Are you passionate about empowering communities who are most affected by the climate crisis but whose voices are least often heard to take action? We support communities most affected by air pollution, increasing temperatures in the Global South and the transition away from fossil fuels to ask for systems change through community organising techniques. Do you understand the theory of Community Organising and have you had experience of educating, skilling up and supporting communities to campaign for change? If so we’d love to hear from you!

We are particularly keen to hear from people who experience marginalisation and minoritisation or who are often excluded from decision-making processes. For example, people of colour; people from working-class backgrounds; people from LGBTQ and migrant communities; care-experienced young people and people with disabilities.

Background

Parents for Future Scotland is a grassroots group of parents seeking to make climate action the norm among all parents in Scotland. We are in the midst of a big step change, increasing our influence and reach across the country, and we need you to help us in doing that. This post is based in Glasgow and will operate mainly in Glasgow and Edinburgh. It is open to anyone who can commute.

We run programmes in schools and in partnership with other charities to reach communities who are most affected by climate change and to support them to take local action. This work is delivered by our programme team. This role will build on the programme work taking place by joining people up, on-boarding them into our movement and skilling them up to mobilise and campaign. Through this process we hope to create local groups within our movement who are skilled and able to take action on climate change to realise our vision of a climate-safe future for every child and our goal of a just transition away from fossil fuels in Scotland.

We operate in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh. We have a Community Organiser in Aberdeen, therefore this role will support the growth of volunteers and movement members in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

It will require availability at weekends and in evenings.

The role:

Develop existing movement members to become an inter-connected, powerful movement of skilled individuals supporting each other

• Refine the on-boarding process and look at the viability of it becoming volunteer-run and/or having a buddy system for new members.
• Create materials on how movement members gather other families in their locale in order to create a local group and pilot this.
• Support the Parents For Future Scotland team to utilise volunteers within their roles in order to improve capacity and increase buy-in within the movement.
• Posting on our WhatsApp channel regularly to our members to create discussion about current events relating to climate or intersectional topics which provoke discussion around members’ thoughts/feelings which may lead to people taking action and create an atmosphere of community.
• Host at least 2 events in the year which support members to meet in-person and get to know each other. Look at whether these events could be organised more regularly through volunteers.
• Post regularly on socials and implement a newsletter for members.
• Keep our membership database up-to-date in line with GDPR alongside the Admin Manager.
• Alongside the Fundraiser, Programme Manager and CEO, feed into the implementation of a new CRM system which will track movement members’ journeys.

Broadening participation within the movement space, centering the voices of those least often heard

• Work closely with our Programme Manager to center the voices of Global Majority communities within the movement.
• Working with the Air Pollution team in Glasgow to set up community events in 5 communities where we have been successful in establishing bike and walking buses. Events will invite participants in these schemes, plus the surrounding community, to identify what concerns them regarding climate and support them to create a group to take action.
• Building the skills/capacity of groups formed; supporting power mapping, delivering training to skill-up key community members to take effective action and build and grow power.
• Maintaining fantastic relationships with groups and keeping them informed of PfFS’ actions / asking for support from them at key times.
• Deliver our workshop training to new self-employed staff team members

Developing and implementing our new campaign on retrofit and community energy

• Implement an action plan for our new campaign which will work effectively with partners, mobilise our movement and challenge decision makers.
• Work with the Programme Manager and the rest of the team to ensure that our campaign messaging/actions are being publicised within our Air Pollution and Climate Voices programmes.

Essential experience

• You will have had a substantial career building communities’ capacities and centering voices of those least often heard
• You will have a good understanding on the intersectionality of the systems that perpetuate climate change and an understanding of the changes needed to tackle this
• You will have a proven track record of creating trusting relationships that result in transformational and change
• You will have had experience of identifying skills-gaps and creating training which bridges these gaps which effectively inspire the confidence and abilities of trainees.
• You will have proven experience of creating strategy and tactics which add value to the organisations in which you have worked.
• It would be desirable if you have worked in an organisation which campaigns.
• It would be desirable if you have a qualification in or have received training in community organising techniques.

Essential personal attributes

• Passion, drive and enthusiasm in our ability to tackle the climate crisis through system change and an understanding of what this might require.
• Excellent collaborative skills and good emotional intelligence. You will be required to work collaboratively across the team, therefore insight into how teams work, their pressures and how to get the best out of everyone is essential. You will also need to build trusting, motivating and inspiring relationships with movement members and have excellent collaboration with partners.
• Flexibility to work in a changing landscape in a small charity.
• Strategy - to bring ideas and creativity and to understand how these fit within the wider strategic goals of PfFS
• An ability to take instruction and to work independently/take self-responsibility

What we offer

• 3 days per week for 46 weeks at £200 per day at £27,600 for the year. We are hoping to move to a staffing model within two years, therefore the likelihood of extension for the successful candidate is very high.
• We offer a flexible working environment
• Working from home (we are in the process of finding an office in the next few months. Due to the role working so closely with colleagues we would recommend that this role spend time at the Glasgow office once established)
• We are a fledgling organisation so your skills/expertise will help shape our direction
• You will work closely with the CEO, who will support you throughout
• The role will entail travelling across the Central Belt. The bulk of work will take place in Glasgow therefore being able to travel to Glasgow regularly is essential.

Are you experienced in building community power and supporting communities to get active through walking and cycling schemes?

Are you passionate about tackling air pollution, supporting families to choose active travel, and raising the voices of communities most affected by climate change but least often heard? If so, we would love to hear from you!

We are particularly keen to hear from people who experience marginalisation and minoritisation or who are often excluded from decision-making processes. For example, people of colour; people from working-class backgrounds; people from LGBTQ+ and migrant communities; care-experienced young people and people with disabilities.

About us

Parents for Future Scotland began as a grassroots group of parents seeking to make climate action the norm among all parents in Scotland. We became a registered charity in 2024 and are now a small, self-employed team with a growing network of activists.

We seek to make climate action the norm among all parents in Scotland. We are growing our influence and reach across the country, supporting parents and communities to take action on climate change and work towards a climate-safe future for every child.

About the role

We are looking for an enthusiastic, community-focused Coordinator to support schools and families across Edinburgh to improve air quality and increase walking, wheeling and cycling to school.

Working with schools, parents, community partners and the Air Pollution Manager, you will help establish and develop walking buses, bike buses and other active travel initiatives. You will support parents and community members to develop the skills and confidence to lead their own initiatives, helping create lasting change within school communities.

This is a hands-on role involving relationship-building, community organising, volunteer development, training and practical support for active travel schemes and air pollution workshops. You will also help schools develop sustainable approaches to active travel, encourage peer-to-peer learning and contribute to the wider aims of Parents for Future Scotland.

Key responsibilities

• Set clear expectations with schools about their commitments and what they need to deliver to participate in the clean air project.
• Establish strong relationships with key school staff and maintain regular contact to support project delivery and promotion.
• Support the establishment and development of walking buses and bike buses across participating schools.
• Assist with route planning, risk assessments and volunteer coordination.
• Attend and support bike and walking buses on the mornings they operate until they are fully established and self-sustaining.
• Promote safe cycling practices and active travel behaviours within school communities.
• Identify potential community “leads” who can galvanise groups and take ownership of walking and bike buses. Build relationships with these individuals and identify development opportunities alongside the Air Pollution Manager.
• Run training sessions for parents on topics such as starting a walking or bike bus, facilitating an air pollution workshop and developing community organising skills.
• Build a pool of volunteers able to deliver air pollution workshops in schools by training volunteers in workshop facilitation and workshop content, and arranging sessions with participating schools.
• Support the delivery of parent-to-parent air pollution workshops within schools.
• Promote Parents for Future Scotland among parents and support community members to become involved in the organisation.
• Facilitate peer-to-peer support and knowledge-sharing between schemes across different schools.
• Work closely with the Air Pollution Manager to develop and implement an effective project strategy.
• Liaise with cycling organisations, local authorities and community partners.
• Collect monitoring and evaluation data throughout the project.
• Post regularly on our social media channels and actively participate in our WhatsApp community.
• Contribute to wider discussions on active travel, climate action and public health.

Skills and experience

Essential

• You must be able to competently ride a bike.
• Be a qualified Cycle Ride Leader and First Aid trained, or be willing to undertake these qualifications. Appropriate training will be provided for those who do not currently hold them.
• You will be an ambassador for Parents for Future Scotland on the ground. It is vital that you feel inspired by our vision, mission and aims, and have a proven ability to motivate and inspire others.
• Experience of delivering and managing community projects.
• Proven ability to tailor messaging to different audiences.
• Proven experience of building strong relationships with partner organisations, communities facing additional barriers and local councils.
• Proven experience of building the skills, confidence and capacity of communities.
• Experience of devising and facilitating workshops, meetings and community discussions.
• Experience of monitoring and evaluation, data collection and report writing.
• An understanding of active travel, public health, environmental issues or behaviour change.
• An understanding of social justice perspectives and the systems that cause climate breakdown.

Desirable

• Previous experience of working on sustainability and/or active travel-related community projects or initiatives.
• Experience of working with schools, parents, volunteers or community groups to develop and sustain local initiatives.

What we offer

• A self-employed contract for 4 days per week during school term time, running from 1 December 2026 until 30 June 2027.
• A day rate of £150 per day. The total contract value will depend on the number of agreed working days available during the contract period.
• A flexible working environment, with working arrangements planned around the needs of participating schools and the wider project.
• The opportunity to work from home when not delivering activities in schools or meeting partners and community members.
• The opportunity to help shape and develop our work in Edinburgh and support long-term, community-led change.
• The opportunity to work collaboratively with the wider Parents for Future Scotland team, with support from the Air Pollution Manager.

The role requires availability for at least three school commute mornings per week during term time (Monday–Friday).

There may be occasions when additional mornings are required, depending on project needs. Specific mornings will be agreed with the successful candidate and planned around the needs of participating schools and the wider project.

As this is a locally focused, hands-on role, applicants should live in or near Edinburgh and be able to travel to participating schools and community activities.