Senior policy and public affairs manager jobs

What does it take to lead the national voice for special schools at a time of real change?

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – National Association of Special Schools (NASS)

National – home-based, with regular travel across England and Wales, particularly London

£90,000–£110,000 per annum

Full-time, permanent.

About NASS 

The National Association of Special Schools (NASS) is the membership association for special schools in England and Wales. We bring together independent special schools, non-maintained special schools, special academies, maintained special schools and multi-academy trusts with specialist provision.

We exist to inform, support and represent our members, helping specialist schools improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND and secure the place of specialist provision within the wider education system. NASS is known for being accessible, responsive and personal, combining national influence with practical support that members value as timely, human and trustworthy.

This is a pivotal moment for the organisation. In February this year, the Department for Education published a major white paper on SEND reform which will require NASS to both influence national policy on behalf of our members and children and young people, as well as support them to navigate the changes. Our new CEO will need to review our strategy while building on our strong platform and momentum to further deepen our influence and strengthen our internal capacity.

As our next Chief Executive, you will:

• Strategy & Impact: Lead NASS through a period of policy and structural change, ensuring the organisation remains clear on purpose, responsive to members and influential in the SEND landscape.
• Governance & Finance: Work closely with the Board of Trustees to provide strong governance, prudent financial stewardship, robust risk management and clear strategic oversight.
• Operational Leadership: Provide confident leadership to a small, remote team, strengthening collaboration, accountability, resilience and a positive, high-trust culture.
• Income Generation: Oversee budgeting, planning and reporting while developing thoughtful opportunities to diversify income through membership, partnerships, events and related activity.
• Community & Partnerships: Build and sustain trusted relationships with government, parliament, regulators, sector bodies and member schools, ensuring NASS remains relevant and well connected.
• Member Services: Protect and enhance the practical offer to members, from briefings and special interest groups to conferences, webinars, training and peer-to-peer learning.
• Brand & Profile: Act as a credible public ambassador for NASS, helping to modernise communications and broaden the organisation’s voice beyond a founder-shaped model.
• Future Growth: Shape a distributed leadership profile and support a more varied, accessible and engaging approach to membership, advocacy and communications.
• A seasoned senior leader with experience in a charity, membership body, education or public sector setting, and a clear track record of leading through change.
• A strong strategic thinker, able to absorb complex information quickly and translate it into clear, practical direction.
• A confident communicator with the gravitas to represent NASS with members, staff, trustees, MPs, peers, media and national partners.
• A politically astute relationship-builder, comfortable navigating a complex and fast-moving external environment.
• Experienced in governance, with a sound understanding of working with boards or trustees and supporting effective decision-making.
• Numerate and commercially minded, with experience of budgets, financial planning, income generation or partnership development.
• Credible, approachable and resilient, with the emotional intelligence to lead well in a high-profile, remote and sometimes uncertain context.
• Direct SEND experience would be a significant advantage, alongside understanding of specialist education or similarly complex stakeholder environments.

Why NASS?

• This is a chance to lead a respected, member-led organisation with a strong national reputation and a clear public purpose.
• You will help shape the future of specialist education at a time when SEND reform is high on the agenda.
• NASS has a loyal, experienced and collegiate remote staff team, supported by an active Board of Trustees.
• The organisation offers a genuinely influential platform, with strong connections across the sector and with government.

Application

For full details of the role including how to apply, please download the full appointment brief. For an informal and confidential conversation about this position, please contact Jenny Hills at Harris Hill via apply button with times to speak and (optional but appreciated) a CV or professional profile which will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday 8th June 2026

As leading charity recruitment specialists and a certified B Corp, Harris Hill is committed to high and ever-improving standards of equitable and inclusive recruitment. We actively welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexuality and other protected characteristics.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

IRC UK is part of the IRC global network, which has its global headquarters in New York. Our team in the UK works to raise profile, deliver policy and practice change, and increase funding to help restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Since 2021, IRC UK has also provided integration services directly to refugees in England. 

In Europe, the IRC also has offices in Berlin, Bonn, Brussels, Geneva and Stockholm. 

This role is jointly managed by the UK-based Senior Manager for Digital Engagement and the US-based Digital Engagement Director.
 
The Purpose of the Role
The Social Media Content Producer will focus on developing creative content that drives reach and engagement across social channels. Working on integrated campaigns while also driving evergreen pipelines, they will be help deliver on our UK ambitions to position IRC as the go-to humanitarian NGO protecting people forced to flee conflict and crisis. 

The Social Media Content Producer will produce and disseminate compelling content (with a focus on short-form, straight-to-social videos and other multimedia formats) that will grow the IRC’s brand online, engage a loyal following, and ultimately help encourage audiences to support IRC UK’s work.  

The role sits across our key social channels, including both B2C (Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook and TikTok) and B2B (LinkedIn), helping managing what we publish and when. As part of IRC’s Global Digital Engagement team, they will work with multiple collaborators, across markets, to identify, craft, package up, publish and amplify stories that can live across platforms, with real potential to engage the right people at the right time. 

The ideal candidate thrives in storytelling that drives social engagement. They will bring a deep understanding of what makes content perform—while still staying true to IRC’s core mission and values—and an appetite for proactively staying across cultural moments and social innovations.

They will have experience generating social-first ideas, editing social video, graphics, and copy writing for social. They will have their fingers on the pulse when it comes to trial and experimentation, with strong interest in how and why brands such as the IRC could engage social influencers. Bringing a passion for social analytics and measurement, they will also understand the nuances of B2B versus B2C content.

Key Working Relationships
•  UK Communications Team – which spans press, web and social media 
•  Global Digital Engagement Team 
•  Counterparts on other IRC markets, including but not limited to Germany, Sweden, Korea and the US 
•  UK Policy & Advocacy Team 
•  UK Resettlement, Asylum and Integration (RAI) / Programmes Team 
•  Global Public Affairs, and Mass Marketing and Mobilisation teams 

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities

Social Media Content Creation (50%) 
•  Partner with communications and advocacy colleagues to create social media content that responds to the news or trending conversations. 
•  Draft social media posts, writing captions, copy for graphics, video scripts and other social media material as needed.
•  Produce and build other forms of multimedia content, such as but not limited to Instagram stories and social media graphics. 
•  In line with our ethical storytelling guidelines, champion the voices of refugees and asylum seekers, and ensure our outputs reflect the IRC’s DEI values and are inclusive and accessible.  
•  Localise and adapt content from Global Teams as well as other IRC markets to ensure our content is suitable for UK channels. 

Day-to-day Social Media Channel Management (Proactive and Reactive) (40%) 

•  With the support of the Senior Manager - Digital Engagement, support the tactical delivery of our existing social media strategy, with a focus on how we build profile, reach and engagement through social channels. 
•  Maintain IRC UK’s social media annual calendar, with a longer-term view on what key campaigns and moments we should go out on and why. Bring this longer-term view to quarterly communications planning sessions. 

Reporting, optimizing, learning and innovating (10%) 
•  Support the Senior Manager – Digital Engagement to report on the performance of social content and make recommendations on how we might optimise going forwards. 
•  Horizon scan and stay across the latest innovations, trends and developments in social media that might create risks or opportunities for IRC UK. 
•  When it makes sense for the IRC, jump on these trends/innovations - bringing a creative mind and a willingness to experiment with new content and storytelling techniques. To include how we might engage social influencers, when, on what and why.

Person Specification

Essential
Skills, Knowledge and Qualifications:
•  Proven understanding of using social media – in particular LinkedIn, Instagram, Bluesky and Tik Tok to build profile and influence UK audiences.
•  Experience in Video Production, Film, Journalism, Communications, Social Media, Digital Marketing or equivalent degree or training. 
•  Proficiency in the Adobe Creative Suite particularly Photoshop, Premiere, and After Effects strongly encouraged.
•  Previous experience with social CMS and publishing tools, such as Sprout Social.
•  First class storyteller and copywriter with strong attention to detail and the ability to produce compelling written content. 
•  Ability to work both independently and in a dynamic, cross-functional global team structure. You will be able to prioritise and organise your own workload and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, ambitious environment. 
•  Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
•  Ability to manage and work through change in a proactive and positive manner.

Experience:
•  Demonstrable experience in a social media role from an agency, in-house or journalism content production team – with strong experience in video.
•  Proven experience identifying and producing reactive content to trends.

Communications Officer - IPNEd 

We are looking for a Communications Officer to join the IPNEd Secretariat. This role will lead our internal and external communications, including copywriting, content creation, sharing and monitoring across all our communications channels. 

About IPNEd

The International Parliamentary Network for Education (IPNEd) works to mobilise the political leadership necessary to accelerate the delivery of quality education for all.

As the first and only global parliamentary network dedicated to education, IPNEd seeks to grow and deepen political understanding of and commitment to quality education for all.

To do this, we work with parliamentarians individually and in groups at the national, regional, and global levels. 

The Network consists of more than 500 parliamentarians from around the world who are committed to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 - Quality Education - by increasing funding, improving learning, especially foundational early-grade literacy and math skills, and advancing global educational equity.

About Results UK

Results UK hosts the IPNEd Secretariat.

Results UK seeks to make change in the world by utilising a combination of grassroots, parliamentary, and policy advocacy to create the public and political will to end poverty.

Alongside IPNEd, ​Results UK hosts another organisation, Send My Friend to School, the UK’s umbrella body for organisations working on global education.

Role Description

The IPNEd Secretariat’s role is to ensure that IPNEd members can exercise their unique functions as Members of Parliament as effectively as possible to accelerate educational progress. Timely and effective internal and external communication is central to this work.

We are looking for a proactive and skilled Communications Officer to lead the delivery of content to expand IPNEd’s reach, grow audiences, and drive meaningful engagement with MPs and our wider stakeholders. 

You will develop and implement strategies to strengthen IPNEd’s communications channels, collaborate with our partners to design and implement communication strategies, and support our global priorities.

The role also involves supporting internal communications with our parliamentary membership, including maintaining our membership database.

You will also monitor the performance of our communications efforts, identifying and testing ways to improve reach and engagement to ensure continuous improvement and impact.

We are looking for someone who can be proactive, efficient, and flexible in supporting all aspects of IPNEd's internal and external communications. You will thrive in a fast-paced environment in which you will play a central role in identifying and responding to external developments.

This post will offer unparalleled opportunities to contribute to policy and advocacy in support of global education and to develop knowledge of policy development, advocacy, and the particular roles of members of parliament in delivering change.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Content Creation

Develop written and visual content, including blog posts, newsletters, social media posts, press releases, infographics, and videos. 

Tell strategic stories that highlight the importance of education and profile the work and impact of members of parliament in accelerating educational progress.

Draft op-eds, speeches, and press releases to shape conversations and advance IPNEd’s mission.

Lead on the development and publication of regular and occasional email newsletters and general emails.

• Media Relations 

Monitor external media and use this to inform IPNEd's external communications.

Build and maintain relationships with external media and other organisations, identifying opportunities to collaborate and to pitch content.

• Digital Communications

Manage the organisation's website, including development, maintenance, and continuous improvement. 

Implement and oversee digital communications channels, including our presence on X, Bluesky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. 

Develop and produce performance data and reports for digital channels. 

Use performance data to test new approaches to communications.

• Strategic Planning & Collaboration

Contribute to and implement communications and external engagement strategies. 

Work closely with the Executive Director and Senior Policy & Advocacy Adviser to identify content and engagement opportunities. 

Represent IPNEd in meetings with Network members and external partner organisations, building strong working relationships.

• General

Maintaining systems necessary to support effective communications, including member, supporter and partner databases.

Supporting the Secretariat with research and writing.

The post-holder may be required to travel internationally.

The post-holder will also carry out other duties as necessary.

Essential skills and experience

All candidates must have the right to live and work in the UK. If you are made an offer of employment, this will be subject to verification. We are not able to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

Proven experience in a communications role within the not-for-profit, international development, or advocacy sectors.

Strong written communication skills, with proven experience drafting press releases, articles, comment pieces, blogs and social media posts.

Proven ability to craft engaging written, visual, and multimedia content for digital platforms.

Strong understanding of social media analytics to drive up engagement and increase our online visibility. 

Familiarity with digital content tools (e.g. Adobe Suite, Canva).

Skilled in managing websites, email marketing, and content management systems (e.g. Mailchimp, Squarespace).

​Experience of working with parliamentarians or in public affairs, campaigning or advocacy work in either a paid or voluntary environment, preferably in the context of international development or education.

​Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work with a wide range of people.

​Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

​Excellent organisational skills with strong attention to detail.

​Willingness and flexibility to work across a range of tasks and activities.

Personal attributes

​A passion for politics, international development, and global education.

​Self-starting, highly organised, and able to manage multiple tasks.

​Confident and willing to initiate contact and discussion with parliamentarians and officials.

​Able to respond flexibly to changing priorities, and to both set and work to deadlines.

​A good team worker who enjoys supporting other members of a team and working together for common objectives.

​Willingness to work in an all-party, politically neutral organisation and to work enthusiastically with members of all political parties.

​Willingness and ability to travel outside the UK.

​Ability to quickly absorb information.

Desirable criteria

Ability to speak a second UN language: French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Mandarin.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion 

Results UK is an equal opportunity employer.

Results UK is opposed to discrimination in employment as well as in society, politics and the economy, and seeks to avoid discrimination in its own employment and recruitment of staff and volunteers. We will not discriminate on grounds of creed, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age.

We positively welcome the contributions of people from a wide range of backgrounds, skills, and abilities, recognising the value that different perspectives bring to the organisation.  As part of this commitment, we aim to attract and retain high-calibre staff of all backgrounds by offering a range of people-centred policies to support our staff, including options to work from home, flexible working and agile contracts, training and professional development opportunities, and membership of the disability confidence scheme. Further information about these is available on request.

As an organisation, we are committed to ensuring that our recruitment policies and processes are inclusive, equitable, and fair.

Personnel policies are available on request.

Salary, benefits, and other key information

IPNEd is hosted by Results UK. The line manager for this role will be IPNEd’s Senior Policy & Advocacy Adviser.

1. Starting date 

The position is available immediately, and is offered as an initial 12-month contract with the intention of being extended if funding permits.

2. Salary 

This role is graded at Results Professional Level Two with a salary of £32,785 per annum.

3. Hours of work

This is a full time role 35 hours a week. These hours will be worked as agreed with the line manager, but some flexibility may be required to meet the needs of the job. There is no paid overtime, but Results UK offers a flexitime system for all staff. 

4. Holidays 

25 days per year plus bank holidays. Holidays increase by one day per year of service to a maximum of 30 days. Holidays are earned in arrears. 

5. Notice Period and Probationary Period

This role has a one-month notice period. The employee will have a probationary period of three months, during which time the notice period is one week.

6. Location

The post is a hybrid role with the expectation that the postholder can work from Results’ office at Clarence Centre for Enterprise and Innovation, 6 St George’s Circus, London, SE1 6FE when required.

Currently, most Results UK staff are combining working from home with time in the office. 

7. Travel

Occasional International travel will be required. The post holder must be able and willing to travel to Global North and Global South countries.

8. Additional Benefits

Staff joining Results are automatically enrolled in our company pension scheme unless they choose to opt out. A legally mandated minimum employee contribution applies, and all employee contributions to the pension are matched 1:1 by Results up to a maximum of 5% of gross salary.

Staff may receive a tax-efficient loan for the purchase of a bike, through which the final price of the cycle is lower than on the market.

Staff may receive a loan for the purchase of a travel season ticket. 

Recruitment Process

Applications should be made using our online application portal using the apply now button above.

As part of the process you will be asked to submit:

• A CV.

• A covering letter setting out how you meet the selection criteria. 

• Examples of previous communication products that you have been responsible for before. This should be provided as a separate document with the content shared as you see fit, but could include links to material available online.

• The application deadline is midnight on Friday, the 19th of June 2026.

  First-round interviews will be held online on the 25th and 26th of June.

Community Fundraising Assistant - North 

Are you ready to take on a new challenge with a leading charity making a real difference in brain tumour research?

Brain Tumour Research is an exciting, innovative, and ambitious charity. We are passionate about finding a cure for brain tumours through the establishment of dedicated Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence around the UK.​

After a successful 2025, we’re building on our momentum and looking ahead with ambition. As our work continues to expand, so does our impact. We are now looking for passionate people to join us on the next stage of our journey!

It is a fantastic time to be joining us and we are keen to share this with likeminded and talented individuals. We currently have an opening for a Community Fundraising Assistant - North, to join our Community and Digital Fundraising team.

• Do you want to make a difference in one of the most innovative and exciting medical research fundraising charities in the UK?
• Are you able to provide friendly and professional support to fundraisers and supporters?   
• Do you have experience in supporting events or community activities?
• Do you live in either Scotland, North East England, North West England or the East Midlands? 

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Have you answered Yes to these questions?

Does this sound like the opportunity to really take the next step in your career?

Excited to learn more about this position? Then please take a read through our recruitment pack which is included within this advert.​​​

If you have the skills and ambition that we are looking for we are excited to receive your application.  We are really looking forward to welcoming a new member to our team!​

We are asking for a CV as the first step but applicants may be asked to provide a targeted covering letter as part of the selection process.  Interviews will be conducted during the application window as appropriate, and will consist of a first interview via MS Teams, progressing, if successful to a face to face second interview, held at our offices in Milton Keynes.

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We reserve the right to close the application window early and advise candidates to apply in good time to avoid disappointment.​

We are looking for people who share our passion for finding a cure for brain tumours and who have the skills and experience to make a difference. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, cultures, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, and ages. We believe that diversity enriches our organisation and helps us achieve our mission. We are committed to providing an inclusive and supportive environment where everyone can be themselves and contribute to our vision.

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