Head of pr and advocacy jobs

Head of Policy and Public Affairs (Devolved Nations)
£59,640 pa plus excellent benefits
Home-based in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
35 hours per week, full-time
Permanent

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) is seeking an experienced and strategic policy and public affairs leader to head our devolved nations policy and public affairs function. This is a high-profile leadership role with a unique opportunity to influence policy, advocate for children and young people, and drive improvements in child health outcomes across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Reporting to the Associate Director of Policy and External Affairs and sitting on the Membership, Policy and External Affairs Divisional Management Team, you will lead the College’s policy and public affairs activity across the devolved nations. You will develop and deliver impactful advocacy strategies, build strong relationships with governments and policymakers, and ensure the College’s voice is heard on the issues that matter most to paediatricians, children and young people.

You will provide leadership to a team of Policy and Public Affairs Managers and work closely with College Officers, members, committees and colleagues across the organisation to maximise the College’s influence and impact.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the strategic planning and prioritisation of RCPCH policy and public affairs activities across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Developing and delivering influential public affairs and advocacy strategies to support the College’s policy priorities
• Providing expert advice on child health, healthcare delivery, workforce, public health and safeguarding policy across the devolved nations
• Managing and developing a team of three Policy and Public Affairs Managers
• Overseeing the production of high-quality policy reports, consultation responses, briefings and stakeholder communications
• Building and maintaining effective relationships with governments, policymakers, Royal Colleges, health bodies and external partners
• Working collaboratively with the Health Policy, Media and Public Affairs, Membership and Education teams to align priorities and maximise impact
• Supporting Devolved Nations Officers and committees to advocate effectively on behalf of members
• Leading the identification of opportunities to raise the College’s profile and influence policy development
• Managing a budget of approximately £60,000 and ensuring effective use of resources

Essential skills and experience include:

• Degree-level qualification, postgraduate qualification or equivalent relevant professional experience
• Strong understanding of the UK political and health policy landscape, particularly within Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Significant experience leading policy development and public affairs activity
• Proven experience producing and overseeing policy reports, consultation responses and briefing materials
• Demonstrable success in delivering public affairs campaigns with measurable impact
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with experience influencing senior political, policy and clinical audiences
• Outstanding communication skills, with the ability to adapt messages for different audiences and channels
• Strong leadership and people management experience
• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality outcomes
• Experience of budget management, planning and forecasting

Desirable:

• Experience leading policy development relating to health services, children’s services or child health
• Experience working within healthcare, children's services or public sector organisations
• Experience working within a membership organisation or professional body

The RCPCH has more than 25,000 members and fellows worldwide and employs around 200 staff across the UK. Our devolved nations teams play a vital role in ensuring that the needs of children and young people are represented at every level of government and policy-making.

Our values – Include, Influence, Innovate and Inspire – are central to everything we do. We are committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds. We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates and disabled candidates who are under-represented at this level of the organisation.

We operate a flexible and modern hybrid working policy. While this role is home-based in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, travel across the devolved nations and occasional travel elsewhere in the UK will be required.

Closing date: 24 June 2026.

Leukaemia UK – Our Charity
We are a ‘small but mighty’ charity with one big ambition: to stop leukaemia devastating lives. Over the next 10 years we want to help save and improve the lives of more people with leukaemia through funding life-changing research and campaigning for change. Despite decades of incredible progress, only half of leukaemia patients live longer than five years after their diagnosis. We won't stop until we change this.

We are looking for a Public Affairs and Campaigns Manager to join the Policy and Advocacy team. At a pivotal moment for Leukaemia UK, they will lead and manage our political influencing work, ensuring our profile and reputation remains high and we are able to influence political decisions.

With our new strategy period beginning in 2027, over the next 5 years we plan to increase our investment into ground-breaking research and campaigning to improve diagnosis, treatment and care. We are in a period of significant growth, investing to grow our income, profile, influence, engagement and impact.

Having developed our policy, public affairs and campaigns function over the current strategy period, this role will help take this to the next level and play a key role in strengthening our ability to influence change across the UK.

Team

We are a close-knit team, who are all passionate about Leukaemia UK and putting those affected by the disease at the heart of everything we do. We are all focused on pragmatic, practical solutions, as well as ensuring that our charity gets the funding it needs to continue to help those diagnosed with leukaemia and related conditions.

As a small organisation with just over 30 employees, every role counts. We have ambitious plans and we rely on individuals being self-starters, resilient and used to working at pace to maximise our collective impact. We are all about delivering exceptional expertise and making a real change to people’s lives.

Leukaemia UK and You

We are looking for a self-motivated Public Affairs and Campaigns Manager to join our team, taking a leading role in shaping and delivering Leukaemia UK’s influencing and campaigning activity to drive policy change. The successful candidate will be an innovative, driven and forward-thinking individual with a proven track record of delivering impactful public affairs and campaigning work within the health charity sector. You will work closely with the Head of Policy and Advocacy and the Policy Officer to ensure a coordinated, insight‑led and strategically aligned approach to policy development, public affairs and campaigning activity across the organisation.

The Public Affairs and Campaigns Manager will be instrumental in strengthening and growing the charity’s profile, influence and impact among political stakeholders and senior civil servants across all four UK administrations. This role will ensure that the ‘patient voice’ is heard and acted upon by key decision-makers, while also ensuring that the needs and priorities of individuals affected by leukaemia are understood, represented, valued and embedded within our influencing and campaigning strategies.

Alongside this, you will lead the development of creative and innovative campaigning approaches, using a range of tactics to effectively engage supporters, partners and policy makers in our work. You will create compelling opportunities for stakeholders to join our efforts to drive policy change, and ensure that our campaigns are visible, impactful and aligned to our policy priorities.

You will work closely with the Communications team to ensure that campaigning to drive policy change is clearly understood, amplified and embedded across digital channels and content strategies, maximising reach, engagement and impact. You will also support with identifying and developing new opportunities for PR, media engagement and thought leadership to strengthen Leukaemia UK’s position as a credible and influential voice in the sector. You will be representing Leukaemia UK in multiple charity coalitions and forums to ensure that leukaemia is represented on the political agenda.

The successful candidate will be adept at articulating evidence-based policy positions to policy makers, healthcare professionals, researchers, effectively representing the perspectives of those affected by leukaemia. They will have the ability to influence a wide range of senior stakeholders to drive progress and bring about meaningful change. A strong understanding of the external political landscape, coupled with exceptional communication skills and attention to detail, is essential.

This role does not currently include direct line management responsibility but will play a key role in coordinating activity across the Policy and Advocacy function, with potential to take on management responsibilities as the team grows.

Experience and skills

Essential 

• Experience of working within public affairs and/or campaigning, with demonstrable impact in influencing policy or driving change (candidates should have strong experience in at least one of these areas, with an understanding of how they work together)
• Experience of influencing government, policy makers and/or decision makers, preferably within the health, research or charity sector
• Experience of developing and delivering public affairs and/or campaigning strategies, including planning, delivery and evaluation
• Experience of engaging and managing a range of stakeholders, including policy makers, partners, and supporters
• Experience of producing high-quality written outputs such as briefings, consultation responses, or campaign materials to influence decision makers
• Experience of working collaboratively across teams, particularly with communications functions
• Experience of monitoring and evaluating activity to assess impact and inform future approaches
• Experience of delivering multiple projects and programmes in a fast-paced environment

Desirable

• Experience of integrating campaigning with digital, PR or communications strategies
• Experience of identifying PR, media or thought leadership opportunities
• Experience of working in the cancer or wider health policy environment
• Experience of line management or supporting others’ development

Knowledge and personal traits

Essential

• Strong understanding of the UK political and policy landscape, including how decisions are made and influenced
• Understanding of how public affairs and campaigning can work together to drive change, including supporter engagement and mobilisation
• Ability to think strategically and identify opportunities to influence policy and public debate
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex issues clearly to different audiences
• Strong relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders with differing perspectives
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail
• A strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and an understanding of the importance of engaging with patients and underrepresented groups
• A proactive, collaborative and solutions-focused approach, with the ability to work at pace

Desirable

• Knowledge of the cancer, research or NHS policy landscape
• Experience of working with patients or in an advocacy capacity

Role Specifics

• Full time: 37.5 hours per week, worked Monday to Friday.
• Location: We are very flexible! Our offices are based in Central London, and we operate hybrid working.  In this role you are required to work from the office at least one day per fortnight and as appropriate, to  undertake the proper performance of the role duties regarding internal and external meetings and activities.
• Annual Salary: £40,000 - £50,000

Benefits- We are proud of our benefits

• 36 days holiday per year, including bank holidays- pro rata for part time employees
• Pension – default is 4% employee and 4% employer and we match up to 6%
• Life Assurance – x 4 cover
• Critical Illness Cover
• Cash back healthcare scheme & Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Hybrid Working
• Company sick pay
• Individual training budgets

Applications and interview timings 

If you feel you have the passion for our work and the right mix of experience, skills, energy, and flair, then we would love you to apply. Please also see the full job description attached to the advert.  To minimise unconscious bias, we use anonymous recruitment and are unable to consider direct applications. Please apply via the CharityJob website with your CV and covering letter.

Closing Date: 9am Monday 22nd June 2026

• First interviews will be held via Teams on Thursday 2nd July 2026
• Second interviews will be face to face in our London Offices – at 26 Great Queen St, London WC2B 5BL on Thursday 9th July 2026

I look forward to hearing from you! 

Georgia

Georgia Papacleovoulou

Head of Policy & Advocacy

Leukaemia UK

The COO will translate BLiM's mission and strategy and ensure its well-run, properly resourced, with its ambitious day-to-day delivery. You will free the CEO to focus on strategic leadership and external influence by owning operations, people management, financial oversight and internal systems.

The COO will be a senior leader who shapes organisational culture, makes operational decisions, manages complex stakeholder relationships and drives the performance of a passionate, high-commitment team. You will be the person the organisation looks to when it needs clarity, stability and momentum.

The COO joins at a moment of leadership transition following the departure of BLiM's co-founder and Director of Operations.

Why Join Us:

Black Lives in Music (BLiM) is a not-for-profit dedicated to advancing racial equity across the UK music industry. We amplify the voices of Black artists, music professionals and communities; drive systemic change; and hold the industry accountable for meaningful progress. Through research, advocacy, programming and strategic partnerships, BLiM creates the conditions for Black talent to thrive.

BLiM has published ground-breaking research including the Being Black in the UK Music Industry report, produced the UK's first Black classical music festival in Classically Black, influenced government policy on live music licensing, and built a network of over 100 partner organisations across the four nations. BLiM is now entering a new phase of its development, with a strengthened leadership team, a Target Operating Model designed to carry the organisation beyond its founding era, and an ambition to become the UK's most influential voice for racial equity in music.

Person Specification 

Essential

• Significant experience in a senior operational leadership role, ideally as a COO, Head of Operations or Director of Operations in a charity, social enterprise or purpose-driven organisation.

• Demonstrable track record of building and improving operational infrastructure: systems, processes, policies and ways of working that make organisations more effective and resilient.

• Proven people management experience, including line management of senior staff, performance development, recruitment and team culture-building.

• Strong financial literacy, including experience of budget management, grant compliance, financial reporting and working with a board finance function.

• Experience of leading or supporting governance processes, including board reporting, risk management and compliance.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex operational information into clear, accessible reports and presentations for senior stakeholders.

• A genuine, demonstrable commitment to racial equity and an understanding of the specific systemic barriers faced by Black professionals, artists and communities.

• The emotional intelligence and interpersonal skill to lead with care, build trust quickly and navigate complex relationships under pressure.

• The resilience and adaptability to thrive in a small, fast-paced, mission-driven organisation where the work is varied, the stakes are high and no day is the same.

Desirable

• Experience of working in or with the music industry, creative industries or arts and culture sector.

• Familiarity with Arts Council England funding frameworks, charity law and the regulatory environment for non-profit organisations.

• Experience of implementing or managing a CRM system, project management platform or other operational technology.

• Knowledge of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) frameworks and how to embed inclusive practice into operational systems and culture.

• Experience of leading an organisation through a period of significant change, transition or growth.

• An existing network within the UK music sector, creative industries or racial equity and social justice space.

At BLiM, we're interviewing on a rolling basis, so we'd encourage you to apply sooner rather than later!

To be considered for a first interview, please include a Cover Letter with your application. This initial conversation will be relaxed and informal, and we'll take you through the full interview process together so you know exactly what to expect at every stage.

St Benedict’s Centre Warden

Part Time – 21 hours (3 days) per week

Salary £24,000 (£40,000 FTE)

The St Benedict’s Centre is situated within the grounds of Malling Abbey, the home of an Anglican Benedictine religious community in the heart of the Kent countryside. It is a place of great beauty, a liminal space which draws deeply on its spiritual heritage and tradition to engage with the needs of contemporary society: education, training, counselling, holistic therapy, study days, quiet days, workshops and much more.

We are seeking a Centre Warden to provide overall leadership for the Centre, taking responsibility for setting culture and vision across the organization. The Centre Warden will develop strong and successful relationships with key external partners, deliver an imaginative programme for spiritual retreats and quiet days, and ensure that there are sufficient resources available for the Centre to flourish.

Candidates must be able to demonstrate experience and understanding of retreat and quiet day programming in a setting like St Benedict’s. You will be able to build relational capital with a range of stakeholders, and have excellent organisational and communications skills.

Please see the attached Job Description for a full list of responsibilities, which include:

· Developing a clear vision and strategy for the Centre

· Ensuring that all necessary resources are in place for the Centre to flourish

· Developing and delivering an imaginative programme of retreats and quiet days

· Responsibility for building strong and effective relationships with all stakeholders

Please note that we are advertising this role in parallel with the role of Cascade Project Manager (a wellbeing project for frontline church leaders, lay and ordained). While the two roles are distinct, they are inter-related. We are open to flexing both appointments where one person is interested in holding both part-time roles together.

What we can offer:

· Flexible working, Hybrid working and TOIL

· Generous holiday entitlement

· Contributory pension scheme

· Access to an Employee Assistance programme

This is an employed post, if you are an ordained candidate wishing to remain a member of the clergy pension scheme, please contact us for a discussion about salary and pension.

The St Benedict’s Centre is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All post holders and volunteers are expected to share this commitment. 

The wider a group’s diversity, the smarter, wiser, and more compassionate and creative its decision making becomes. We are committed to the Diocese of Rochester’s aim to achieve diversity by seeking UKME/GMH colleagues and those from a wide-range of backgrounds, to help create a culture of inclusion and belonging.

Closing date for applications: Friday 12 June

Interviews will be held: Thursday 2 July