Corporate Affairs Officer Jobs in Belfast

Employment Policy and Public Affairs Officer
Remote working
£30,000 - £34,000 pa pro rata plus excellent benefits
35 hours per week (part-time considered)

This is not a traditional policy and public affairs role. You may have gained your experience in the third sector, civil service or working for an MP, or maybe in a corporate HR or EDI role.  You will help deliver our ambitious plan to secure social change to make society more inclusive for people who are deaf or have hearing loss. In this role you will be working across our range of policy, programme and public affairs activity – engaging with external stakeholders, including policy makers and large corporate partners, to improve access to and the experience of employment for our communities.

Around half of your time will be dedicated to policy work as part of our Employment Programme. We know that people who are deaf or have a hearing loss are less likely to be in employment, and that employer attitudes and poor Government support holds our community back. You’ll need to understand the disability employment policy landscape and marshal our evidence to make a persuasive case for social change to Government and other stakeholders.

RNID provides consultancy services to or enters into partnerships with businesses to help them become a better and more inclusive employer of people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus. You will support this work by bringing your knowledge and expertise of employment policy to ensure that we provide up to date advice and guidance. You’ll also play a key role in translating this evidence into information and guidance for our website.

You will be the public affairs coordinator for the team, including actively supporting the APPG for Deafness, for which RNID provides the secretariat. You’ll also be required to undertake daily political monitoring and co-ordinate how we support our parliamentary champions in Westminster.

Essential experience:
• Some experience in a policy and public affairs role
• Understanding of day-to-day parliamentary procedures
• Demonstrable ability to distil information into well-structured written briefings or summaries
• Experience of working on employment and/or disability employment issues
• A proactive and creative mindset, with an ability to work flexibly
• Evidence of strong organisational skills
• Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team

We are RNID: the national charity supporting the 18 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus. We also know the value of a friendly face in local communities to support people where they need it most.

We are a remote working organisation, with colleagues based across the UK and Ireland.. We come together in person three times a year for our Staff Summits.. We bring together the best of digital and in-person working in a modern, progressive organisation. We offer a sector-leading flexible working policy to all our staff from day one.

We know our colleagues have responsibilities and interests outside work and we want to support that, which is why we offer a sector-leading flexible working policy to all our staff from day one. Our values are at the heart of how we work and communicate with each other, and the outside world. We strive to be an organisation that is connected, insightful, curious and passionate in everything we do.

We champion the value of difference and equality and celebrate our diverse and inclusive workforce. We actively encourage applications from eligible candidates from BAME backgrounds or who are deaf or hard of hearing. With almost 20% of our employees having a disability we proudly hold Disability Confident Leader status and guarantee an interview for disabled applicants meeting the minimum essential criteria.

Closing date: 10 February 2025
Interviews: w/c 17 February 2025

Closing date: Wednesday 22nd January 2025 at 9am

Working arrangements: Remote working, permanent, regular or ad hoc (with frequent travel to London if not London-based) Please note that we also have approximately 3-4 team retreats per year which could be located anywhere nationally.

An exciting new opportunity has arisen to join 38 Degrees’ Public Affairs & Media team. We’re looking for someone with a passion for opening up democracy,  politics and the news, who is a brilliant communicator, a great team player and is highly organised, to join us as Public Affairs & Media Officer.

You’ll play a vital role in bringing to life 38 Degrees’ media and public affairs strategy, in service of 38 Degrees’ mission: to make our country fairer, more respectful and sustainable.  As we adjust to a shift in our political environment, this brand new role will relentlessly and powerfully amplify 38 Degrees campaigns and the voices of our supporters to the general public, the media and decision makers in the UK.

Working alongside the Public Affairs & Media Manager, and with colleagues across the campaigns team and beyond you’ll spend every day trying to shine a light on the actions our supporters take on campaigns they care about. From monitoring what’s going on in Parliament – and when it’s the perfect moment for the 38 Degrees community to use our collective voices – to being able to put together media packages that are irresistible to journalists, you’ll know how to skillfully use the public affairs and media tools at our disposal to win campaigns, raise our profile and build our reputation.

Your background and experience

You’ll have a proven track record of great political and news judgement, and have played a key role in using these skills in a campaigning environment to deliver powerful campaigns that deliver impactful media and public affairs results. That could be from working in a press office or media environment, to working with (or for) a politician. It’s possible you are more experienced at either media work or public affairs work – but either way, you’ll know what it takes to use both to influence decision makers and land a big news story. We’re looking for a person who knows the political and news agenda each day, and can help set it too.

The person recruited will need to be a brilliant communicator, as at home speaking to 38 Degrees supporters and empowering them to act as media case studies, as you are pitching a story to a journalist or handling enquiries from MP’s offices.

We’re looking for someone who can show they’re highly organised, know how to prioritise and with a track record of successful project management, when it comes to partnership work and events.

To succeed in this role, you’ll need to show us you’re team-focused and know what it takes to build positive and productive relationships with colleagues, in a fast paced environment – where the news cycle means that priorities can sometimes change for all of us at a moment’s notice.

You’ll relish a newsroom atmosphere and will be happy that no two days at 38 Degrees are the same, as you focus on amplifying campaigns and making a difference which helps change lives, little by little.

About us

38 Degrees is one of the UK’s biggest campaigning communities, involving over a million supporters who campaign to make the UK a better place. We’re united by a shared vision to create a fairer and more respectful UK and a more sustainable world.

In the space of a week, millions of supporters could be campaigning on anything from protecting our NHS and stopping cuts to Universal Credit, to saving local green spaces and protecting our democracy.

38 Degrees is fiercely independent. We are primarily funded by small donations from hundreds of thousands of members of the public from all over the UK. This independence means we never have to hold ourselves back from taking on those with power and can truly listen to our supporters.

Why you’ll want to work here

The 38 Degrees culture is honest, kind, supportive, courageous, and respectful. We move fast, and frequently change plans to respond to events. We work hard but we also have fun.

We regularly enjoy team away days and social hours.

Benefits include:

27 days holiday per year (plus bank holidays); Office closure between Christmas and New year; 9-day fortnight (office closed every other Friday); 4pm closure on the alternate Friday; Flexibility to work 90 days overseas per tax year (30 day maximum per travel in any location as per approval process); One month paid sabbatical leave after 5 years of service; Employer pension contribution; 24 hour employee assistance programme; Enhanced family leave policies; Cycle to work scheme; Employer paid annual flu vaccination; Rental deposit loan; Contribution to eye tests/glasses; Learning and development budget.

Our commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

We’re especially keen to hear from people who’ll bring lived experience of the issues we work on and who’ll make our team more diverse as a result. So if you’re Black, Asian or from any other minority ethnic group, if you’re disabled, LGBTQIA+, or if you’re from a working class home, your application will be especially welcome. And thanks to our flexible home working approach and network of offices, we have a staff team that is increasingly based across the UK. We’re keen to continue diversifying geographically, so that we’re rooted in our supporters’ communities.

To make sure that we are able to reach our goal of a diverse team we have equal opportunities monitoring requirements. Your application will not be complete without the equal opportunities monitoring form.

38 Degrees is committed to inclusive working practices, so during the application process we commit to:

• Paying for childcare whilst you’re at 38 Degrees interviews or tasks
• Paying for your travel costs to the office and back – and for overnight accommodation if you’re travelling from a long distance for an interview although at present the majority of interviews are held online using zoom.
• Making any reasonable adjustments – for example ensuring we have a BSL interpreters organised in advance if you’d need one
• If there anything else you’re concerned about or think we could provide, please let us know.

To be successful in your application you must meet the essential requirements for this role and answer the questions below which are part of the selection criteria. Without completion of this task your application cannot be considered.

The successful candidate must have the right to work in the UK at the time of appointment.

Application Questions (max. word count: 2000 words across all questions)

1. Tell us about a media or public affairs campaign you have delivered –  including what you were trying to achieve, any challenges and obstacles you met, and the results you achieved. 
2. What do you think the biggest challenges and opportunities about delivering media and public affairs work at an organisation like 38 Degrees would be? 
3. 38 Degrees is a digital first, people-powered campaigning organisation where millions of people do something small to add up to bigger political and corporate change. How do you think we can most effectively use our supporters in our media and public affairs work, to win campaigns that align with our vision for the country?

Closing date: Wednesday 22nd January 2025 at 9am

Working arrangements: Remote working, permanent, regular or ad hoc (with frequent travel to London if not London-based) Please note that we also have approximately 3-4 team retreats per year which could be located anywhere nationally.

At this pivotal time for 38 Degrees, an exciting opportunity has arisen to manage our Public Affairs & Media offering. We’re looking for an effective communicator, who is great at collaborating and has a track record of delivering significant media and public affairs campaign results. You’ll bring to life and manage the implementation of 38 Degrees’ media and public affairs strategy, in service of 38 Degrees’ mission: to make our country fairer, more respectful and sustainable. As we adjust to a shift in our political environment, this brand new role will relentlessly and powerfully amplify 38 Degrees campaigns and the voices of our supporters to the general public, the media and decision makers in the UK.

You’ll manage our Public Affairs & Media team, including a new Public Affairs & Media officer role – working together, and with colleagues across the campaigns team and beyond,  to execute our Public Affairs & Media strategy and deliver impressive results. Whilst this is a Manager role, it’s also a very hands on role – you’ll be as at home picking up the phone to regional TV to discuss local supporters whose experiences could make perfect case studies for the big story of the day, and helping those people tell their story, as you are meeting with MPs and their staff to use our Campaigns By You platform to run campaigns on local issues in their constituencies.

You’ll relish a newsroom atmosphere and will be happy that no two days at 38 Degrees are the same, as you focus on amplifying campaigns and making a difference which helps change lives, little by little.

Your background and experience

We’re looking for someone who can effectively grasp the 38 Degrees approach to public affairs, which combines pressure and persuasion – and who is confident in pursuing both. You will be able to show you can use both, in the right circumstances: from liaising with Metro Mayors on possible partnership campaigns, to commissioning and landing coverage of snap polling that demonstrates public opinion on government plans. The person recruited will need to be a brilliant communicator, and be passionate about opening up democracy and making political and corporate change accessible to all.

You’ll be a great fit for this role if you have excellent political and news judgement – you know what can make a story and what impact that story can have on decision makers.

You’ll be extremely comfortable speaking to politicians and their teams, along with journalists, other communications teams in partner organisations, and 38 Degrees supporters who act as case studies in our campaigns. You may already have extensive journalist or political networks and relationships, and you’ll have definitely had results. We’re looking for a person who knows the political and news agenda each day, and can help set it too.

You’ll be equipped with the skills to develop a new team, with the skills and experience to manage more junior members of staff, setting clear, inspiring and exciting shared goals.

To succeed in this role, you’ll need to be a positive, practical person adept at building cross-team relationships,  bringing people with you  to solve problems in a collaborative way.

We’re looking for someone who understands the need for us to demonstrate a strategic approach, balancing long term planning and objectives with agility and flexibility. And while you’ll have a strategy to work to, your priorities could change at a moment’s notice. If this sounds appealing, our fast-paced and exciting role could be for you.

Full job description here

About us

38 Degrees is one of the UK’s biggest campaigning communities, involving over a million supporters who campaign to make the UK a better place. We’re united by a shared vision to create a fairer and more respectful UK and a more sustainable world.

In the space of a week, millions of supporters could be campaigning on anything from protecting our NHS and stopping cuts to Universal Credit, to saving local green spaces and protecting our democracy.

38 Degrees is fiercely independent. We are primarily funded by small donations from hundreds of thousands of members of the public from all over the UK. This independence means we never have to hold ourselves back from taking on those with power and can truly listen to our supporters.

Why you’ll want to work here

The 38 Degrees culture is honest, kind, supportive, courageous, and respectful. We move fast, and frequently change plans to respond to events. We work hard but we also have fun.

We regularly enjoy team away days and social hours.

Benefits include:

27 days holiday per year (plus bank holidays); Office closure between Christmas and New year; 9-day fortnight (office closed every other Friday); 4pm closure on the alternate Friday; Flexibility to work 90 days overseas per tax year (30 day maximum per travel in any location as per approval process); One month paid sabbatical leave after 5 years of service; Employer pension contribution; 24 hour employee assistance programme; Enhanced family leave policies; Cycle to work scheme; Employer paid annual flu vaccination; Rental deposit loan; Contribution to eye tests/glasses; Learning and development budget.

Our commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

We’re especially keen to hear from people who’ll bring lived experience of the issues we work on and who’ll make our team more diverse as a result. So if you’re Black, Asian or from any other minority ethnic group, if you’re disabled, LGBTQIA+, or if you’re from a working class home, your application will be especially welcome. And thanks to our flexible home working approach and network of offices, we have a staff team that is increasingly based across the UK. We’re keen to continue diversifying geographically, so that we’re rooted in our supporters’ communities.

To make sure that we are able to reach our goal of a diverse team we have equal opportunities monitoring requirements. Your application will not be complete without the equal opportunities monitoring form.

38 Degrees is committed to inclusive working practices, so during the application process we commit to:

• Paying for childcare whilst you’re at 38 Degrees interviews or tasks
• Paying for your travel costs to the office and back – and for overnight accommodation if you’re travelling from a long distance for an interview although at present the majority of interviews are held online using zoom.
• Making any reasonable adjustments – for example ensuring we have a BSL interpreters organised in advance if you’d need one
• If there anything else you’re concerned about or think we could provide, please let us know.

To be successful in your application you must meet the essential requirements for this role and answer the questions below which are part of the selection criteria. Without completion of this task your application cannot be considered.

The successful candidate must have the right to work in the UK at the time of appointment.

Application Questions (max. word count: 2000 words across all questions)

1. Tell us a campaign you have been part of developing a media or public affairs strategy for, including what you were trying to achieve, how you brought team members together to action the plan, and what results you achieved. 
2. What challenges and opportunities do you think the recent change in government might have presented to 38 Degrees in the context of our public affairs and media work?
3. 38 Degrees is a digital first, people-powered campaigning organisation where millions of people do something small to add up to bigger political and corporate change. How do you think we can most effectively use our supporters in our media and public affairs work, to win campaigns that align with our vision for the country?

Introduction and background

The Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) was founded in 2011 by people with lived experience, healthcare professionals, and organisations who understood the impact of perinatal mental problems and shared a commitment to improving the lives of women and their families.

Today, the MMHA is a UK-wide charity and network of over 130 member organisations. We work with parents, families, clinicians, and academics to ensure all women, birthing people, babies, and families have access to high-quality, compassionate mental health care. We bring the perinatal mental health community together and make change happen by combining the power of real-life experience with clinical and professional expertise.

We actively contribute to significantly improving mental health outcomes for people who experience discrimination, trauma and deprivation during the perinatal period and tackle systemic inequity and injustice.

We are now seeking a Chief Executive to take over from our interim CEO and lead the MMHA in the next stage of our development.

We have recently been awarded a 5-year grant by the National Lottery Community Fund to tackle maternal mental health inequities through community action. This project, due to start in Spring 2025, will develop, test and replicate a model of community-based decision making, support and service provision that is led by women with lived experience. This project aims to achieve system change locally and nationally to improve the mental health of marginalised women and is the next phase of the MMHA’s programme to tackle maternal mental health inequities across the UK. This will be our biggest piece of work over the next five years and will dovetail with other activities aimed at achieving our mission, where funding allows.

For further information about the MMHA please visit our website.

Main responsibilities

Leadership and strategy

• To provide clear strategic and inspirational leadership to the MMHA To drive the MMHA forward into the next stage of its development
• To ensure MMHA tackles maternal mental health inequities across the UK
• To be responsible for the management and administration of the charity within the strategic and accountability frameworks laid down by the Board of Trustees
• To work with Chair and Trustees in shaping the MMHA’s strategic mission, policies, aims and objectives
• To ensure long term sustainability of the MMHA through effective governance, sound finance and implementation of operational plans.

People

• To take overall responsibility for all permanent and temporary staff, and other members of the MMHA team, including contractors, champions and ambassadors
• To promote diversity and equality of opportunity for all staff in accordance with the MMHA EDI policy and strategy and foster a workplace culture built on inclusion, respect and equality.

Governance, finance and compliance

• To support the Chair and Trustees to ensure that the governance of the charity is proportionate and effective, and that the charity fulfils its legal, statutory, regulatory and moral duties and responsibilities
• To be responsible overall for the financial sustainability of the charity, and ensure that there are effective mechanisms to ensure the robustness of external and internal controls (financial and non-financial), supported by the Consultant Finance Director
• To support the Consultant Finance Director to ensure the timely and complete preparation of key reports, information and activities, including management accounts, budgets, annual report and accounts, and payroll
• To ensure that the major risks to which the charity is exposed are reviewed regularly by the Board and the Executive team, systems have been established to mitigate these risks
• To work with the Chair and the Board Secretary to ensure that meetings of trustees are effective and that Trustees have appropriate information to perform their duties.

Income generation

• To take overall responsibility for the MMHA’s income generation activities, securing the future of the organisation and delivering its ambition for the mental health of women during the perinatal period
• To lead on all trust, foundation and lottery fundraising, establishing and maintaining relationships, including with the National Lottery Community Fund
• To support the Marketing & Partnerships Director to develop corporate partnerships, taking the lead on the relationship with Tommee Tippee
• To work with the Marketing & Partnerships Director to secure funding from individuals.

Communications and external affairs

• To support the Head of Engagement to maintain a relevant, diverse and effective range of members organisations, and ensure their ongoing contribution to achieving the goals of the charity 4
• To have oversight of the social, economic, clinical and policy context and how they impact on maternal mental health and MMHA strategy
• To ensure the Alliance is working effectively across the 4 UK nations and devolved administrations
• To act as a visible leader for the charity, representing the MMHA at external events and networking opportunities, and act as a spokesperson
• To oversee the development and delivery of marketing and communications strategies which effectively promote all aspects of the Alliance.

Other/service delivery

• To embed MMHA’s values throughout the organisation
• To promote a culture of commitment, trust, mutual support and professional behaviour
• To run the charity efficiently and effectively by ensuring that it has an appropriate management structure and management systems in order to fulfil its strategic objectives and to carry out its work
• To take forward the MMHA EDI strategy and plan and be a champion for anti-racist and anti-discriminatory behaviour
• To develop an organisation that is constantly seeking ways to learn and to improve its performance
• To work with staff to ensure the views of the members, champions, and ambassadors shape the work of the MMHA and its members.

This job description is intended to provide a broad outline of the main duties and responsibilities only. The post holder may be asked to carry out any other delegated duty or task that is in line with their post, seniority, or the needs of the organisation. Whilst most of the work will be undertaken during standard working hours, some work will be required in the early morning, evenings, or weekends.

How to apply

Application is by CV and a cover letter of no more than two pages of A4 each. In the cover letter, please explain how you meet the list of essential experience detailed above.

We will be anonymising applications before shortlisting. To make this easier, please ensure that your cover letter includes your initials rather than a full name.

Applications should be sent to the email address provided in the attached job pack by 10am on Tuesday 28th January 2025. Applications received after this time, or which do not follow the requested process, will not be considered.

The first interviews are expected to take place in London in early February, provisionally on Wednesday 5th or Thursday 6th.

The MMHA is committed to increasing the diversity of our team. We would appreciate it if candidates could fill out our equal opportunities monitoring form. This is anonymous and will not be linked to applications.

We are keen to ensure that our recruitment process helps us find the best candidate for the role, not the candidate who is best at completing applications and carrying out job interviews. If there is anything we can do to assist you in the recruitment process, if you have any queries, or if you would like an informal conversation about the role with the interim Chief Executive, Justin Irwin, please contact us on the recruitment email address provided in the attached job pack.

The successful candidate will be appointed subject to satisfactory references and will need to undertake a DBS and other employment checks. 

About the role

You will

• Celebrate the achievements of brain injury survivors across the UK, promote the services that Headway UK offers and raise awareness of the prevalence of brain injury.
• Establish Headway as a leading voice in the area of brain injury, ensuring that relevant media outlets are presented with relevant information.

What you will do

• Obtain regular positive national and local media coverage for Headway
• Produce high-quality written materials for release to the media
• Communicate with and facilitate media coverage for independent Headway charities and volunteer-led branches, helping to raise their profiles locally
• Monitor and evaluate media coverage and PR activity to enable the effective tracking of the charity’s reputation.
• Be the first point of call for all media enquiries and take appropriate action
• Manage and cultivate relationships with local and national media.
• Liaise with the fundraising department and promote its initiatives in local and national media outlets.
• Source and interview individuals willing to share their personal experiences of brain injury & to draft personal testimonies and create a database of case studies ready to be used in reaction to relevant news stories.
• Assist in the production of Headway News and other regular communications
• Assist in the planning and execution of the national campaign for Action for Brain Injury Week and to assist in the implementation of additional campaigns throughout the year

About you

We’re open-minded & welcome all applicants who believe they can succeed. Though ideally, you will:

• Have experience of working with local, regional and national media outlets, including crafting in press releases and sell-in

• Have experience of interviewing people from all backgrounds

• Have a highly collaborative working style, fostering teamwork and cross-functional cooperation.

• Be comfortable being the first point of call for journalist enquiries

• Excellent organisational abilities, with a track record of managing multiple projects and meeting deadlines efficiently.

• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, ensuring clear, effective messaging across all channels.

Visit our website to find out more about the role, the work of Headway, the benefits we offer and apply for this job. We look forward to hearing from you.