Public Affairs Co-ordinator

Scottish Federation of Housing Associations; Scotland; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

29 days annual leave

hybrid working

training & development

Job summary

SFHA is seeking a Public Affairs Co-ordinator to join our External Affairs team on a fixed-term contract until 30 June 2027. You will monitor political developments, support relationships with MSPs and MPs, and help turn policy work into accessible briefings and parliamentary material.

You’ll work with colleagues across policy, public affairs, communications and events to connect political engagement with policy and external communications, while maintaining up-to-date stakeholder records.

Qualifications

• Writes and communicates clearly and accurately.
• Can turn existing information into concise briefings, notes and other content.
• Can summarise information and identify what matters for a political audience.
• Can scan published information and pick out what's relevant.
• Has excellent attention to detail and can maintain accurate records.
• Is comfortable handling information carefully and confidentially.
• Is organised and able to manage competing deadlines.
• Works well with colleagues across different teams.

Responsibilities

• Keep on top of what's happening politically, monitoring the Scottish Parliament, Scottish Government and relevant Westminster activity and flagging opportunities for SFHA to engage.
• Support relationships with MSPs and MPs, helping arrange meetings and keeping engagement records up to date.
• Turn policy work into political briefings and accessible materials for parliamentary debates and inquiries.
• Support parliamentary work, including Cross Party Group involvement.
• Organise political events and engagement, including parliamentary events and conferences.
• Support work around major political moments, including elections and parliamentary set pieces.
• Collaborate with External Affairs to connect political engagement with policy, communications and events.
• Maintain External Affairs grid and stakeholder information to show upcoming priorities and opportunities.

Skills

Written communication

Briefing writing

Policy awareness

Attention to detail

Record keeping

Confidential handling

Organisation

Stakeholder liaison

Interest in politics

Tools

MS Office

Job description

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 looking for a Public Affairs Co-ordinator to join our External Affairs team on a fixed-term contract until 30 June 2027.This is a great opportunity for someone who wants to build their experience in politics and public affairs while working on some of the biggest issues facing social housing in Scotland.You'll support our engagement with the Scottish Parliament and UK Parliament, helping us build relationships with MSPs, MPs and their staff, keep on top of political developments and make sure SFHA's policy messages reach the right people at the right time.You'll work closely with colleagues across policy, public affairs, communications and events. That means you'll see how research and policy positions are turned into political engagement, briefings, events and external communications.

What you'll do

• Keep on top of what's happening politically, monitoring the Scottish Parliament, Scottish Government and relevant Westminster activity and flagging opportunities for SFHA to engage.
• Support our relationships with MSPs and MPs, helping arrange meetings and making sure our engagement and stakeholder records are kept up to date.
• Help turn our policy work into political briefings, using existing SFHA evidence and positions to produce clear, accessible material for parliamentary debates, committee inquiries and other opportunities.
• Support our parliamentary work, including our involvement with the Cross Party Group on Housing and other relevant groups.
• Help organise political events and engagement, including parliamentary events, receptions and our activity around Scottish and UK political party conferences.
• Support our work around major political moments, including elections and key parliamentary set pieces.
• Work with colleagues across External Affairs, helping connect our political engagement with policy, communications and events.
• Help keep our External Affairs grid and stakeholder information current, so the team has a clear picture of upcoming priorities and opportunities.

The role has no line management or budget responsibility.

What you’ll bring

• writes and communicates clearly and accurately
• can take existing information and turn it into concise briefings, notes and other content
• can summarise information and identify what matters for a political audience
• can scan published information and pick out what's relevant
• has excellent attention to detail and can maintain accurate records
• is comfortable handling information carefully and confidentially
• is organised and able to manage competing deadlines
• works well with colleagues across different teams
• is comfortable using Microsoft Office
• has a genuine interest in politics, public affairs and public policy, and is keen to learn and develop.

You don't need to arrive knowing everything about housing or Parliament. Experience can come from lots of places. If you've followed politics closely, written or researched issues, organised meetings or events, worked with stakeholders, volunteered on campaigns or community projects, or kept busy projects on track, we'd be interested in hearing how those skills could transfer to this role.

Why join SFHA?

You'll be joining at an interesting time for housing and politics, with the chance to see first-hand how a national membership organisation makes the case for social housing to politicians and policymakers.You'll work alongside experienced colleagues across policy, public affairs, communications and events, with opportunities to develop your knowledge and practical public affairs skills.

Benefits include:

• 29 days' annual leave plus 10 public holidays
• hybrid working
• training and development

Contract

This is a fixed-term, full-time post until 30 June 2027.