Public Policy Jobs

A fantastic opportunity has arisen to play a leading role at Cure Parkinson’s, as our PR Manager (maternity cover). This role will be responsible for leading the charity’s media presence and PR activity, ensuring our voice and message are heard as a progressive research charity innovating on behalf of people living with Parkinson's, determined to urgently find a cure.

Joining us at an exciting time for the charity, you would be part of a small but dynamic team with the opportunity to develop and make your own mark.

The ideal candidate will have experience of working in a busy press office, of strategically planning and executing media campaigns and a demonstrable record of securing national and regional coverage with high engagement and reach. You will have a flair for writing and generating news stories, and exceptional people and communication skills.

This is a fixed-term maternity cover contract (min 12 months). 

Salary: £43,000-£46,000 per annum

Location: Harlow Essex, 2 days per week in the office, flexible working available.

Closing: Tuesday 28th January

About the role

The Motability Foundation is looking for a confident, driven media and PR professional to join the Communications team and lead our media and PR activity.

This a really exciting time to be joining the Foundation as we embark on our new strategy in 2025. With a recently refreshed new brand, our vision is clear, we want to help disabled people make the journeys they choose. This role will play a crucial part in our work to raise awareness of the work of the Motability Foundation and amplify the voices of disabled people across the media.

This role will take a lead on all media and PR activities. With a strong news sense, you’ll help develop and execute forward-thinking PR plans and strategies for the organisation, manage our external profile and raise awareness of the work we do, aligned to our vision.

If you are a proactive and motivated media and PR individual looking for an exciting new challenge within a friendly, flexible, and supportive team, then this could be the role for you!

What you will be doing

• Implement and manage a comprehensive and proactive PR activity schedule for the Foundation, crafting compelling content to entice journalists and the media to support our work.
• Act as the main point of contract for all media and press activity. You’ll oversee the day-to-day running of the Motability Foundation press office, providing an efficient service that makes the most of reactive and proactive media opportunities and builds our reputation with the media.
• Develop and foster strong relationships with key media outlets in the sector and journalists, broadcasters and editors to secure coverage that helps to influence key decision makers and engage our audiences in our work.
• Scan effectively for breaking news stories relevant to our areas of work.
• Produce press releases, and secure coverage using media surveys/polls.
• Working with colleagues in public affairs and our Performance and Innovation team, take a lead on proactive media activity around our policy, campaigns and research activity.
• You will work closely with our Case Study Executive to ensure we have the right stories for use in media work.
• Scan for areas of reputational risk and support the Senior Press and PR Manager with preparing for and handling reputational risk.
• Lead on crisis media enquiries and messaging, implementing the necessary checks and actions to protect the Foundation’s reputation and brand.
• Brief and train key spokespeople, developing key messaging and Q&As.
• Analyse and report on media activity for internal teams, external partners and our board, including leading on relevant reports to committees.
• Manage the press and PR budget.
• While this role doesn’t have any line management responsibilities currently, you will nevertheless be expected to support other members of the team on an informal basis.

What will make you great in this role?

You will have a strong track record of securing high profile media coverage, ideally for a national charity dealing in disability, health or social issues. You will have a great news sense and can confidently identify stories and make them work for different media outlets. You will have a flair for writing engaging copy, an eye for detail and an unwavering commitment to meeting deadlines. You will be used to briefing and supporting spokespeople with media interviews and speaking opportunities.

 You will be proactive and a strong team player as this role will need to work closely with colleagues across the communications team and wider organisation. You will be able to take the lead in some areas and lend a hand in others. You will have great people skills and will be comfortable working with people from all walks of life, from your communications colleagues to our case studies to Directors and Board Members.

Your experience

Must haves

• Expertise in media and PR.
• A strategic thinker with excellent project management and communication skills.
• Experience of working with journalists and media outlets, generating and securing strong relevant media coverage.
• Excellent news sense with extensive experience of producing effective and quick reactive news lines for breaking stories.
• The ability to develop excellent long-term media and PR strategies to deliver organisational objectives aligned to our vision.
• Strong judgement and experience of crisis communications.
• Excellent copy-writing skills and ability to influence.

Nice to haves

• Experience working in the non-profit or disability sector.
• Experience of working with PR agencies.

Reporting lines and relationships

Reports to: Senior Press and PR Manager.

Key relationships: Senior Brand and Marketing Manager, Communications Business Partners, Chief Communications Officer, CEO, Case Study Executive

Direct reports: There may be potential line management responsibility in the future as the role evolves.

Extra Information

• The role is based in Harlow, Essex, at Motability’s offices. They are easily commutable from London, just 30 minutes from Liverpool Street station or 18 minutes from Tottenham Hale station. There is a free minibus which brings staff from Harlow Town station to the office at specific times each day.
• We offer blended working within this role – with two days a week in the office or at key stakeholder meetings externally required.  

About us

At Motability Foundation we fund, support, research and innovate so that all disabled people can make the journeys they choose. We oversee the Motability Foundation Scheme and provide grants to help people use it, providing access to transport to hundreds of thousands of people a year.

We award grants to other charities and organisations who provide different types of transport, or work towards making transport accessible. We also carry out ongoing research, in partnership with disabled people and key stakeholders in the industry, to inspire innovations that continue to champion accessible transport for all.

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced policy and public affairs manager with a strong track record of creating policy solutions that drive real change. In this role you will work closely with the Head of Campaigns and Communications to drive the organisation’s influencing work across all 4 nations of the UK through policy development, public affairs activity, and developing and delivering issue-based campaigns that aim to make a real difference.

Endometriosis impacts the physical and mental health of 10% of women and those assigned female at birth, from puberty to menopause - although the impact can be felt for life. Yet it’s a disease most people have never heard of, do not understand, and that currently has no cure. Diagnosis time in the UK currently takes on average 8 years and 10 months, and UK non-cancer gynaecology waiting lists have now grown to more than 750,000. As the UK’s leading charity for all those affected by endometriosis, we’re determined to change this and ensure that everyone gets prompt diagnosis and the best treatment and support. With a new UK Government and increased interest in menstrual health across all 4 nations, there has never been a more exciting time to join Endometriosis UK and help us make a difference to the lives of those affected by endometriosis in the UK.

Within this role, you will play a key role in the delivery of our new organisational strategy that will launch in 2025, focused on better supporting those with endometriosis, driving down diagnosis times, campaigning for improved treatments and access to services, raising awareness, and leveraging more money into research. We place people with endometriosis at the heart of all we do. If we get our work right, we really can make a difference to the 1.5 million with endometriosis in the UK – and all those diagnosed in the future.

SCIE Vision

We are committed to building a society which enables people who draw on social care to live fulfilling lives.

At the SCIE, we are driven by our values:

· Progressive – always learning and developing.

· Inclusive – working together for equality, diversity, and fairness.

· Credible – evidence-based, robust, and reliable.

· Transparent – open and honest.

The role:

A great opportunity for you to join our small friendly team and make a real difference to people’s lives by:

· Ensuring that SCIE’s evidence, drawn from research and people’s lived experiences, influences social care policy and practice.

· Developing and delivering influencing strategies, drafting policy papers and legislative briefings, and managing relationships with various stakeholders and key partners.

· Growing SCIE’s profile as an influential, informed, and powerful voice in the social care sector.

· Positioning SCIE to work as a partner to government, responding independently to new government policy, supporting and advising on a range of national policy programmes, initiatives, and influencing guidance and practice.

· Producing high-quality research and evaluations demonstrating what works and makes a difference in social care, promoting evidence-based good practice.

What we are looking for:

· Knowledge of the policy and political landscape developed from previous experience working in a policy or public affairs role, either in government, the civil service, charities, or non-governmental organisations.

· Proven experience developing and delivering public affairs strategies and leading influencing activities.

· Proven experience producing policy papers and applying policy research skills, such as evidence gathering, analysis and reporting.

· Proven experience as a strategic and analytic thinker who can influence policymakers with persuasive arguments, policy ideas and campaigns.

· Proven ability to manage a wide range of internal and external stakeholder relationships, including at senior levels, and to engage with people with diverse viewpoints and backgrounds.

 

What we offer in return.

We offer excellent staff benefits including a competitive salary and homeworking allowance. We provide an employer pension contribution above the statutory minimum, an award-winning employee assistance programme, and an attractive holiday package which rises with length of service.

If you would like to access the application form in a different format or if would like any assistance that might help improve your experience while completing the application, please contact us. (You can find our contact email in the 'How to apply' section)

About you

You will be an experienced policy, campaigns and public affairs professional with a passion for change and social justice. You will have great working knowledge of the policy and legislative landscape and be able to demonstrate changes that your work has delivered. You will have experience of developing policy and research which helps to bring about change. Self-motivation, with sound experience of planning, but an ability to respond quickly to a changing external environment, will be at the heart of your approach.

You’ll have a strong sense of purpose to bring about change that improves carers’ lives and will be results driven. Collaboration internally and externally will be important to you, and you will have good experience of line management.

About the role

The Public Affairs and Policy team is responsible for Carers UK’s policy, media, campaigns, research, public affairs and media functions, working with colleagues in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We are a small team carrying out the full range of public affairs activity from raising awareness of caring through public campaigns and in the media, to influencing Parliament, Government and wider stakeholders through new research, policy expertise and our campaigning work.

This role plays a vital part in delivering the charity’s core aims to make life better for carers by:

• Contributing to Carers UK's policy and campaigns function in the development and dissemination of policy, leading key projects to maintain and improve the reputation of the organisation.
• Monitoring, highlighting and analysing key policy developments by the UK Government and other public bodies regarding their potential impact on carers.
• Representing Carers UK, reflecting our policy externally and influencing decision makers, political audiences, carers, practitioners and the general public to achieve Carers UK’s goals.
• Liaising and building strong working relationships with departments and colleagues across the organisation to deliver the policy and public affairs team’s objectives.
• Ensuring that Carers UK effectively communicates its purpose, policy and campaigns to decision-makers, political audiences, carers, practitioners, media and the public to achieve change, helping to build the carers movement.
• Having responsibility for aspects of the organisations work and being involved in the full range of Carers UK’s policy, public affairs and campaigns activities.

About us

Carers UK’s vision is to create a society that recognises, values and supports carers. As the leading national charity for unpaid carers, we exist to make life better for carers, however caring affects them. Our support, advice, information and campaigning work are now needed more than ever, as unpaid carers are providing more and more care, adversely impacting on their own health and wellbeing.

Diversity and inclusion

Carers UK is committed to becoming a diverse and truly inclusive organisation. We strive to create a workplace where our colleagues and volunteers can truly be themselves and feel like they belong and constantly seek to ensure all voices are heard.

To embrace this culture of diversity, our employee and volunteer recruitment should reflect our stakeholders and the society that we serve and support, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, physical abilities, disabilities or religious practices. We value individual diversity and are actively building diverse teams here at Carers UK and value our colleagues from a wide range of backgrounds.

As a membership charity for carers, we particularly seek employees and volunteers with a real understanding of the issues faced by carers. Reasonable adjustments can be made to the process and role dependent on the needs of the applicant.

At Carers UK we want our application process to be as accessible as possible. If you need any adjustments to apply please email the recruitment team to discuss.

The closing date for applications is 12pm, Sunday 9 February 2025

Carers UK anonymises all applications prior to shortlisting.

Carers UK reserves the right to appoint at any stage, should an outstanding candidate emerge.

First stage interviews will take place week commencing 17 February 2025.

Carers UK may carry out online and social media checks before a formal offer is made.

2 positions available

Permanent

35 hours per week

London or National (but frequent travel to London may be required)

£32,880.72 per annum (London) or £29,855.00 per annum (National)

The Children's Society is currently undertaking a pay and grading review - this review is intended to improve our current approach; we are currently consulting with our recognised trade union and any changes are due to be implemented in April 2025.

The Children's Society is a national charity working to transform the hopes and happiness of young people experiencing low wellbeing, who may be facing abuse, exploitation and neglect. We support them through their most serious life challenges, and we campaign tirelessly for the big social changes that will improve the lives of those who need hope most. We've been doing this for 140 years and we won't stop until we've built a society where hope is alive in every child.

The Children's Society is at an exciting stage of its journey - we've got big ambitions for children and would love to hear from you if you share our passion and commitment to reverse the damaging decline in children's wellbeing.

We are recruiting two policy and public affairs officers to join our policy, advocacy and influencing team. We're seeking excellent communicators, and analytical thinkers. Someone who is passionate about finding out about the issues affecting children and young people in our society, developing solutions, and building the case for change.

In this role you will work across our three areas of focus: Adolescent Risk and Vulnerability, Child Poverty and Inequality, and Wellbeing and Mental Health. You will develop a broad range of knowledge across issues affecting young people and experience across policy, public affairs and influencing.

Key skills and competencies

-Experience of producing research and analysis for the purpose of influencing policy and/or practice.

-Knowledge of, or ability and attitude to acquire knowledge of, social policy issues affecting children and young people across the UK

-Excellent communication skills

-Experience of using and developing internal and external channels of communication to gain and share knowledge in policy areas.

-Interest in engaging with lived experience to inform work.

-Proven experience of prioritising busy and changeable workloads and conflicting priorities.

-Networking and relationship building

-Demonstrable commitment to inclusive working, ensuring equality, valuing diversity and questioning the status quo.

Additional information

We value and promote diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive culture at The Children's Society. We also appreciate the best organisations reflect the communities they serve. We therefore strongly encourage applications from people across all groups that are underrepresented.

The Children's Society is committed to safeguarding and protecting the children and young people that we work with. As such, all posts are subject to a safer recruitment process, including the disclosure of criminal records and vetting checks. We ensure that we have a range of policies and procedures in place which promote safeguarding and safer working practices across our services.

This vacancy closes at 23:59 on Sunday 16th February. If, after 14 days, we have received enough applications we reserve the right to close the vacancy on Friday 31st January.

Expected interview dates: Week commencing 17th February

IN1

Public Policy Manager (12 Month Contract)

Starting Salary: £46,819 - £50,562 (inc London Weighting)

Contract: Temporary - 12 months

Location: Romero House, London

Hybrid working with at least 40% of your time in the London Office.

Job Profile

This role is responsible for ensuring that CAFOD has strong, well researched and robust policy positions across our core advocacy areas, including – but not limited to - climate, debt, food systems and aid. You will work with programmes colleagues to ensure CAFOD’s policy positions are strongly rooted in the experience of our overseas partners and promotes their voices and perspectives. This post will also provide support and advice to our international programmes on advocacy development, research and monitoring.

This role will also work closely with colleagues across UK Advocacy, Campaigns, Government Relations and Media to ensure CAFOD has credible advocacy plans which are effectively influencing decision-makers.  

The post holder will be responsible for line managing four policy posts and will be managed by the Director of Advocacy and Communications

Key Responsibilities

Ensure CAFOD’s policy and advocacy work is robust and rooted in the experience of our partners and provide support to international partners.

• Support the development of key policy positions across our advocacy areas and ensure these are developed strategically and take in to account the experience of our partners, Catholic Social Teaching and current political trends, both in the UK and domestically.
• Work cross-organisationally to help develop and deliver advocacy plans which are well targeted towards the appropriate decision makers.
• Working closely with relevant policy leads, take the lead on signing off public policy positions, statements and external briefs directed towards decision makers.
• Provide oversight of CAFOD’s policy positions and advocacy plans, ensuring consistency and balancing priorities to enable us to deliver across different thematic areas.  
• Work as part of the International Programme Leadership Team (IPLT) and its individual members to ensure strong links with the international programme and provide guidance, expertise and support for advocacy work across CAFODs programmes. Especially in support of our aim of local leadership and equitable partnerships.
• Work closely with international teams on the delivery of the Global Advocacy Programme on Food Systems and Land.
• Provide policy advice to the Director of CAFOD and other Executive members.

Work closely with other Teams to bring about change through CAFODs advocacy work.

• To be an active member of the Advocacy, Communications and Education Leadership Team. Through which priorities for our advocacy work will be discussed and agreed,planning, budgeting, reviewing, approving and managing change and ensuring effective communication across the Group

• Contribute to the formulation and implementation of joint advocacy strategies across the organisation working particularly closely with the Campaigns Outreach and Campaigns and External Networks Managers.

Develop CAFODs relationships with decision-makers and other organisations to best affect the change we’re seeking. 

• Represent CAFOD at policy and lobby meetings, especially with civil servants 
• Represent CAFOD in public meetings
• Support the Government and Parliamentary Relations Co-ordinator on engagement with Special Advisers and others
• Manage CAFOD’s policy relationship with other NGOs such as via Bond, CIDSE and CI groups.
• Act as a CAFOD spokesperson for media interviews

Manage the Policy Leads and support accountability

• Manage four members of staff: the Lead Economist, Lead Analysts on Food Systems, Climate and the Food Systems and Business and Human Rights Adviser.
• Ensure that the different policy areas are working as closely as appropriate with clear objectives and timelines and monitoring mechanisms.

• Efficiently and effectively manage the budget and grants including planning, forecasting, monitoring and reporting
• Manage internal reporting on KPI’s, organisational outcomes and advocacy strategies to the Exec and Board. 

This list of duties and responsibilities is by no means exhaustive and the post holder may be required to undertake other relevant and appropriate duties as required. This job description is subject to regular review and appropriate modification.

Person Specification

1. Proven experience of working on policy development and implementation with a good understanding of how UK government departments work
2. Experience of working with UK government officials and elected representatives.
3. Experience of successfully running advocacy campaigns that have resulted in meaningful policy change, preferably on international issues.
4. Good understanding and experience of working with partners overseas, developing advocacy and research projects with them.
5. Good knowledge of the UK and international political arena and events, and an understanding of how to influence change.
6. Understanding of the Catholic church and knowledge of Catholic Social Teaching.
7. Excellent inter-personal skills with experience of working with multiple external stakeholders, and as part of a team.
8. A track record of strong written and spoken communication skills.
9. Leadership skills, with experience of project management and/or people management.
10. Highly organised, able to manage a busy workload and consistently meet deadlines.

Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults

CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect.  CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse.  CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount.  Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Behaviour as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of, and consent to, these recruitment procedures.

Please click here for a full list of CAFOD’s Staff Benefits

Come and join us and help make a real difference in the lives of the world’s poorest communities.

Are you an experienced Public Affairs professional with a passion for dogs? 
We’re looking for a Public Affairs Officer to support the important work we do to ensure policy makers consider dog welfare in their decision making.

About this role:
As Public Affairs Officer, you’ll:

• contribute to the delivery of our ambitious public affairs programme across Westminster and Whitehall, the devolved administrations and in the EU,
• support and occasionally lead on the organisation and coordination of political events, meetings, and project visits, as part of our programme of engagement with policy makers,
• support the management of the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) and the EU Dog & Cat Alliance,
• establish and maintain positive relationships with key external stakeholders, including parliamentarians and civil servants.

About you:
To be successful in this role, you’ll need experience in parliamentary or public affairs, with a good understanding of the political landscape in the UK. You’ll also need excellent communication skills, with the ability to listen actively, negotiate and influence decision makers and strong written English, in order to draft clear and concise professional correspondence and communications. Above all, an interest in the aims and values of Dogs Trust is essential.

Please note, Dogs Trust is a wholly independent organisation, free of association with any political party. Our independence is critical, as it allows us to pursue our mission to campaign on dog welfare issues, on behalf of the UK’s dogs and their owners. For our public affairs roles, the ability to display political neutrality in the public eye or when working with MPs is essential.

About Dogs Trust:
We love dogs. That’s why we do whatever we can to make sure every four-legged friend gets the love they deserve. We’ll never put a healthy dog down, so our work is focused on helping dogs in need, supporting owners every step of the walk, and creating a better world for dogs in the future. It’s what we’ve been doing since 1891 and how we’ve grown to become the UK’s leading dog charity, helping 12,000 loyal friends find their forever homes every year.

To apply for this position please click the APPLY NOW button. Our application process requires you submit a CV and a cover letter explaining your interest and suitability for the role. Please note, on rare occasions, we may close vacancies early if we receive an overwhelming response, so to avoid potential disappointment, please apply at your earliest convenience.

Dogs are incredibly diverse, much like the humans that love them! At Dogs Trust we value diversity, and we're committed to fostering an inclusive culture. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, abilities, and cultures and believe that a diverse workforce helps us to achieve our mission. Our colleague networks give our people a voice, acting as vehicles for real and meaningful change within Dogs Trust. We truly want to see every candidate shine throughout the entire job application process, interview stages, and during their time with us. If there's anything on your mind or any adjustments you may need, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're here to support you every step of the way.

Join the National Youth Agency as their Head of Policy and Public Affairs and help transform the lives of young people!

Are you passionate about shaping the future of youth work and making a real difference to the lives of young people? The National Youth Agency (NYA) is looking for a talented policy expert to join their team as the Head of Policy and Public Affairs in a fully remote role.

About:

The NYA is the national body for youth work, committed to supporting and championing youth work across England. They believe in the power of youth work to unlock young people's potential and provide high-quality support and opportunities. Their mission is to enable more people to deliver great youth work so that every young person can experience its transformative impact, and they need your expertise to help achieve this.

The Role:

As the Head of Policy and Public Affairs, you will play a pivotal role in shaping local and national policies affecting the youth sector. You will work closely with our Director of Policy, Insights and External Affairs, and key stakeholders to develop and deliver cutting-edge policy and public affairs strategies. Your responsibilities will include:

• Influencing youth policy and government funding to strengthen the youth sector.
• Developing credible policy positions that align with their mission.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with political parties and key decision-makers.
• Leading policy events and roundtables.
• Collaborating with internal and external partners to drive meaningful change.

About You:

We are looking for someone with significant experience in a senior policy role, excellent communication skills, and a proven ability to engage with senior-level decision-makers.

You should have an understanding of current debates and priorities in the youth work space or within intersecting policy areas and sectors such as education, health, youth justice etc and be able to manage a complex workload to meet tight deadlines. Experience in managing and motivating a small team is also essential.

Why Work for NYA? They prioritise the well-being and development of their employees. They offer a flexible working approach – fully remote working, a supportive work culture, and opportunities for personal and professional growth.

How to Apply: If you are excited about this opportunity and believe you have the skills and passion to make a difference, we would love to hear from you. Please apply by submitting your CV and a covering letter outlining your suitability for the role. Please note this role will be subject to enhanced DBS.

We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.

Policy and Public Affairs Manager (England) 

Job Description and Person Specification 

Reporting to: Head of Policy and Public Affairs

Line Management: 1 Policy and Public Affairs Officer England 

Location of work: London. Must be commutable for meetings at Westminster.The role may involve some infrequent travel throughout England and Scotland. 

Contract type: Ideally full-time, 35 hours per week, although 4 days a week/flexible hours will be considered. The role will require occasional evening and weekend work.

Contract Length: Permanent

Salary: £42,000 

BACKGROUND 

The latest research suggesting that the number of children and young people at risk of hunger has rocketed to 2.7 million* means that one in five children don't have enough to eat.  When a child is too hungry to learn, when they’re aching for something to eat, they can’t concentrate. They can’t absorb information. Big feelings and worries can be impossible to control. They fall behind in their studies.  

Magic Breakfast provide a nutritious and filling breakfast to over 200,000 children and young people every school day. We work with schools in areas of high disadvantage, helping staff target the children most in need without barrier or stigma.  Magic Breakfast are ambitious to grow our impact to remove hunger as a barrier to learning for all children and young people in the UK. 

The new UK government’s Children’s Wellbeing Bill outlined in the King’s Speech, includes a requirement for free school breakfast clubs in every English primary school. This is a fantastic start towards ending child morning hunger. Magic Breakfast’s influence will be instrumental to ensuring school breakfasts are introduced in a way that is hunger-focused and barrier free. In 2021, the Scottish Government, pledged a not yet enacted promise to provide breakfast to primary children. 

Thousands of secondary school children are at risk of losing their free school breakfasts from September next year. For many of these students, this is their only opportunity to have a nutritious meal before facing a demanding school day, including taking exams. 

Solutions across all UK nations are currently either not yet actioned or are severely underserving the current need. Being part of the work of Magic Breakfast is your chance, together with parents, teachers and people across the UK, to demonstrate the power of school breakfasts and to shape the way forward to end morning hunger for good. 

*Food Foundation Insecurity Tracker Jan 2024

JOB PURPOSE 

Magic Breakfast’s mission is to end child morning hunger in the UK now and for good. The role of the Policy and Public Affairs Manager is to support us to deliver on this mission through influencing governments to address child morning hunger and the underlying systemic causes, in order to give every child the opportunity to reach their full potential. 

The Policy and Public Affairs Manager will play a pivotal role in shaping policy initiatives and influencing decision makers across Westminster and Whitehall. Specifically, you will help ensure the new Early Adopters Programme – the government’s pilot breakfast scheme in England – is hunger-focused and puts children and young people at its centre. This in turn, will inform the national rollout of primary school breakfast provision across England from September 2026 – a policy which you will also work to influence. In tandem, you will be responsible for informing and shaping how breakfast is included and positioned in the Children’s Wellbeing Bill.

More widely, you will keep abreast of political developments relevant to Magic Breakfast, identifying opportunities to respond, influence and shape the debate. You will be able to put complex policy ideas across in simple and effective terms both in person and through reports and briefings.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and lead Magic Breakfast’s influencing strategy to shape and inform school breakfasts within the Children’s Wellbeing Bill 

• Engage thoroughly in the legislative process to shape how breakfast is positioned, to ensure the law protects and supports children and young people at risk of hunger 

• Influence and shape the scope of the Early Adopter’s Programme to inform long-term school breakfast policy across England 

• Work with ministers, politicians, civil servants and advisors to help shape the national rollout of school breakfasts across England 

• Identify and produce high-quality evidence-based responses to new policy developments, sector reports and consultations from Government, advisory bodies, other political parties and membership organisations 

• Proactively monitor and track policy developments, and ensure internal understanding and alignment on issues and opportunities 

• Lead the dissemination of Magic Breakfast policy briefings and research reports to key political stakeholders 

• Organise and lead key influencing events to influence and inform decision-makers

• Deliver on our policy objectives through building relationships with key stakeholders in national government, key national organisations and coalitions, including garnering intel and ensuring that our opportunities to influence policy making are maximised 

• Ensure organisational buy-in, coordination and collaboration to support our advocacy strategy 

• Develop and deliver political stakeholder engagement plans; track progress against plans and deliverables; with regular reporting on targets and outcomes, timely evaluation and shared learnings across internal teams 

• Work closely with the Policy and Public Affairs Manager Scotland, to share expertise and intelligence 

• Be flexible in work focus and responsibilities when required e.g. support with Scottish election/campaign work and advocacy in Wales 

• Work closely with Campaigns colleagues to inform and shape campaign activities and respond proactively to live developments through the life of the campaign 

• Proactively recommend and establish systems, tools and procedures to ensure effective delivery of objectives across the Policy and Public Affairs team 

• Provide management and coaching for the Public Affairs Officer, agreeing a career development plan in line with required expertise

PERSON SPECIFICATION 

• Experience of policy development and influencing

• Sound understanding of the legislative process (experience in this process is highly desirable) 

• Good working knowledge of the UK political system (national and regional) and previous experience in a UK public affairs/advocacy/or policy role.

• Ability to prepare high quality, evidence-based internal and external briefing material, and messaging under time pressure 

• Experience of line management 

• Ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders 

• Demonstrated experience in developing integrated, public affairs campaigns 

• Strong interpersonal skills and experience building effective working relationships with a range of stakeholders including civil servants and sector peers 

• Demonstrated experience of developing influencing plans and working with sector peers and in coalition to achieve change 

• A collaborative team player, able to proactively engage colleagues to share knowledge and expertise

• Outstanding time management and organisational skills with the ability to prioritise within your work, managing multiple tasks simultaneously and working to tight deadlines 

• Understanding of the education, child poverty and/or health sectors – desirable 

• Excellent attention to detail

General

• Passion and commitment to Magic Breakfast’s mission 

• Contribute to team meetings, sharing best practice and supporting team members where necessary. 

• Help to maintain a positive working environment; keeping the vision of Magic Breakfast at the heart of everything we d

• Work collaboratively across the organisation more widely to build good working relations across the organisation and provide ad-hoc support to other teams and members of staff. 

• Adhere to all Magic Breakfast policies and procedures.

• Ensure that all activity is compliant with current legislation, GDPR and child safeguarding requirements. 

• Participate in occasional work-related events at external venues and perform support related activities as required be willing to undertake occasional work outside of regular office hours and UK travel.

• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the role. 

• Uphold a culture that encourages curiosity, continuous improvement, optimism, and a steadfast commitment to social impact. 

Leukaemia UK – Our Charity

Leukaemia UK is growing! We are expanding our team to achieve a step-change in income, profile and impact in 2025 and beyond.

We are a ‘small but mighty’ charity with one big ambition: to stop leukaemia devastating lives. Over the next 10 years we want to help save and improve the lives of more people with leukaemia through finding and funding life-changing research and campaigning for change.

Despite progress in recent decades, someone in the UK is diagnosed with a blood cancer every 16 minutes and survival rates are among some of the worst of any cancer.  And the physical and psychological impact can be lifelong. 

Our current strategy outlines our plan to increase our investment into ground-breaking world class research and policy development focused on improving access to kinder, more effective diagnosis, treatment and care for leukaemia and other blood cancers. To do this, we are embarking on a period of significant growth, investing strategically to grow our income, profile, influence, and engagement and impact.

As we begin the fourth year of this ambitious 5-year strategy, we are seeking a talented, creative, and motivated Policy and Evidence Officer to strengthen our policy development activity.

Team

We are a close-knit team, who are all passionate about Leukaemia UK and putting those affected by the disease at the heart of everything we do.  We are all focused on “keeping it real” with pragmatic, practical solutions, as well as ensuring that our charity gets the funding it needs to continue to help those diagnosed with leukaemia and other blood cancers.

From us you can expect fun and creativity, as well as great challenge and support. We may not be about the corporate life here, but we are all about delivering exceptional expertise and making a real change to people’s lives.

Leukaemia UK and You 

We are looking for a self-motivated Policy and Evidence Officer to take a leading role in Leukaemia UK’s evidence-based policy development that will effectively enable our policy influencing work and position Leukaemia UK as the ‘go-to’ charity to improve leukaemia outcomes. The successful candidate will be an innovative, driven and forward-thinking individual with a proven track record of developing evidence-based policy positions, recommendations and solutions within the health sector.

The Policy and Evidence Officer will be instrumental in ensuring that all our plans and activities are evidence-driven and meet the needs of patients and those who care for them. The role will be responsible for developing, expanding and maintaining Leukaemia UK’s knowledge base that will help us thoroughly understand of how diagnosis, treatment and care are delivered to people affected and how this translates to patient experience and clinical outcomes. Moreover, we want to understand at a policy level the roles of the research and treatment landscapes in improving leukaemia diagnosis, treatment and care.

The successful candidate will be adept at using quantitative and qualitative research to gather intelligence, develop insights and turn them into evidence-based, solution-focused policy positions to drive our policy, health improvement, campaigning and public affairs programme. This includes gathering insights from desk-based research, patient groups, and health experts, as well as contributing our voice to drug appraisals to ensure patients benefit from the latest treatments. This role ensures that the 'patient voice' is heard, while also ensuring that the needs and priorities of individuals with leukaemia and other blood cancers are understood, represented and valued.

This role will be essential in leading our evolving work on drug appraisals to ensure that innovative treatments are approved and become available for patients with leukaemia and blood cancers who can benefit from those treatments.

This role requires the ability to engage patient representatives and a wide range of stakeholders at different levels of seniority, such as healthcare professionals, researchers and policy/health improvement experts to understand what changes are needed across diagnosis, treatment and care of those with leukaemia and other blood cancers. A strong understanding of the health policy landscape, coupled with exceptional communication skills and a keen attention to detail, is essential.

Experience and Skills

Essential

• Good experience of working in the health policy landscape
• Good experience in evidence-based policy development
• Good experience in undertaking evidence gathering exercises
• Proven experience of engaging and managing a range of external stakeholders and facilitating reference and advisory groups, including people with lived experience
• Proven experience of cross-team working
• Good time management skills, with an ability to organise own workload and respond reactively as required
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with an ability to disseminate complex information in a way that is easy to understand by a range of audiences
• Good ability to take on multiple activities and projects at the same time

Desirable

• Experience in medical charities
• Experience within cancer policy
• Project management skills
• Experience in drug appraisals

Knowledge and Personal Traits

Essential

• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience in health policy or health related area
• Knowledge of quantitative and qualitative methods to develop and analyse evidence
• An understanding of the importance of engaging with people with lived experience of leukaemia and related conditions; with a view to include their insight in our work
• A high level of accuracy and attention to detail
• An understanding of health inequalities and the importance of engaging with marginalised groups
• A strong commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion

Desirable

• Knowledge of the health system and/or health policy across the UK

About the role

At a time of growth and of new opportunities for the Motability Foundation, we are looking for a Public Affairs Manager to join our Communications Team and lead our Public Affairs activity for the organisation.

Our vision is to fund, support, research, and innovate, so all disabled people can make the journeys they choose. There are an estimated 16 million disabled people in the UK, and this role will play a crucial part in our work to raise awareness of the work of the Motability Foundation, amplify the voices of disabled people and to influence policy.

·This new role will work alongside our new Evidence and Policy Manager, based in our Innovation team, and other colleagues across the organization as well as key partners (Motability Operations), to manage our horizon scanning and monitoring of the political landscape, leading on advising our Governors, CEO and senior management team on actions we need to take, and preparing detailed briefings for engagements, and events with Parliamentarians and senior Ministers. The role holder will develop, implement and lead our Public Affairs and Government Engagement Plan, and proactively identify and develop opportunities to influence and shape policy where it may have a positive impact for disabled people.

With a General Election and potential welfare reform on the horizon, this role is especially important and experience in creating and implementing post-election public affairs strategies, leading activities across the team and devising and managing structured results reporting to the organisation, is highly desirable.

 

What you will be doing

• Develop, implement and manage our public affairs strategy, leading on public affairs activities aligned with the Motability Foundation’s vision and overall strategy.
• Amplify the Motability Foundation’s voice in Parliament, across the devolved nations, and in political spheres, building, developing and managing relationships with parliamentarians, decision-makers and stakeholders.
• Manage our horizon scanning and monitoring of the political, legislative and regulatory landscape in relation to the work of the Motability Foundation, leading on advising the business on actions we need to take.
• Provide sharp political intelligence, insight, advice and briefings for Governors, directors, senior management and a variety of audiences across the organization.
• Support the establishment of the Motability Foundation’s policy positions and delivering our influencing objectives.
• Manage a contact program for Parliamentarians, raising awareness of the work of the Motability Foundation, establishing regular meetings for senior leaders where relevant, and facilitating dialogue on issues relevant to our work.
• Working closely with the Evidence and Policy Manager to manage the dissemination of any policy output for presentation to the external world.

Your experience

Must haves:

• Strong grasp of parliamentary processes in Westminster, Scotland and the other devolved nations.
• Ability to initiate and manage projects independently while contributing effectively to team efforts.
• Experience in proactively identifying opportunities to influence.
• Strong communication skills, with an ability to grasp complex issues quickly and share information in an accessible way across a variety of audiences.
• Ability to facilitate sensitive internal and stakeholder conversations to reach a point of consensus.
• Ability to engage effectively with stakeholders in Government, industry, and other charities and foundations.
• Experience of operating effectively in a complex environment with multiple agendas and stakeholders.
• Highly IT literate with extensive experience of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.

Nice to haves:

• Understanding of key disability and transport issues, such as the social model of disability, inclusive micro mobility and the transition to electric vehicles.

Employment Policy and Public Affairs Officer
Remote working
£30,000 - £34,000 pa pro rata plus excellent benefits
35 hours per week (part-time considered)

This is not a traditional policy and public affairs role. You may have gained your experience in the third sector, civil service or working for an MP, or maybe in a corporate HR or EDI role.  You will help deliver our ambitious plan to secure social change to make society more inclusive for people who are deaf or have hearing loss. In this role you will be working across our range of policy, programme and public affairs activity – engaging with external stakeholders, including policy makers and large corporate partners, to improve access to and the experience of employment for our communities.

Around half of your time will be dedicated to policy work as part of our Employment Programme. We know that people who are deaf or have a hearing loss are less likely to be in employment, and that employer attitudes and poor Government support holds our community back. You’ll need to understand the disability employment policy landscape and marshal our evidence to make a persuasive case for social change to Government and other stakeholders.

RNID provides consultancy services to or enters into partnerships with businesses to help them become a better and more inclusive employer of people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus. You will support this work by bringing your knowledge and expertise of employment policy to ensure that we provide up to date advice and guidance. You’ll also play a key role in translating this evidence into information and guidance for our website.

You will be the public affairs coordinator for the team, including actively supporting the APPG for Deafness, for which RNID provides the secretariat. You’ll also be required to undertake daily political monitoring and co-ordinate how we support our parliamentary champions in Westminster.

Essential experience:
• Some experience in a policy and public affairs role
• Understanding of day-to-day parliamentary procedures
• Demonstrable ability to distil information into well-structured written briefings or summaries
• Experience of working on employment and/or disability employment issues
• A proactive and creative mindset, with an ability to work flexibly
• Evidence of strong organisational skills
• Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team

We are RNID: the national charity supporting the 18 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus. We also know the value of a friendly face in local communities to support people where they need it most.

We are a remote working organisation, with colleagues based across the UK and Ireland.. We come together in person three times a year for our Staff Summits.. We bring together the best of digital and in-person working in a modern, progressive organisation. We offer a sector-leading flexible working policy to all our staff from day one.

We know our colleagues have responsibilities and interests outside work and we want to support that, which is why we offer a sector-leading flexible working policy to all our staff from day one. Our values are at the heart of how we work and communicate with each other, and the outside world. We strive to be an organisation that is connected, insightful, curious and passionate in everything we do.

We champion the value of difference and equality and celebrate our diverse and inclusive workforce. We actively encourage applications from eligible candidates from BAME backgrounds or who are deaf or hard of hearing. With almost 20% of our employees having a disability we proudly hold Disability Confident Leader status and guarantee an interview for disabled applicants meeting the minimum essential criteria.

Closing date: 10 February 2025
Interviews: w/c 17 February 2025

Policy and External Affairs Officer

Job Description and Person Specification

Job title Policy and External Affairs Officer

Hours 35 hours per week

Salary £26,000 per annum

Location Home based with travel to our London office for team and other meetings

Reports to Communications Manager

National Voices

Making what matters to people matter in health and care

National Voices is the leading coalition of health and social care charities in England. We have more than 200 members covering a diverse range of health conditions and communities, connecting us with the experiences of millions of people. We work together to strengthen the voice of people: patients, service users, carers, their families, and the voluntary organisations that work for them.

Our Vision:

People shaping their health and care.

Our Mission:

We advocate for more inclusive and person centred health and care, shaped by the people who use and need it the most.

We do this by:

· Understanding and advocating for what matters to people especially those living with health conditions and groups who experience inequalities.

· Finding common cause across communities and conditions by working with member charities and those they support.

· Connecting and convening charities, decision makers and citizens to work together to change health and care for good.

The Role

The purpose of the Project and External Affairs Officer role is to:

• Communicate National Voices’ policy positions and project work to members, decision makers, external influencers and media
• Assist senior members of the policy team to develop policy positions and communications materials which support the adoption and spread of equitable and person-centred health and care services and help deliver National Voices’ five year strategy
• Work with voluntary sector organisations and people with the greatest health and care needs to develop National Voices’ policy positions and deliver funded project work

The role will predominantly be a mix of communications and policy-focused work, with a larger share of the work likely focused on communications.

Support our communications work

· Develop engaging content that conveys National Voices messages to members, external stakeholders, and media (including managing the day to day running of social media platforms) to maximise the reach and impact of the organisation’s policy messages

· Create National Voices’ membership content, including members communications, managing the National Voices’ blog and draft website content

· Support the maintenance of National Voices’ website, keeping the site up to date and coordinating input and content from National Voices staff. 

· Coordinate the production of key publications, from liaising with partner organisations to overseeing design and production, ensuring final documents are accessible.

· Support media relations activity by drafting media statements, liaising with journalists, developing and maintaining press lists, and other activity as required

· Track press coverage and other analytics where needed

· Help build and maintain relationships with external stakeholders relevant to policy and communication work, through networking and participation in advisory groups and within alliances.

Support the policy team

· Work with voluntary sector organisations and people with the greatest health and care needs to understand their experiences, perspectives and ambitions, for example via workshops, focus groups and in-depth interviews.

· Draft policy briefings, position papers, consultation responses, blogs, reports, letters and other policy and communications documents that capture agreed positions.

· Work with senior members of the team to organise, deliver and facilitate events and post event analysis, both large and small, online and in-person.

· Assist senior members of the team on a range of short-term and long-term policy and insight projects, by horizon scanning, scoping and developing ideas for future projects and new business.

· Read and analyse the influencing work our members undertake (reports, events) and share content with the National Voices team, identifying and making connections.

General

· Take a pro-active approach to including our members and people with lived experience in all areas of our work.

· Support the senior team in identifying potential new members and funding opportunities where possible.

· Support good project, financial and data management.

· Follow processes set out to measure, monitor and communicate the impact of our work.

· Contribute to the National Voices’ team planning activities where relevant and undertake other relevant duties as appropriate.

Person Specification

Essential values, attitudes and behaviours

· Passionate about National Voices’ mission and work.

· Proactive, flexible and responsive.

· Able to work as part of a team towards a common goal.

· Committed to reducing inequality and embracing diversity.

· Comfortable with a range of views and perspectives and keen to make connections and build relationships.

· Willing and confident to assert views and constructively challenge others.

Essential skills, abilities and experience

· Strong communication skills, both written and oral.

· Strong interpersonal and relationship management skills.

· Strong organisational and project management skills, including demonstrable ability to prioritise workload and maintain quality.

· Able to synthesise complex information and present it in simple and impactful ways.

· Strong listening skills and ability to identify themes within interviews, focus groups and workshops.

· Strong attention to detail

· Strong IT skills including Microsoft Office programmes, CRM systems, online conference/meeting software and other programmes where required.

· Able to work well under pressure and to tight deadlines.

· Experience of working under pressure and to deadlines in a high performing team.

 

Our approach to hybrid working

We recognise the importance of coming together regularly, in-person, as a team, so we can share learnings and spend social time with each other. We also recognise that people need flexibility, and that homeworking enables focused work and can fit well in people’s lives.

We ask all staff to take part in pre-arranged team meetings which take place every six weeks in our office space. We also might ask you to meet in-person with members of your team from time to time, or to be available for face-to- face meetings with clients and partners where this enhances the work.

We assume that this would usually not amount to more than one day per fortnight for people who work full time. We are happy to discuss how this sits in your life. This can be agreed by your line manager.

Application guidance

Please submit a cover letter along with a CV to apply.

Applications should be addressed to our Director of Policy and External Affairs, Sharon Brennan, and submitted through CharityJob.

Please specify any access or other requirements of which we need to be aware for the online interview.

The deadline for applications is Sunday 2 February at 11:59 pm.

The interviews will take place the week commencing Monday 10 February 2025 on Microsoft Teams and please expect to complete a written assignment

Details of an interview task and interview questions will be emailed to you prior to the interview.

We are committed to diversifying our team in order to broaden the insight and experiences we can draw on, and to do our work more credibly. So we strongly encourage people from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic background, and people who live with health conditions or disability to apply. Our offices are fully accessible and we are an LGBT+ friendly employer. Men are currently underrepresented in our team so we would welcome applications from men and non-binary people.

You can find our workplace policies on our website under Work with us>Vacancies>Our workplace policies