Senior Policy Officer

Location:

Hybrid (most ASH staff go into our Vauxhall office 1-2 days per week. However, we are open to fully remote working for the right candidate). This is a UK-based role; applicants must have the right to work in the UK for at least two years to be considered. ASH is unable to sponsor working visas.

About us

ASH is a public health charity that works to eliminate the harm caused by tobacco. Smoking is the largest preventable cause of death and disease in the UK and accounts for half the difference in life expectancy between the richest and poorest in society. ASH is a trusted voice in health policy, and we are widely recognised for our impact, expertise and our collaborative approach.

About the role

In 2025, the government will pass landmark legislation via the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, making the UK the first country in the world to phase out the sale of tobacco to future generations. This is your opportunity to join an ambitious and high-performing policy team at a critical time to influence the policy direction on tobacco in Westminster, the NHS and local government. ASH has a small team, meaning that the successful candidate will have the opportunity to work across multiple areas and gain wide experience very quickly.

This includes supporting policy development around novel products such as vapes alongside efforts to reduce health inequalities by addressing smoking among groups experiencing disadvantage. Working in a fast-paced and dynamic policy environment, the Senior Policy Officer will be responsible for delivering ASH’s programmes of work to reduce smoking prevalence among people with mental health conditions and improve delivery of stop smoking support in the NHS. There’s no such thing as a typical day: the Senior Policy Officer could be involved in everything from leading on consultation responses or contributing to briefings for MPs, to running a webinar for NHS professionals. This will involve:

·        Building relationships with key stakeholders in government departments, the NHS and other NGOs.

·        Maintaining and developing ASH’s professional networks.

·        Developing and writing briefings, reports and resources on a wide range of issues relating to smoking and vaping.

·        Responding to government consultations to shape new regulations.

·        Organising events and webinars.

·        Staying up to date with the latest academic and wider evidence on policy issues relating to tobacco and vaping,          developing expertise in ASH policy portfolios.

About the candidate

The successful candidate will be able to master a brief and get on top of any subject in sufficient depth to be an effective advocate. We encourage individuals to apply even if they don't meet every single criteria listed below, as we value potential, transferable skills, and a strong desire to learn and contribute to our team. The successful candidate will demonstrate:

1. Experience (1 year minimum) in a policy related role for an organisation, government department, think tank or NGO.
2. Experience of, or an interest in health policy.
3. A strong academic track record/equivalent work experience and an ability to interpret academic evidence on complex policy areas.
4. Ability to think strategically and identify opportunities for influencing and policy development and mitigate against risk.
5. Experience of managing projects from start to completion.
6. Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to communicate complicated messages authoritatively and clearly, to different audiences.
7. Experience of building maintaining strong working relationships with contacts in organisations other than your own and ability to manage networks of organisations and individuals.
8. High levels of organisation with an ability to work independently, manage multiple and conflicting priorities, manage projects effectively and identify and act on priorities.

Interviews

Interviews will be held at our office in Vauxhall on Monday 17th March, with a start date as soon as possible.

If cost is a barrier to attending a London-based interview, please let us know and we can help with booking your travel. Please let us know if you require any additional support or reasonable adjustments for the application or interview. We really want our process to feel accessible.

Those shortlisted for interview will be contacted by Monday 10th March. We apologise that due to the expected high levels of applications we may not be able to reply to all candidates. If you have not heard from us by this date, please assume you have not been shortlisted.

At ASH we are committed to ensuring our staff are representative of the diverse world around us and therefore we encourage candidates with a range of lived and professional experiences to apply. We particularly welcome applications from people of colour, LGBTQ+ people and disabled people. We will use positive action under the Equality Act 2010 to appoint from these underrepresented groups if two candidates are equally qualified.

Application Details

Please submit your CV and a covering letter via Charity Jobs.