Policy research jobs

Are you a policy research professional looking for your next career opportunity? 

Great Ormond Street Charity is building its policy and advocacy function and are hiring for a Senior Policy & Research Manager. This newly created role will play a key role in supporting the development of this new function..

If you have experience indeveloping evidence-based policy positions and you’re looking for a role where you can help shape the future needs for seriously ill children and their families – get in touch with us.

Salary 

The salary for this position is £50,534 per annum and we operate a hybrid working policy of a minimum of two days per week in the office.

In line with our EDI strategy and Total Reward policy, we calculate our salaries based on benchmarking data across the charity sector. To ensure fairness for existing staff and new joiners, we do not offer salaries above the advertised rate. 

Key responsibilities  

Policy development 

• Developing evidence-based policy positions, focused on advancing the needs to serious ill children and their families.

• Developing impactful policy content including position papers, policy briefings and responses to government consultations.

Policy research, data and insight 

• Lead research and analysis activities that underpin our policy work – ensuring we develop credible policy recommendations.

• Compile and maintain key data insights to support policy development.

• Track developments in external policy. 

Build relationships 

• Represent GOSH Charity at meetings and events to support policy development.

• Build relationships with other organisations and policy makers.

• Build internal relationships.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise 

• Previous experience working in a policy position within either a charity, think tank or public sector organisation. 

• Extensive experience managing the development of evidence-based policy positions.

• Experience successfully influencing public policy.

• Experience representing an organisation at external meetings and events.

• Ability to translate data and complex issues into actionable recommendations.

• Exceptional written and oral communication skills.

Previous experience in the health and/or research sector is beneficial for this role. A keen interest in shaping the future for seriously ill children and their families is a must. 

Job Title: Policy and Advocacy Manager

Position Type: Maternity Cover

Reports to: Founder/Chief Executive

Based at: School Food Matters, Blackfriars Settlement 9 Rushworth Street SE1 0RB (At least three days per week in the office)

Salary: £40,500

Working Hours: 9am-5pm (flexible)

Pension: School Food Matters pays pension contributions at 7% of pensionable earnings

Holiday: 31 days including bank holidays

School Food Matters is closed between Christmas and New Year

Job Purpose

· To lead and shape School Food Matters’ policy and advocacy strategy, ensuring our voice influences national and local decision-making on school food and food education

· To design and deliver campaigns that support and advance SFM’s mission

· To line manage the Press and Communications Officer and Policy and Communications Assistant

Key Tasks

· Lead and provide strategic input to campaigns, convene groups and partnerships

· Represent SFM at external meetings and coalitions such as the School Food Review

· Monitor, analyse and interpret relevant research, policy developments and news, identifying implications or opportunities for SFM

· Oversee the strategic direction of SFM’s external affairs and communications, ensuring all policy, campaigns, and public messaging align with the charity’s mission and priorities

· Provide policy research and analysis to support the activities of the School Food Review

· Oversee meetings and governance for the School Food Alliance

· Provide policy and communications expertise for the Food Education Network workstreams

· Represent SFM at relevant policy consultations, meetings and conferences to influence and inform policy discussions, and deliver presentations as required

· Lead drafting of responses to government consultations

· Working closely with the Press and Communications Officer, provide insights to inform timely media responses to policy developments

· Ensure colleagues are regularly briefed on policy activities, priorities and messages, and run internal workshops to keep them up to date with the school food sector

· Provide strategic input to meeting content for the School Food Review, and support the Policy and Communications Assistant to organise meetings for workstreams

· Oversee the development web content, articles, blogs and newsletter content by the Press and Communications Officer and the Policy and Communications Assistant

· Keep up to date with safeguarding requirements and reporting procedures

· Maintain the ethos of the charity and positively promote our work at all times

· The Policy and Advocacy Manager will also undertake any other tasks relevant to the affairs of SFM that may arise from time to time.  Therefore, being flexible and approaching the job with an open and positive mindset is essential!

Person Specification

Essential

· At least two years post degree experience

· Experience of research and analysis, ideally in a policy environment

· General knowledge of issues around school food, children’s health and food education

· Comprehensive understanding of the UK’s political system

· Experience of coordinating policy/research-based projects

· Experience designing, coordinating and delivering campaigns

· Experience of working in coalitions

· Strong interpersonal skills and ability to maintain relationships with a range of individuals and organisations

· Confident and competent IT skills across Office suite of programmes

· Exceptional oral and written communication skills in fluent spoken and written English, with strong attention to detail and the ability to translate complex data and policies into accessible language and engaging stories and communication materials

· Strong understanding media landscape and social media platforms to oversee the communications activity of the organisation

· Ability to work independently, with high levels of self-motivation

· Good project management, time management and organisational skills and the ability to work under pressure and to meet deadlines

· Energy, enthusiasm, creativity and tenacity

Desirable

· Strong knowledge of the public health, food and education policy landscape

· Experience managing others

· Experience managing projects

· Experience managing meetings

· Experience of working with Drupal CMS

· Experience of working within a network or coalition of campaigning organisations

· Established contacts with media outlets/journalists/bloggers

· Digital campaigning and social networking skills

· Experience writing news articles and blog posts with clear structure, purpose and an engaging narrative

· Experience managing or supervising team members to deliver communications projects effectively

About Starlight

No one enjoys medical procedures, least of all children. From facing everyday vaccinations to the most serious of surgeries and chronic conditions, all children experience varying degrees of apprehension and fear. Feeling scared, powerless, or anxious in healthcare settings doesn’t just trigger a child’s emotions; it can create traumas that impact treatment success and that can have a life-long impact. Starlight’s aim is to transform children’s health through better experiences, by putting play at the heart of every child’s healthcare.

Evidence shows that play in healthcare can reduce anxiety, fear and even pain; it helps children engage and prepare for their treatment and cope better with procedures; it minimises trauma and contributes to a better experience; and supports children to have some sense of agency and control in an environment where these opportunities are limited. Play can also reduce the number of attempts to deliver treatment, the need for sedation and the need for repeat appointments. Prioritising children’s right to play in healthcare results in healthier, happier children who are involved in their own healing and recovery as well as more efficient treatment and care.

We work in over 900 healthcare settings across the UK with an ultimate vision to ensure that no child endures trauma in healthcare.

Our Culture

We believe that our success depends upon focusing on our purpose and business results and taking individual responsibility for a culture where everyone can belong, feel safe and thrive. Our values are the agreed standards that govern our behaviour and are central to our decision-making and the choices that we make. Our development programme focuses on individual awareness of our own values, strengths, and preferences – what makes us who we are – to help all colleagues think for themselves, manage their environment, and make appropriate, balanced decisions for themselves, others and Starlight. We believe that our strength is in our differences and constantly strive towards an authentic workplace culture with equity, diversity, and inclusion as central principles.

Our Strategy and the role of Policy and Public Affairs Coordinator

As a result of the rapid progress and positive outcomes of us leading, managing and coordinating an increasingly cohesive alliance for systemic change in children’s healthcare, we are now in the position of moving some of our focus to the Government and Parliament. This will involve sensitive networking, stakeholder engagement and relationship management. To sustain the momentum and maximise these opportunities, we now want to appoint a permanent coordinator who is dynamic, empathic and curious; with the experience and ability to coordinate and administer the work of a small team working at pace in a fast-changing environment.

The postholder will need to maintain superb attention to detail while juggling multiple priorities (and a diverse range of relationships). There will be growing opportunities to be involved in policy research and preparation of briefings, as well as organising and project-managing events, publications and other activities. There will be a continued focus on meetings of various kinds; aiming to ensure these are seamless and problem free for everyone involved. This will require considerable administrative support in diary management, arranging meetings, preparation of papers, accurate minute taking and follow up actions.

Future Commissioning Policy and Public Affairs Lead

Contract: Permanent
Salary: £60,000 per annum plus pension
Location: Hybrid – home-based, with regular travel to meetings and team days in London and Sheffield

About the Role

Funded by ten prime providers, this is a senior policy and public affairs role leading a high-profile campaign on behalf of the employment support sector. The postholder will ensure that decision makers, policy makers, and commissioners clearly understand:

• The value and contribution of large employment support organisations as prime contract holders
• The strengths and impact of the prime provider model
• What is required to deliver effective future employment support programmes

The role will be managed by the CEO of ERSA, with the CEO reporting into a dedicated campaign working group.

This workstream will strengthen and add capacity to existing work being led by the ERSA CEO on future commissioning. It will enable ERSA to further and more effectively represent the interests of the employment support sector and the prime provider model across future national and devolved commissioning activity.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and delivery of a coordinated policy and public affairs campaign
• Research, analyse, and interpret policy and commissioning developments relevant to employment support
• Produce high-quality reports, briefings, consultation responses, and policy submissions
• Build and maintain credibility with senior stakeholders, including policy makers, commissioners, and sector leaders
• Represent ERSA externally with confidence, authority, and credibility
• Work collaboratively with the ERSA CEO, campaign working group, and wider sector stakeholders

Person Specification

The successful candidate will be:

• An experienced policy professional
• Knowledgeable about the employment support sector and commissioning landscape
• Highly skilled in policy research and analysis
• An excellent writer, able to produce clear, persuasive, and evidence-based policy documents
• A confident and authoritative communicator, able to represent ERSA with gravitas

Reporting Line

The postholder will be part of the ERSA team and will report directly to the ERSA CEO.

This is an exciting role in our committed policy team leading the fight to end child poverty in the UK. The government has just published a UK wide cross-government child poverty strategy, and made some historic commitments to reduce child poverty including scrapping the two-child limit and expanding free school meals in England. However, there is more to do, and this is a great time to join CPAG as we look to monitor the impact of these changes and influence policy makers and parliamentarians to ensure child poverty is high up the agenda.

We are looking for someone with a track record of communicating complex policy areas in an accessible manner to a range of non-specialist audiences. You will have knowledge of parliamentary processes and the different advocacy levers that can be used to influence change. You will enjoy working collaboratively to identify policy issues and develop solutions, working closely with colleagues across the organisation as well as externally.

In addition, in a senior policy officer we are looking for someone to take a lead role in developing CPAG’s policy and research programme, including leading the delivery of research projects, helping to shape our press and campaigns work, and contributing to the development of future projects including fundraising.

You will have a track record of producing high quality research and analysis, including policy briefings, on social policy issues.

The postholder will be working in a fast moving, high profile and complex policy environment and will need to balance short term priorities with long term objectives. Current priorities include influencing the implementation of the forthcoming child poverty strategy, sharing analysis and expertise as part of the DWP’s review of universal credit, and monitoring the development of the green paper on the changes to disability benefits. 

We welcome applications from individuals with the skills and experience outlined and we can be flexible about working arrangements, including considering part time hours. We operate a hybrid working system and would be happy to discuss any flexibilities required. CPAG is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion which you can read more about in the job pack.

Please note we are recruiting for one person with the right fit at either the policy officer or senior policy officer level.

For more information about this post and to apply download the (Senior) Policy Officer job pack.

If you have questions or need specific arrangements or reasonable adjustments to take part in the selection process please contact us.

Closing date for applications: Monday 16 March (midnight)

Interviews will be held in London w/c 23 March.

£37,000 per annum.
Fixed term contract until 30th April 2027.
Happy to talk about flexible working such as part-time working or flexible working hours.
 
ABOUT US
 
Somebody goes missing in the UK every 90 seconds. Missing People exists to ease the heartache experienced by those missing someone, and to help people who are away from home find their way back to safety. Our vision is for every missing child, adult and family left behind to find help, hope and a safe way to reconnect. We are a non-judgemental, highly skilled team of staff and volunteers working for everyone who needs us. We provide free, confidential support, help and advice by phone, email, text and live chat.
 
Missing People’s Policy and Research Team is a small team with a big impact, both within the charity and externally. We aim to create local, regional and national change to improve the response to missing people. We work in an evidence-based way, centring the experiences of those who have been or are affected by missing. As the Policy and Public Affairs Manager, you will lead work to influence improvement in the response for missing children, adults and their families at a national and local level.
 
THE IMPACT YOU WILL HAVE
 
Make a national impact on the lives of missing children, adults and their families.
 
Joining our Policy and Research Team, you will help influence local and national policy, ensuring that the voices and experiences of missing people and their families are heard at the highest levels. Your work will directly shape how the UK understands and responds to missing people — and will help protect those at greatest risk of harm. You will learn from and work with people who have been missing, and people who have reported a loved one missing, to shape workplans and to call for change.
 
You will act as Co-Secretariat for the APPG for Missing Children and Adults, and build relationships with key stakeholders in government, parliament, the police and safeguarding agencies, finding ways to engage and motivate policy makers to better understand the issues affecting missing people and their families, and to make positive changes.
 
You will become expert in the issue of missing, including the risks that cause people to go and the harm they experience while away. This will also involve monitoring the policy landscape for opportunities to influence changes in the response to missing people, and provide expert insight and guidance to help shape improvement.
 
You will represent issues facing some of the most marginalised and vulnerable communities. This might include people who face sexual or criminal exploitation, people experiencing mental health problems or people who face discrimination in the response they receive from statutory services when they seek help in relation to the issue of missing, amongst others. This will sometimes include engaging with and challenging professionals in organisations and systems that exist with embedded discrimination.
 
ABOUT YOU
 
You will have:
 
• Right to work in the UK.
• Previous experience of working in a policy or public affairs role;
• Experience of successfully influencing change at a local and/or national level;
• Experience of building and maintaining relationships with politicians and other policymakers, including quickly building rapport and establishing trust;
• Experience of working with Parliamentarians in All Party Parliamentary Group/s
• Experience of sensitively representing complex issues in communications with professionals or the public, particularly issues which impact on marginalised people;
• An understanding of political systems across the UK and how to influence policy within those systems;
• Knowledge of missing or linked issues, for example mental health, care experience, exploitation, homelessness, or adult social care;
• Understanding of the experiences of marginalised communities and how to ensure that those who are marginalised are included and given the opportunity to influence change;
• Proven ability to communicate complex information in a clear manner to different audiences, including some information that might challenge existing perceptions and perspectives;
• Able to work autonomously, with proven ability to move projects forward when working independently.
 
WHAT WE OFFER
 
Working for Missing People means living our values. It’s a place where people are encouraged to ‘let fly’ so you can ‘make things happen’. We know you’re more than just a job title, and ‘be human’ is an important value here. Missing People is an independent charity that relies on donations.
 
For further details, please see attached job description/person specification and letter to applicants.
 
HOW TO APPLY
 
Please include your CV and a brief supporting statement that demonstrates how you are a good fit for this role. We look forward to receiving your application. We reserve the right to withdraw this advert early if we receive sufficient applications, so please apply promptly.
 
Closing date: 23:59 on 22 March 2026
Interviews: 30/31 March 2026
Start date: 28th April 2026
 
You may have experience of the following: Public Affairs Lead, Policy Manager, Policy and Advocacy Manager, Government Relations Manager, External Affairs Manager, Policy and Campaigns Manager, Political Engagement Manager, Stakeholder Engagement Lead, Public Policy Advisor.
 
REF-227 168

The Bevan Foundation is seeking a new policy and research officer to join our team. Could you support the Bevan Foundation in its mission to end poverty in Wales?

About the Bevan Foundation

The Bevan Foundation is Wales's most influential think tank. We create insights, ideas and impact that help to end poverty and inequality. Over recent years the Foundation has helped secure real and lasting change for people across Wales, from universal free school meals for primary pupils to increases in Education Maintenance Allowance. We’ve built a reputation for trusted, evidence-based insights and ideas that influence decision-makers and improve lives.

About this role

This is new and exciting role in our policy and research team. This role will have a particular focus on poverty, with the successful candidate working on a wide range of poverty issues from child poverty to housing. You’ll gather and analyse evidence, help to develop practical proposals for change and be involved in persuading decision-makers to take action.

About you

You will have an excellent grounding in qualitative and quantitative research methods and a sound grasp of social and economic policies in Wales. You’ll be able to explain your work clearly and persuasively, with good written and oral skills. You’ll be able to engage effectively with a wide range of people, from stakeholders to people on low incomes. You’ll be well-organised and able to operate independently as well as collaboratively with a wider team.

Key terms

The role is available for 5 days per week, on a permanent basis. 

The salary for this post is £28,393 - £31,273 (Grade 5), with the appointment likely to be in the bottom half of the scale.

We work in a hybrid way, with staff expected be office-based for two to three days a week and to attend monthly in-person team meetings. The Foundation’s offices are in Merthyr Tydfil.

If you are interested and want to find out more and to find out how to apply download our application pack.

Closing Date: Wednesday 18 March 11:00 AM

Interview date: Monday 30 March 

The Bevan Foundation gratefully acknowledges the support of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation towards this programme of work. 

Research Grants Officer
Contract type: Fixed Term Contract (24 months)
Full time: 34.5 hours, we are open to a conversation about how you work these hours
Location: Hybrid between home and our London office (expected to be in the office at least quarterly). Additional travel required to events, conferences and workshops in London and nationally (approximately once per month).
Salary range: £37,000 - £41,000

Are you experienced in research administration or grant management? Do you bring strong organisational and analytical skills? We’re recruiting a Research Grants Officer to support Macmillan’s growing research funding programme.

We are establishing a new Research Institute to deliver world-leading, actionable research. The Institute will build Macmillan’s position as a national leader in applied cancer research, focusing on unmet needs, service improvement, inequalities, patient experience, and the wider non-clinical impact of cancer. This is an exciting opportunity to join us at a pivotal moment and help build a research programme with real‑world impact.

About us

At Macmillan you'll find talented people working together to do whatever it takes to support people living with cancer. We're going all out to find even better ways to help even more people who need our support. Our values are at the heart of who we are and everything we do, inspiring our thinking and guiding our actions.

Our new organisational strategy sets out how we’ll fight even harder to make every pound raised count for even more. With your help, we’ll transform cancer care for good.

About the role

As a Research Grants Officer, you will play a key role in ensuring the smooth operation of the research funding cycle, from application and peer review through to award management and post‑award administration. You’ll work closely with the Research Grants Manager, internal teams, external experts, and funded researchers to maintain high standards of governance, transparency, and impact across all our research funding activities.

Key responsibilities:

• Support the development, implementation, and management of Macmillan’s research grants programme.
• Create, update, and publish key documentation for each funding round.
• Coordinate expert review panels, including scheduling, logistics, and budget oversight.
• Provide secretariat support for funding panels, including preparing papers, taking minutes, and compiling applicant feedback.
• Manage post‑award processes such as grant agreements, financial tracking, and change requests.
• Monitor reporting compliance and work with Finance to ensure accurate expenditure records.
• Act as the primary point of contact for funded academics, supporting timely reporting and dissemination of research outputs.
• Work with the Communications team to promote research findings and their impact.
• Support internal and external events to strengthen the research community.
• Represent Macmillan at academic conferences and sector events.

About you

The successful candidate will bring:

• Experience in research administration or grant management within an academic, charity, or funding organisation.
• Strong organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Strong analytical and reporting skills, with experience interpreting data and maintaining accurate records to support effective monitoring of funded projects.
• Experience of providing secretariat support for committees or panels
• Excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and confidence working with a range of stakeholders.
• An understanding of research funding processes and a willingness to learn and develop within a growing research function.

In return, we offer a range of benefits including:

• 25 days holiday plus flexible bank holiday options, increasing by 1 day every year of service up to 30 days
• Pension matched up to 7.5%
• 120+ learning and development offers, with access to external professional qualifications
• Flexible working patterns, such as compressed hours, flexibility to work earlier or later around our core working hours of 10am-4pm
• Holiday buying and selling scheme, life insurance, free wills, retail discounts and much more

Recruitment process

Application deadline: 23:59 on Monday 16th March
Interview dates: Online interviews will be held on Monday 30th March

To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed.

So that we can support you to be at your best during the application or interview process, please contact Macmillan TA Team for advice and reasonable adjustments.

We welcome applications from everyone who meet the criteria and strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as Black, Asian or from another minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Macmillan. Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy along with our internal employee representation body, ‘Our Voice’ and 8 Employee Network groups help us promote fairness and belonging, becoming an engaged and inclusive organisation for all our people.

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. 

Prospect Research Officer
Contract type: Permanent
Full time: 34.5 hours, we are open to a conversation about how you work these hours
Location: Hybrid between home and our London office (typically 1 day per week in office)
Salary range: £37,000 - £40,000

Are you a naturally curious researcher who loves turning insight into opportunity? Do you have a talent for writing high‑quality briefs and building strong, collaborative relationships?

We’re looking for a Prospect Research Officer who can help unlock transformative income to support people living with cancer.

About us

At Macmillan you'll find talented people working together to do whatever it takes to support people living with cancer. We're going all out to find even better ways to help even more people who need our support. Our values are at the heart of who we are and everything we do, inspiring our thinking and guiding our actions.

Our new organisational strategy sets out how we’ll fight even harder to make every pound raised count for even more. With your help, we’ll transform cancer care for good.

About the role

This is a pivotal role within our newly established Prospect Development and Insight function, giving you the opportunity to shape how we identify, research, and prioritise the high‑value prospects who can make transformational gifts to Macmillan.

You will be responsible for feeding high‑quality insight directly to fundraisers, supporting them to grow pipelines, prioritise approaches, and unlock opportunities across corporate partnerships, philanthropy, and trusts. You’ll use a wide range of research techniques and tools to identify prospects, evaluate their potential, support risk management through due diligence, and provide concise, high‑impact briefings for fundraisers and senior leaders.

Key responsibilities:

• Identify and qualify high‑value prospects using press scanning, wealth screening, network mapping, and research tools.
• Produce clear and concise prospect profiles, briefings and event research for fundraisers and senior stakeholders.
• Conduct due diligence on prospects and donors, assessing risks and escalating where appropriate.
• Work collaboratively with fundraisers to support pipeline development, prioritisation and movement of prospects.
• Provide market insight and trend analysis to help shape fundraising strategy and highlight new opportunities.
• Ensure all research activity complies with GDPR, the Data Protection Act, and internal policies.

About you

The successful candidate will bring:

• Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to summarise complex information clearly and concisely.
• Strong interpersonal skills and a collaborative working style.
• Excellent IT, database, research, analytical and organisational skills, including the ability to manipulate data to extract insights.
• Good awareness and understanding of the current corporate and philanthropy fundraising landscape.
• An enquiring mind, with the ability to challenge conventional thinking and draw out fresh perspectives on opportunities for donor development.

The following skills are nice-to-have but can be developed in‑role:

• Experience in prospect research, including identifying and prioritising prospects, network mapping, due diligence and developing gift capacity ratings.
• Experience using relational databases, ideally Raiser’s Edge.

In return, we offer a range of benefits including:

• 25 days holiday plus flexible bank holiday options, increasing by 1 day every year of service up to 30 days
• Pension matched up to 7.5%
• 120+ learning and development offers, with access to external professional qualifications
• Flexible working patterns, such as compressed hours, flexibility to work earlier or later around our core working hours of 10am-4pm
• Holiday buying and selling scheme, life insurance, free wills, retail discounts and much more

Recruitment process

Application deadline: 23:59 on Sunday 15th March
Interviews: Virtual Interviews will be held on the week commencing 23rd March (exact dates TBC)

To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed.

So we can support you to be your best during the application or interview process, please contact Macmillan TA Team for advice and reasonable adjustments.

We welcome applications from everyone who meet the criteria and strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as Black, Asian or from another minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Macmillan. Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy along with our internal employee representation body, ‘Our Voice’ and 8 Employee Network groups help us promote fairness and belonging, becoming an engaged and inclusive organisation for all our people.

The British Dyslexia Association is a national charity representing the voice of people with dyslexia. We work to influence government, shift public understanding and drive change in education, employment, health and wider society.

We’re looking for a part‑time Public Affairs & Policy Manager to lead our policy and parliamentary engagement work. This is a varied and rewarding role where you’ll help shape our influencing strategy, strengthen our relationships across Westminster and Whitehall, and ensure lived experience sits at the heart of our policy positions.

Although the role is broad and varied, you won’t be expected to manage everything all at the same time. A clear set of priorities will be agreed with the senior leadership team.

 Key responsibilities:

• Lead our parliamentary engagement strategy and political influencing.
• Build relationships with MPs, Peers, Ministers, advisers and key civil servants.
• Monitor parliamentary activity, policy developments and emerging issues.
• Prepare policy briefings, consultation responses and evidence‑based reports.
• Support our presence at political events, conferences and roundtables.
• Represent the BDA in meetings and sector forums.
• Work with colleagues, researchers and people with lived experience to shape strong, accessible policy positions.

What we’re looking for:

• Experience in public affairs, parliamentary engagement or policy influencing.
• Good understanding of UK Parliamentary and government processes.
• Proven ability to shape policy or achieve change within public bodies.
• Excellent communication skills and confidence building relationships at senior levels.
• Strong organisation, political awareness and a collaborative approach.
• Passion for improving outcomes for dyslexic people.

Flexible & family‑friendly working

We are a family‑friendly employer and welcome different working patterns, including the option to spread hours across the week. We encourage candidates to tell us what works for them.

Why join us? 

This is your chance to make a real difference by shaping policy, influencing decision-makers, and helping create a society where dyslexic people can thrive. You’ll work in a collaborative, supportive environment with colleagues who share your passion for positive change. 

Please view the job description for full details about the role, responsibilities, and person specification before applying. 

Closing date: 23 March 2026. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received, so we encourage you to apply early. 

Use of AI in applications 
We value the unique experience and perspective each candidate brings. While we understand that AI tools can be helpful in drafting applications, they can sometimes result in responses that feel generic or impersonal. This makes it harder for us to get a true sense of you. 

To help your application stand out, we encourage you to write your responses in your own words. If you do use AI tools to support your writing, please treat the generated content as a starting point rather than a final answer. Make sure your application genuinely reflects your experience and voice. 

Hybrid / Homebased - London, Edinburgh, Belfast, or Cardiff

£49,943 (London based salary) or £45,310 (non-London based salary) FTE + excellent benefits

Part-time, 21 hours per week

The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) is seeking an experienced Senior Policy Manager (Workforce) to lead on the development and management of influencing and advocacy in national policy, legislation, funding and health and education decisions related to workforce across government sectors, providing strategic oversight and expert guidance.

Who we are

The RCSLT is the professional body for speech and language therapists across the UK. The RCSLT has over 24,000 members and employs around 70 staff predominately based in a London office. The RCSLT also has offices in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff.

Our mission is to improve the lives of people with communication and swallowing needs by facilitating and promoting research, producing guidance, holding events, and influencing government. We aim to promote better education and training for speech and language therapists and provide information to our members and the public about speech and language therapy.

The role

We are seeking a dynamic advocate to advance and promote the speech and language therapy profession by shaping and implementing policy, monitoring national developments and responding to changes in the external environment. You will lead RCSLT’s policy agenda on workforce matters, providing strategic advice on risks and opportunities to the CEO, Executive Team, Board, Committees and senior stakeholders.

As the policy lead on workforce-related initiatives, you will influence legislation, national funding and guidance across health, social care, education, and justice sectors. You will represent RCSLT at ministerial, government, parliamentary and external stakeholder meetings, as well as on national working groups and advisory boards, ensuring the profession’s voice is prominent in policy and decision-making.

You will build and maintain strong relationships with senior stakeholders, providing leadership to drive policy initiatives that promote the profession, influence government decisions, and enhance RCSLT’s national reputation. You will also develop strategic external partnerships to support RCSLT’s influencing priorities and serve as a resource for our members. Working collaboratively within the wider team, you will help increase RCSLT’s impact across all relevant sectors.

What we are looking for

You’ll bring experience of influencing health, education or social care at a national level and carry experience of policy research, consultation, development and analysis. The ideal candidate will have experience of building external professional networks as well as be able to effectively campaign and influence. The successful candidate will be able to research, analyse, interpret and present complex and detailed information for a variety of audiences with strong written and oral communication skills.

What we can offer you

 A competitive starting salary

Generous annual leave entitlement

Excellent staff training and development opportunities

Supportive and flexible working environment including, hybrid working arrangements

Generous Pension scheme

Life insurance cover

Season Ticket Loan scheme

Eye care voucher scheme

Family friendly employer including enhanced maternity and paternity leave

Cycle to Work scheme

Access to an Employee Assistance Programme and more!

How to apply

Should you wish to discuss the role in strict confidence, or for more details about the role, please contact the HR Team.

For more information and to apply, please visit our careers page.

Closing date: Monday, 9 March 2026.

Interview dates: 19 and 20 March 2026 (at our London Bridge office).

Please note, there will be a task as part of the interview process.

We are committed to a fair, transparent, and inclusive recruitment process. All applications are handled with strict confidentiality to protect your privacy and encourage openness throughout the process.

The RCSLT is committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. We aim to embed equity, diversity, and belonging practices throughout our recruitment and selection procedures. We strive to ensure everyone is valued equally for their contribution, experience, knowledge, and skills. We welcome applications from candidates of all different backgrounds.

ImpactEd Consulting is acting as recruitment advisor to FEA on this appointment.

Thank you for your interest in the role of Director of Policy, Public Affairs and Influence at the Fair Education Alliance

We are proud to be a coalition of 300 organisations united behind a simple but powerful belief: that no child’s success should be limited by their socioeconomic background. We exist to shift the conditions that hold inequity in place through collaboration across schools, colleges, higher education institutions, charities, youth organisations, researchers, funders, and young people themselves.

Our 2025-30 strategy, From Neighbourhood to National: A Strategy to ensure every child and young person thrives, is rooted in systems change—tackling not just policies and practices, but also the resources, relationships, power and mental models that hold inequity in place. Our work targets root causes, deepens collective impact, and embraces the complexity—and opportunity—of true transformation.

We are now recruiting a Director of Policy, Public Affairs and Influence to strengthen the FEA’s external leadership at a critical point in our development. As we implement our strategy, we are placing greater emphasis on how we represent the collective insight of our members, and how we use our convening role to shape agendas at local, regional and national levels.  

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, and working closely with the Co-Chief Executive Officers, this role will lead FEA’s policy positioning and public affairs activity and play a central role in representing the Alliance externally. The Director will be trusted to shape where and how FEA engages in public debate and decision-making, ensuring that our collective voice is credible and influential, and grounded in the experience of our members and partners across the system. This includes working closely with young people, recognising them as critical contributors and often the most powerful spokespeople for our work, and creating meaningful opportunities for their voices to shape our policy and public affairs activity.

This is a senior leadership role for someone who is comfortable operating through influence rather than formal authority, and who brings confidence in navigating complex policy environments. It offers the opportunity to shape how a large, diverse coalition contributes to public debate and policy thinking at a moment when joined-up, system-level approaches to educational equity are increasingly needed.

We hope you will consider applying.

Key dates

• Applications close: Monday 16 March (10 am)

• First round interviews: 26th and 27th March (online)

• Final interviews: 1st-2nd, 7-9th April (in person at the FEA office in London)

• Start date: as soon as possible, to be agreed with the successful candidate

Do you have experience working in a complex policy environment, with sound understanding of the wider political environment? Are you able to involve patients, service users or those living with long-term health conditions in your work to help identify the action needed to affect change?

About the role
We are recruiting for a Policy Officer to join on a full-time basis, working 35 hours per week. This is a fixed-term, maternity cover contract for 12 months with a projected start date of May/June 2026. This is a home-based role, with occasional travel required to attend team meetings.

Please note, this role has a slightly different focus and requirements to the permanent contract Policy Officer also being advertised currently.

This role is key to supporting Alzheimer’s Society’s ambitions to drive major system and policy change in diagnosis, care and treatment across England, Northern Ireland and Wales at an exciting time in dementia policy. Evidence-based, collaborative, engaging and innovative policymaking will be central to everything the Policy Officer does.

As Policy Officer you will play an important role in determining what the Society thinks about the big issues affecting people affected by dementia. Through robust scoping and policy development, you will help to identify the action needed to affect change and help ensure our influencing activity is evidence-driven, timely and relevant across the three nations in which we work – nationally and locally.

You will be an expert policy advisor to colleagues across the Society and support Policy Managers to deliver against agreed integrated plans, including helping to monitor progress and performance and working with others to gather evidence, insight and data to underpin our policy work. Key to the success of this role is engaging others in the policy development process, sharing analysis, opinion and insight to inspire high-quality, dynamic policymaking.

First stage interviews for this role have been provisionally scheduled to take place via MS Teams on Thursday 2nd April. This will likely be followed by an in-person second interview on Wednesday 15th April.

About you
Joining us, you will have experience working in a complex policy environment, with sound understanding of the wider political environment, preferably in relation to health and care. You will have experience involving patients, service users and/or those living with long-term health conditions in your work.

Crucially, you will be a team player, naturally collaborative, with good attention to detail and be curious and challenging of the status quo. You will be a good communicator with the ability to use written/verbal communication skills to build positive relationships with stakeholders and produce high-quality and accessible policy content. This includes translating highly complex data and developments into insightful commentary and recommendations.

What you’ll focus on:

- Scoping, developing and working with others to mobilise our organisational policy positions, in line with agreed organisational priorities.
- Helping to monitor and report progress on our policy activity in line with the Evidence, Policy and Influencing integrated plan, noting how policy work is informing our approach to national and local influencing.
- Ensuring the experience and insight of people with and affected by dementia is at the heart of all our policy work.
- Embedding all work in a systems leadership approach, working across organisational and geographical boundaries to achieve objectives.
- Driving engagement, awareness and involvement in our policy work through effective communication across the Society and beyond to ensure maximum impact.
- Building impactful, sustainable relationships with external stakeholders such as partners in NHS systems, Government, think tanks and other charities, to further our strategic objectives.

About Alzheimer's Society - who are we and what’s our mission?
Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer. One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime.  

At Alzheimer’s Society, we’re the UK’s leading dementia charity and the only one to tackle all aspects of dementia by giving help and hope to people living with dementia today and in the future. We give vital support to people facing the most frightening times of their lives, while also funding ground-breaking research and campaigning to make dementia the priority it should be.  

Together with our supporters, we’re working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives. Our values make sure that our focus is clear for the challenges and opportunities ahead and remind us of what we all stand for. 

Our commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
We need to ensure the voices around our table better reflect and understand the communities we exist to serve. We strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as part of a minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Alzheimer's Society.     

Our hiring process
We want you to bring your whole self to the process. Applications are anonymised until interview stage, and we’re happy to support any adjustments. Share your feedback via our candidate survey when applying to help us improve. We may close early if we receive high interest (with 48 hours’ notice). Some roles may require a DBS check as part of our safer recruitment commitment. Thinking about using AI during the recruitment process? We know this can be helpful in many ways but remember to include your personal and authentic self too. Your voice and experience are what really set you apart. 

Giving back to you
At Alzheimer’s Society, we value our people and take a total reward approach to pay and benefits. You’ll enjoy a generous double-matched pension scheme, 27 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays and wellbeing days), and access to a free Health Shield Cash Plan, 24/7 EAP, Thrive mental wellbeing support, and virtual GP services. Our Society Plus platform offers exclusive discounts, wellbeing resources, and recognition schemes, while our flexible working, family-friendly policies, and life assurance provide peace of mind and work/life balance. We also offer a free Will-writing service and long service awards to recognise your ongoing commitment.