Public affairs jobs

Youth Futures Foundation is looking for a senior External Affairs professional to lead a busy multi-disciplinary team to drive our reputational, influencing and engagement work as the What Works Centre for Youth Employment.

About the role

• This is a newly created role where you will have responsibility for driving an integrated approach to our audience influencing to deliver our strategic objectives, through collective oversight across our public affairs, stakeholder relations, communications and marketing work.
• The post holder will report to the Director of Policy and External Affairs and work closely with the CEO, wider Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and the Deputy Director of Strategic Development to enable purposeful reputational growth, enhanced brand recognition and the delivery of external impact.
• The post holder will need to be an experienced leader and manager; a people person able to inspire, nurture and support a team of motivated engagement and communications professionals as well as deputising for the Director more widely when required.
• To be successful, the post holder will need to be able to balance big picture thinking with driving practical implementation and outcomes across the team and thriving in ambiguity when needed. The skills and experience to drive and support internal change to foster an optimal operating environment and ability to design and embed future focused ways of working will be important to the success of the role

This role can be based at any of our hubs located in Birmingham, Leeds or London. We currently operate a hybrid model of two-days per week in the office and three-days from home.

For more information, please download our recruitment pack.

Salary: £57,000 per annum.

Location: Hybrid Work Culture. We are proud to promote a truly hybrid work culture, recognising that every role is different, and everyone has unique needs and preferences. Our Hybrid Work Arrangement empowers each team member to work with their manager to choose the most effective way to work that balances your needs and Hospice UK’s.

The External Affairs team is based across the UK, including in Wales and Scotland. We’re open minded about where you are based, but the nature of our work, particularly our media and public affairs, means regular presence in London is necessary. We’re looking for someone who is happy to commit to being in London a day a week on average. 

Contractually this role in London-based.

Benefits:

• 25 days in the first year, increasing to 27.5 days in the second year of service and 30 days in the third.
• Matched pension scheme up to 7% of salary
• Support for staff with caring responsibilities
• Family-friendly culture

How to Apply: CV and supporting statement. 

Closing date for applications: 12-noon on Monday 21 July 2025

Interview dates: Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 July 2025. Interviews will take place in person at our offices in London. 

We’ll send assessments and some questions to you in advance so that you can prepare. Let us know if you have any specific needs to be able to fully engage with the process.

Job Information

This is an opportunity to lead an award winning communications team – Third Sector Communications Team of the Year in 2024 – that’s tasked with changing how we think about hospice, end of life and palliative care in the UK.

As the charity representing the UK’s 200+ hospices, we have secured ourselves a significant national platform in the past year or two, with regular, top-tier national media, and online campaigns which have forced the government to act. 

With assisted dying legislation progressing across the UK, now is a critically important moment for the public – and for politicians – to better understand what hospice care is all about, and the challenges we face.

As part of our mission to promote and protect hospice care for all, it is critical that our communications team keeps it high on the agenda. We’ve built huge momentum – whether with regular national TV news coverage, a rapidly growing online supporter base, or though our recently overhauled brand. But we need a savvy, politically switched-on Head of Communications and Campaigns to keep that going, and to make it pay off.

Hospices are amongst our most loved community charities, and our job as the national charity for hospice care is to rally the public – as well as major donors like companies and trusts – to support these brilliant organisations.

You’ll need a strong eye for a story, and an integrated understanding of the full spectrum of communications, campaigns and marketing. You’ll likely be a specialist in one area – which is fine – but we want someone who can join the dots, spot the opportunities, and inspire a team of specialists.

Hospices are under huge pressure. Funding is tight, and demand is surging. This is your chance, in the coming years, to play a leading role in fighting for hospices to get the support they need – from government, from the media, and from the public.

More information about the role is available in the candidate information pack (available on our website to download)

How to apply

If you would like to apply for this role, please send the following documents to us by 12-noon on Monday 21 July 2025:

• Your CV. Ideally in Microsoft Word format and less than 3 pages of A4
• A completed supporting statement form (where you can demonstrate how you meet the person specification) - available on our website to download
• A completed equalities monitoring form - available on our website to download

We will shortlist candidates based on their CV and supporting statements. A briefing of what to expect will be sent in advance to shortlisted candidates.

Closing date for applications: by 12-noon on Monday 21 July 2025.

We believe in fair recruitment and working to remove bias, so all applications will have identifying indicators removed before being submitted to the shortlisting panel.

Please make sure you provide your contact details in your email. Please note the interview dates above and let us know if there are any accommodations you might need to participate fully in the process. We will try to be flexible.

To be considered for this role you must have the right to live and work in the UK for your application to be progressed. Hospice UK is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

• Salary: £36,500 - £41,500 gross per annum (depending on experience)

• Working pattern: 1.0 FTE (37.5 hours per week), or 0.9 or 0.8 FTE. Flexible working requests will be considered.

• Contract: Permanent with a 6 month probationary period

• Team: Campaigns Team

• Location: This role can be hybrid, or office based. At a minimum, candidates will be required to work from the London office at least 2 days a week, as well as be able to attend ad hoc events and away days in person.

• Reporting to: Head of Campaigns and Communications

Safe Passage International (SPI) is recruiting a Policy and Public Affairs Manager to lead a core area of our campaigns work, by building on the organisation’s strong record of creating diverse coalitions of public support and delivering systems change for our beneficiaries. This will support the continuing and sustainable growth in our ground-breaking work to ensure that safe routes to sanctuary exist for all people seeking asylum, and that the young people and families we work with have dignity and safety on arrival.

As a vital member of the Campaigns and Communications team, the Policy and Public Affairs Manager will work closely with press, digital, grassroots campaigns and youth advocacy colleagues to campaign for change. Key priorities for the role will include developing policy positions and recommendations in this fast-moving area of policy which will underpin all our campaigns and communications and developing and delivering a political engagement strategy to influence the new UK Government and parliamentarians.

The successful candidate will be passionate about ensuring that those with lived experience of seeking sanctuary and/or directly affected by the issues we campaign on, lead, and shape our policy positions and political campaigning.

This is a challenging and rewarding role for candidates with a good understanding of the challenges young people and refugees face on arrival to the UK.

We are looking for candidates with strong policy and public affairs skills, as detailed in the Person Specification. Experience in a similar role would be welcome, but this position will have a dedicated training budget, and you will be supported to grow and develop within your role.

We value equity and diversity in our organisation and are striving to build a workforce reflective of the communities we work with. We encourage applications from people of all ethnicities, working ages, genders, sex, sexual orientations, faiths (or none), marital statuses (or none) and pregnancy status. We also have full flexible working policies to support people with disabilities and caring responsibilities. People with refugee or asylum-seeking backgrounds are experts by experience and are particularly encouraged to apply.

As a refugee charity, we offer a guaranteed interview for people with direct lived experience of seeking asylum who meet most of the essential criteria outlined in the Person Specification. If you have first-hand experience of applying for asylum in any country, please let us know in your application.

We respect that people’s identities is not defined by their past experiences and do not expect candidates to describe their lived experience during the interview process unless they wish to.

If you are excited by this role and working at Safe Passage International but do not have all the experience you think is needed, we would encourage you to apply anyway and reach out for an informal chat beforehand to discuss why you would like to apply for the role and what skills or experiences you think are relevant.

If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please visit the advert on our website.

How do I apply?

Please read the full Job Description & Person Specification and our ‘Application Questions and Guidance’ document.

The ‘Application Questions and Guidance’ asks candidates to submit a CV and Cover Letter answering sevenspecific questions linked to the Person Specification. Applications can be submitted via email in written form or as digital audio or video files.

For information on further application guidance, FAQs and an insight into what it’s like working at Safe Passage, please visit the ‘Working at Safe Passage’ section of our website

Closing date: Sunday 3rd August 2025 at 11:59pm

Help shape the conversation on race equality in the UK

The Race Equality Foundation is looking for an experienced and strategic Public Affairs and Communications Manager to lead and grow our communications work – ensuring our voice is influential, impactful, and heard where it matters most.

This is a pivotal time for our small but ambitious charity. You'll take forward our communications strategy and embed a bold  public affairs approach that connects our evidence-based work with key audiences – from the media and the public to policymakers and parliamentarians.

You'll oversee all external communications activity, lead media engagement, shape our digital presence, and work with senior leaders to influence change. With one direct report (Communications Assistant), you’ll be both a strategic thinker and a hands-on doer – equally comfortable pitching a story to the press, briefing an MP, or overseeing the production of a campaign video.

We’re looking for someone who has:

• A proven track record of leading strategic communications or public affairs in the charity, public or policy sector

• Strong media relations skills and a good understanding of the UK political landscape

• Excellent written communication – from press releases to policy briefings

• A strong understanding of race equality, intersectionality and a commitment to social justice

• The ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving team

What we offer:

• 25 days annual leave plus public holidays, growing to 30 days with long service

• A generous package including workplace pension, employee assistance scheme, workplace loans and commitment to your training and development

• Flexible, hybrid working with a London office base

• The chance to make a real difference in shaping public debate and influencing racial justice policy in the UK

Policy & Public Affairs Officer (Scotland) 

Location: Workplace Offer; Hybrid Working

The position is offered on a 0.6 FTE basis (21.75 hours per week). This role will be home-based but will require travel to Edinburgh and/or other parts of Scotland for in-person meetings as required.

Are you passionate about making a real difference in children's lives through impactful policy and public affairs engagement? Are eager to develop your skills working with Scottish Government, MSPs, and other key decision-makers in Scotland? If so, we want to hear from you. 

Barnardo's is looking for a Policy & Public Affairs Officer (Scotland) to help shape our influencing in Scotland. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone eager to build on their existing knowledge and experience with policy influencers in Scotland while playing a pivotal role in creating positive, lasting change for children, young people, and families. 

In this role, you'll work closely with our Senior Policy and Public Affairs Lead (Scotland) to implement our influencing plan. You'll help raise Barnardo's Scotland's profile among key stakeholders and policy influencers. You'll be involved in: 

• Monitoring key developments within the Scottish policy landscape 

• Managing relationships and liaising with stakeholders at all levels 

• Conducting research and producing reports to support our policy objectives 

• Supporting reactive policy work to respond to emerging issues 

• Organising events to showcase Barnardo's vital work and engage decision-makers 

Your efforts will ensure that the voices of children, young people, families, and our services are central to our influencing activities in Scotland.

When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification and Job Description. This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described.

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.

Pay & Reward Framework

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values.  We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people. 

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay. 

Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours.  More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application. 

Are you a passionate and strategic policy professional ready to play a key role in shaping the future of social housing? Join Shelter’s Policy Team as a Policy Manager, where you’ll lead innovative, evidence-based policy development focused on boosting social rented homes across England.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity join Shelter’s Policy Team as the Policy Manager responsible for Social Housing – at a pivotal time after the funding settlement for social housing is announced at the June Spending Review.

The successful candidate will lead policy work and be responsible for managing one Policy Officer. This challenging role means understanding the problems faced by people who come to Shelter every day for help, to enable us to respond to and influence national and local policy. It includes developing innovative and workable proactive policy solutions to fix the nation’s long-term housing problems. Shelter’s Policy Team prides itself on creating well-grounded but creative policy that can challenge any think tank – and winning real world change.

Role specifics

As Policy Officer for Shelter, you’ll drive our strategic campaigning on social housing, working closely with teams across research, campaigns, public affairs, and media to develop impactful, evidence-based policy and campaigns. You’ll identify emerging issues, lead policy development, and produce high-quality analysis and responses to influence government and public debate. You’ll build strong relationships with key stakeholders, represent Shelter externally, and line manage 1-2 Policy Officers, supporting their development and workload. You’ll also deputise for senior leaders when needed and play a key role in embedding our Anti-Racism Strategy and equalities across the team and campaigns.

Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society.

Benefits 

We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.

About the team

The team is 7 people strong and sits in the Advocacy and Activism branch of the Communications, Policy, and Campaigns division.  The Activism and Advocacy branch includes the Research, Public Affairs, Digital Campaigns and Community Organising teams. Using the latest data, research and intelligence from our services, we analyse the problems in our housing system and identify effective and creative solutions. We are campaigners focused on winning change for people, and we work in multidisciplinary teams like media, public affairs, campaigns and research to develop creative and hard-hitting campaigns. We support our services to identify and campaign for local solutions and lend expertise to our Community Organisers who support communities to fight for change in their area. Our work is grounded in the experience of the people who use Shelter’s services every day and is based on expert research. The Team combines works at a national and local level to tackle the root causes of the housing emergency and fight for home.

About Shelter

Home is a human right. It’s our foundation and where we thrive. Yet everyday millions of people are being devastated by the housing emergency.

We exist to defend the right to a safe home. Because home is everything.

We need ambitious, passionate people to join us. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. To win this fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, equitable and transparent. We are committed to combating racism both within and outside Shelter. We welcome you on our journey to becoming truly anti-racist.

Safeguarding statement

Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies. 

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.

The ILC is looking for an organised Events and Communications Officer to help engage the right people to deliver its mission of addressing the challenges and opportunities of longevity and ageing. You’ll lead the coordination of ILC’s events programme, including our flagship annual Future of Ageing conference, while supporting external affairs and stakeholder engagement across the UK and internationally.

Working closely with colleagues and project leads, you’ll ensure the smooth running of our events from planning to evaluation, deliver impactful content and communications, and help strengthen our influence through targeted engagement with policymakers, industry leaders and funders. You’ll also play a key role in improving our internal processes and digital presence, including overseeing website content and supporting ILC’s place in global policy influence and convenorship.

This is an exciting opportunity for a communications professional with experience in event delivery, stakeholder engagement and content creation to make a real impact.

We want you to help us provoke conversations and discussions about the impact of longevity on society, and what happens next.

This vacancy is restricted to Black and minoritised women due to the nature of the role. The Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies.

We reserve the right to close these adverts early if we have sufficient interest, so early applications are encouraged.

Are you driven by a commitment to social justice and equality? Do you want to utilise your expertise to support vulnerable women and children in their fight against inequality and discrimination? Southall Black Sisters has the perfect opportunity for you. We are seeking a dedicated Immigration Solicitor to provide specialised, personalised advice to our clients, empowering them to make informed decisions about their future.

In this crucial role within our Immigration Team, you will collaborate closely with colleagues to deliver confidential OISC Level 2 advice and representation. Additionally, you will support and train colleagues working at Level 1, ensuring the highest standards of service and advocacy.

The postholder will play a vital role in advancing Southall Black Sisters’ (SBS) policy, communications and public affairs work. This includes shaping and delivering strategies that:

· Promote SBS’s mission to end violence against women and girls (VAWG), particularly for Black, minoritised and migrant (BMM) women and girls.

· Influence public policy and legislation to secure justice, safety and rights for Black, minoritised and migrant women and girls.

· Strengthening the public voice and visibility of SBS through impactful communications and campaigning.

They will work closely with senior staff, partner organisations and stakeholders to ensure that SBS’s policy positions, campaigns and services are effectively communicated, and that the lived experiences of the women and girls SBS supports are at the forefront of public and political discourse.

By joining our team, you will be at the forefront of the fight for equality and justice, making a tangible difference in the lives of those who need it most.

Why work with Southall Black Sisters?

Southall Black Sisters is committed to providing a supportive working environment, where team members feel valued, empowered and safe. To that end, we provide an excellent package of employee benefits including:

• Generous annual leave entitlement 
• Hybrid working 
• Enhanced pension contribution
• Enhanced sick pay
• Subsidised public transport season ticket
• A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme, including access to confidential support from MBACP therapists 
• Clinical supervision with an MBACP therapist to explore issues arising from casework
• A focus on continued learning and development through accredited training delivered by experts in their field
• Organisation-wide away days
• Career development pathways and support
• The opportunity to learn and grow within an organisation renowned for inspiring political activism and campaigning successes
• Employer eye care scheme

To Apply

Submit a completed application form along with the optional equal opportunities monitoring form by the application deadline. Please do not send us your CV as this will not be considered.

Please note, incomplete applications will not be considered.

Pause works to improve the lives of women who have had more than one child removed from their care, and the services and systems that affect them.

As Communications and Policy Officer, your role will be to raise awareness and increase understanding of Pause and the experiences of the women we work with in order to achieve positive change at both a national and local level.

This is a new role, sitting within the Partnerships and Engagement team, although you will work with colleagues across the whole organisation.

You will work with the team to influence change by delivering creative communications activity and maintaining excellent working relationships with key stakeholders. This will involve working closely with our Impact and Influencing Lead as well as our colleagues in practice, participation and engagement, so that you can learn from those with lived experience and ensure their voices are at the forefront.

The ideal candidate will be an excellent communicator with the ability to deliver creative communications to influence change. You also should have a real desire to create positive change in the services and systems that affect the lives of women who have had children removed from their care. 

We are using Charity Job's anonymous applicant tracker system. Your cover letter should be no more than 2 sides of A4, and so you’ll need to use your creative skills to be sure that you fully address the person specification and show us why you’re the absolute best person for this job.

Turn2us is a national charity tackling poverty and the structural causes of financial insecurity. We work with co-producers and partners to provide people in financial crisis with the means and agency to get back on their feet, build resilience, move forward with their lives and thrive.

As an equal opportunities employer, we are committed to equity, inclusion and diversity and the value people from different backgrounds bring to a team. If, like us, you believe everyone has the right to have enough to live on, and you are ambitious about eradicating poverty, join us and build your career with a charity dedicated to ensuring dignity and equity for all.

We're now looking for an exceptional Senior PR and Press Officer to help us amplify voices, challenge persistent, negative narratives around the social security system, and shift public attitudes about financial insecurity. Ideally, you’ll already have solid PR and press experience within a charity or comparable organisation’s press office, excellent media contacts, and the strategic mindset to put people’s real lives and complex challenges front and centre in your storytelling.

You’ll be someone who writes clearly and persuasively, handles sensitive topics with genuine care, and who’s excited by the challenge of finding creative ways to engage diverse audiences. Your strong relationships with journalists will help us ensure the voices of people facing financial insecurity are represented accurately, widely, and compassionately in the media.

We offer flexible working patterns, both in terms of hours and remote working. All team members come into our welcoming Farringdon office at least once a week, and you'll be joining a warm, supportive team that believes in each other, celebrates great work, and loves what we do.

Please note that all employees are required to work from the office a minimum of 1 day a week.

Some roles may be required to be in the office more often than others and this will be agreed with the hiring manager upon starting at Turn2us.

Please note that all job offers are subject to 2 – 3 satisfactory references and a disclosure satisfactory to Turn2us from the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS). 

We’re genuinely excited to hear from you.

Closing date: 20th July, 23:59

Interview date: 11 Aug for first interviews, 18 Aug for second interviews

Who we are:

Muslim Aid is a UK faith-based international development organisation that provides support to communities around the world affected by disasters, conflict, or endemic poverty without regard to their social, religious, or ethnic background. 

Established in 1985, Muslim Aid has facilitated the engagement of the British Muslim and non-Muslim community in support of its work in a variety of ways. Over the years, its humanitarian work has included responses to major crises around the world including, famine in East Africa, earthquakes and flooding in Pakistan and Bangladesh as well as conflicts in Syria and Yemen. 

We place strong emphasis on long-term development projects that build the capacity of local people to help themselves. In addition to the 5 country offices worldwide we also work with multiple partner offices focusing on sustainable Development Programmes and providing humanitarian relief during times of crisis.

Summary of the role:

The Communications Officer plays a key role in executing the organisation’s communication strategy. This role involves creating and managing content for various platforms, supporting media relations, and contributing to the overall communication campaigns and public relations efforts. The Communications Officer will work closely with other team members and the marketing team to ensure that all communication activities are aligned with the organisation’s strategic goals and effectively engage target audiences.

About the Role:

1. Create engaging content for the organisation’s communication platforms ensuring that all content aligns with the organisation’s messaging and brand guidelines.
2. Collaborate with the marketing team to engage followers and improve reach.
3. Manage the collation, storage and dissemination of the organisation’s digital archives in line with established guidelines and operational requirements.
4. Prepare stakeholder media summaries and reports on the organisation’s media coverage and its key issues.
5. Maintain a database of media contacts that can be used to strengthen stakeholder management.
6. Report on the performance of communication activities using data and insights to inform future communication strategies and activities.

About You:

To be successful in this role, you will need:

1. Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, Public Relations, or a related field.
2. An understanding and awareness of the value of social media and their fundraising potential.
3. Experience in content creation, social media management, and media relations.
4. Strong writing, editing, and proofreading skills, with the ability to create content for different platforms and audiences.
5. Proficiency in social media platforms, content management systems, and graphic design tools.
6. Detail-oriented and organised, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Why you should apply:

Join Muslim Aid as a Communications Officer and play a pivotal role in shaping our communication strategy. This is an exciting opportunity to create and manage impactful content across various platforms, support media relations, and contribute to meaningful communication campaigns that align with the organisation’s strategic goals. Apply now to bring your creativity and expertise to a role where your contributions will have a tangible impact on communities around the world.

Benefits you will enjoy working for us: 

• 25 days annual leave + 4 Privilege days
• Hybrid working
• Paid time off for medical appointments 
• 2 hours lunch break on Fridays 
• Time off in Lieu (TOIL) 
• Pension Scheme

How to apply:

To apply please submit your cover letter (no more than 1 page) and CV.

Employer Policy Specialist

Working Hours: 0.6FTE (full-time equivalent 37.5 hours). There is a degree of flexibility surrounding the working hours which will be determined by the demands of the role.

Salary: 0.6FTE: £40,658 (the full-time equivalent salary is: £67,763).

Start Date: 1st September 2025.

Reporting to: Director of Public Affairs & Policy

Deadline for applications: Friday 18th July 2025, 5pm

Interviews: Interviews will be conducted online on Thursday 24th July

Overview

The DfE has nominated CST as the employer representative for academy trusts for specific purposes (for example, the school support staff negotiating body).  The postholder will be required to work directly with the Department for Education at a senior level to undertake the duties associated with this employer representative role.  CST also wishes to strengthen its support to members on wider matters of employer policy. There is significant scope to shape and develop this role.

Key Responsibilities

• Have a detailed understanding of the terms and conditions of employment of teaching and support staff and the workforce issues affecting the education sector, particularly those influencing recruitment and retention of staff.

• The ability to build relationships with key stakeholders (members, senior DfE officials and ministers) and work closely with other employer representative organisations.

• Working closely with the CEO and Deputy CEO, build relationships at senior level with trade unions (leadership, teacher and support staff unions).

• Lead on developing CST’s employer policy and guidance, working with our members and commanding their support and respect, and working closely with the policy team.

• Support the Chief Executive, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Public Affairs and Policy to influence and respond to government policy in respect of employer policy, including drafting responses to government consultations and being our representative on the DfE’s formally constituted groups.

• Provide professional support and guidance to members on matters relating to employer policy, within the restrictions of what we are insured to do as a professional body.

• Support our HR professional community.

• Speak with authority at events and conferences as CST’s nominated representative on employer policy.

• Offer support to the wider CST policy team in other areas that fall within the postholder’s experience or expertise. This may include occasionally deputising for other team members for example covering for annual leave or sickness absence.

• Any other duties and responsibilities that may be delegated by the Chief Executive, Deputy Chief Executive or Director of Public Affairs and Policy from time to time.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Likely educated to degree level (or holding a similar professional qualification or experience) with significant knowledge and experience of employment matters within the education sector and employer policy.

• The ideal candidate will have experience working at senior level likely within an educational, policy or consultancy setting. Knowledge of schools and the trust sector is essential as is the ability to respond to issues in a way which conveys the practical realities of working in schools.

• A sound understanding of the differences between academy trusts and the maintained sector.

• Secure knowledge of legislation, regulations and policy that affect school trusts.

• Authority and gravitas with the ability to speak up at meetings with senior officials with the required diplomacy and at all times with the members’ interests in mind.

• People-centred, with excellent relational skills, adept at forming and maintaining positive relationships with colleagues, members and senior external stakeholders (including policy makers, employer representative organisations and trade unions).

• Output focused, able to execute a range of communications across channels efficiently.

• Fluent and precise, an excellent communicator who writes well.

• The ability to analyse detail and distil key points, identifying matters of concern or interest to school trusts.

• Highly organised, with the ability to prioritise and work to tight deadlines, including turning around high-quality responses to members and DfE in short timescales.

• Someone who embodies the Nolan Principles and acts with integrity and discretion.

• Aligned with CST’s aims to promote education for public benefit.

• Skilled at working remotely as part of a close-knit team. Whilst this position is remote (home-based) there will be the requirement to attend in person meetings from time to time.

NACCOM is recruiting a new permanent External Affairs Manager to lead the work of our small but highly impactful External Affairs team.

About the role: 

NACCOM is a national network of over 135 frontline organisations and charities across the UK, working together to end destitution amongst people seeking asylum, refugees and other migrants who aren’t able to access public funds because of their immigration status.

We do this by campaigning collectively for a fairer, more humane immigration system that doesn’t leave people destitute, and by sharing our learning, innovation, and resources across our membership to increase the level of accommodation provision and support the network is able to provide.

Join our charity at a pivotal moment. As our External Affairs Manager, you’ll sit at the heart of a high-performing, fully remote team, ensuring that migrant homelessness and destitution is high on the agenda. You will lead and mentor a talented External Affairs team, amplifying NACCOM’s voice as the UK’s expert voice on how the asylum and immigration system drives homelessness and destitution. 

With our 20th-anniversary milestone and a bold new organisational strategy on the horizon, you’ll seize fresh opportunities to deepen our influence. Working hand-in-hand with frontline members, people with lived experience, and high-profile partners, you will deliver sharp, evidence-led campaigns and projects that put migrant homelessness at the top of policy and media agendas. 

A strong aptitude for communications and campaigns, and an understanding of how that works alongside policy and research to underpin the external affairs function, is vital.

This role is for a dynamic, collaborative advocate who is passionate about social justice. If you’re ready to turn insight into impact — shaping narratives, forging alliances, and driving systemic change—we’d love to welcome you to NACCOM. 

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Key role information:

Hours: Full-Time (35 hours) or Part-Time (28 hours) per week 

Salary: Starting salary £43,000 annual FTE (plus £4,000 London Weighting if applicable) 

Leave: 25 days per annum plus Bank Holidays (England and Wales) pro rata plus additional concessionary days off between Christmas and New Year 

Pension:NACCOM will contribute 6% of your gross salary 

Additional benefits: flexible working hours, wellbeing time, wellbeing practice and Calm App

Contract: Permanent 

Location: Home-based plus travel - all in the UK (approx 5 days per month). Opportunity to work part-time in a members’ office or a co-working space. 

Responsible to: Director 

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Job purpose:

The External Affairs Manager will work closely with the Director and provide vital support to NACCOM and its members by: 

• Ensuring the strategic planning, management and alignment of communications, policy, research, campaigns, and advocacy as part of the External Affairs function at NACCOM. 

• Ensuring NACCOM’s external affairs functions feed from and into our network development work and our Community Ambassador / Research programme 

• Growing and safeguarding NACCOM’s brand identity, integrity and strategic positioning across all our external channels, networks and audiences. 

• Line-managing and supporting the Policy and Research Co-ordinator, Community Research Facilitator and part-time Communications Co-ordinator (currently covered by a freelancer) as well as managing any external consultants NACCOM works with across the External Affairs function. 

• Along with the Director, acting as spokesperson for NACCOM.

• Overseeing the spend against budget for External Affairs-related work. 

• Representing NACCOM at key, high-level meetings and coalitions, including with journalists, decision-makers and partners. 

• Actively supporting a culture of collaboration, support and mutual respect at NACCOM and across the membership network.

For more information about the role, including person specification, please download the Job Description. 

Recruitment timescales: 

• Tuesday 8 July 2025 at 23.59: Deadline for applications

• Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 July 2025: Stage one interviews held online as a Zoom call.

• Wednesday 30 July 2025: Stage two interviews with team, ideally in person but possibly online. 

Location (UK): Office Hybrid* - London
Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week
Benefits: Read more about the excellent benefits we offer
Travel: Occasional travel to Versus Arthritis offices (London, Chesterfield, Cardiff, Belfast, Glasgow)

Join us and use your skills, knowledge, passion and energy to help us achieve a future free from arthritis.

We’re looking for a Policy Officer who will make a difference to health and social care policy for people with arthritis.  

Within the Chief Executive’s Office, the UK Advocacy and Health Intelligence Department are focused on creating lasting change. We identify creative policy solutions in response to the challenges people with arthritis face. We influence decision-makers through stakeholder engagement, public affairs activity and by campaigning alongside people with arthritis. We have expertise across health and care services, public health, and employment policy. We also work in collaboration to influence medical research and data policy and play an active role in several cross-sector groups. 

About the role

The purpose of this role is to drive policy development across our policy priority areas. The Policy Officer will lead on specific policy projects, commissioning research, developing policy positions, and producing reports and consultation responses.

This role will cover a broad range of issues across one of our strategic goals – prevention and diagnosis; access to treatment; and living well with arthritis. Our approach considers the needs of people of all ages who have arthritis.

The Policy Officer will also contribute to the wider work of the team, working closely with colleagues in the Nations Teams, the Research Directorate and the wider charity, including by representing us on cross-sector policy groups, drafting briefings, and participating in events and conferences.

We’ll give you autonomy, variety and challenge with opportunities to work with inspirational campaigners, attend events in Parliament and meet senior stakeholders in Government. We’re a supportive team who will value your well-being and professional development.

About you

If your knowledge, skills and experience include the following then we’d love to hear from you:

• Understanding of policy issues relevant to people with long-term conditions or disability.
• Experience of working in a policy team.
• Experience of developing and influencing health and social care policy.
• An ability to think creatively and communicate effectively.
• An enthusiastic, adaptive and flexible approach.

*As a hybrid worker the expectation is that you will spend around 40% of your working time in our office spaces or working in community settings. As an inclusive employer we will consider home-based working for anyone where office-based hybrid working would be a barrier to being able to work for us, for example for someone living with a long-term health condition or disability.