Policy manager jobs in Cardiff

Role Overview
The Talent Set are delighted to partner with a brilliant health charity on a fantastic Project Manager - Public Affairs and Policy role. Working within a health policy and influencing project, the successful candidate will help coordinate data and insight work, stakeholder engagement, and a structured tender process to support publication planning. This is a 3 day a week role for 3-4 months.

Key Responsibilities

• Setting up and managing project plans, documentation and tracking spreadsheets
• Coordinate and support external agencies through research/data analysis phases, including preparing documentation for subsequent phases
• Plan and oversee tender activities, ensuring paperwork and processes are accurate and completed to deadline
• Organise stakeholder engagement, including surveys with healthcare professionals and roundtables, providing clear logistics and communications
• Support report drafting and summarising insights into clear deliverables for publication planning
• Liaise with internal technical leads to capture requirements and translate inputs into written outputs
• Track publication timelines and manage changes as findings emerge

Person Specification

• Strong organisational and planning capability, with the ability to manage multiple moving parts and stakeholders
• Project management experience within a public affairs, policy or communications team
• Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to produce clear summaries and supporting documentation
• Confident stakeholder management skills, comfortable engaging with a range of professionals and volunteers
• Experience managing research, comms-related projects, or influencing activity with clear deliverables and deadlines
• Practical digital confidence (e.g., MS Office, email)
• Collaborative, flexible approach, with professionalism and empathy for time-constrained participants

What’s on Offer
Salary: £54,000-£55,000, pro rata for 3 days a week, for 3-4 months. This role will ideally see someone in their London office once a month, but this isn't essential.

How to Apply
“To apply, please submit your CV demonstrating your suitability for this role by clicking the 'apply now' button (please do not apply via email). We aim to get back to all successful candidates within 48 working hours.”

Commitment to Diversity
“The Talent Set are committed to diverse and inclusive recruitment practices, ensuring equal opportunities for all applicants regardless of race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, disability, or age. We actively encourage applications from a wide range of backgrounds and are always happy to make reasonable adjustments to ensure a fair recruitment process.”

Applications are open now—submit a CV today to be considered for an interview as soon as possible.

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.

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