JOB DESCRIPTION AND PERSON SPECIFICATION /
Post: Living Wage Accreditation Officer
Salary: £27,033 + 6% Pension
Hours: 35 hours per week – fixed term until 31 March 2017 (with possible extension) / 162 Buchanan Street
Glasgow G1 2LL
T: 0141 353 0440
F: 0141 353 0686
REPORTING TO: The Living Wage Programme Manager
JOB PURPOSE:
To support the Scottish Living Wage Accreditation Initiative to achieve its aim of further increasing the number of employers in Scotland who are accredited as Living Wage Employers.
The Living Wage Accreditation Officer will play an important role in the ongoing delivery and success of this national initiative.
JOB BACKGROUND:
The Poverty Alliance acts as the national anti-poverty network in Scotland, with a growing membership amongst community and voluntary organisations, trade unions, faith groups, statutory bodies and others. We are financially supported to carry out this role by the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, the Big Lottery Fund and a variety of other local authorities and charitable trusts.
Set up in 1992, the Poverty Alliance has a long track record in working with individuals and communities facing poverty both to take action against poverty themselves as well as to have an influence over the solutions to poverty and social exclusion.
In 2014 the Poverty Alliance was provided with funding from the Scottish Government to establish the Scottish Living Wage Accreditation Initiative.
The intended outcomes of the Initiative are:
·  To increase the numbers of workers covered by Living Wage agreements by increasing the number of accredited employers in Scotland.
·  Improve the understanding of the role and function of the Living Wage amongst employers in Scotland, across all employment types and sectors.
·  Create a better understanding of the impact of the Living Wage on both staff and employers in Scotland.
Targets for the number of employers to be accredited in the next 12 months of the project have been developed.
The Living Wage Accreditation Officer will be responsible for engaging with a range of employers in Scotland, contributing to the development and updating of materials relevant to the projects aims (case studies, web materials, articles, promotional resources, etc).
This post is being created in the Poverty Alliance at a time of expansion in our Living Wage work. The Living Wage has been one of the most successful civil society campaigns in Scotland and the UK in recent years. Not only has it won cross party political support, and gained increased acceptance amongst employers, it has also delivered tangible benefits for thousands of workers. This new post is an exciting opportunity to provide a valuable contribution to this work.
The post of Living Wage Accreditation Officer will suit an individual who not only has excellent verbal and written communication skills and experience in engaging with employers, but also a strong commitment to the struggle for social justice and a desire to tackle in-work poverty.
The project will be based at the Poverty Alliance, the national anti-poverty network in Scotland. The Accreditation Officer will join a small staff team that work on a variety of social justice campaigns and activities. The project will be based at Poverty Alliance office at 162 Buchanan Street. Please note that these offices are currently inaccessible to those with severe mobility difficulties.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Main duties are to:
1.  To engage employers in Living Wage Employer accreditation.
2.  To efficiently manage and respond to enquiries from employers, Scottish Government officials and members of the public in relation to Living Wage Employer accreditation.
3.  To support the development of promotional resources and other materials.
4.  To develop and maintain relationships with Living Wage Employers.
5.  To further develop and maintain the scottishlivingwage.org website.
6.  Contribute to the development of employer case studies.
7.  To support and contribute to the preparation and delivery of reports, presentations and workshops on the Living Wage including taking part in the Poverty Alliance’s annual programme of seminars and policy forums.
8.  Contribute to the work of the staff team through attendance at staff meetings and other events
9.  To carry out other tasks and duties as required
PERSON SPECIFIATION
Essential Criteria
1.  The ability to communicate effectively and professionally with employers of various sizes and sectors across Scotland.
2.  Excellent persuasion and negotiation skills.
3.  The ability to understand and synthesize details and to articulate these in a simple and accessible way.
4.  Experience of updating websites, using a variety of social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and other web based applications in a professional context.
5.  Excellent networking skills and ability to use these skills to engage support for the Living Wage Accreditation Initiative.
6.  Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
7.  Excellent organizing and prioritisation skills.
8.  Able to work as part of a team and a commitment to the values of the Poverty Alliance.
9.  Educated to Degree level, or equivalent, in appropriate discipline e.g. Social Sciences.
10. Proficient in the use of IT, especially MS Office.
11. A level of flexibility as the role will require frequent travel outside of the office base in Glasgow.
Desirable Criteria
1.  Post Graduate Degree and/or relevant professional qualification
2.  An understanding of employer networks in Scotland.
3.  Knowledge of issues related to low pay, labour market inequality and policy responses to them in Scotland.
4.  Full driving license