Development Officer Jobs
About Us
Change Mental Health is a leading national mental health charity providing unique support to people with severe and enduring mental ill health. With over 50 years’ experience across Scotland, we believe people affected by poor mental health and illness deserve the highest quality of support in the community and that every person has the right to be valued and to share in the opportunities, challenges, and joys of everyday life.
About the Position
Our Policy and Public Affairs Officer connects with and influences politicians and senior decision makers to make society better for people who have mental health challenges, have mental illness and their families. They shall manage projects that shall lead to improvements in support for those with poor mental health.
Key Responsibilities
In this critical role you will work closely with the Director of Public Affairs and Communications to develop and implement a policy and influencing strategy to ensure that the voices of people we support, and their families are heard in all the places they need to be. You will manage projects related to mental health and provide reports.
You will build powerful relationships with politicians, civil servants and partners and feel comfortable representing the organisation at a range of different stakeholder events. You will love policy and public affairs, enjoy mastering details and offering sound advice. You will respond on behalf of the organisation to consultations and events and will be comfortable doing lots of reading and writing. You will enjoy building powerful and meaningful relationships.
General Duties:
- To ensure that Change Mental Health have a robust policy and public affairs process in order, to respond to events and consultations, set up meetings with influencers, write briefings for those meetings and record our interactions on the Lobbying Register.
- Develop and implement a policy and public affairs strategy which means Change Mental Health engage with external stakeholders, have key messages disseminated and ensure that the voices of our members and the people we support are heard at all levels.
- Ensure that Change Mental Health’s Public Affairs and Stakeholder policies are kept relevant for our staff and promoted throughout the organisation.
- Collaborate on key communications documents and channels, including our newsletter, website and support the high-quality use of our social media channels.
- Manage projects that improve the outcomes of those with poor mental health and wellbeing. When agreed, engage with parliamentarians and stakeholders, representing Change Mental Health and advocating for our policy agenda
- Take ownership of policy developments in fields relevant to Change Mental Health’s work and ensure you are up to date and well informed of recent developments.
- Write briefings for the Director of Public Affairs and Communications, the CEO, and Board as needed.
- Write briefings for debates in Parliament and communicate with members of Parliaments.
- Write reports for projects relating to mental health and wellbeing.
- Organise and undertake the administration of events that support our policy platform whether that be events at party conferences, cross party groups, parliamentary receptions or other activity that support the charity.
- Network and build relationships with different stakeholders across the private, third and state sectors.
- Support the work of the National Rural Mental Health Forum, organising meetings and reporting on impact.
- Act in accordance with Data Protection legislation. Ensure all records, personal, staff and client data are managed in line with Data Management and Information Governance policies
- Comply with legal and regulatory requirements such as provisions set out in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
- As with all employees, workers and volunteers; encourage people to join Change Mental Health as a member, fundraiser, donor or activist
- To act in accordance with the charity’s Health & Safety and Safeguarding policies and to notify your line manager promptly if there are any concerns
- To participate in regular supervision and appraisal and undertake any relevant training as appropriate to the role
- To work in accordance with the charity’s national policies and local operating procedures and those of external regulators or professional bodies.
- To be friendly, polite and professional to all staff, members of the public and people Change Mental Health support.
All sucessful applicants will require a Basic Disclosure check.
For over 50 years, our mission has remained the same: to help and support people affected by mental illness.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Starting salary: £30,000-34,000pa depending on experience, plus excellent benefits
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time (open to a conversation about flexible working options, including reduced hours or 4 days compressed working pattern)
Closing date: 30 September 2024
Interview date: 15 October 2024
If you have a passion for policy and public affairs this is an exciting opportunity to join our dynamic, growing mental health charity as our new External Relations Officer. You will play a key part in helping us to strengthen the mental health workforce and make a positive impact on people’s lives.
Think Ahead supports people living with mental health needs by supporting a strong and thriving mental health workforce. We are experts in recruitment, professional training and leadership development for mental health practitioners in the NHS and local communities, ensuring the right people can deliver the right support at the right time.
Through our flagship programme we have recruited and trained 1,000 mental health social workers to date, and we are extending our reach to ensure that we can support NHS and other employers to recruit and retain key people right across the mental health workforce.
As the External Relations Officer you will:
- Ensure the organisation has a good understanding of relevant policy and sector developments, and that we are aware of opportunities to influence.
- Work with key internal groups to keep developing our understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the mental health workforce.
- Support the organisation to identify and build relationships with key external stakeholders.
- Help to build our profile as sector workforce experts by generating content such as blogs, and by identifying speaking opportunities for our internal specialists.
We are looking for someone with good communications instincts who is passionate about policy and public affairs, and has a ‘can-do’ attitude and a desire to learn and develop. We don’t need you to be highly experienced in all three areas (communications, policy and public affairs), we are happy to work with the right candidate to develop your skills and experience.
We offer a supportive working environment which include hybrid working practices. We expect staff to work from the office at least one or two days per week (which ideally includes Tuesdays) and the remaining days can be worked from home.
We offer excellent employee benefits, including generous annual leave entitlement, plus additional office closure over Christmas, enhanced family friendly leave, flexible working around our core hours of 10am to 4pm, a matched pension scheme with up 7% employer contributions, an employee assistance programme and more.
If this sounds like the just the opportunity and challenge you’ve been looking for to complement your skills and experience, we look forward to receiving your application.
REF-216817