Impactful research. Expert communication. Panoramic vision.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS ASSISTANT (DEVOLVED NATIONS)
Salary: £25,000 - £28,000 per annum
Reports to: Public Affairs Manager (Scotland)
Department: Policy, Information and Communications
Location: Edinburgh Office w/ high-flex (1 – 2 days per week in the office). We are open to discussing further options regarding flexibility for the successful candidate.
Employment type: Permanent
Working hours: 35 hours per week (we are open to Compressed Hours in this role)
External closing date: 10 June 2026, 23:55
Internal closing date: 14 June 2026, 23:55
How do I apply?
We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won’t be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to fully complete the application questions and work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly, and objectively.
If you require more time to apply as part of a reasonable adjustment, please contact recruitment@cancer.org.uk as soon as possible.
Recruitment process: 1 stage interview consisting of an interview task and role based competency interview.
Interview date: From 18 June 2026
Please note: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship.
At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.
We are professionals with purpose, beating cancer every day. But we need to go much further and much faster. That’s why we we’re looking for someone talented, someone who shares our vision, someone like you.
For CRUK it’s vital that we ensure cancer is high on the political agenda. As the largest independent cancer research organisation in the world, we are uniquely placed to work with politicians across the UK to keep cancer high on the political agenda.
We are looking for a Public Affairs Assistant to join our team in Scotland. You’ll assist in supporting Cancer Research UK’s public affairs activities across Scotland including party conference planning and delivery and briefing and liaising with politicians. Further to this, you’ll also support the secretariat of the Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group on Cancer and the delivery of its Scottish Cancer Conference.
What will I be doing?
- Logistical management of all aspects of the Scottish Cancer Conference, including administration of all bookings, raising invoices, communications with all attendees and venue
- Operating full secretariat service to Scottish Cancer Coalition, including, production and dissemination of all minutes, recording meeting and maintaining member databases
- Supporting the Public Affairs Officer in monitoring and collation of parliamentary intelligence through daily reviews of parliamentary business and MSP activities
- Supporting the Public Affairs Officer in briefing MSPs on key policy issues and relevant parliamentary activities
- Writing and sending regular internal updates on devolved activities and emerging priorities
- Providing support to public affairs activities across all devolved nations as may be required.
What skills are you looking for?
- Experience of coordinating events
- Good understanding of Scottish Government and Parliament
- Good political intuition
- Good abilities in research with experience of producing policy-based documents
- Ability to absorb information quickly
- Excellent administrative skills
- Excellent organisational skills with basic project management experience in terms of delivering multiple tasks to deadlines.
- Excellent verbal communication skills and confidence in discussing Cancer Research UK priorities with policy makers.
Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.
Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determination
Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism
Human: Act to have a positive impact on people
Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively
We’re looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer.
What will I gain?
We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools. Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals.
You can explore our benefits by visiting our careers web page.
Internal Eligibility criteria
Internal candidates should ideally have completed their 6-month ‘getting started’ period before applying for other roles. You should also advise your current line manager at the point you make an internal application, or at the latest, at the point of being invited for an interview.
All internal candidates applying for a secondment, must have:
- completed their getting started period
- discussed their intention to apply and gained approval to apply with their line manager
- been in their substantive (home) role for at least 6 months (this is only applicable if you have previously been on secondment)
If you do not confirm that you meet these requirements, we will not be able to progress your application.
Additional information
For more information about working with us please visit our website or contact us at recruitment@cancer.org.uk.
For more updates on our work and careers, follow us on: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.
There’s a place for everyone at Cancer Research UK. Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We're committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves and reach their full potential.
We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented, and believe that a diverse workforce will help us to beat cancer sooner.
If you’re interested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills and experience we’d still love to hear from you. We don’t expect everyone to meet all of the criteria listed.
We want to see every candidate performing at their best throughout the job application process, interview process and whilst at work. We therefore ask you to inform us of any concerns you have or any adjustments you might need to enable this to happen by emailing us at recruitment@cancer.org.uk.
Unfortunately, we are unable to recruit anyone below the age of 18, so that we can protect young people from health & safety and safeguarding risks.
