 15 October 2026. 

If you require an in-person interview, please let us know. 

We have signed the pledge to always #ShowTheSalary for the roles that we advertise.

No agencies please.