External Affairs Co-ordinator

Housing Associations Limited.; Glasgow; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

29 days annual leave

Training and development

Job summary

Scottish Federation of Housing Associations in Glasgow is recruiting an External Affairs Co-ordinator to work across policy and research, public affairs and communications, and events. You’ll gain a unique overview of the directorate’s work as an integrated external affairs function.

You’ll support member forums and ensure feedback informs policy and influencing work, while keeping deadlines visible across the three teams, especially during Programme for Government and the Scottish Budget

Qualifications

• Excellent written English. Turn existing material into clear agendas, notes and briefings.
• Ability to service meetings, capture notes and actions and follow through.
• Ability to summarise themes from discussions and survey responses.
• Ability to scan published sources and pick what's relevant to a brief.
• Meticulous attention to detail and careful data handling.
• Good organisation and deadline management across teams.

Responsibilities

• Support our programme of member forums and turn member input into themes for policy work.
• Turn member feedback from forums, surveys and events into clear themes for influencing work.
• Monitor Scottish Government and Parliament developments and flag items for the team.
• Keep the External Affairs grid up to date and track deadlines.
• Coordinate with policy leads, public affairs and events on major moments.
• Draft internal briefings drawing on outputs and policy material.
• Assist External Affairs Management Team and run occasional coordination projects.

Skills

Written English

Meeting coordination

Note taking

Theme extraction

Policy interest

Organisational skills

Tools

SharePoint

Salesforce

Online surveys

Job description

Scottish Federation of Housing Associations

£30,986 per annum

SFHA is the voice of Scotland's housing associations and co-operatives, which provide safe, warm and affordable homes for people across the country. We're now recruiting an External Affairs Co-ordinator to join our team.

This role works across policy and research, public affairs and communications, and events, giving you a unique overview of the directorate's work. You'll quickly build an understanding of how these areas work together as an integrated external affairs function, making it a good role for someone looking to build a career in any of them.

You’ll support our programme of member forums and networks, which are regular meetings with the housing associations and co-operatives we represent, making sure what members tell us informs our policy and influencing work. You’ll also help keep the directorate's work joined up, so that deadlines and priorities are visible across all three teams, including at key moments like the Programme for Government and the Scottish Budget.

You’ll report directly to the Director of External Affairs, a member of SFHA's executive team, with your priorities agreed by the External Affairs Management Team. You’ll work closely with the Policy Manager, Public Affairs Manager, Events Manager, policy leads and the CEO’s Executive Assistant, giving you regular contact with senior colleagues across the organisation.

What you’ll do

• Support our programme of member forums, one of SFHA's most important points of contact with members, from planning dates and agendas with policy leads through to following up actions
• Work with leads to turn what members tell us in forums, surveys and events into clear themes that shape our influencing and wider work
• Keep watch on Scottish Government and Parliament developments, flagging items for the team to consider
• Keep the External Affairs grid up to date, so everyone can see the directorate's key work and deadlines
• Help bring policy, public affairs and events together early on big moments like the Programme for Government and the Budget, keeping the timeline on track and tracking consultations
• Support our relationships with sector organisations, from setting up meetings to keeping stakeholder records accurate
• Draft internal briefings for review, drawing on forum outputs, events and existing policy material, working with policy leads and the events team
• Support the External Affairs Management Team, and take on occasional short coordination projects across policy, public affairs and events, normally one at a time

The role has no line management or budget responsibility.

What you’ll bring

• Excellent written English. You can take existing material and turn it into clear, accurate agendas, notes and briefings
• The ability to service meetings, capturing notes and actions and following them through to completion
• The ability to summarise: drawing out common themes from discussions and survey responses
• The ability to scan published sources and pick out what's relevant to an agreed brief
• Meticulous attention to detail and accurate record-keeping, including careful and confidential handling of personal data
• Good organisation. You can manage competing deadlines, keep shared trackers current and follow up with colleagues across teams
• A genuine interest in policy, public affairs, communications or events, and enthusiasm to learn

It would also help if you have experience of committee or forum support, knowledge of the housing sector or Scottish politics, confidence engaging with members at events, or experience with tools like SharePoint, online surveys or Salesforce. None of these are essential.

You don’t need a degree. If you’ve organised meetings, kept projects on track or juggled busy diaries in any setting, those skills are relevant here.

Benefits include:

• 29 days' annual leave plus 10 public holidays
• Training and development, with the chance to learn from colleagues across all three teams

Closing date for applications 10am, Friday 23 October 2026, with interviews scheduled for Tuesday 10th November 2026.

Workplace / location: Hybrid: Glasgow Office
35 hours per week