Senior Advocacy and Public Affairs Manager

Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) is the National Development Body for Scotland’s museums and galleries. We support a sector of 449 museums and galleries, through strategic investment, workforce development, advice and advocacy.  We are a forward facing and inclusive organisation, committed to the ongoing development of a positive culture for our team.

We are seeking an experienced professional to lead our work to clearly communicate the positive value and impact of the museums and galleries sector. You will do this by developing and leading advocacy campaigns and activity that make a strong case for Scotland’s museums and galleries sector to influence a range of audiences and stakeholders including Government Officials, Government Ministers, MSPs, relevant Committees, relevant funders and other key organisations and influencers.

Politically astute, the Senior Advocacy and Public Affairs Manager possesses strong communication and influencing skills, using information, research and data to build a political and public case for the sector and inform evidence-based advocacy messaging and activity.

Being able to navigate and effectively communicate complex issues that implicate the wider culture and heritage sector in Scotland will be essential. This is especially vital as parts of our sector face profound budget challenges, many navigating rising operational costs and workforce pressures while also striving to adapt to ensure relevance to communities and users. As national development body, MGS needs to advocate clearly and effectively on their behalf.

This role offers an enriching opportunity to be creative and proactive in developing our organisational voice to highlight pressures on, and make a strong case for, Scotland’s museums and galleries.

The successful candidate will manifest MGS’s core values: collaboration, integrity, passion for museums, and courageousness.

Closing date: Monday 13 May 2024 @ 9am

Interviews (online) are due to be held week commencing 27 May 2024

We have a hybrid working approach and are happy to talk flexible working.We believe that our work will be stronger with greater diversity. MGS welcomes applications from all sections of the community and is an equal opportunities employer. We are a Disability Confident Employer and hold Living Wage and Gold Investors in People accreditation. MGS is striving to be an anti-racist organisation and more information on our commitment to this is on our website. Our commitment to climate action can also be found on our website.

To apply:

• Please complete the application form below.
• Then submit your form via our online system.

Applications close Monday 13 May 2024 @ 9am

Please use our application form, CVs will not be accepted. If our application form makes it difficult for you to apply and demonstrate your skills effectively, we would be happy to accept a video, audio or alternative application format. Please refer to the guidance on alternative application format to ensure your application will cover all the required information. If you would like to discuss an application in an alternative format, please contact us on the email below or call 0131 550 4197.

If you have any queries please email hr@museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk, including the name of the post in the subject box.

Please note that interviews for this post are planned to take place online, in the week commencing 27 May 2024. The format of the interview will be a task or presentation which we will send information about in advance (if relevant to the role) and a series of competency based questions.