Common Ground Leadership Assistant

UE05: 29588 -33951 per annum pro rata

University Secretarys Group (USG)

Part Time: 9 hours per week

Fixed term: Monday 28^th September 2026 Friday 25^th June 2027

The Opportunity:

Your next step starts here. Be part of something bigger.

Make a meaningful impact. Here you can continue to make a difference in everything around you. Take on new challenges grow your career be recognised for your contributions and benefit from our commitment to your wellbeing. Be part of something bigger where your work has real impact and your development matters. There are so many reasons to take your next step with us.

The Common Ground leaders programme is a new selective co-curricular Edinburgh Award pilot programme designed to equip students with the practical skills experience and reflective capacity to lead in a context of growing social and political polarisation.

The programme responds to a defining challenge for universities and wider society: how to sustain shared civic life in the face of deepening division fragmentation and mistrust. It aims to give students meaningful opportunities to explore these challenges while developing their confidence and capacity to engage constructively across differences.

Common Ground will be built around experiential practice-based development. Rather than simply studying division students will engage with it directly applying their learning and leadership skills to real-world challenges. The pilot is also planned to involve partnership with high-profile public figures in Scotland bringing additional perspectives and experience to the programme.

As Programme Assistant you will provide the administrative and coordination support needed to help establish and deliver the programme successfully. You will also engage directly with participating students helping to create a well-organised supportive and positive experience throughout their involvement in Common Ground.

This is an opportunity to contribute to a new programme from an early stage working with colleagues and partners to help turn an ambitious concept into a high-quality experience for University of Edinburgh students.

As part of the University you are part of our community. We look for colleagues with diverse experiences with drive curiosity and a genuine passion for their work. We are a place where everyone is welcome and we offer a range of great policies and benefits designed to give you meaningful support inside and outside of work.

A career with us has a range of other benefits that can be tailored to your lifestyle:

• Opportunities to develop new skills and broaden your experience
• Responsibility and autonomy
• Contributing to the work and purpose of the University
• Variety every day

This post is part time (9 hours per week); however we are open to how these hours are worked within a week. We are also open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working.

View the full job description (opens in a new browser tab)

How to apply

Please ensure you include the following documents in your application:

• CV
• Cover Letter

For guidance on writing an effective application see theadditionalinformation section of the Job Description.

As a valued member of our team you can expect:

• A competitive salary.
• An exciting positive creative challenging and rewarding place to work.
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits including generous annual leave entitlement a defined benefits pension scheme a wide range of staff discounts family-friendly initiatives and flexible work options. Check out the full list on ourstaff benefits page(opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the value of your pay and benefits.

This role is part of the for PhDsProgramme. Theprogrammeoffers work experience designed to enhance your professional skills. It will also help widen your professional network and providean insightinto a different workplacedisciplineor industry.As an for PhDs intern you will also receive tailored developmental support from the Careers Service to help you make the most of your internship.

Championing equality diversity and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also a Stonewall Proud Employer actively promoting LGBTQ equality.

We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and particularly encourage applications from candidates widening participation (WP) backgrounds.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on ourright to work webpages(opens new browser tab). Please also note that you are only eligible for this opportunity if you are a current University of Edinburgh PhD student who will be based in the UK for the duration of the internship.

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 4 September 2026.

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm UK time. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.

Interviews will be held Monday 7^th October and/or Thursday 10^th October.

The University will employ full-time PGR students for no more than an average of 9 hours per week across the academic year (as per itspolicy) and you must make sure any employmentcomplies withany visa or funding conditions you may have.

Should you be successful you will require written confirmation from your academic supervisor that you can undertake the internship. We recommend that students discuss the internship with their supervisor as well as with their employer before applying.