Office Manager

We're building the future of public transport — convenient, affordable, connected and zero-emission. Our goal is to make it easier and more enjoyable to get from A to B with Ember than it is with your own car.

Ember is a tech company, not a traditional bus operator. We've built a platform that coordinates our entire operation – everything from monitoring vehicles and controlling chargers to selling tickets and calculating ETAs. This allows us to use electric buses more intensively than anyone else in the world, leading to a massive reduction in emissions. It also helps us provide a much better passenger experience, with innovative features like demand-responsive stops.

We’re growing consciously, and now operate the largest intercity network in Scotland. In addition to our Edinburgh HQ, we have more than 10 hubs around the country which provide our drivers with rest facilities and our vehicles with charging. The challenge is to scale this 100x whilst staying lean, increasing efficiency and delivering an even better product experience. We’ve recently raised equity from some of Europe’s leading climate VCs and are looking for mission-driven individuals who want to get on board and help take us to the next level.

You’ll be our second office manager. You’ll be based in Edinburgh and work alongside our existing office manager, but also travel to our hubs to ensure that we’re giving the Ember experience right across the business. You'll be responsible for keeping our HQ running smoothly and ensuring that our people are fed, watered and happy. Some examples of what this might look like:

• Creating a fun and vibrant culture by organising non-cringeworthy social events, lunches, dinners and twice yearly off-sites (so far we've done Portugal, France, Albania, Italy and Scotland).

• Managing office supplies, including coffee, fruit, stationery, tools and equipment.

• Keeping the office clean and tidy. We have external cleaners twice a week but this will also mean getting your hands dirty sometimes – doing the dishes, tidying common areas and so on.

• Onboarding new staff, commissioning laptops and ensuring they have everything they need to get up and running quickly.

• Welcoming visitors including making teas and coffees and organising lunch or snacks.

• Managing our IT. We'll help you get up to speed so you don't need to be some sort of IT guru, but you do need a willingness to understand and engage with our IT stack. Things like managing our Google accounts, ensuring people are using 2FA, helping to configure hub equipment and so on.

To thrive in the role, you’ll need to combine a sunny disposition, super organisational skills and a willingness to learn.

At Ember, we support diversity across our team and customers. We work to ensure every employee feels respected and able to give their best, whether temporary, part-time or full-time. We’re happy to offer flexible working patterns where they make sense, are compassionate when it comes to time off and offer enhanced maternity and paternity leave.

Read more about our approach in our Equal Opportunities Policy.

As well as a salary of £35,000 - £50,000 per annum, depending on your skills and relevant experience, you'll also have access to share options through an EMI scheme after 1 year of continuous employment. 

Apply using the form, providing a CV and a cover letter explaining why you're the one.

How you work, communicate, and think is really important to us. You don't need to be a master of anything (yet) but must be eager to learn. It's helpful if you can tick most of the boxes below:

• Impeccably organised with an ability to juggle competing priorities

• Relevant work experience, preferably in a start-up / scale-up environment

• A genuine passion for our vision and mission

• An openness to learning and developing new skills, including on IT/hardware aspects that may not be familiar

• An excellent communicator (written and verbal) and a fast learner

• Excellent time-management with an understanding of what you can or can't get done by a deadline 

• An ability to build strong relationships with a diverse range of people from across the business

• An ability to smile and push on even in the face of things not going exactly to plan

• Good taste

You’ll primarily be based in our Edinburgh office but will also need to travel to our other hubs across Scotland on occasion. This will often be on our own buses (a nice perk!) so a driving license isn't a requirement. 

If you're a fun-loving, tech-savvy individual who can keep our office running smoothly and our team connected, we want to hear from you.