Policy and Public Affairs Manager
Location: Remote, with some travel to Cannock, London and other locations as required
Reports to: Charity Director
Team: Charitable Service
At Newlife, we’re entering an exciting new chapter - we’re on a mission to empower disabled children and their families, to live life to the fullest and champion the joy of childhood.
So we’re investing in our people and building the team we need to deliver our new strategic ambitions.
Newlife is looking for an experienced and values-driven Policy and Public Affairs Manager to lead our policy, influencing, public affairs and campaigning work. This is an exciting opportunity to shape national conversations and drive meaningful change for disabled children and their families across education, health and social care systems.
In this role, you will ensure that lived experience is at the heart of Newlife’s influencing work, developing evidence-based policy positions, building strategic relationships and delivering campaigns that challenge barriers, raise awareness and improve outcomes for families.
About the role
As Policy and Public Affairs Manager, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across Newlife’s policy, campaigns, public affairs and lived experience activity. You will identify opportunities to influence policy and practice, develop compelling cases for change, and represent Newlife with decision-makers, sector partners and external stakeholders.
You will also oversee the delivery and development of the APPG for Access to Disability Equipment, working with parliamentarians, government departments and sector organisations to increase awareness of the issues affecting disabled children and families.
Key responsibilities
o Lead the development and delivery of Newlife’s policy, public affairs, campaigning and influencing strategy.
o Develop evidence-based policy positions informed by research, service insight and lived experience.
o Ensure the voices of disabled children and families shape Newlife’s policy, campaigning and influencing work.
o Oversee the APPG for Access to Disability Equipment and build relationships with parliamentarians, policymakers and sector partners.
o Lead campaigns and influencing activity that raise awareness, challenge barriers and support policy change.
o Build strategic partnerships and coalitions to strengthen Newlife’s influence and collective impact.
o Represent Newlife externally at parliamentary events, conferences, roundtables and sector forums.
o Provide effective leadership for policy, campaigns and lived experience activity, including line management of the Lived Experience Coordinator.
o Contribute to organisational strategy, planning and growth as a member of the Charity Leadership Team.
About you
We are looking for someone with significant experience in policy development, public affairs, campaigning or influencing, ideally within the charity, public or not-for-profit sector. You will bring strong knowledge of policy and influencing processes, excellent communication skills and the ability to build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and decision-makers.
You will be confident developing policy briefings, consultation responses, reports and position papers, and able to use evidence, research and lived experience to influence change. You will also be a collaborative leader with a strong commitment to inclusion, equity and the rights of disabled children and their families.
Essential experience and skills
o Experience of developing and delivering policy and influencing strategies.
o Experience of building relationships with parliamentarians, policymakers, government departments or national stakeholders.
o Experience of managing campaigns, consultations or public affairs activity.
o Experience of partnership and coalition working.
o Experience of using research, evidence and lived experience to influence change.
o Strong understanding of education, health, social care and disability policy.
o Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
o Strong leadership, people management, strategic thinking and analytical skills.
o Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience.
For the full person specification, please refer to the attachement below
Why join Newlife?
This is a unique opportunity to play a leading role in strengthening Newlife’s voice and influence, helping to create systemic change for disabled children and their families. You will work with passionate colleagues, families, professionals and partners to shape policy, improve practice and ensure lived experience drives meaningful action.
If you are a strategic, compassionate and influential leader who wants to make a lasting difference, we would love to hear from you.
Benefits
In return, you will receive 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, a generous in-store discount, a cash health plan, discounts on restaurants, travel and insurance, and access to an Employee Assistance Programme through Retail Trust.
#Policy and Public Affairs Manager #Policy and Public Affairs #Policy Manager #Public Affairs Manager
Registered Charity
101 - 500
The UK’s largest charitable provider of specialist equipment for disabled children.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
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This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
About Us
Global Canopy is a data-driven not for profit delivering real transparency and accountability for market impacts on nature and people. Our special focus is on ending deforestation – an essential step in achieving urgent global goals on climate, nature and human rights. We deliver our work by building and maintaining open-data platforms, creating stronger voluntary and compliance frameworks, and accelerating accountability and action in the finance sector with nature-positive guidance to help achieve deforestation-free portfolios.
We work globally, with a focus on both forested regions (particularly across Latin America and South East Asia), and major consumer and financial markets (with a focus on Europe, the US, Singapore and China). We have a distributed team of around 70 people worldwide, with a main office in Oxford (UK). We work via close and deep partnerships, including with institutions like the Stockholm Environment Institute, the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, UNEP Finance Initiative, the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, the Zoological Society of London, and many many others.
About the Role
As People and Culture Lead, reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, you will be responsible for the delivery and development of the People function at Global Canopy. Providing advice and support to the Leadership Team and colleagues across the organisation, you will lead on people and culture initiatives that enable our team to maximise their potential, resulting in greater impact as an organisation.
You will bring excellent relationship-building and influencing skills as well as strong technical expertise to ensure that we can recruit, retain, develop, support and engage the people we rely on to deliver our vital work for forests, nature and human rights. You will manage all aspects of team members’ journey with the organisation, including recruitment, performance and development, employee relations and pay and benefits.
This is a great role for an experienced People professional who believes in the power of a people-centred organisation, has had previous success in delivering people and culture change projects and working in a business-partnering role. You will be comfortable managing upwards, acting as a trusted advisor, and confident being the face of People and Culture at an organisational level. You will thrive in a dynamic non-profit environment, delivering on complex and impactful projects around the world. We are looking for someone who leads with empathy and wisdom, putting individuals at the heart of their work.
Responsibilities
Employee life cycle management
- Be responsible for the creation, maintenance, evolution and operation of all HR policies, processes and systems
- Work closely with the leadership team and internal boards on areas such as recruitment, performance, learning and development, absence, salaries/benefits, job grading and employee engagement
- Ensure the ongoing development of our P&C offering is aligned with our culture
Support & advice to leaders and managers
- Build strong working relationships with senior team leaders in order to support them directly
- Provide coaching, guidance and support to people managers ensuring that our people are supported to thrive and develop
- Advise on people issues and managing cases, to ensure that processes are followed in line with Global Canopy’s policy, best practice and employment legislation
Support delivery of Global Canopy’s People plan
- Alongside the COO, drive the implementation of people initiatives and be responsible for the successful embedding of changes
- Lead on connection and collaboration initiatives to build a cohesive, highly motivated team in line with Global Canopy’s culture and in the context of hybrid working
- Provide and present reports and maintain KPIs related to our people.
Management
- Line management of People and Recruitment Advisor, supporting them in their management of recruitment for Global Canopy, and providing coaching and mentoring to support their ongoing development
- Manage the relationship with our EOR providers
- Alongside the COO and IT & Operations Manager, provide leadership on data protection across the organisation
About You
To be successful in this role, these are the things that will matter the most:
- People-first and positive approach to HR management
- Broad experience of managing human resources work across organisations, with a good understanding of HR procedures and legislation in the UK
- Alignment with our values and our mission and a commitment to collaboration and a passion for developing an organisational culture in which people thrive
Essential behavioural competencies:
- Leading with warmth
- Demonstrates credibility and emotional intelligence
- Structured and effective in communications
- Able to handle difficult situations sensitively and confidentially
- Initiative and ability to manage and prioritise own workload, working to deadlines
- Creativity
Skills and experience:
Required:
- CIPD level 5 or equivalent experience
- Experience managing all aspects of employee lifecycle
- Strong understanding of UK employment law and best practice
- Experience and expertise to support in the areas of diversity and inclusion, learning and development, and employee wellbeing and engagement in a hybrid context
- Experience of working in an advisory capacity and regularly reporting to senior leaders
- Experience of working across different departments/functions in a matrixed and int’l organisation
- Line management experience
Desirable:
- Ability to take a leadership role in change projects
- Experience of working internationally with employees based outside the UK – and covered by non-UK law
- Experience or understanding of the context for a charity / not for profit organisation
Salary & Benefits
Salary: £55,000- £60,000 full time equivalent. This role sits within Band C on Global Canopy’s remuneration framework.
Nature of contract: Full time or 0.8 FTE. Permanent. This is a hybrid role working from home and our office in Oxford. There is a requirement to attend the office once a week and for other meetings/work as required.
Holidays: 36 days (including bank/public holidays) for discretionary use across the annual leave year. Option to purchase up to an additional 5 days or equivalent of one week’s leave.
Pension: Employer pension contribution of 8%.
Healthcare cashback plan: Covering dental fees, eye-care, wellbeing, physiotherapy, chiropody and much more – for you and any children.
Employee Assistance Programme: Which provides free, confidential advice on personal and legal matters.
Other: Huge range of discounts and cashback deals at gyms, restaurants, holidays, and much more.
How to Apply
To apply for the position, please follow the instructions and submit an up-to date CV and covering letter. The covering letter should explain your motivation for the role, and how your skills and experience fit the person specification. (Please no more than 1 side of A4).
Right-to-work in the UK is required for this role.
All candidates are asked to complete an anonymous diversity monitoring form when they apply.
This is an open-ended recruitment. Early application is encouraged, as we will close the position once enough suitable candidates for interview are identified.
The first stage will be an introductory call with our third-party HR consultant. Those progressed to the second stage will be invited to complete a written assessment and join a virtual interview (with a brief presentation element). Finalists will be invited to interview in Oxford (we will reimburse reasonable travel costs) with the Executive Director and key colleagues.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.