Infrastructure coordinator jobs in Edinburgh
By providing finance and support, at SIB we enable charities and social enterprises to exist, grow and thrive. We have disbursed £0.8bn to thousands of organisations since 2002. Our team believes in the power of the social economy, champions the charities and social enterprises we support - and we are all working together to build stronger communities and a fairer society.
It is a hugely exciting time to join the organisation. We are growing, investing in our expert team, and building on the successes of the last few years.
Find out more about our values and what we do by visiting our website.
Our values are: People First, Curious, Bold, Collaborative, Accountable
About this role:
Reporting to the Head of Policy and Communications, the Policy and Communications Coordinator will support SIB’s track record of sector, government and media engagement, notably the high standard of publication set through its media partnerships with Tortoise and the Financial Times, its contributions to the policy landscape in the social sector, and its in-house data analysis and insight generation. This new post will contribute to SIB’s ongoing communications and public policy work and its reach and influence, building on a growing base of expertise across SIB’s three strategic priority areas: Green Transition, Infrastructure and Services.
Key responsibilities
1. Support the Head of Policy and Communications to deliver the Policy and Communications strategy for SIB.
2. Making use of media and parliamentary tracking software keep abreast of SIB’s strategic policy areas, sharing accessible updates and digests of relevant legislation and central and local government programming and media coverage.
3. Attend / watch online relevant parliamentary committees, All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) and Commons and Lords sessions, capturing relevant outcomes and identifying MPs and Lords that SIB should seek to work with / influence.
4. Support the Head of Policy and Communications to identify a key parliamentary contacts list. Create tailored communications for these key contacts which share relevant statistics and case studies from SIB’s portfolio, alongside policy influencing lines. This will include drafting questions and briefings where relevant, and ensuring that regular contact is maintained.
5. Support the drafting of consultation responses and press releases using SIB’s core messaging, reporting, research and data.
6. Support SIB’s annual party conference attendance with coordination and administration in advance and in person.
7. Support the Head of Policy and Communications with attendance at influencing meetings and webinars with, for example, the Association of Decentralised Energy, Community Energy England, Locality, Better Society Capital, the Access Foundation and others.
8. Draft internal and external copy for newsletters and the SIB intranet and website.
9. Monitor the press email address and support correspondence with journalists on reactive and proactive stories.
10. Attend and provide oversight to the Social Investment Forum, as part of SIB’s secretariat and hosting.
11. Write, edit and produce engaging and relevant content at pace for web, social media and e-newsletters, as well as earned and paid channels.
12. Management of external suppliers of communications and policy activities, including agencies, designers, consultants and think tanks.
13. Work with the Marketing Manager, Marketing and Events Coordinator, Business Development Manager and wider team to deliver successful external events with customers, stakeholders and partners including attendance at Party Conferences.
14. Work in line with the organisation's values, principles and processes to achieve operational excellence.
15. Adopt our continuous improvement and learning ethos
16. Support and embed equality, diversity and inclusion into day-to-day behaviours and activities within your role as well as contributing more widely across SIB’s commitment to E, D & I
17. Support and contribute to the implementation and delivery of SIB’s strategy
18. In agreement with manager to undertake other tasks and work on cross team projects that support the objectives of SIB as required
Core competencies
- Previous experience of working in a public policy, PR, marketing, external affairs or communications role
- Excellent writing skills
- Good research skills, with an ability to absorb large amounts of information at pace, including in unfamiliar policy areas and produce cogent syntheses
- Strong collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively teams across functions in an integrated way
- Good established networks through experience in a similar role, and a commitment to expanding those networks to support SIB’s strategic aims
- Experience of building effective media partnerships
- Good working knowledge of data-driven storytelling in a variety of outlets from organisation websites to mainstream media and confidence in interpreting data and understanding the key points to be drawn from it to gain traction in media and campaigning environments
- Experience of developing and delivering effective communications campaigns, including through a range of digital channels
- Strong planning skills and an ability to multi-task, work well under pressure and meet deadlines
- Strong understanding of UK political context, especially as it concerns the social economy, and parliamentary process
- An understanding of how to promote research, policy papers, data analysis and other activities of a think tank and consultancy
- Excellent IT skills and the ability to learn new programmes quickly
Desirable competencies
- Data visualisation skills
- Data storytelling
- A good aesthetic eye and ability to shape images, visuals and formatting, and to liaise confidently with designers
- Understanding of the UK charity and social enterprise sectors
Education / Professional experience
- Experience in policy, research and media
- Experience of collaborative working across teams
- In-depth digital communications expertise
Registered Charity
51 - 100
We believe in the power of the social economy to build a more equal society.
Thank you!
Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Submit your application as normal and our system will anonymise it for you. Your personal information will be hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
We believe everyone deserves healthy, sustainable and culturally appropriate food, where they live. We believe the way people access food should be rooted in health, dignity and choice. We believe the food system should be shaped and determined by everyone, and that every voice matters. We believe a thriving local, independent food economy is one that celebrates healthy food. We believe that good food is not a luxury. It’s a basic human right.
If this aligns with how you see the world, and you want to use your skills and experience to help us build towards it, you’ll feel at home here.
Why this role matters
Alexandra Rose run practical place-based food system transformation projects based around a voucher for fresh fruit & veg. We currently have 9 projects across the UK, and we’re aiming to scale in the coming years. Each project operates the same model, but each project adapts to work with different communities, different languages, different community support infrastructure, different retail options, and more.
At the core, we work with local trusted community organisations who distribute our vouchers to local families on low incomes with young children, and in some areas to local adults on low incomes managing food related health conditions (diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, etc). Voucher distribution is linked to a range of wider wrap around services to ensure that our projects support people in getting out of poverty in real and long-lasting ways. Our vouchers area accepted exclusively by local, independent healthy food businesses, ensuring that we are also supporting a fairer, healthier local food economy.
Our model directly tackles the barriers of affordability and accessibility to the most nutrient dense and most expensive element of a healthy diet. We change the health outcomes of young children and adults living with food related health conditions. We actively change the food environment that is available to a range of people who have been disadvantaged for decades.
As we grow nationally and expand the reach of our projects across multiple regions, we need strong operational leadership to ensure we can deliver consistently, efficiently and with confidence. You will help shape the systems and structures that support our operations, building on the strong work of our existing project teams.
This role is central to developing an operational approach that is both standardised and adaptable, supporting diverse communities while ensuring high-quality delivery, compliance, data collection and organisational resilience. As a senior leader, you will be an active part of the organisation’s Senior Management Team, and play a vital role in guiding the organisation through change, whether driven by shifts in policy, political context, funding environment or community need.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Leadership & Systems Development
- Build on the strong work of our project teams to develop consistent, scalable systems and processes that support effective delivery across different communities.
- Lead the design, implementation and continuous improvement of robust operational systems: data management, compliance, monitoring, reporting, risk management and quality assurance.
- Ensure compliance with relevant regulations (including data protection/GDPR), charity governance requirements and internal administrative standards.
- Work closely with external tech support and internal teams to maintain and improve our digital platforms and tools.
Project Oversight & Delivery
- Provide leadership and coordination to regional project coordinators, ensuring high-quality delivery and alignment with organisational standards.
- Oversee the development of a simple, practical monitoring, evaluation and reporting framework to enable accurate tracking of reach, impact and performance across all projects.
- Support internal reporting to the CEO, SMT and Board, and external reporting to funders, partners and local authorities.
Financial & Resource Management
- Work with the Head of Finance to align operational budgets with organisational priorities, ensuring responsible resource allocation and cost-effective delivery.
- Contribute to financial forecasting and scenario planning from an operational perspective.
Organisational Resilience & Adaptability
- Contribute to organisational planning in response to external changes (policy shifts, political changes, funding conditions, inflationary pressures, etc.).
- Lead operational risk management and ensure continuity of delivery under changing circumstances.
- Promote a culture that values clarity, reliability, adaptability and dignity in service delivery.
Team & Stakeholder Management
- Line-manage project coordinators.
- Maintain strong relationships with local partners, community organisations and local authorities to support effective delivery.
- Support clear internal communication so that people understand processes, compliance expectations and their roles in operational delivery.
Person Specification
We’re looking for someone who:
- Has significant relevant experience in operations management.
- Is highly organised, systems-focused and confident designing and continually reviewing and improving processes, tools and operational frameworks as the organisation grows.
- Is comfortable navigating and coordinating multiple projects, teams and stakeholders across different regions.
- Understands data protection, compliance and risk.
- Has strong digital literacy and can quickly learn new systems. The platforms and apps that underpin our work are central to Operations Team working.
- Has strong financial literacy and experience with budgets, forecasting and resource planning.
- Remains calm, pragmatic and solutions-focused during periods of change or uncertainty.
- Communicates clearly, constructively and collaboratively.
- Shares our belief in dignity, community, independence and the right to good food.
Why join us?
- A senior leadership role with genuine influence in a mission-driven charity.
- The opportunity to shape and strengthen the systems that will support national growth.
- Work that contributes directly to fairer, healthier, more dignified food access across the UK.
- A culture that values flexibility, clear thinking, integrity and adaptability.
Use of AI in applications
We recognise that candidates may choose to use AI tools to support aspects of their application, such as grammar, formatting, or drafting. We understand that using AI tools in this way can help you express your strengths more clearly. However, your final submission must be a genuine, accurate reflection of your own skills, experience, and understanding of the role.
To support integrity and transparency in our recruitment process, we ask that you include a brief note explaining where and how AI tools were used in your application. Applications that appear overly generic, inconsistent with interview performance, or rely heavily on generative AI without clear attribution may raise concerns during the selection process.
Additional information
We want our organisation to reflect the diversity of the communities we work in, and we welcome applications from people from all backgrounds.
Please submit your CV and cover letter through the Charity Jobs Portal only. We use anonymous recruitment applications sent by email will not be included in the selection process.
N.B Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.