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

If you want to make a difference and improve the lives of everyone in the country, the Equality and Human Rights Commission needs to hear from you.

The work we do affects everyone and is about making Britain fairer. Whether that's fighting for better rights for disabled people, progress on race or gender equality, or ending discrimination at work, we are the leading voice that makes change happen.

Working in the Commission’s Scotland team and closely with other communications colleagues, the Communications and Stakeholder Manager will play a unique role in sharing our key messages to Scottish audiences and reaching out and listening to stakeholders views. A key challenge for the post holder is to communicate the Commissions complex role and the interplay of reserved and devolved powers.

You will build relationships with the media and stakeholders to ensure the Commission is at the forefront of critical debates.

In an average week you could be working on a campaign; writing a press release with Scottish colleagues on an important case that we have just won; liaising with our Publications Team to finalise a new report; supporting the Scotland Commissioner at an external stakeholder meeting or writing reports for our management, Scotland Committee or Board on the progress of our work.

In return, we can offer you a great place and a dedicated team working with you on subjects that really matter to people. We will support you in developing professional skills and expertise, encourage you to seek out opportunities and provide opportunities for you to broaden your horizons, develop new skills, and progress your career.

Key Responsibilities

We are recruiting for a Senior Associate: Scotland, to join the Scotland team leading our external communications work. Reporting to the Head of Scotland, you will:

• Perform a key role in maximizing the communication and impact of EHRC’s policy and legal work in Scotland through delivering of press and social media engagement and briefings for senior staff and Commissioners. 

• Play a key role in the communications team to ensure Scotland issues are incorporated into our wider communications work and media work is adapted for the Scottish context.

• Maintain and develop relationships with some of our key stakeholders.

• Support the Scotland Commissioner and Committee and Scotland staff in engagement with stakeholders

• Deliver on a number of key projects and activities within the annual business plan

  What we are looking for

The role will be varied, so you will need:

• To analytically examine information and evidence, identify key points and assess current media trends and use it to develop media plans, press releases, briefings for senior staff and Commissioners. 

• To concisely, clearly and persuasively explain information appropriately for different media and stakeholder audiences

• To deliver under pressure often with short time scales.

• An awareness of the broader context and strategic environment in which the Commission works in Scotland and across Britain with a working knowledge of the devolution settlement

• Flexibility to work with a range of different internal teams including the Scotland and wider Communications Directorates. 

 You will be assessed against our core skills (Leadership, Delivery Management and Stakeholder Engagement) and the knowledge, skills and experience required for the role in the application form. Please provide evidence and examples from your work history or other aspects of your life to demonstrate how you meet the criteria required. Full criteria details can be found in the candidate pack.

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.