Scottish Book Trust is Scotland’s national reading charity. We believe that reading and writing for pleasure can transform lives – supporting mental health, breaking the poverty cycle, improving employability and inspiring creativity. Every year, our programmes reach over three million people across Scotland, from babies receiving their first Bookbug bag to adults discovering the joy of storytelling.

You'll find us in schools, libraries and community spaces across Scotland – in towns, cities and in isolated rural communities. We bring books to life for children in care, families experiencing hardship, people in prison and anyone who may not otherwise have access to the joy of reading. In short, we go wherever we’re needed most.

We are looking for up to three new Trustees to join our Board and help guide this work. Trustees play a vital role in shaping our strategy, ensuring good governance, and championing our mission to make books and stories accessible to everyone.

We want a Board that better reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We particularly encourage applications from people who are currently underrepresented on our Board, including people from minority ethnic communities, disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, and people with lived experience of poverty or marginalisation. We also welcome younger voices and first-time Trustees, and we provide training, mentoring and ongoing support.

We’re interested in your values, your ideas and your lived experience, as well as any professional skills you may bring.

Experience in any of the following areas would be helpful (but not essential), and you do not need to meet all of these:

• Strategic thinking and leadership
• Advocacy or influencing decision-makers
• Education, culture or community engagement
• Finance, audit or risk management
• Fundraising or financial planning
• Working with the Scottish Government or local authorities

Do you want to help us transform lives through reading and writing? We are looking for an efficient administrator who can balance multiple priorities to join our Writing Communities team.

Scottish Book Trust is a national charity that believes books, reading and writing have the power to change lives. A love of reading inspires creativity, improves employment opportunities, mental health and wellbeing and is one of the most effective ways to help break the poverty cycle. We work towards a Scotland where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive through literacy.

What we offer

• Full, fixed-term role
• Competitive salary
• Flexible hybrid working between home and our Edinburgh City Centre Office, with great access by train, bus, and tram
• Generous holiday entitlement
• Company Sick Pay
• Pension with 5% employer contributions
• Death in service benefit
• Free access to employee assistance programme

This is an excellent opportunity for you to join Scottish Book Trust as an administrator. Scottish Book Trust’s Writing Communities programme supports writers at all stages of their careers with advice, professional development opportunities, bursaries and mentoring, as well as running the Live Literature programme. Live Literature is a national initiative that works with an extensive range of partner organisations to allow the people of Scotland to meet and engage with writers, playwrights, poets, storytellers, illustrators and others. The Writing Communities Administrator (Live Literature) will provide efficient administration to support the smooth running of the Writing Communities programme. This role will primarily support the Live Literature programme but will also provide support more generally across the Writing Communities programme.