Public affairs administrator jobs in Edinburgh
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This is a home-based role, working Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Applications are welcome from candidates based outside Belfast, provided they are resident in Northern Ireland and able to commute to the Belfast office if required.
The External Affairs Manager plays a pivotal role in empowering people with sight loss to live the life they choose. This position leads the development of policy and campaigns within the country, aligning with Guide Dogs’ strategic objectives. Working collaboratively with the central policy, public affairs, and campaigns team, as well as the country leadership team, the role builds strategic partnerships with government bodies, local authorities, societies, and other key organisations. This ensures Guide Dogs remains informed and influential on all policy initiatives affecting the organisation and its stakeholders.
The post holder will be responsible for the day‑to‑day leadership, management and oversight of a team.
The post-holder is responsible for shaping policy positions, drafting responses to consultations from councils, combined authorities, and devolved governments, and driving impactful campaigns at a regional level. A key focus is increasing the involvement of blind and partially sighted people in advocacy and campaigning.
Additionally, the role leads the implementation of Guide Dogs’ regional marketing and communications strategy across the Devolved Nations. This includes raising brand awareness, engaging diverse audiences—service users, families, volunteers, donors, and the public—and delivering integrated communications plans that strengthen Guide Dogs’ presence and impact.
Key Responsibilities
Policy Development
- Lead the creation of country-specific policy and position papers, ensuring alignment with organisational strategy.
- Prepare responses to consultation papers from devolved administrations, local government, and regional bodies.
- Represent Guide Dogs on committees, working groups, and forums, staying informed on policy issues impacting the organisation and its service users.
Public Affairs
- Build and influence relationships with key stakeholders, including elected representatives and senior officials.
- Represent Guide Dogs at Government Scrutiny Committees and cross-party groups.
- Act as the primary liaison with local government and statutory agencies.
Campaigns & Influence
- Strategically lead and coordinate campaigns at a country level, ensuring alignment with devolved policy priorities.
- Develop and deliver campaigns addressing local needs of the visually impaired community.
- Foster partnerships within the Third Sector to build consensus and amplify Guide Dogs’ strategic aims.
Leadership & People Management
- Provide strong leadership to local staff and volunteers, promoting best practice and knowledge-sharing.
- Oversee recruitment, performance management, and compliance with safeguarding policies.
- Ensure high levels of engagement through effective communication and leadership.
Financial Accountability
- Support fundraising initiatives and monitor operational budgets to ensure efficiency and compliance.
Diversity & Inclusion
- Champion Guide Dogs’ diversity agenda, ensuring services are inclusive and accessible.
- Work with external partners to create a more inclusive environment for people with sight loss.
How to apply
Further details on the full role are attached below. When you are ready to apply, submit an online application form via this page.
If you would like to have an informal conversation about the role before applying, or require any accessibility support to apply, our friendly recruitment team is ready and waiting to help.
As part of your application ensure you provide evidence and examples of how your skills & experience meet the criteria as set out in the attached job description. You will also be asked to complete a few job-specific questions as part of this application process, so please be prepared to write your answers to these questions.
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
Guide Dogs welcomes applications from all sections of the community and actively encourages diversity to maximise achievements, creativity and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or nationality.
As a Disability Confident Employer, we are proud, whenever possible, to offer an interview to all candidates that meet our selection criteria, and who indicate they wish their application to be considered under our Disability Confident interview commitment. For more details, visit our careers site.
If you are successful you will need to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK via our digital ID checking supplier; in addition, we cannot offer visa sponsorship at this time.
Safeguarding
Guide Dogs is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk of harm with whom we work. We expect all our employees and volunteers to fully share this commitment.
At Guide Dogs, we believe in fair and equitable hiring practices. A criminal record will not automatically disqualify an applicant from consideration for a position. Each case will be evaluated individually, taking into account the nature of the offense, its relevance to the role, and the time that has passed since the incident. We encourage all candidates to disclose relevant information, and we assure you that it will be handled confidentially and fairly.
Guide Dogs follow Safer Recruitment practices to ensure we are safeguarding the vulnerable people we work with. As part of this, we require a full work history with any gaps accounted for & a minimum of 2 professional referee details fully covering the past 5 years. If you are applying for a disclosure role, please note that you will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check and sign up to the DBS update service.
For high volumes of applications, we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than advertised.
Registered Charity
More than 1000
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
We are seeking an exceptional leader who can act as a credible spokesperson and ambassador for the Catholic Union, building trusted relationships across the Church, parliament and wider society and helping to grow the Catholic Union’s influence and engagement in the years ahead.
Founded in 1870, the Catholic Union of Great Britain brings Catholic laity and Catholic social teaching to the public square across England, Wales and Scotland. Working in partnership with dioceses, parishes, MPs, MSPs, MSs, peers and Catholic organisations, our vision is of a society in which Catholic laity are informed, equipped and encouraged to engage in public life.
Our work is shaped by three key themes: engagement, education and encouragement. Through these we foster informed participation in public debate, help Catholics and the wider public understand contemporary social and political issues through a Catholic lens, and inspire greater confidence for Catholics to contribute to civic and community life.
In recent years the Catholic Union has developed from being largely volunteer-led into a more professional and strategically focused organisation, strengthening relationships across the Church and wider society. Our Weekly Briefing, now read by around 6,500 people each week, has become a key channel for parliamentary reporting, Catholic news and reflection.
As Director, you will lead the Catholic Union at an exciting moment in its development. You will represent the Catholic Union publicly, strengthening relationships with bishops, diocesan leaders, parliamentarians and Catholic organisations. You will act as a trusted ambassador for the Union, grow our channels of influence and engagement, and work with Trustees, Council and a small experienced team to support the organisation’s continued development.
If you are inspired by the opportunity to serve as a public voice for a respected Catholic organisation and help foster thoughtful dialogue and engagement in public life, we would love to hear from you.
For more information, please see the job pack attached. Closing date 10th April.
Thank you!
Make a difference every day with PDSA
About Us
Join us to help keep even more people and pets together when times are tough. For over a century, PDSA have provided vital veterinary care for the pets of people in financial hardship.
We’re now on a journey to expand our reach to support even more people and their beloved pets. To achieve this ambitious goal, we need passionate and driven individuals who are ready to embrace change and help shape a future-focused PDSA. Together, we'll build a stronger organisation to ensure our services help those who need us most for the next hundred years.
If you're ready to make a real difference and be part of a team that's creating positive change, we want you to join us. Let's build a brighter future for pets and their owners, together.
About you
We’re looking for a Communications Officer to help promote and protect our charity’s reputation, raise awareness of our pet health agenda and highlight the vital work we do to keep people and pets together during difficult times. You’ll craft clear, engaging messages across print, broadcast, digital, and social media, building strong relationships with journalists and partners to secure positive coverage and strengthen our brand.
In this role, you’ll lead proactive communications activity, support reactive and crisis responses, and coordinate media opportunities such as events, photo shoots, and site visits. You’ll proactively seek out and capitalise on topical media and cultural moments including newsjacking opportunities to secure impactful coverage. You’ll also support the Communications and PR Manager, and wider internal stakeholders, to research, build, and manage celebrity relationships, leveraging PR opportunities where appropriate. Alongside this, you’ll monitor media trends, identify opportunities, and ensure consistent, high‑quality communication across all channels while safeguarding PDSA’s reputation.
We’re looking for someone with proven experience delivering successful media campaigns, excellent communication skills, and confidence representing an organisation externally. You’ll work well under pressure, respond quickly to urgent communication needs and be comfortable working independently. A relevant degree or CIPR qualification, along with knowledge of the charity sector, would be an advantage but not essential.
This role is home‑based, with occasional travel required for team meetings, events and visits to PDSA sites.
Rewards, support and benefits
We’re really passionate about being a great place to work, somewhere people feel proud of what they do, connected to a meaningful purpose, and able to make a genuine difference every day. Our teams are collaborative and supportive, and we encourage everyone to bring their ideas, individuality and passion for pets to work with them.
As well as a rewarding role and a positive, people-focused culture, we also offer a wide range of benefits, including:
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Flexible working options to support your work–life balance and individual circumstances.
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25 days’ holiday plus Bank Holidays, with option to buy or sell an extra five days.
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Three paid special days off: Volunteering Day, Celebration Day and Wellbeing Day annually.
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Generous pension options, with PDSA contributions starting at 5% and rising to 10%.
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Life assurance providing four times your annual salary for added peace of mind.
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AXA Health Employee Assistance Programme, with 24/7 wellbeing support
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Retail, holiday and lifestyle discounts available through our staff Fetch benefits platform.
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Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave to support you and your family.
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15% discount on PDSA Pet Insurance plus access to staff veterinary services.
To apply for this role, click Apply Now at the top of the page, create a candidate account and complete our simple application form.
PDSA is committed to embedding a culture of diversity and inclusion within our teams that reflect the communities we serve. We aim to create a working environment in which all individuals are able to make best use of their skills, free from discrimination or harassment, and in which all decisions are based on merit. We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies and opportunities for flexible working arrangements to support team members from different backgrounds.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding accessibility, please contact us and we will be happy to discuss via email or telephone reasonable adjustments that you may require throughout the recruitment process.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, adults at risk and all our colleagues and expect everyone who works for us to also share this commitment and to treat people with courtesy and respect.
To support this commitment, our recruitment & selection processes are robust and rigorous. All appointments will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate background checks.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
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.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Monitoring and developing our Covid-19 Inquiry Recommendations Tracker, you will be an essential conduit for influencing policy and campaigns, part of a small but highly effective team.
Job description
- Take overall responsibility for the Inquiry Recommendations Tracker, including its development, structure, accuracy and upkeep.
- Ensure the tracker is kept fully up to date, with progress on each recommendation accurately recorded and supported by relevant evidence.
- Monitor developments relating to Inquiry recommendations, including government responses, implementation activity and public statements, and provide colleagues with clear analysis to inform campaigning and parliamentary engagement.
- Gather and assess information from a range of sources to inform the tracker, including official publications, parliamentary material, stakeholder engagement and direct correspondence.
- Draft policy reports following module report publications, including analysis of recommendations and supplementary recommendations where appropriate, and provide briefing material to support campaign and parliamentary activity.
- Engage with members to ensure their feedback and lived experience inform reports, supplementary recommendations and the Recommendations Tracker.
- Work with colleagues to ensure policy outputs support wider campaigning, parliamentary engagement and communications activity.
- Help identify gaps, weaknesses or areas of concern in implementation, and support the development of evidence-based proposals for further action.
- Maintain clear internal records and documentation relating to recommendations, progress updates and evidence gathered.
- Contribute to team meetings, planning discussions and wider organisational work as required.
- Undertake other duties reasonably consistent with the role, recognising that this is a small team and flexibility is important.
Person specification
Essential
- Experience of policy research, policy analysis, public affairs, or related work.
- Strong drafting skills, with the ability to write clearly, accurately and persuasively for different audiences.
- Excellent attention to detail and the ability to manage complex information carefully and systematically.
- Experience of maintaining records, trackers or monitoring systems to a high standard.
- Ability to analyse complex material and present it in a way that is accessible and useful.
- Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and work to deadlines.
- Confidence in engaging professionally with external stakeholders, including parliamentarians, officials or partner organisations.
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a small team.
- Commitment to working in a member-led way and ensuring lived experience informs policy work.
- Personal belief in and support for the aims of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK
Desirable
- Experience of working in Parliament, government, the charity sector, campaigning, or a policy-focused organisation.
- Experience of producing briefings, reports or recommendations for senior stakeholders.
- Experience of engaging with members or people with lived experience in shaping policy or campaigns.
- Familiarity with spreadsheet-based trackers or similar monitoring tools.
- Knowledge of public inquiries, accountability processes, or pandemic preparedness policy.
Covid-19 has affected us all, but some communities were disproportionately impacted, including Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities and disabled people, so we particularly welcome and encourage applications from candidates from those backgrounds.
Please submit your CV and a covering letter explaining how you meet the essential criteria for this role.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.