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The voice of Scotland’s vibrant voluntary sector

Published by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

TFN is published by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6BB. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Registration number SC003558.

The road to becoming…a policy manager

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David McColgan, policy and public affairs manager at the British Heart Foundation, on how he got where he is today

Tell us about your current job?

I manage the policy and public affairs functions at the British Heart Foundation across the devolved nations. I have colleagues based in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh who I provide strategic support to, to maximise the BHF’s influencing activity to achieve a world without heart and circulatory diseases.

Do you have a degree and did it help you?

I do have a degree but the honest answer is no, it didn’t help. I mentor students from the University of Stirling and it’s always the first thing I tell them. I remember early on in my career I was confused why I wasn’t getting interviews, after all I had a master’s degree from a great university. I had a line manager from New Zealand and in his typical antipodean way, he sat me down and told me it straight. It’s pretty worrying to be told that a degree that cost the best part of £4,000 isn’t “worth the paper it is written on.”

What’s the most satisfying job you’ve had?

I know what the least one was and it wasn’t my two stints as a bin man. Working in the third sector offers you the opportunity to do so many jobs that are satisfying, especially in my line of work. Ultimately my job is to try to make a difference to people’s lives and that’s a pretty good reason to get out of bed.

Is policy sexy?

Put it this way, if policy was a song, Barry White would sing it.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever had?

“First class managers hire first class staff. Second class managers hire third class staff.” You might not use that till a bit later in your career but I never forgot it.

What has been your most memorable moment in the workplace?

The moment when a government special adviser called me to give me a heads up that the Scottish Government would be publishing a bill to introduce a soft opt-out system for organ donation in Scotland. My father-in-law died waiting on a lung transplant that never came and throughout the BHF campaign for this, I met so many inspiring people and families who had been similarly affected, so it was a moment I won’t forget any time soon.

Background check

Education

St Columba’s RC High School, Dunfermline

University of Stirling BA(Hons) International Politics

University of Glasgow MSc International Politics

Work experience

2001 – 2002 stockroom assistant, Comet

2002 – 2003 customer assistant, Homebase

2003 – 2004 bar man, Hilton Dunblane Hydro

2004 – 2005 – environmental engineer (bin man), Fife
Council

2006 – 2008 sales assistant, Tie Rack

2008 constituency intern, Jo Swinson MP

2008 – 2009 policy officer, Sport and Games Legacy
Division, Scottish Government

2009 – 2011 policy and communications officer,
Scottish Sports Association

2011 – 2013 policy officer, Scottish Council for
Voluntary Organisations

2013 – 2017 policy and public affairs manager, British Heart
Foundation

2017 – present senior policy and public affairs manager
(devolved nations), British Heart Foundation

Is management still about us and them?

If you are bad at it, then yes. I am still relatively new to management but I think today it is more about supporting your staff, helping them develop, and providing them with the space and resources to do what you hired them to do.

Is self-development crucial in climbing the career ladder?

I think natural career progression is about out-growing the role you are in, not just jumping to another organisation for a more impressive job title. And to out-grow your current role you’ve got to be a bit of a self-starter. Take risks, take on roles that aren’t in your job description and always put your hand up when someone asks for a volunteer.

Are you a policy geek?

More of a public affairs bod; I swapped the retro black frames for contact lenses, the corduroys and woolly jumper for the navy suit and red tie, the just out of bed hair for salon cut. Hahaha!

Is the third sector best for career opportunities (as opposed to private/public)?

Having only built my career in the public and third sector I am not sure I can give a fair and honest answer here. However I can honestly say there are very few policy or public affairs roles outside the third sector that offer the opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives in Scotland.