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Head of Policy and Public Affairs
Bring your energy, creativity and expertise - and help us impact young people positively.
Location: Sherborne House, London (hybrid)
Salary: £52,535 per annum
Closing Date: 29 March, 2026
Employment Type: Permanent
Hours per week: 37.5
About the Role
Step into a role where your policy expertise drives real change. As Head of Policy and Public Affairs, you’ll lead an ambitious strategy to influence national decision‑makers, shape legislation and ensure the voices of people affected by homelessness are impossible to ignore. You’ll turn insight into impact, championing our values while strengthening our political presence and public profile
You’ll build powerful relationships across Westminster, Whitehall and the wider sector, producing sharp briefings, commissioning research and delivering high‑profile events that elevate Depaul’s influence. Confident in the media and skilled at simplifying complex issues, you’ll work across teams to anticipate policy change, spark innovation and help drive forward our mission to end homelessness. If you’re driven, strategic and ready to make national change happen, this is your platform.
Key deliverables:
• Develop organisational policy positions on key strategic issues for Depaul UK, focusing on policy areas that matter for our client group including homelessness, housing, welfare, health and care leavers.
• Working with the Director of Development and External Affairs to deliver a multi-year policy and public affairs strategy, you will own its delivery, having demonstrable impact on policy through influencing legislation, as well as securing funding and commitments from the government .
• Work with the Executive Director of Fundraising and Communications and their team to improve Depaul’s public profile by giving us a louder political voice.
• Work with the Executive Director of Operations and their team to ensure Depaul is well positioned to respond to changes in policy and regulation.
• Work in partnership with Depaul UK’s Head of Data and Insights on research projects designed to influence policy.
• Monitor, analyse and report on policy developments which may impact on the work of Depaul UK.
• Provide high quality written and verbal briefings, reports and submissions to consultations.
• Work with senior colleagues to develop positive relationships for Depaul UK with ministers, senior officials, elected Mayors, Parliamentarians and with other policy influencers including our peers in the homeless sector.
• Ensure that the voices and experiences of clients are heard and understood to improve and change services delivered by Depaul, commissioners and policy makers.
• Give interviews to the media.
• Organise and coordinate events and meetings.
• Strengthen Depaul’s links with other voluntary sector organisations in the homelessness, youth and faith sectors.
• Contribute to Depaul International’s global influencing work.
What we are looking for from you (Person Specification)
When completing your application form please address all the areas below. Try to provide clear examples in your supporting statement that clarify how and when you gained the experience or knowledge as well as your level of capability.
To carry out this role we are looking for the following from you in terms of qualifications, experience, skills and competencies:
Knowledge
• Strong knowledge of the homelessness sector and policy context is desirable but not essential, it is essential that you have developed strong, specialist knowledge of a UK policy area or areas.
Experience and skills
• Having had demonstrable impact on government policy.
• Developing and maintaining positive relationships with Parliamentarians and officials
• Organising or helping to organise events, it is desirable but not essential that you have organised events in Parliament
• Leading projects with colleagues from different internal or external teams
• Delivering high quality verbal and written policy briefings and presentations to senior stakeholders
• Working with colleagues to secure media coverage
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work on own initiative and with low levels of supervision
• Ability to prioritise key tasks and manage conflicting priorities
• Ability to deliver to deadlines, sometimes at short notice
• Desirable - drafting and delivering policy and/or public affairs plans/strategies
• Desirable - representing organisations in the media and at events
You will need to be able to travel throughout the UK and on occasions work out of hours.
You believe in people — their strengths, their rights and their potential. You bring empathy, energy and a solution‑focused mindset to your work. You communicate clearly, stay organised and adapt well in a fast‑moving environment. You’re committed to inclusion, fairness and continuous learning, and you turn values into meaningful action, whatever your role.
What You’ll Receive
• Tailored training and development
• Flexible working options where suitable
• 26 days annual leave, rising with service
• Family‑friendly leave policies
• Pension scheme with employer contributions up to 7%
• Employee Assistance Programme with 24/7 GP access
• Discounts across retail, travel, food, fitness and more
• Cash health plan for you and your family
• Death‑in‑service benefit
• Access to legal and practical support
Safer Recruitment
Depaul UK is committed to fair and inclusive recruitment, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. If a role requires it under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, we will carry out the appropriate Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check. We only look at information that is relevant to the role, and a criminal record will never be treated as an automatic barrier to employment. All DBS information is handled sensitively, confidentially and in line with the DBS Code of Practice, and we encourage applicants to discuss any concerns with us openly.
About Depaul UK
In the 1980s, high unemployment and steep inflation was contributing to a shocking rise in youth homelessness across London. Thousands of young people were sleeping rough every night, with many areas notoriously dubbed “cardboard cities” due to the visible rise in street homelessness. Appalled by the scenes playing out across the capital, a group of people came together to tackle the challenge head on. Led by Cardinal Basil Hume and Mark McGreevy OBE, in 1989 Depaul UK was born.
What began as a single housing project in North London soon expanded across London, Greater Manchester and the North East of England. Today, Depaul UK provides accommodation, prevention and support services to thousands of marginalised young people across the UK each year.
As our name suggests, the work of Depaul UK has been inspired by St. Vincent de Paul – a man who devoted his life to helping vast numbers of people throughout the 17th century. St. Vincent de Paul’s belief in the intrinsic worth of all people and his commitment to taking bold action remain central to our values today. Depaul UK now forms part of a family of Depaul charities around the world. We each focus on the specific challenges in our own countries, but we’re united by our shared values and mission to end homelessness.
Please note this role is advertised by the recruitment agency acting for the client – Not For Profit People.
Registered Charity 
101 - 500
Thank you!
CUF’s strategy has a vision of ending poverty together. Over the next three years we will be developing our relationships with our networks, partnerships, Dioceses and churches to respond, primarily, to relational poverty, recognising its place within the web of poverty. Our work will be mission and community resilience focussed, in the framework of asset based community development.
Through our work we will see more impactful, confident and mission focussed churches who are empowered to serve their local communities. We will witness greater cohesion across Dioceses, schools, Christian denominations and Christian charities as a national movement to love and serve our neighbour, and challenge unjust structures of society. We will also work more strategically with communities of different faiths
in our resilience work, facing the challenges of relational and identity poverty. We will work closely with the Church of England who have highlighted ministry in low income communities as a priority for resourcing.
We will be more confident in speaking out the truth about poverty, through a renewed influencing, policy and research team, who will take our grassroots and collaborative work to highlight unjust structures on poverty, and shape an ecclesial, political and sociological response.
In this newly created role you will develop our work on influencing and telling the truth about poverty, this is one of two objectives for the charity. You will help build relationships of influence within the Church of England, Government and other decision makers to use our stories and impact to show the difference churches and faith groups can make in ending material and relational poverty. You will develop policy positions on areas of CUF’s work in relation to poverty that will give a firm basis for our work, and that we will be able to speak out on with confidence and knowledge based on connection to grassroots churches and organisations. You will develop a robust mechanism for reporting on impact, which goes beyond just evaluating our work but demonstrates the difference that faith based social action can make on ending poverty together.
This role will report to the CEO, but work across all of CUF’s teams and departments and will be responsible for the line management of the Listening and Learning Officer.
How to apply
For an informal conversation about this role and for more information, please contact our Deputy Chief Executive, Rev’d Adam Edwards, please see our Job Pack for details.
To apply, please email an up-to-date CV and covering letter outlining your relevant skills and experience, relating to the listed responsibilities and person specification to: HR Officer, please see our Job Pack for details.
Closing date: 17:00 Monday 16th March, with interviews to be held on 26th March in London.
Please note that we will only consider CV's accompanied with a covering letter for shortlisting.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Job Description
Lead research and policy projects
You will lead our Research and Policy team and manage our research experts. This will include leading on existing and new projects from concept design to funder reporting, as well as conducting research in different areas of economic and social policy like social security, pensions, VAWG, labour market, social care, etc.
Maintain and forge external partnerships
You will maintain, identify and forge new collaborations with academics, feminist organisations and economics think tanks.
Represent WBG at external events and to the media
You will represent WBG in meetings with key stakeholders and speak at external events. You will also be a spokesperson for the press, radio and broadcast TV to promote WBG’s research and analysis.
Contribute to our advocacy strategy
You will work closely with our Communications and Public Affairs team to ensure our research outputs are relevant to our advocacy goals and that they are accessible to a wide range of audiences, including policymakers, politicians, journalists, and feminist campaigning organisations.
Supervise our research and policy support programme
In collaboration with our Head of Training and Capacity Building you will expand our programme of research and policy support for grassroots organisations in the UK and internationally.
Manage a team and support its members
You will be leading not only projects but also people. You will have experience of supporting, motivating and leading a team of people and supporting them to develop new skills and grow in their careers. This includes staff members and paid interns.
Hours: 30 hours per week. We operate a shorter working week with 30 hours the equivalent of full time. We are happy to consider a secondment role and/or flexible working arrangements. Some out of hours working will be required for which TOIL will be given.
Location: Must be resident in the UK with the right to work in the UK. Post is hybrid with requirement to be in the office at least once a week. Office is in Vauxhall, London.
Duration: 10-month fixed-term contract.
Line management: Reports to the Director, manages three staff members and any paid interns working in the Research and Policy team.
Start date: Late May 2026
Interviews will be held on w/c 13 April 2026.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.