Inclusive Ownership Policy Officer

Community Land Scotland is the national representative body for community landowners — a growing movement of people taking control of land, buildings and assets to shape their own futures. We bring together over 140 member organisations from across Scotland, from community-owned estates in the Highlands and Islands to urban community hubs, reflecting the diversity and strength of community ownership in practice. Together, we work to ensure community ownership plays a central role in creating a fairer, more sustainable Scotland.

Inclusive Ownership is a new five-year UK-wide partnership funded by The National Lottery Community Fund. The project brings together Community Land Scotland, CLES (Centre for Local Economies), The Ubele Initiative, Shared Assets, Coalfields Regeneration Trust and Cwmpas to support more communities to take ownership of land and buildings.

The project focuses on urban and post-industrial communities and aims to make community ownership more accessible, particularly for communities facing higher levels of deprivation and Black and Minoritised communities. Through direct community support, policy development, learning and partnership working, the project will help communities develop sustainable, income-generating assets and contribute to community wealth building and local economic resilience.

The Policy Officer will lead policy development, research and evidence gathering for the Inclusive Ownership project in Scotland.

Working closely with the Inclusive Ownership Manager, Community Land Scotland’s Policy and Advocacy Team and partners across the UK, the postholder will ensure that learning from community-led delivery informs policy development and wider system change.

The role will focus on identifying barriers to community ownership, gathering evidence from communities and delivery partners, developing policy proposals and engaging with policymakers and stakeholders. The Policy Officer will play an important role in ensuring that the experiences of communities are reflected in policy and practice relating to community ownership, community wealth building and local economic development.

The postholder will contribute to policy development in Scotland while supporting cross-nation learning and collaboration across the wider partnership. They will work to translate grassroots experience into meaningful policy change and help shape the future of community ownership across Scotland and the wider UK.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is passionate about community-led development, policy change and ensuring that the voices and experiences of communities help shape future approaches to ownership, regeneration and community wealth building.

• Policy development to increase community ownership of land and buildings and strengthen community wealth building across Scotland.
• Gather evidence and learning from communities and project delivery to inform policy and system change.
  Identify barriers to community ownership and develop practical policy solutions that support more inclusive ownership models.
• Work with communities, policymakers, public bodies and project partners to influence policy and practice.
• Contribute Scottish insight and evidence to a UK-wide partnership working across Scotland, Wales and England.
• Produce policy briefings, consultation responses, reports and research outputs on community ownership and local economic development.
• Support the development of new ownership and economic models that strengthen local economies and increase community control of assets.
• Work with Community Land Scotlands Policy and Advocacy Team to engage MSPs, MPs, civil servants and key stakeholders.
• Help ensure the experiences of communities facing higher levels of deprivation and Black and Minority communities are reflected in policy development.
• Represent Community Land Scotland and the Inclusive Ownership project at meetings, events and policy forums.

This job requires travel and attendance at various meetings, which may occur during evenings or weekends.

Essential Experience

• Experience of communicating with a wide range of audiences – including writing and public
  speaking.
• Experience of representing organisations in a public capacity.
• Experience of working in policy/advocacy.
• Experience of research and report writing.
• Experience of working with community organisations or the community sector.

Essential Personal Qualities

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to analyse complex information and produce clear outputs.
• Self-motivated and able to work remotely.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to work flexibly and under pressure.
• Cultural sensitivity and a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Able to promote a working culture in-line with Community Land Scotland’s values: Advocate, Bold, Creative, Inclusive, Trust and Resilience.

Desirable Experience

• Knowledge of Scottish policy and legislative processes.
• Experience engaging with government or public bodies.
• Understanding of community ownership or community wealth building.
• Understanding of post-industrial community contexts in Scotland.
• Experience of social media content creation.
• Understanding of Black and Minoritised community contexts in
  Scotland/UK.
• Experience of working in partnerships or multi-organisation projects.
• Experience of commissioning or managing research

Desirable Personal Qualities

• Interest in leadership and management.
• An understanding of how power is created and used in modern democracies and why who owns local land and key economic assets is important in these power relationships.
• An enthusiasm and understanding of the principles of community-led development.
• A full clean driving licence.