Head of Policy

This is a great opportunity for an experienced policy professional at a growing and successful organisation with a focus on addressing disability poverty and advocating for social justice.   

Inclusion Barnet is Barnet’s Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisation (DDPO), led by a board and senior management team of disabled people, and we’re passionate about using our lived experience of disability to work towards disability rights, inclusive communities and greater social justice for all.  This new role will take a lead on our policy work, and the successful candidate will need to be confident to give detailed policy advice to inform our communications and campaigns. 

As a lived experience organisation, we’re looking for someone with a demonstrable commitment to disability rights, and ideally their own lived experience of disability (which could include mental health issues or a long-term condition).  You will also need a commitment to the social model of disability, and an ambition to contribute to a fairer society for all.  We also particularly welcome applications from global majority candidates, who are currently underrepresented in our organisation. 

The successful candidate will be our strategic lead around policy.  This is a new post, with an ambition to grow to a small policy team in time, so an ability to take on a few more hours in the future would be advantageous.   For now, you’ll be liaising with the Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC) and Disability Poverty Campaign Group (DPCG), as well as working with our User Voice Lead to understand what local disabled people are telling us and relating it to broader policy trends.  There will also be opportunities to feed into policy asks locally and regionally through our broader networks.

To succeed, you will need a strong existing interest in disability policy, as well as an ability to navigate between the ambitions of the wider movement and the reality of what’s achievable in the current environment.  You’ll be alive to the importance of strategic communications, and able to identify progressive policy asks which will get a hearing and the chance of wider traction.  This means you will need to be both adept at relationships and politically aware. 

This is a UK based role, and whilst most of it can be done from home, there will be the need to travel occasionally to face to face meetings or events.  It is anticipated that the need to travel will average out at less than once a month, and travel will be paid.  We encourage flexible working to suit your work/life balance preferences where possible.  We also operate a Time Off In Lieu (TOIL) system. 

This role is for 14 hours a week, with Tuesdays and Wednesdays as core days.  (There are key meetings on these days, but it would be possible for you to split some hours over a wider number of days around that if preferred.)   Role to commence early January 2024.  

To apply, please submit your CV with a brief covering letter explaining why you’re interested in the role, and how you would use your own lived and professional experience to deliver it.

The successful candidate must be willing to undergo a DBS check and have the right to work in the UK.