An exciting opportunity has arisen within the busy Scottish Parliamentary office of Liam McArthur MSP for the position of Media Officer and Parliamentary Researcher. The post is to support the MSP in his parliamentary role, currently as spokesperson for justice and energy, and in his work representing his Orkney constituency.

The successful candidate will be a self-motivated and a creative team player with a keen, politically astute eye. Key duties will include all aspects of parliamentary research, such as preparing briefing material for meetings, debates and conferences, generating parliamentary questions, FOI requests and drafting letters. The successful candidate will also be responsible for creating proactive news stories, maintaining Mr McArthur’s media presence and leading on campaigns on issues of importance to people in Orkney.

Please note that working in a small team may mean that there will be occasional ad hoc duties and the successful candidate will be flexible in accommodating changing or additional duties with a ‘can do’ attitude. The successful candidate will likely already have some experience in a political environment, or equivalent, and will be sympathetic to the fundamental aims of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

While the successful candidate will be based at the Scottish Parliament, they may be required to spend time in the constituency offices in Orkney, particularly during parliamentary recesses. Some weekend work, evening work or irregular hours may be required, for which time off in lieu will be given.

Person Specification:

• Must have good political knowledge and awareness from a Scottish and UK perspective
• Must be media aware
• Must be able to be proactive on key issues and generate new ideas
• Must be able to work under pressure and to regular deadlines
• Experience of operating political campaigns
• Experience of working with a broad range of people
• Experience of delivering research support material
• Experience of applying analytical skills including the ability to summarise a wide range of views and be able to identify quickly key issues from a range of sources
• Good communication skills
• Good organisational skills

More information can be found here: http://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/mediaparliamentary_researcher_liam_mcarthur