Policy and Research Officer for Joe Long MSP

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The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Salary: £32,498 per annum

Hours: 35 per week

Location: Scottish Parliament and Mid-Scotland and Fife (regional office in Lochgelly)

Fixed term appointment for 12 months initally

About the role

Reporting to the Head of Office, you will be a key member of the team of Joe Long MSP, supporting the parliamentary and policy-focused aspects of Joe’s work. Using strong research and writing skills, you will provide briefings and input into parliamentary speeches, questions and motions. You will deploy empathic communication skills to correspond with, meet, and engage a range of stakeholders in key policy areas as well as in the region of Mid-Scotland and Fife. Your work will support Joe’s role as spokesperson for community care and mental wellbeing as well as relevant committee and cross-party group work.

Responsibilities

Supporting Joe in everyday Parliamentary activities.

Analysing, evaluating and interpreting data and statistics for debates, committee work and cross-party group activities

Writing briefing papers and drafting material for debate speeches, parliamentary questions and motions.

Building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders in the regional constituency and in key policy areas.

Drafting correspondence and organising meetings with stakeholders, attending meetings when required to take a record of discussions

Communicating with parliamentary officials.

Representing the MSP in some meetings and forums as and when required.

Monitoring policy developments and keeping knowledge of these areas and local issues up to date.

Obtaining and compiling relevant research and documents from external bodies.

Collaborating with colleagues from different service areas across the Parliament.

Keeping track of key themes in constituency casework to inform parliamentary activities

Corresponding with constituents and local campaign groups on key policy issues where required.

Working collaboratively with the wider office team on the key workstreams and priorities of the MSP.

Collaborating with communications colleagues to engage the wider public with the work of the MSP through press releases etc.

Maintaining filing system and managing records in a way that ensures documents are retrievable and usable when required and are compliant with data protection legislation and GDPR requirements as directed by the Head of Office.

Support the progression of casework and respond to queries from members of the public.

Essential Requirements

Excellent written, verbal and IT skills with attention to detail.

Empathetic communication, with the ability to build and maintain relationships with a variety of stakeholders and parliamentary colleagues

A flexible and adaptable approach, being able to use good judgement and work on your own initiative.

Being well-organised with the ability to prioritise competing workloads

Desirable Knowledge and Experience

A good understanding of public policy

Experience in a fast-paced work environment, delivering high-quality work at speed.

Knowledge of the key policy areas of health, social care, mental health and the role of the third sector would be helpful (but not essential)

I am particularly interested in hearing from candidates whose backgrounds and career trajectories may be under-represented in politics.

For any questions about the role please contact joe.long.msp@parliament.scot

How to Apply:

To apply, please click “Apply Online” and upload your CV along with a supporting statement as a single document. Please note that the system does not allow you to upload your supporting statement separately.

Your supporting statement should outline how you meet the requirements detailed above for this role. Applications that do not include a supporting statement may not be considered.

Closing Date: 12th July 2026 at 11:59pm.

MSPs are employers in their own right. All MSP staff are required to be security vetted in line with HM Government (HMG) Personnel Security Controlsand any employment cannot begin until security clearance has been granted. MSPs will also carry out other pre-employment checks including eligibility to work in the UK, and employment references where applicable.