Temporary role, covering a long-term absence, highly valued member of the Communications team.Leading on drafting and devising policy responses to consultations by Scottish Government and Scottish Sentencing Council to advocate for change on behalf of people affected by crime.Facilitating focus groups and engaging with staff, volunteers, stakeholders and people affected by crime, to build internal evidence base and inform external reports, policy responses and publications. Influencing and lobbying MSPs to act in line with the interests of people affected by crime.Writing briefings on a range of criminal justice topics for senior management and stakeholders.Horizon scanning to identify areas of focus and produce daily updates summarising complex data. Producing persuasive news articles for media outlets on criminal justice issues as part of campaign. Working effectively with colleagues across the organisation – from volunteers to the CEO.Collaborating effectively with partners and stakeholders e.g., Scottish Women’s Aid and VOCFS. Managing and maintaining the Scottish Parliament Lobbying Register in line with legal obligations.

A valuable member of the Corporate Planning and Performance Reporting team responsible for producing corporate strategy documents including Strategic Plan, Climate Change Strategy and multiple Annual Reviews. Responsible for managing the internal policy process including review cycles, providing updates to senior management and working with teams to review policies. Improved process by deploying a risk-based approach to policy management. Responsible for coordinating a cross-service team to produce a monthly, one page, policy briefing for directors of key publications. Work with Corporate Affairs to produce summaries of government committee meetings. Contribute to business planning by supporting teams to develop work plans and work with Head of Service to update departmental work plan.

Working as part of the Skills Planning and Sector Development directorate to support Skills Planning Policy Managers and Skills Planning Executives in internal and external project management. Conducting research (qualitative and quantitative) and report writing across key sectors, regions, and thematic challenges. This includes; desk research, literature reviews, using Burning Glass software, conducting interviews, managing focus groups as well as data analysis and interpretation. Regularly develop slide packs and confidently deliver presentations to a range of audiences.Facilitating the directorate's governance process by ensuring the six weekly programme board works effectively to allow work to be progressed. Won a Everyday Leadership Award for improving how programme board operates; by taking initiative to create slide templates that ensured consistency, reduced preparation time and focused discussions. Templates were fit for a range of needs and created over 30 slides in line with SDS corporate communications standards and accessibility guidelines. Took the opportunity to plan and deliver a training workshop to help upskill colleagues across the directorate. The templates are still being used regularly for Programme Board as well as other internal and external presentations which is very rewarding. Highly commended by senior colleagues across the organisation for this work and commitment to continuous improvement.Served as a Green Champion for the Skills Planning and Sector Development directorate.

Providing above and beyond customer service in the Mitchell Library. Fast-paced, fun, and professional environment. During the Aye Write Festival Family Day I personally served over 500 customers.

At PGL I developed a range of key skills including: problem-solving, time management, conflict resolution, adapting to changing situations, and quickly establishing good working relationships with people of all ages. I learned how to develop lesson plans that allowed guests to effectively meet their learning objectives in a fun outdoor setting. Sessions were always tailored to the age, physical and language ability of the guests. PGL allowed me to work with people of all nationalities, with varying levels of English. I learned to communicate effectively with guests who had English as a second language in addition to aiding them to improve their language skills – as was the aim of the holiday. I was highly commended for my work by my manager, colleagues and guests alike.

The job was both challenging and fun; no two events were the same. My role was to host and manage events for young children and their families. I had to be able to think on my feet and adapt to changing circumstances. I learned to quickly establish good relationships with the children and their parents to make sure the event ran smoothly. Essential skills included: time management, event planning, adapting to unforeseen circumstances, conflict resolution and maintaining a cheerful disposition.

This position gave me the opportunity to further improve my customer service and team working skills and to keep up-to-date with the latest food hygiene codes.

I was a temporary member of the Cordia catering team at Glasgow City Chambers. I worked at numerous high-profile Commonwealth Games-related functions and receptions to provide a professional catering service for Games athletes, dignitaries and politicians. In this time, I received on-the-job training in food hygiene, bar training and room dressing. I was offered a full-time position but declined because I was moving to Aberdeen for University.