External affair director jobs in Belfast
Policy and Public Affairs Manager (Northern Ireland)
£41,278 pa plus excellent benefits
Home-based with regular meetings in Belfast
35 hours per week, full-time
Fixed-term, 12 months
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) is seeking an experienced and influential Policy and Public Affairs Manager to lead our work in Northern Ireland. This is an exciting opportunity to shape policy, influence decision-makers, and ensure the voices of paediatricians and child health professionals are heard at the highest levels.
Reporting to the Associate Director of Policy and External Affairs / Head of Policy and Public Affairs (Devolved Nations), you will lead the College’s policy and public affairs activity in Northern Ireland. You will develop and communicate policy positions that reflect the national context, engage senior stakeholders across government and the health sector, and maximise the College’s influence to improve child health outcomes.
You will work closely with colleagues across the UK to ensure our four-nation advocacy is aligned, while remaining responsive to the specific needs of our members in Northern Ireland. You will also line manage a Policy and Public Affairs Officer, supporting their development and overseeing external-facing outputs.
Key responsibilities include:
- Leading the development of policy positions and public affairs outputs specific to Northern Ireland
- Engaging with Ministers, MLAs, government officials, statutory services, and third sector stakeholders to influence policy and practice
- Producing and overseeing consultation responses and policy briefings
- Acting as a source of expertise on the Northern Ireland political and health landscape
- Supporting College Officers with high-level stakeholder engagement through briefings and policy advice
- Drafting media content including quotes, press releases and opinion pieces in collaboration with communications colleagues
- Managing the College’s presence at the Northern Ireland Assembly and party conferences
- Line managing and developing the Policy and Public Affairs Officer (Northern Ireland)
Essential skills and experience include:
- A primary degree and/or extensive relevant experience in policy and public affairs or a related field
- Proven experience of developing and delivering a measurable and successful public affairs strategy
- Experience of preparing high-quality briefings for political stakeholders and senior leaders
- Strong understanding of the political and health policy landscape in Northern Ireland
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly and persuasively
- Demonstrable stakeholder management skills, including engagement at senior level
- Strong analytical, problem-solving and project management skills
- Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within a wider UK team
The RCPCH has more than 25,000 members and fellows and employs around 200 staff, most of whom work in our London office in Holborn. We have a Devolved Nations team operating from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Our College values: Include, Influence, Innovate and Inspire, are important to us. These values ensure we bring out the best in each other, strive forward together to make the College a positive and dynamic place to work.
The RCPCH champions Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Our workplace is inclusive, offering a supportive environment where staff can thrive. The College is keen to accept applications from people with protected characteristics. We believe that our staff should represent all of the diverse communities we serve. Join us to help realise our vision of a world where every child is healthy and well.
The RCPCH is committed to safeguarding the children, young people and adults it has contact with in the exercise of its functions and responsibilities. The RCPCH expects all staff to share this commitment – we place a high priority on ensuring only those who do so are recruited to work for us.
All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records.
Closing date: 4 March 2026
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
Registered Charity
101 - 500
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health advocates on child health issues at home and internationally.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
The Policy and Campaigns Manager leads ADUK in championing reforms that pave the way for better access for all disabled people partnered with a highly trained assistance dog. Through dynamic campaigns and impactful initiatives, this role is pivotal to how ADUK amplifies the voices of those whose lives are transformed by these life changing dogs, ensuring that their rights are protected for years to come.
Key Responsibilities
- In partnership with the Executive Director (ED), continue to develop a compelling case for taking a standards-based approach to the training and welfare of assistance dogs.
- Gather, analyse and apply robust evidence to strengthen ADUK’s credibility, influence and voice on key policy and campaigning issues.
- Work with the ED to identify and progress opportunities for ADUK and its members to engage with policymakers, regulators and other decision-makers, and to support positive policy change.
- Develop and deliver written and in-person reports and briefings for different audiences, including politicians, policy officials, and other decision-makers.
- Collaborate with the ED and Head of Education and Allyship to develop relationships with key stakeholders.
- Lead, manage and convene the ADUK Advisory Panel, ensuring it operates effectively and informs ADUK’s policy and campaigning work.
- Monitor legislation and policy developments relevant to assistance dogs and dog welfare and communicate these as appropriate to members.
- Support the ED with the delivery of ADUK’s policy function, including the preparation of policy statements, briefing papers, media responses, and submissions to consultations and inquiries.
- Provide informed policy advice to the ED on priority issues affecting ADUK and its members.
- Represent ADUK externally, articulating its policy positions at meetings, events and forums, where appropriate.
- Take responsibility for projects, with the support of the Executive Director where appropriate, including joint work with partner organisations.
- Organise meetings, policy roundtables, expert workshops, policy training and other events.
- Provide information and support to service providers on assistance dog policies to promote access rights for disabled people with assistance dogs.
Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes:
Essential – applicants will:
- Have experience working in a policy, public affairs/campaigning role, with a solid understanding of how the policy development process works and how to influence national policy.
- Experience in convening and facilitating advisory groups, panels or stakeholder forums to support organisational decision-making.
- Experience in planning and delivering events, workshops or meetings that support policy, stakeholder engagement or organisational aims
- Have the ability to analyse and interpret information from a range of sources.
- Have strong interpersonal skills including being able to develop positive and effective working relationships with a diverse range of people and organisations.
- Have the ability to act on your own initiative and develop new work.
- Be comfortable maintaining existing policy positions and relationships.
- Have experience in communicating complex ideas or processes to a range of diverse audiences.
- Have excellent writing and verbal communication skills and experience in producing briefings, consultation responses and other communications on behalf of an organisation and for a wide range of audiences.
- Represent ADUK with credibility and authority in all external communications
Applicants should be aligned with ADUK’s values of championing a standards-based approach to the training and welfare of assistance dogs.
See recruitment pack for full job and person spec.
Registered Charity
6 - 10
To champion high standards of welfare and training for assistance dogs, and to work for a society where their owners have no barriers.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.