Parliamentary officer jobs in Birmingham
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Purpose of the Role
As the Policy and Campaigns Officer for Scotland, you will be the driving force behind our policy development, political monitoring, and strategic advocacy in Scotland. Your work will champion the strategic interests of dietitians as both a professional membership body and a registered trade union. Alongside core policy work, you will take direct ownership of designing and delivering a high-profile national campaign which is delivered across the UK. This allocated campaign will focus on a critical theme impacting both public health and our workforce.
The role sits within the BDA’s policy and public affairs function, and you will be part of a small team of policy officers and a public affairs officer who work across the other home countries and the UK. You will have access to an established Scotland board, a colleague who covers trade union representation in Scotland and a supportive professional practice, communications and leadership team based at our Birmingham head office.
Key Areas of Responsibility
The post holder will deliver on the following key responsibilities:
Policy development and advocacy (55%)
- Monitoring the political environment in Scotland in our key areas of interest, providing briefs and advice to the Scotland board and BDA senior leadership team on developments within Holyrood, NHS Scotland, STUC and local government.
- Policy development including work with relevant committees and BDA staff in the development of key policy documents and position statements with particular responsibility for policy positions in Scotland which balance clinical standards with social impact, workforce and employment rights.
- Co-ordinate and draft robust, evidence-based responses to consultations from Scottish government, public bodies and parliamentary committees. May also respond to UK consultations where appropriate for a campaign theme.
- In conjunction with the BDA public affairs officer, advocacy for the dietetic profession and the BDA in Scotland by maintaining a network of contacts across the Scottish political spectrum including MSPs, government officials, health board executives, and policy influencers.
- Translate political updates and complex policy changes into clear accessible updates and guidance for BDA members via newsletters, webinars and the website.
- Represent the BDA with internal and external stakeholders including BDA Specialist Groups, AHP policy officer and working groups/networks and other alliances.
- Represent the BDA at Allied Health Professions Federation Scotland (AHPFS) working groups and events, building relationships, contributing dietetic priorities and ensuring the profession’s interests are reflected in shared policy discussions and collaborative activity.
Campaign co-ordination (30%)
- Completion of campaign workplan/s template with the campaign working group/s.
- Co-ordinate campaigns in conjunction with working group/s.
- Monitoring the landscape with regards to allocated campaigns. Provide advice when relevant issues are trending or becoming topical.
- Build appropriate alliances with third-sector organisations, networks and charities, food policy alliances and other health unions to amplify the campaign’s impact.
- Working with colleagues in communications, design and public affairs to create compelling campaigning materials, digital content, and toolkits to mobilise members, the public, and parliamentarians to lobby for legislative and budgetary changes that support dietetic services and interests.
- Establish clear KPIs for the campaign/s, monitoring progress, media coverage, member engagement, and policy shifts, and reporting these to senior leadership.
Cross BDA engagement and communications (15%)
- Help and deliver the BDA’s participation in profile raising events in Scotland, such as NHS Confederation.
- Regular engagement with the Chair of the Scotland Board on policy, political and government matters, resulting in input to Board agendas and support for political engagement.
- Provide expert advice and briefings to senior leadership ahead of high-level meetings or media appearances in Scotland.
- Be a valuable member of the BDA policy and public affairs function, contributing to the evolution of the policy function and contributing to the wider work and objectives of the Trade Union team
Person Specification
Knowledge
- Degree educated.
- Campaign/project management.
- Health policy development.
- Equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Public policy making process, particularly within Scotland.
- Knowledge of the Health and Social Care policy landscape in Scotland and the devolved nature of public services.
- It is also desirable if you have an understanding of the trade union movement in Scotland.
Experience
- Experience of working in a policy, public affairs or research role in healthcare, membership, charity, public sector, or trade union.
- Experience of lone working and being part of a small field-based team.
- Working within a health professional body or trust/board.
- Working in a political environment.
It is also desirable if you have worked as a dietitian or dietetic support worker.
Ideally you should be confident working independently in a small field-based team, able to build relationships and translate complex policy into clear advice, with desirable experience in a professional body, trade union, or dietetic setting.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
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The Public Interest News Foundation (PINF) is the UK’s first charity that exists to promote high-quality journalism. Last year, we launched an ambitious ten-year mission to regenerate local news in the UK. We believe that local news is a vital part of the fabric of local communities, drawing people together around shared facts and pride in place at a time of disinformation and division.
We are pursuing our mission by (1) sourcing new funds for local news; (2) advocating for supportive government policies; and (3) celebrating local news providers from the UK and around the world that are Accountable, Sustainable, in the Public interest, Innovative, Representative and Engaging (ASPIRE).
Over the last year, we have successfully encouraged the UK Government to launch an unprecedented new £12m Local News Fund. We have also built support for our mission from US and UK donors. And we have launched initiatives such as the Tenacious Journalist Awards, to recognise and support independent news providers who are having a significant social impact.
We have a small and professional staff team and a dedicated board of trustees, and we are now looking to recruit a Programmes Officer to support our work. I hope that you will consider joining us on this exciting and important mission.
Jonathan Heawood, Executive Director
Summary of the Role
Title: Programmes Officer
Salary: £30,000
Benefits: 33 days annual leave including Bank Holidays; 7% employer pension contribution; professional development budget; flexible working
Type: Fixed-term renewable 12-month contract
Time commitment: 35 hours per week, with some scope for flexible working
Location: Remote, with occasional meetings in London or other UK locations, for which PINF will pay travel expenses from within the UK
Reporting to: Deputy Director, who will provide overall line management and lead 60% of the Programmes Officer’s work
Working closely with: Campaigns & Communications Manager, who will lead the remaining 40% of the Programme Officer’s work
Purpose of the Role
The Programmes Officer will support the PINF team across our three workstreams: the Local News Fund; Local News Campaign; and Local News Futures programme.
· Through the Local News Fund, we work with grantmakers and social investors (including government-backed fund managers) to unlock new economic resources for local news across the UK.
· Through the Local News Campaign, we work with the BBC, big tech firms, central and local government, MPs, Peers and regulators to shape a positive enabling environment for local news across the UK.
· Through the Local News Futures programme, we work with academics, civil society organisations, journalism support organisations and local news providers to showcase models of local news with the most positive impact.
The Programmes Officer will provide support with events, research and campaigns across these workstreams, and will also provide support with our organisational functions, including communications, fundraising and governance.
By providing efficient and effective support to the team, the Programmes Officer will unlock new potential for PINF to deliver our charitable purpose.
Key Responsibilities
Events
· Support the Deputy Director with the successful delivery of the annual Local News Forum by:
o Maintaining a comprehensive and up to date project plan
o Contributing to the effective marketing of the event within PINF’s network of independent local news providers and stakeholders
o Managing ticket sales and maintaining an accurate database of invitees and participants
o Contributing to effective working relationships with partners and suppliers, including venues and sponsors
o Managing speakers
o Supporting budget administration, including tracking agreed expenditure and processing spending in line with approved budgets and under the oversight of the Deputy Director
o Responding promptly and efficiently to queries
o Providing on-the-day support including registering participants, liaising with the venue and catering providers, ensuring smooth technical support and troubleshooting any issues as they arise
Research
· Support the Deputy Director with our research objectives by:
o Organising and minuting twice-yearly online meetings of our Research Advisory Group
o Working with colleagues to ensure the Local News Map is comprehensive and up to date
o Liaising with independent local news providers to support the new Local News Audit
Campaigns
· Support the Campaigns & Communications Manager with our campaign objectives by:
o Managing relationships with independent news providers participating in our annual Indie News Week
o Supporting budget administration for campaign activity, including tracking agreed expenditure and processing spending in line with approved budgets and under the oversight of the Campaigns & Communications Manager
o Supporting key campaign moments including parliamentary events, party conferences, roundtables and other online and offline events
o Providing logistical and administrative support for key campaign moments, including by maintaining participant and invitation lists, tracking RSVPs and preparing background information for colleagues
Communications
· Support the Campaigns & Communications Manager with our communications objectives by:
o Managing the ‘contact’ email inbox
o Supporting the delivery of engaging content across PINF’s blog and newsletter, including gathering stories, opportunities and other relevant material, in collaboration with the Campaigns & Communications Manager
o Managing PINF’s social media channels including LinkedIn, BlueSky and Instagram
o Updating elements and pages across our website
o Supporting PINF’s WhatsApp community of independent local news providers by sharing relevant content, helping eligible participants to join, and assisting with day-to-day moderation
Fundraising
· Support the Deputy Director with our fundraising objectives by:
o Maintaining the fundraising database and keeping records up to date based on information provided by colleagues
o Facilitating monthly internal fundraising meetings
Other
· Any other tasks as reasonably requested by the Deputy Director
Essential skills and experience
· Experience in an administrative, coordination or project support role
· Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks, deadlines and priorities
· Strong written and verbal communication skills
· Confidence using Microsoft Office and other common digital tools to organise work, manage information and communicate effectively
· Ability to work collaboratively in a small team and to support colleagues across different areas of work
· A high level of accuracy and attention to detail
· Support for PINF’s mission and charitable purpose
· Applicants must have the right to work in the UK.
Desirable skills and experience
· Experience of supporting events, campaigns, communications or fundraising activity
· Experience of working in a charity, membership body, media organisation or other mission-driven organisation
· Familiarity with website, newsletter or social media content management
· An understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing local and independent news providers in the UK
How to apply
· Please apply through CharityJob.
· In your application, you will be asked to provide a short example of how your previous experience makes you a strong candidate for this role. We encourage applicants not to use generative AI to draft this part of the application, as we are interested to hear about your own experience in your own words!
· If you require any adjustments to support your application, please let us know when you apply.
We particularly welcome applications from people whose backgrounds and perspectives are underrepresented in charities and the news sector.
Registered Charity
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We are working to regenerate local news in the UK - because everyone should benefit from journalism that speaks to, for and with them
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.