Advocacy Lead

5 days (35 hours) a week
£35,000, initial 1 year contract but could be extended subject to funding
Home-based in Scotland with access to Central Belt meetings required.

About the role

This new role would suit someone who is naturally very well-organised, able to build strong relationships and garner support, enjoys working with lots of partners, has experience of Scottish politics, and is committed to climate action and justice. Amidst the self-evident climate emergency it is vital that we re-establish the priority of climate action amongst the public, with politicians and decision makers, and win wide support for urgent change and leadership.

You’ll lead on our engagement with stakeholders, MSPs, government officials and party staff and work to build support through sympathetic groups such as unions and the faith community, in order to help to mobilise our supporters and grow the strong public support for action. You’ll be part of the small SCCS secretariat team that provides support to our diverse members and works with them to plan and deliver advocacy and campaigns activities, so you’ll need to be a great communicator, enthusiastic, proactive and willing to be flexible.

With Scottish elections taking place in 2026, this is an important time to be influencing climate policy. This role will play an essential part in helping the Scottish climate movement navigate the new political context, boost our impact and win deeper support for urgency and action.

About SCCS

Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS) is Scotland’s climate coalition, bringing together over 70 civil society organisations campaigning together on climate change.

Our membership is diverse and includes national and community organisations working on:

• Climate action justice
• Environment and nature
• Gender and social justice
• Faith and belief
• International development
• Worker and human rights
• Health and inequality

Together, we represent hundreds of thousands of people across Scotland and stand in solidarity with communities most affected by climate impacts around the world. We collaborate with our members to build strong public support for faster climate action. We use this support to influence decision-makers to put in place fair, effective policies to reduce emissions and benefits for everyone.

Key tasks

• Designing an advocacy strategy with our members and leading on the delivery of this, with activities likely to include producing briefings, meeting with MSPs and officials, giving evidence to committees attending party conferences and responding to consultations, amongst other ways identified in work plans to influence politicians.
• Building and deepening relationships with MSPs, officials and party staff, building support for SCCS’s policy priorities.
• Attending and organising stakeholder gatherings to recruit more diverse members and build support from unions, the faith community and sympathetic organisations to deliver a more unified, consistent and powerful political voice for urgent climate action which, in turn, will help influence the politicians that rely on these key stakeholders for votes and funding.
• Ensuring political influencing is connected with media work, mobilising supporters and wider stakeholders, and running public campaigns to build and maintain the public support for action.
• Day to day monitoring and analysis of the Scottish Parliament, identifying opportunities and sharing information with members.
• Working with UK organisations on relevant Westminster/reserved matters that affect Scotland, and with TCC, our sister UK coalition, to develop their Local Intelligence Hub so that it becomes a platform Scottish campaigners can use to track advocacy and impact.
• Supporting members – especially smaller organisations – with their advocacy, offering advice and support when needed.

Personal specification

Knowledge, experience and skills

Essential

• A proven track record in a similar or related role, which included influencing parliamentary processes, policy and campaigning, or won support with diverse stakeholders;
• Ability to work collaboratively across the political spectrum and with multiple partners to build and maintain strong relationships;
• A strong understanding of Scotland’s political landscape;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, suitable for different audiences and purposes;
• Excellent IT skills;
• Able to work flexibly and identify and act on opportunities for continually improving ways of working;
• The ability to work effectively in a small team;
• Able to prioritise and organise a busy workload;
• Demonstrable commitment to action on climate change and climate justice.

Desirable

• Experience facilitating meetings and organising events;
• Experience of working with the media.

Qualifications

No specific qualifications are required for the role: the knowledge, skills and experience of the successful candidate will be more important than formal academic qualifications.

Terms and conditions

• Salary: £35,000
• Hours: 5 days a week (35 hours). The post holder may need to work the occasional evening or weekend, for which time off in lieu will be granted. Overtime will not be paid.
• Location: Primarily from home, with occasional office working in central Edinburgh.
• Other travel may be required to meetings, most often in the Scottish Parliament, Scottish Government offices and other locations in the central belt, but occasionally in other parts of Scotland or the UK (for which travel expenses will be paid).
• Line manager: Stop Climate Chaos Scotland Coalition Manager
• Holiday: 28 days annual leave plus 11 days statutory holidays.
• Pension: Stop Climate Chaos Scotland operates a pension plan with NEST and our pension benefits exceed the statutory minimum.
• We can only employ candidates with the right to work in the UK.

Equality and diversity

SCCS is committed to working in a way in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To help us achieve our vision of climate justice for all, we need more diverse people involved. People of colour, working class and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sector, so we are particularly interested in receiving your application. Please contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application.

Application deadline: Monday 4th May 2026