About us

We are the Equality and Human Rights Commission. We are Great Britain’s national equality body and a United Nations accredited National Human Rights Institution. We were established by the Equality Act 2006 and our role is to protect and promote equality and human rights across England, Scotland and Wales. As a statutory non-departmental public body, we are funded by HM Treasury via the Cabinet Office, but we operate independently of governments.

We pride ourselves on being a flexible and inclusive employer. We celebrate difference, embrace diversity and support all our people to thrive at work. If this sounds interesting - apply to join us!

Our Vacancy

At the start of a new parliamentary session, the Commission’s Scotland policy team are working to make sure that equality and human rights are at the heart of Scotland’s social and economic recovery from the pandemic. Engaging directly with government, parliamentary and civil society stakeholders, we will develop and build support for our policy positions – which ultimately will be about creating positive change for people and communities and a fairer, more equal Scotland. We work across all aspects of the Commission’s strategic and business plans, meaning that the work is varied and often fast-paced – but in a flexible and supportive environment. If you’re interested in helping create that positive change, this may be the role for you.

Key Responsibilities

We are recruiting for a Senior Associate – Policy, Scotland to join the team. Reporting to the Principal – Policy, Scotland, you will have:

• Develop and build support for policy positions that seek to advance equality and human rights across Scotland

• Contribute to, and sometimes lead, projects that are both specific to Scotland and across Great Britain

• Work with colleagues from all over the Commission to ensure that our work is relevant, effective and rigorous, and has the impact we want to see

• ·Represent the Commission and promote its policy positions to government, parliamentary and civil society stakeholders.

What we are looking for

The role will be varied, and will respond to the policy and operating contexts in Scotland and Great Britain, so you will need:

• To be able to analyse complex problems across a wide range of issues and sectors, develop relevant positions and solutions to these problems, and explain these clearly and engagingly in different ways to varied audiences

• An understanding of equality and/or human rights legislation and policy and how this operates in the Scottish context

• An awareness of the political and policy context, the wider environment and the potential risks and opportunities in which the Commission operates

• Experience of designing, developing and delivering projects to promote and progress equality and human rights across key sectors in the delivery of the business plan

• Experience of working with, and successfully influencing, government and parliamentary stakeholders, ideally in the Scottish context

• Experience of engaging and maintaining excellent relationships with a wider range of stakeholders

Benefits

In addition to a competitive salary, we offer a range of benefits including flexible working patterns, 30 days annual leave plus 8 bank holidays (full time FTE), access to the Civil Service Pension Scheme and partnership pension schemes, and enhanced parental leave benefits. More information can be found in the candidate pack.

How to apply

If this sounds like the role for you, please review the attached Candidate Pack for more information and submit your application today!

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is an accredited Disability Confident Leader and operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) for candidates with a disability.

Should you wish to apply under our Guaranteed Interview Scheme or request a reasonable adjustment, please indicate this in your application.  

If you require an alternative accessible version of the application form or wish to discuss your application or reasonable adjustment  – please contact us by email at recruitment@equalityhumanrights.com or by telephone on 0161 829 8100.

Diversity in our workforce

At the Commission, we are proud of our inclusive workplace where we celebrate difference, value everyone’s contribution and where people of all backgrounds can thrive.  We do not accept discrimination or harassment, and all our recruitment decisions are based on fair and open competition, with appointment on merit. We are committed to further growing our workplace by making sure that the talent pipelines for our most senior roles are as diverse and inclusive as they can be. We welcome applications from everyone and encourage disabled people and people from an ethnic minority background to apply. This is to ensure we are taking positive action in order to achieve our legitimate aim of a balanced representation in our workforce at senior grades.