External consultant jobs in Edinburgh

Foundation for Jewish Heritage

Head of Development

£60,000

Remote but with access to London for a weekly meeting one day per week

Full-time

Permanent

The Foundation for Jewish Heritage is the UK’s only dedicated organisation focused on preserving and activating Jewish built heritage as a catalyst for education, culture, memory and community renewal.

Over the past decade, the Foundation has grown from a small specialist charity into a recognised leader in the field of Jewish built heritage. It has secured major support for nationally significant projects, including a £6 million flagship heritage project supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Welsh Government, Garfield Weston, Wolfson and Rothschild.

The Foundation is now entering an important new phase. Alongside major project delivery, it is taking on a wider UK role, supporting communities and historic synagogues across the country, including places such as Liverpool, Bradford, Leicester, Brighton and Merthyr Tydfil. It is also developing European partnerships, particularly in countries such as Poland and Germany, and strengthening relationships with North American and Canadian supporters.

The Foundation’s work is about more than saving buildings. Historic synagogues and heritage sites are gateways into the stories of Jewish life, identity, migration, civic contribution and cultural memory. They offer a powerful way of engaging Jewish and wider audiences with the richness and complexity of Jewish history in Britain and across Europe.

The Foundation has reached a point where its fundraising structure needs to match the scale of its ambition.

Until now, much of the fundraising has been led directly by the Chief Executive, supported by trustees, consultants and external bid writers. This has delivered significant success, particularly around major heritage projects and institutional funders. However, the organisation now needs a more structured, proactive and relationship-led fundraising function.

The Head of Development will work closely with the Chief Executive, trustees and a new Fundraising Committee to broaden the donor base, strengthen major relationships, develop new income streams, and ensure that the Foundation is no longer dependent on a small number of individuals or on the Chief Executive holding most fundraising relationships personally.

This is not simply a fundraising support post. It is a strategic development role for someone who can combine relationship building, major donor fundraising, compelling written communication, careful stewardship and long-term pipeline management.

The successful candidate will help turn the Foundation’s growing profile into sustained philanthropic support.

Context and Background

Our award-winning Creative Team sits within the NSPCC's Communications directorate. We're made up of creatives with design, writing and film production expertise. We create campaign and marketing identities, concepts, and materials, across all channels and for all audiences. We mainly work across three brands -- NSPCC, Childline and NSPCC Learning.

Our team has a broad skillset, covering creative strategy, ideation and delivery. We provide consultancy, art direction, planning, tone of voice guidance and copywriting across print and digital. So whether our colleagues are promoting a fabulous new fundraising event, introducing one of our frontline services, or kickstarting a new national campaign, our team is on hand to offer expertise.

As our new Senior Writer, you'll play a fundamental role in making sure the work we put out is as engaging and impactful as possible to a wide range of audiences.

Job purpose

The Senior Writer will be a highly talented communicator with substantial expertise in creative copywriting, branding and communications, preferably with experience in the charity sector.

You'll work on a wide range of creative briefs that might see you writing copy for print, digital, film, social media or web, based on briefs that come in from teams across the NSPCC. You'll also share your knowledge and expertise through workshops and consultation with internal teams and external agencies.

You’ll work closely with the Head of Creative to drive the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of our marketing and communications, making sure we’re talking to our supporters and the people we help in the most effective way possible. A large part of this is continuing to increase the use of plain English across the organisation.Finally, you will develop and lead strategy relating to copywriting, core messaging and tone of voice for the organisation. And as a senior member of the team, you'll help guide and mentor more junior colleagues.

Key relationships - Internal

• Reports to the Head of Creative.

• Is a key part of the senior Creative team and the wider Brand and Marketing department.

• Works collaboratively with all teams across the organisation to ensure creative excellence and brand integrity.

• Proactively engages with NSPCC colleagues.

Key relationships - External

• Liaises with external professionals e.g. freelance writers, agencies, filmmakers.

• Develops links and shares best practice with peers within the UK charity sector.

• Establishes networks with industry opinion formers, media and other stakeholders.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Develop verbal brand identity – through copywriting, core messaging and tone of voice guidance – across the NSPCC and Childline.

• Work with the senior Creative team to agree and deliver client projects from initial concepts through to the finished product, in line with our department’s annual business plan.

• Explore and develop creative concepts and help push the boundaries of the creative direction and output of the NSPCC, working closely with the Head of Creative and senior team.

• Pitch concepts and finished copy to commissioning teams, in line with brief objectives and the NSPCC brand.

• Make sure creative collateral across NSPCC and Childline marketing and communications is consistent and of a high standard.

• Partner with teams across the charity that create content, offering expert advice and creative solutions relating to brand and tone of voice.• Work effectively with other Communications colleagues to make sure we complete projects on time and in budget.

• Support junior team members, and contribute to the growth and personal development of communications team staff through supervisory, coaching and mentoring activities.

• Identify and provide long-term strategic solutions to the NSPCC’s editorial and copywriting needs, and fulfil them by working with the Head of Creative and senior team.

• Develop high-quality writing standards for the NSPCC, including style guides and training, with a focus on increasing the use of plain English and inclusive language across our work.

Responsibilities for all staff within the Communications directorate

• Actively participate in regular department and team meetings, contributing to strategy discussions and decisions which will benefit the NSPCC’s communications activities.

• Maintain an awareness Health and Safety and comply with the NSPCC’s Health and Safety policy and procedures.

• Take personal responsibility for keeping up to date with the NSPCC’s work to keep children safe.

• A commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of babies, children, young people and adults at risk.

Person specification

1. Substantial experience in a copywriter role in either an agency or in-house team, with demonstrable ability of working across a broad range of briefs.

2. Proven ability to communicate and present confidently and clearly to senior stakeholders and clients.

3. Enthusiastic about embedding EDI principles across all areas of copywriting and in our wider communications work.

4. Experience working with and creating brand guidelines.

5. Experience guiding and mentoring junior team members.

6. In-depth and up-to-date knowledge of current trends and best practise in marketing, advertising and communications.

7. Highly collaborative and focused on creating a collaborative team spirit.8. Solid understanding of copywriting and editorial across environments including social, web, film and online advertising.

9. Ability to manage numerous complex projects for senior stakeholders, working to agreed deadlines often with conflicting priorities.

Safer Recruitment

As an organisation, we are committed to creating and fostering a culture that promotes safeguarding and the welfare of all children and adults at risk.

Our safer recruitment practices support this by ensuring that there is a consistent and thorough process of obtaining, collating, analysing and evaluating information from and about candidates to ensure that all persons appointed are suitable to work with our children and adults.

The recruitment and selection of our people will be conducted in a professional, timely and responsive manner and in compliance with current employment legislation, and relevant safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance.

Our principles:

• Always seek to recruit the best candidate for the role based on merit including their skills, experience, motivation and competencies. Our robust recruitment and selection process should ensure the identification of the person best suited to the role and the organisation.

• Committed to diversity and equality of opportunity and will interview all applicants (internal and external) who self-declare at application as having a disability and who meet the minimum requirements in the person specification of the vacancy they are applying for.

• We will make reasonable adjustments at all stages of the recruitment process in order to enable successful candidates who declare disabilities to start working or volunteering their time with us.

• Any current member of staff or volunteer who wishes to apply for vacancies and is suitably qualified will be considered and addressed fairly and objectively based on their merit.

• As an organisation committed to safeguarding, we will ensure all under 18’s joining the organisation will have ongoing risk assessments to ensure their role and activities are safe and appropriate.

• All documentation relating to candidates will be treated confidentially in accordance with the GDPR legislation.

About Adolescent Health Study

The Adolescent Health Study (AHS) is an ambitious new UKRI-funded initiative to establish a prospective, longitudinal population study that will generate a globally leading open science data platform and research resource. AHS aims to recruit at least 100,000 young people aged eight to 18 years from across the UK and to follow their mental and physical health and wellbeing over at least 10 years. It plans to collect data through questions and measures; to obtain bio-samples for a wide range of genomic and other high-throughput assays; and to capture linked data relevant to health and wellbeing from participants’ health, education and other administrative records. Recruitment will take place mainly through schools. There will be a strong emphasis on engaging with and involving young people, schools, parents and other relevant stakeholders in the design and delivery of the study, as well as on including young people that represent as wide as possible a range of backgrounds, experiences and characteristics. AHS will focus on enabling a wide range of research, including studies of the critical biological and social developments that occur during the transition from childhood to adulthood and the determinants of both mental and physical health and wellbeing in adolescents and young adults.

Purpose of the post

The HR Officer plays a key role in delivering an effective, professional, and compliant HR service across the organisation. Supporting both operational HR processes and employee experience, the post holder will contribute to attracting, developing, and retaining talent in a collaborative and values-driven research environment.

Main responsibilities

HR Operations & Administration Support

• Lead recruitment campaigns in consultation with hiring managers, including drafting job adverts, short-listing and coordinating interviews.
• Manage employee life cycle process, including background checks, onboarding and offboarding.
• Maintain accurate and confidential employee records in compliance with GDPR and organisational policies.
• Administer HR systems, contracts, and employment documentation.
• Manage relationship with 3rd party suppliers including HR consultancy and DBS check providers.
• Support payroll preparation including monthly absence reporting and ensuring accurate data submission and coordination with Finance/Payroll.
• Support the wider central administrative team as required.

 Employee Relations

• Provide first-line HR advice to managers and staff on policies, procedures, and employment matters.
• Support casework relating to absence, performance, disciplinary, and grievance processes.
• Support managers and the COO with complex people cases, working with the external HR partner as required.
• Promote a positive and inclusive working culture aligned with the organisation’s values.

Learning & Development

• Coordinate training activities and support professional development initiatives for research and support staff.
• Some delivery of internal people-related training
• Assist in identifying skills gaps and contributing to workforce development plans.

Policy & Compliance

• Ensure HR practices comply with employment legislation, charity sector regulations, and best practice.
• Monitor and assist with the development, review, and implementation of HR policies and procedures, including handbook updates.
• Support equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives across the organisation.

HR Projects & Continuous Improvement

• Contribute to HR projects such as staff engagement, wellbeing initiatives, and organisational development.
• Support the implementation of HR systems improvements and process efficiencies.
• Collect and analyse HR data to inform decision-making and reporting.

Knowledge, skills and experience 

Essential

1. Experience in an HR administrative or officer-level role.
2. Sound knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
3. CIPD Level 3 or equivalent.
4. Experience of supporting payroll and finance processes.
5. Proven ability to establish and evolve people processes in a growing organisation.
6. Proficiency in HR systems, such as BreatheHR or equivalent, and Microsoft Office applications.
7. Experience of working in organisations with multiple staffing arrangements i.e. direct employees, secondees, contractors etc.
8. Strong organisational and administrative skills with excellent attention to detail.
9. Ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality and professionalism.
10. Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Desirable

1. CIPD Level 5 qualification (or working towards).
2. Experience working in the charity, academic, or research sector.
3. Experience supporting EDI and wellbeing initiatives.
4. Familiarity with public funded and/or project-based staffing environments.
5. Experience supporting or negotiating secondment arrangements, particularly within academic, charity or research environments.

Dimensions

• This is a full-time role, 37.5 hours per week, offered initially as an 18-month fixed-term contract with potential route to permanency.
• Flexible working across several geographical locations in the UK.  Travel may be required to AHS locations and partner organisations.
• AHS is a national organisation, and our activities take place across the UK.

Application Process

All candidates are required to complete the application form which can be found when clicking 'Apply Now' via Charity Job. 

Please refer to the ‘How to Apply’ section of the downloadable application form.

Please note that only applications submitted directly to Gravitate HR will be accepted for this position.

The closing date for applications is 11:00pm on Sunday 5 July 2026.

Interviews are currently expected to take place on Wednesday 5 and Thursday 6 August 2026.

Equal Opportunities Policy Statement

 AHS is an equal opportunities employer, and as such aims to treat all employees, consultants and applicants fairly. It is our policy to provide employment equality to all, irrespective of:

• Gender, including gender reassignment
• Marital or civil partnership status
• Having or not having dependants
• Religion or belief
• Race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins)
• Disability
• Sexual orientation
• Age

We are opposed to all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination.  All job applicants and employees who work for us will be treated fairly and will not be unfairly discriminated against on any of the above grounds. Decisions about recruitment and selection, promotion, training or any other benefit will be made objectively and without unlawful discrimination. 

Values

It is an exciting time for the Adolescent Health Study (AHS) as we establish our senior leadership team and begin to plan the pilot studies. As the senior executive team evolves, the AHS values will be grounded in inclusivity, integrity, accountability, and collaboration.

The Woodland Trust is looking for a Outreach Advisor to join our Central England Team. This 18-month fixed-term role offers an exciting opportunity to play a leading part in the successful delivery of the Woodland Trust’s MOREwoods and MOREhedges programmes. The successful postholder will provide expert advice on woodland creation across the region, helping to shape and grow a diverse portfolio of impactful projects.

A company vehicle will be provided for this role. Please note that out Company Vehicle Policy is also under review as part of our Job Families and Contract Review project, so the eligibility criteria therein are subject to change in due course.

The Role:

• Provide expert advice to farmers, land managers and landowners on farmland management, habitat creation, woodland establishment and agroforestry integration.
• Deliver woodland creation and management projects end-to-end, including on-the-ground implementation and technical support.
• Develop and deliver landscape-scale conservation projects in collaboration with farmers, landowners, businesses, local authorities and partner organisations.
• Secure and manage funding through agri-environment and woodland grant schemes (e.g. EWCO, MOREwoods and other external funding streams).
• Lead delivery of the MOREwoods scheme, guiding landowners through planning, application, planting and establishment phases.
• Build and maintain strong stakeholder relationships, representing the Woodland Trust professionally across a diverse range of audiences.
• Coordinate conservation programmes and manage consultants to ensure high-quality, cost-effective delivery aligned with organisational objectives.
• Manage projects, budgets and reporting processes, including producing high-quality reports, tracking progress and measuring impact.
• This is a homebased role, requiring regular travel to locations within the West and East Midlands landscape and surrounding areas, sometimes to remote locations. You would be expected to live within reasonable travelling distance of your area of responsibility. Occasional travel to regional offices and overnight stays will be required.
• This is a fixed term contract for 18 months

The Candidate:

• Experience working directly with farmers and landowners, building effective and trusted relationships across a range of farming systems.
• Practical experience of woodland and hedgerow creation and/or woodland management, with strong knowledge of establishment, early maintenance and relevant grant funding schemes.
• Proven project management skills, including planning, organising and delivering work to deadlines in a dynamic environment.
• Ability to work independently in a remote setting, while collaborating effectively as part of a geographically dispersed and cross-functional team.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to represent an organisation professionally and build positive relationships both internally and externally.
• Technical competence in Microsoft Office and digital tools, including GIS and mapping systems for planning, data management and reporting.
• Knowledge of farming systems, agricultural policy, regulations and evolving grant schemes, alongside an understanding of agroforestry principles and application.
• Relevant experience or qualification in land management (or related field), including knowledge of funding streams and a full UK driving licence with willingness to travel.

Benefits and Wellbeing:

Joining our team means you’ll be a big part of tackling environmental and climate issues. We take good care of our staff, offering support and training opportunities. We also offer:

• Enhanced Employer Pension
• Life Assurance
• Flexible & Hybrid Working Options
• Generous Annual Leave - 25 Days Plus Bank Holidays (pro rata’d for part-time)
• Buy and Sell Holiday Scheme
• Enhanced Parental Pay
• Employee Assistance Programme

About Us:

The Woodland Trust is the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity.  We want to see a world where trees and woods thrive for people and nature. The Trust engages and inspires people to make their difference tackling the nature and climate crisis helping protect, restore and create our vital woods and trees.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion:

To achieve our vision of a world where woods and trees thrive for people and nature, we need to better reflect society and the communities we work in. All people, no matter their background, identity, ability, or circumstance, should benefit from trees. 

People of colour and disabled people are currently under-represented across the environment and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we particularly encourage you to apply. Please contact us to discuss any additional support or adjustments you may need to complete your application.

Application Advice:
For fairness we keep our candidates’ personal details hidden from the hiring managers, and we do not ask for your CV at application. Make sure that your Personal Statement clearly shows how your skills and knowledge link to the specifications in the job description and you share with us your passion for the role.

Acceptable Use - Artificial Intelligence (AI):

We understand that candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their job applications-for example, to help structure or edit written responses. We welcome the use of AI in this way, particularly where it helps improve accessibility, such as for neurodivergent applicants. However, we ask that any information submitted reflects your own experience, skills and understanding. During interviews, candidates are expected to respond independently without the use of AI tools. 

Apply Now:

If you're ready to make a difference and grow with us, send in your application today. We might close the job opening early if we get a lot of applications, so it's a good idea to apply soon. If we do close the advert early, and you have an application in process, we will email you prior to closing to give you time to complete. 

First round interviews will take place on July 16th 2026.

About Adolescent Health Study

The Adolescent Health Study (AHS) is an ambitious new UKRI-funded initiative to establish a prospective, longitudinal population study that will generate a globally leading open science data platform and research resource. AHS aims to recruit at least 100,000 young people aged eight to 18 years from across the UK and to follow their mental and physical health and wellbeing over at least 10 years. It plans to collect data through questions and measures; to obtain bio-samples for a wide range of genomic and other high-throughput assays; and to capture linked data relevant to health and wellbeing from participants’ health, education and other administrative records. Recruitment will take place mainly through schools. There will be a strong emphasis on engaging with and involving young people, schools, parents and other relevant stakeholders in the design and delivery of the study, as well as on including young people that represent as wide as possible a range of backgrounds, experiences and characteristics. AHS will focus on enabling a wide range of research, including studies of the critical biological and social developments that occur during the transition from childhood to adulthood and the determinants of both mental and physical health and wellbeing in adolescents and young adults.

Purpose of the post

 The Procurement Lead is responsible for developing and delivering a robust procurement and commercial strategy that ensures value for money, compliance with Procurement Act 2023 regulations in line with AHS being primarily public funded and supports AHS study and operational objectives. The role will lead on sourcing, contracting, supplier management, and commercial governance, ensuring ethical, transparent, and efficient use of public funds.

Main responsibilities

Procurement Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and implement a procurement and commercial strategy aligned with organisational goals and funding requirements.
• Lead procurement planning across research programmes, operations, and corporate services.
• Act as a subject matter expert on public procurement policy and best practice.
• Drive continuous improvement in procurement processes, systems, and capability.

Tendering and Contract Management

• Oversee end-to-end procurement processes including tendering, evaluation, and contract award.
• Ensure compliance with UK public procurement regulations (e.g., Procurement Act and associated guidance).
• Draft, review, and negotiate complex contracts, including research, clinical, and grant-related agreements.
• Manage contract lifecycle including performance monitoring, renewals, and extensions.

Commercial Governance & Compliance

• Establish and maintain procurement policies, procedures, and governance frameworks.
• Ensure all procurement activities meet audit, transparency, and reporting requirements for public funding.
• Identify and mitigate commercial risks across supplier engagements.
• Support internal and external audit processes.

Supplier & Stakeholder Management

• Build and maintain strategic supplier relationships, ensuring high performance and innovation.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders (research teams, finance, legal) to understand needs and deliver value-driven procurement solutions.
• Work with external stakeholders including funders, partners and strategic advisors to develop optimum outcomes
• Provide commercial advice and guidance to senior leadership and project teams.
• Promote sustainable and ethical sourcing practices.

Financial & Value Management

• Deliver value for money through effective sourcing and negotiation strategies.
• Monitor procurement spend and identify cost-saving or efficiency opportunities.
• Contribute to budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning processes.
• Ensure funding is used appropriately, ethically and in line with public funding requirements.

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential

Professional qualification in procurement or supply chain e.g., CIPS Level 5 or equivalent

Degree or comparable experience in business, finance, law, or related field.

Proven track record of managing complex procurement exercises and contracts.

Experience in procurement or commercial roles within regulated procurement environments, specifically those classed as a public authority

1. Strong understanding of UK public procurement regulations and best practice.
2. Commercial acumen with strong negotiation and contract management skills.
3. Experience of drafting and reviewing heads of terms and commercial agreements.
4. Knowledge of intellectual property (IP) considerations in research contracts.
5. Strong experience in supplier and stakeholder management.
6. Excellent analytical, financial, and problem-solving abilities.
7. Strong communication and influencing skills across all levels of an organisation.
8. Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities effectively.

Desirable

1. CIPS Level 6 or equivalent
2. Membership of a professional body (e.g., MCIPS or FCIPS).
3. Experience managing high-value and complex contracts, including collaborative or partnership agreements
4. Experience in procurement or commercial roles within charity and/or research sectors
5. Detailed understanding of intellectual property (IP) considerations in research contracts.
6. Detailed knowledge of the UK Procurement Act (or Public Contracts Regulations 2015 historically) and transitions between them.
7. Experience of drafting and reviewing heads of terms and commercial agreements.
8. Understanding of subsidy control, state aid, or funding compliance frameworks.
9. Ability to analyse procurement data and generate insights using tools such as Excel, Power BI, or similar.
10. Experience leading organisational change or transformation programmes in procurement.
11. Ability to build procurement capability across a non-procurement stakeholder base.

Dimensions

• This is a full-time role, 37.5 hours per week, offered initially as an 18-month fixed-term contract with potential route to permanency.
• Flexible working across several geographical locations in the UK.  Travel may be required to AHS locations and partner organisations.
• AHS is a national organisation, and our activities take place across the UK.

Application Process

All candidates are required to complete the application form which can be found when clicking 'Apply Now' via Charity Job.

Please refer to the ‘How to Apply’ section of the downloadable application form.

Please note that only applications submitted directly to Gravitate HR will be accepted for this position.

The closing date for applications is 11:00pm on Sunday 12th July 2026.

Interviews are currently expected to take place on Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st August 2026.

Equal Opportunities Policy Statement

AHS is an equal opportunities employer, and as such aims to treat all employees, consultants and applicants fairly. It is our policy to provide employment equality to all, irrespective of:

• Gender, including gender reassignment
• Marital or civil partnership status
• Having or not having dependants
• Religion or belief
• Race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins)
• Disability
• Sexual orientation
• Age

We are opposed to all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination.  All job applicants and employees who work for us will be treated fairly and will not be unfairly discriminated against on any of the above grounds. Decisions about recruitment and selection, promotion, training or any other benefit will be made objectively and without unlawful discrimination. 

Values

It is an exciting time for the Adolescent Health Study (AHS) as we establish our senior leadership team and begin to plan the pilot studies. As the senior executive team evolves, the AHS values will be grounded in inclusivity, integrity, accountability, and collaboration.