Head of Policy, Public Affairs and Research - 12 month FTC

About the role: 

We believe everyone should be able to take part in life, no matter their disability.  

Sense is a leading disability charity with extensive knowledge and expertise in delivering personalised, creative and flexible support at every stage of life. ​

The Head of Policy, Public Affairs and Research will join a department that thinks big and is delivering life-changing work. We are looking for someone to step into the role on a 12 month fixed term contract to cover an internal secondment. This is a brilliant opportunity to lead influencing on several high-profile policy issues for the current government, including social care, special educational needs and welfare reform. 

It's also an exciting time to join the charity as it’s our 70th anniversary and a year where we’ll be developing our new Sense strategy. 

The role is responsible for:

• Leading delivery of Sense’s policy and political influencing strategy, driving forward our work to deliver change for and with disabled people with complex needs and their families.
• Ensuring the development of robust and influential evidence informed by disabled people’s experiences and our expertise as a frontline social care provider.
• Growing Sense’s external profile, as a media spokesperson and with key politicians. Ensuring that the organisation is seen as credible, influential and accurate by external partners through our policy and research outputs.
• Playing a senior leadership role in Sense’s Leadership Team, Engagement Directorate and Marketing Communications team.

To succeed in this role you will meet the following requirements: 

• Relevant graduate level qualification, or equivalent experience
• Evidence of effective influencing of public policy
• Evidence of continuing development of relevant knowledge and skills in the field of public policy development and research
• Able to demonstrate a significant history of achievement at a senior management level
• Able to demonstrate significant achievement in influencing the development of public policy
• Able to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the way that public policy and new legislation is formulated and developed
• Track record of successfully influencing MPs, policy makers and opinion formers to achieve improvements on behalf of disadvantaged groups within society through the use of evidence, information and data gathered from a diverse range of stakeholders
• A passionate commitment to people with complex needs and Sense’s vision and values
• Evidence of effective consultation with stakeholders using a range of methodologies to gather evidence to inform the development of policies
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to influence at a senior level

To Apply 

Please use the link below to complete your application.  
 
Managers will use your supporting statement to shortlist candidates for interview; in relation to the Personal Specification. Therefore, it is very important you complete this section thoroughly.  We would recommend that you read the candidate guidelines, job description and person specification (found at the base of this advert) before applying. 

Please note to avoid disappointment, we advise you to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close posts at any time. 

No agency submissions please: any submissions without prior authorisation from the Sense Recruitment Team will be treated as our own and as such no fee will be payable. 

Sense is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable children and adults and expects all employees to share this commitment. Therefore, all offers of employment, where appropriate, are subject to an enhanced DBS check. 

For this role we particularly welcome applications from candidates from underrepresented ethnic minority backgrounds and candidates with disabilities. Sense is committed to equality of opportunity, and to promoting and celebrating the diversity of staff, volunteers and the people we work with. Everyone's contribution is valued and we ensure they're given the opportunity to realise their potential. We welcome applications from talented people from all sections of the community who share our values and belief that no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, should be isolated, left out, or unable to fulfil their potential.