Business Support Officer

Reporting to:
Deputy Director Operations

Location:

Edinburgh
Contract Type:
Fixed Term Contract - 14 months (maternity cover)

Hours:

25 - 28 hours per week worked across 4 or 5 days
Salary: £33,307 per annum (full-time equivalent)

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) is the trade association for the Scotch Whisky industry. We support and represent our members across a wide range of priorities, including industry promotion, regulatory and legal matters, sustainability, international market access and protecting the Scotch Whisky category worldwide.

We are recruiting for a Business Support Officer to work alongside the Corporate Services team, providing a professional front of house service and wide-ranging administrative support. The postholder will act as a key first point of contact for visitors, employees, customers and stakeholders, while also supporting teams across the SWA with day-to-day administration, finance-related tasks, meetings, hospitality, travel arrangements and ad hoc project work.

This is a hands‑on, varied role in a small, collaborative organisation, suited to someone who is organised, approachable and confident providing excellent customer service, practical administrative support and discreet handling of information.

• Providing a full reception service and acting as the first point of contact for visitors, employees, customers and stakeholders.
• Answering telephone enquiries, greeting visitors, arranging travel and couriers, and supporting front of house activity.
• Receiving, sorting, distributing and sending mail within the SWA.
• Maintenance and monitoring of the enquiries and accounts inboxes, directing emails appropriately.
• Supporting the Finance team with expenses claims, invoice approvals, supplier records and associated administration.
• Supporting the Office Manager with office and event supplies, meetings, hospitality, events and wider office coordination.
• Providing administrative support to the Corporate Services team, including appropriate research and regular update reports where required.
• Supporting HR administration as needed and providing annual leave cover for the Executive Assistant to the CEO.
• Undertaking planned or ad hoc project work to support teams across the SWA during busy periods.

We’re looking for someone with experience in a similar front of house or administrative support role, who can provide a warm, professional first point of contact while managing a varied workload accurately and confidentially.

• experience working in a similar front of house environment as the first point of contact for communications
• excellent customer service skills, with an approachable, warm and professional manner
• strong organisational skills and the ability to manage varied administrative tasks accurately
• excellent written and verbal communication skills, with confidence communicating in different ways
• competence using Microsoft Word, Excel, email systems and other standard software packages
• the ability to handle confidential matters with discretion, including financial information and people-related information
• experience supporting a finance team, purchase ledger processing or wider project administration would be advantageous

The role is based in Edinburgh. We are open to flexible working arrangements, with a minimum of 25 hours per week worked across 4 or 5 days, up to 28 hours.

Sunday 4 October 2026 at 23:59

Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 October 2026 in person in Edinburgh

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds. We will make reasonable adjustments to support candidates throughout the recruitment process.