Humanist Society Scotland - CEO

About Humanist Society Scotland

Humanist Society Scotland (HSS) is Scotland’s national humanist charity. We are a member-powered organisation campaigning to make Scotland a more secular, rational, and socially just country — from assisted dying to LGBT+ rights and much more. Our celebrants ensure that people across Scotland have access to humanist weddings, funerals, and naming ceremonies, conducted with care, skill, and deep personal attention.

Founded on the belief that people can live good and meaningful lives without religion, HSS operates across two interconnected spheres: public advocacy and ceremonial service. We are Scotland’s original, biggest, and most trusted provider of humanist ceremonies, having conducted the first legal humanist marriage in Scotland in 2005 and the first ever legal same-sex marriage in 2014. Our celebrant community — the largest humanist celebrant network in Scotland — conducts thousands of ceremonies every year across weddings, civil partnerships, funerals and naming ceremonies.

HSS is at a pivotal moment. With growing public appetite for non-religious ceremonies and a strong, active membership, the organisation has significant potential for growth, income diversification and expanded civic influence. The new Chief Executive will join us ready to lead with purpose, build on strong foundations, and navigate a period of meaningful organisational development.

Our Values

Everything HSS does is rooted in a shared set of humanist values. The new Chief Executive must embody these values in their leadership, their relationships, and their public voice. These are not peripheral commitments — they are the foundation of everything we do.

• Cooperation – We reach out and work with others
• Diversity – We embrace diverse voices, challenge discrimination, fight for equality and represent an inclusive community
• Kindness – We live and work with care and compassion
• Integrity – We stand up for what we believe is right and act with openness and accountability
• Sustainability – We work in a sustainable way to protect our planet.
• Reason – We listen to evidence, thought and lived experience to guide what we do

Our Work

HSS’s work spans three core areas, all of which the Chief Executive must understand, champion and develop strategically.

Campaigns and Advocacy

HSS campaigns on issues that matter to non-religious Scots and to anyone who cares about a fairer, more secular society. Our current campaigns include: assisted dying; reform of religious observance in Scottish schools (My Beliefs, My Choice; Preaching is Not Teaching); Fair School Votes, challenging unelected religious representation on education committees; decriminalisation of abortion; post-20 week abortion care; LGBT+ rights including ending conversion practices; and previously environmental protection grounded in evidence-based policy.
We engage with the Scottish Parliament, Scottish Government, local authorities, and international humanist bodies including Humanists International. Our advocacy must be backed by credibility, evidence and relationship and the Chief Executive is the face and voice of that work.

Ceremonies

HSS is the original, biggest and most trusted provider of humanist ceremonies in Scotland. Our celebrants permanently authorised, rigorously trained and independently insured conduct thousands of weddings, funerals, naming ceremonies and other rites of passage every year. We train our celebrants through a demanding application, training and mentoring process; we provide emergency cover; we operate to internationally recognised standards as members of the European Humanist Services Network and signatories of the European Humanist Wedding Standard.
Ceremony is not simply a service HSS provides, it is central to our mission, our income, our public profile and our relationship with the communities we serve. Growing ceremony reach, deepening celebrant support, and developing new ceremony pathways are priorities for the new Chief Executive.

Membership and Community

HSS is a member-powered organisation. Our members fund our campaigns, participate in our events, and form the community at the heart of what we do. Building membership, deepening engagement, and ensuring our members’ voices shape organisational strategy are ongoing responsibilities of the Chief Executive.