Public Policy Manager Jobs

Are you passionate about driving ethical governance and risk management within a values-driven environment? A fantastic opportunity has arisen to join us at LHC Procurement Group as the Group Governance & Risk Manager and lead the charge in ensuring our organisation operates at the highest standards of integrity and compliance.

What you will be doing:

• Lead the review and application of the Group’s governance requirements under the direction of the Board and Group Managing Director.
• Serve as a focal point for LHC governance, supporting the Board in discharging its duties compliantly and professionally.
• Conduct regular assessments of the effectiveness of governance committees and risk management strategies.
• Oversee the risk and quality management functions, ensuring proactive mitigation of business risks.
• Develop and manage assurance frameworks, audit arrangements, and Board induction processes.
• Coordinate submissions to regulatory bodies and ensure compliance with relevant laws and standards.

What you need:

• Experience in facilitating good governance within a regulated environment, preferably within housing, charity, or not-for-profit sectors.
• Understanding of governance models, legal requirements, and best practices in corporate governance.
• Strong organisational, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• Ability to work with confidential information and deliver under pressure.
• Degree in a relevant subject or equivalent experience; Governance qualification is desirable.
• Proficiency in IT systems, including PowerPoint, Word, and Excel.

What You'll Get:

• Basic salary on POC starting at £52,032 (inc LW). 
• Local Government Pension Scheme (Defined Benefit). 
• 34 days holiday plus bank holidays. 
• 36-hour week. 
• Personal training and development plan. 
• Cycle to work scheme. 
• Employee Discounts. 

If you're ready to make a difference and drive excellence in governance and risk management, we want to hear from you. Apply now and join us in our mission to deliver better buildings and homes that enhance local communities.

Please note that we reserve the right to close this job posting before the application deadline if a suitable candidate is identified. Therefore, don’t miss out on this chance. Apply today! 

Home-based or High Wycombe

Part-time, minimum 30 hours per week (full-time considered)

Looking for a fresh challenge where your faith, passion and experience contributes to making a real difference to the lives of people and communities living in the Middle East?

In 2024, Embrace the Middle East celebrates 170 years of close partnership and relationship with local Christians who, through their churches and local civil society organisations, are serving some of the most marginalised and excluded communities in the Middle East. Ours is a vision of faith, hope and love in action: where there is a need for refuge, a home however temporary, for education, for safeguarding, for economic empowerment, for justice and human rights – we, with our partners, want to respond. We do this by building strong and lasting partnerships, nurtured by mutual respect and a shared commitment to excellence.

Walking and working alongside our partners, you will strengthen, develop, and manage relationships with a varied portfolio of local partner organisations, churches, and local stakeholders to deliver high-impact programmes to benefit communities in need of assistance - helping them to realise their God-given potential.  Sharing their compassion for Christ, you will work strategically with Partners to support their proposal development and delivery of high-impact, locally-owned projects.  You will be responsible for grant management, ensuring organisational governance and controls provide accountability both locally and internationally, including safeguarding practise.

We are looking for someone to join us in strengthening relationships with our broad base of local Christian partner organisations carrying out Gospel inspired work in the region.  Who can bring experience of managing, monitoring and evaluation of locally-owned programmes, to support the development of high-impact projects.  Has an understanding and awareness of the context, dynamics, and challenges of working in the Middle East. Alongside the skills and ability to identify compelling messages from partnership communications to gain support, through prayer, donations and support for our advocacy work. 

Suitable candidates will be:

• Educated to degree level equivalent.
• Highly collaborative, team player prepared to contribute to the overall success of the organisation.
• Inspired by the witness of Christians in the Middle East and passionate about changing the lives of people living in grinding poverty, injustice, disability, trauma and displacement caused by conflict, and other challenges.
• Willing to carry out overseas travel to the region 3-4 times a year.
• Have a sympathy with Embrace’s Christian inspired values, vision and ready with compassion and commitment to serve and work to support Embrace’s Christian mission.
• Advanced or intermediate Arabic would be advantageous.
• Because of the essential Christian context of the role, it is subject to an occupational requirement under the Equality Act that the post-holder be a practising Christian.

Staff benefits at Embrace the Middle East:

• To support every member of staff to work as effectively as possible, Embrace offers remote and flexible working arrangements. This includes flexi-time and home-working arrangements.
• Pension - option to join from day 1. Maximum employer contribution of 10%
• Holiday - 30 days, including 8 bank holidays – increasing to 31 days after 5 years' service and 32 days after 10 years' service, plus 3 days leave between Christmas and the New Year
• Life Assurance - 3x salary.
• Access to retail discount portal.
• Employee Assistant Programme (confidential counselling, legal and financial advice) - available 24 /7, 365 days a year
• Training and development programme for all employees.
• Commitment to staff health & wellbeing.

How to apply

To apply for this role, kindly send through a completed online application form, via our website and attach a copy of your CV.

Closing date for applications: Monday 12 June 2024. 

We aim to contact all suitable candidates either before or shortly after the closing date for applications.

Embrace the Middle East is an equal opportunities employer.  Recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to child protection.

Please note that in order to be considered for this position you need to have the right to work in the UK, either through nationality or relevant work visa.

The successful candidate will be required to complete a medical questionnaire and undertake a disclosure check as part of the Charity’s safer recruitment policy.

Thank you for your interest in Embrace the Middle East.

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity and the chance to make a real and lasting difference for others? Join Kinship, Britain’s biggest charity supporting kinship carers.

Kinship carers are strong, capable and fiercely determined to ensure they get what they need to support their kinship family. And we want to support them to feel confident to do that.

Kinship is the leading kinship care charity in England and Wales. We support, campaign and raise awareness of kinship care and the issues affecting kinship carers every day.

Kinship care begins in crisis. A child whose parents are unable to care for them, for whatever reason. It’s frightening, confusing and heart-breaking. Instinctively, a loved one steps in – a grandparent, brother, sister, aunt, uncle or family friend. They are now a kinship carer, bringing up the children they love. It’s life changing and challenging raising children who’ve been hurt or neglected, but kinship carers do it anyway because they put the children first. 

About the role

We are looking for an experienced and committed Business Development Manager to join our growing charity. Responsible for winning new business and retaining existing contracts to achieve financial and growth targets, this is a pivotal role at Kinship. If you are self-motivated, have experience of producing high quality, successful bids, can think strategically, and love to work collaboratively across teams, we want to hear from you.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead on all commissioning activity at Kinship directly with commissioners and through tendering activity.

• Lead and support the creation of high-quality bids including writing technical questions and method statements.

• Develop and maintain a thorough knowledge and understanding of Kinship, the external environment, and kinship carers and integrate this knowledge into business development activity and bid production.

Essential requirements include:

• Experience of successful bid production and bid management – from identification of opportunity through to submission. Track record in successful tendering for retention of contracts and new business.

• Excellent communication skills – both written and verbal. Able to articulate and translate complex ideas and service delivery models into compelling, structured, and high-quality written propositions.

• Ability to analyse large volumes of information to develop clear and compelling bids and proposals.

Key dates:

• Application deadline: 5pm on Thursday 30 May

• Interview date: Thursday 13 June (in-person, London)

Kinship are an equal opportunities employer. We warmly welcome applications from appropriately qualified people from all sections of the community and aim to promote diversity.

The Services Manager (Housing) will primarily focus on the managing New Horizon's Housing Advice service, delivered both from the day centre and remotely. You will work with the Head of Services to ensure the service responds holistically to young people with multiple needs or barriers.  You should be experienced in the housing and homelessness sector, be a passionate advocate for young people. and have the ability to motivate a team to deliver high quality services in a fast-paced environment. You should be skilled in partnership management and able to collaborate to identify new housing solutions for young people. 

For more information, please see our Job Application Pack below. 

Salary: £37,024 - £41,600
Closing Date: 10am, 14/06/2024

This exciting role is an important part of the PR and Media team which works to increase the Foundation’s profile and reputation with target audiences. We aim to strengthen our brand presence and ability to influence and inform decision makers by engaging professional stakeholders and the public through media and other communication channels. 

What does the role involve?

· Delivering key communications projects, particularly related to our policy and research work, in a coordinated and strategic way.

· Being a source of expert communications support to senior management colleagues and organisational spokespeople.

· Supporting the development and delivery of campaigns including our Mental Health Awareness Week.

What skills, knowledge and experience are we looking for?

· Knowledge and experience of running effective communications campaigns.

· Proven writing and editorial skills, capable of delivering engaging and concise copy for a range of communications channels.

· Demonstrable ability to develop a wide range of contacts in the media and external environment, and to work in partnership with other organisations.

· Interest in mental health, public health, and social justice.

Safeguarding is Everyone’s business – Mental Health Foundation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of all its beneficiaries, those who surround them, its staff, volunteers, and anyone else who comes into contact with its services and expects all trustees, staff, and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be subject to appropriate vetting procedures (proof of eligibility to work in the UK, proof of residency and satisfactory employment screening, including a Disclosure check and two most recent references) along with 3-year renewals of Disclosure checks. We are unable to provide sponsorship for this post; you must be able to demonstrate your eligibility to work in the UK. 

How to apply

 If you think your skills match and you’d like to be part of a dynamic and growing organisation, please complete and submit your application on our website. Please ensure you attach an up-to-date CV and statement of suitability answering all points of the person specification.

Applications will close at 5pm on Monday 20 May 2024 and we are unable to accept late applications. 

Interviews are planned for w/c 3 June 2024.   Those shortlisted will be asked to do a task in advance of the interview and discuss on the day.

We believe our people should represent the communities, organisations and individuals we work with.  Diversity and inclusion is a strategic priority for us as an employer and mental health charity, and we are proud to be signatories of the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter and the Disability Confident Committed Scheme. Applications from under-represented sections of the community are actively encouraged.

If you have a disability, require any additional support or have any questions regarding the role, please contact us.  We make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process and during employment.  Disabled candidates who meet all the essential person specification criteria will be offered an interview.  Therefore, please do ensure you tick the relevant box on the application form and clearly indicate in your application/covering letter if you consider yourself to meet the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 / Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

We are currently operating mostly digital recruitment (including interviews via video conferencing).  We have moved to a hybrid working model of a minimum of 2 days per week in the office and the rest working from home.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The Head of Policy, Campaigns and Public Affairs will work alongside the Director of Patient Projects and Influencing to spearhead our advocacy and influencing strategy, driving forward our agenda to transform prostate cancer advocacy and improve outcomes for people affected by prostate cancer. This strategic role involves building essential relationships with politicians and key stakeholders, increasing our organisational profile, and leveraging findings to advocate for policy changes. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Strategic Advocacy and Campaign Leadership: Develop and lead PCR’s campaign and public affairs activities, ensuring strategies are focussed on achieving meaningful policy and practice change on the highest priority issues, including screening and access to innovative and evolving treatment options. 

• Stakeholder Engagement: Forge strategic relationships and build our profile among politicians, policymakers, regulators and KoLs to enhance our impact and position Prostate Cancer Research as a source of trusted information for prostate cancer policy. 

• Shaping Policy: Coordinate responses to relevant consultations, such as government, MHRA, trade bodies, and NICE/SMC appraisals, where appropriate.

• Evidence-Based Advocacy: Utilise findings from funded reports, such as our Overtreatment/Overdiagnosis report and Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), to advocate for change in screening and other relevant policies, and support/commission the development of further evidence as needed.

• Relationship Building and Event Coordination: Identify and cultivate potential parliamentary champions and supporters and host impactful events. 

• Patient Centricity: Ensure our patients remain at the centre of this work, putting structures in place for them to be involved in setting priorities, informing our policy positions with their lived experience, and advocating for change. 

• Policy Monitoring and Analysis: Monitor and analyse relevant healthcare policy in the UK to inform the organisation’s strategic development and seize on political opportunities.

Candidate Profile: 

Experience 

• Strong knowledge/experience of the health and social care sector, its public bodies, and key relevant policies 

• An excellent understanding of the UK political environmental, structures of government at national, local and devolved nation levels, with established relationships with key stakeholders or a proven ability to develop these efficiently and effectively. 

• Demonstrable experience in advocacy, public affairs, or a related field, with a proven track record of successful and integrated campaigns to change public policy. 

• Strong experience working cross-functionally within a fast-paced organisation. 

Skills 

• Excellent interpersonal skills. 

• Ability to build and maintain positive working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders spanning the private, public and third sector.

• Excellent written and oral skills. 

• Ability to synthesise and present complex evidence and policy analysis and use these to generate compelling messages and policy asks. 

• Decision-making ability, with the ability to prioritise and manage simultaneous workstreams whilst delivering outputs in a responsive and timely manner. 

• Ability to work with patient representatives to bring the voice of people affected by prostate cancer to the heart of the debate. 

• Ability to manage resources and funding strategically to maximise impact. 

Why Join Us? 

• Impactful Work: Make a significant impact in the fight against prostate cancer, contributing to initiatives that save lives and improve patient outcomes. 

• Career Growth: This role offers the opportunity to be at the forefront of new, exciting unit in an organisation that is already making its presence felt. 

• Collaborative Environment: Join a dynamic team of professionals dedicated to making a difference, in an environment that fosters collaboration, creativity, and professional growth. 

• Benefits: Enjoy a range of staff benefits, including Bike 2 Work scheme, Mental Health Services, Perkbox, BUPA Health Insurance offer, pension scheme, birthday gift, ongoing L&D opportunities, generous annual leave, hybrid working options and a positive and supportive culture.   

Application Process 

To apply, please submit your CV and a 1-2 page cover letter outlining your suitability for the role, your experience in project development and management, and how you align with PCR’s mission.

PCR is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals regardless of their race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation, or age. 

Other Details 

Working type: Hybrid with occasional travel to meetings required. 

Hours: The position is full time at 35 hours per week. 

Salary: £51,579-61,322 commensurate with experience. 

Reports to: Director of Patient Projects and Influencing

Participants will be invited to interview on a rolling basis. 

We are looking for a Policy Officer within our Service Delivery Team. You will have demonstrable understanding of health and social care policy and related public policy developments in the UK, as well as an understanding of how policy decisions are influenced and made. You will have knowledge and experience of research and analysis relevant to health policy, as well as familiarity with and understanding of the core principles of both quantitative and qualitative research.

Salary: £40,708 - £43,615 per annum

Contract period: Permanent

Reporting to: Group Chief Executive

Team: Service Delivery

Location: Oxford / hybrid working (up to full time from home, in line with Picker's remote and home working policy - must be based in the UK)

In this role, you will support the development and implementation of Picker's policy influencing strategy to make person centred health and social care a reality for everyone. You will be responsible for monitoring policy and political developments, promoting evidence-based policies to advanced person centred care and building and maintaining relationships within the health policy world. You will leave on the development of policy outputs including briefings, position statements and white papers, working with colleagues to build evidence and articulate Picker's messages.

This role

In this role, you will:

• Develop and maintain a good understanding of key health and social care policy and political developments
• Lead on or assist with a range of high-profile policy projects, including the planning and development of projects, and contributing to analysis, writing and publication.
• Identifying opportunities to contribute to public policy debates in health and social care, using evidence from Picker’s work and from the public domain to provide insightful thought leadership.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to support policy analysis, responsive policy work, and to enhance Picker’s external profile across various audiences.
• Lead on and assist with written outputs, such as topic-specific briefing papers, website copy, presentations and blog posts to communicate the findings of our work.
• Carry out literature reviews and rapid scans of data and evidence to scope public policy positions on a range of key issues.
• Present evidence and findings (both in writing and orally) about highly complex and sometimes contentious subjects to a wide range of audiences, ensuring an understanding of the subject and issues arising and enabling informed decision making
• Support the drafting of responses to consultations, policy briefings, and other public policy initiatives, including relevant third party publications.
• Build and maintain relationships with external stakeholders, partners, and collaborators relevant to our policy portfolio, including academic and health and social care policy communities.
• Work collaboratively with other teams, creating strong links between other programmes and projects, to promote the use of services, products and survey findings that improve the quality of healthcare.

About You

You will have:

• Understanding of health and social care policy and related public policy developments in the UK
• Understanding of how policy decisions are influenced and made
• Knowledge and experience of research and analysis relevant to health policy. This might include synthesising different kinds of evidence, carrying out interviews, or analysing data
• Familiarity with and understanding of the core principles of both quantitative and qualitative research including strengths and limitations of different approaches and their use in different contexts
• Evidence of being able to produce high quality written work for a range of audiences
• Experience of developing and maintaining relationships with external stakeholders, collaborators or partners
• An interest in healthcare quality and person centred care
• Ability to analyse complex policy issues, assess their implications for Picker and our beneficiaries, and provide evidence-based recommendations
• Excellent project management skills with a track record in undertaking and managing policy and/or research projects
• Ability to present data and information to a wide range of audiences through formal and informal presentations, both written and oral
• Ability to work independently under managerial direction, seeking advice on company policy or resource issues as required, and gain required approval at predetermined stages of projects
• Educated to degree level or equivalent in a relevant discipline (or equivalent experience)

This is a summary of the job description. Please review the full job description below.

About Picker Institute Europe

Picker is an Oxford-based charity with an international reputation as a key authority in the measurement and improvement of patient experience. Our mission is to make person-centred health and social care a reality for everyone.

We evaluate the areas of health and social care that matter most to people, producing actionable and insightful results to drive advances in standards. If you are passionate about putting people at the forefront of healthcare services, then Picker could be the place for you.

Working with us

Here at Picker, we believe in treating our people well; from excellent career opportunities to a positive, collaborative culture. We all work with a shared set of values that inspire us to achieve the biggest impact.

Working alongside colleagues who are experts in their field, you will be part of a team contributing to our vision ‘the highest quality person centred care for all, always’. You will contribute to our research with NHS Trusts and many high profile charities, such as The British Heart Foundation, Pancreatic Cancer UK and Mind.

To support you we offer a friendly, person centred working culture with many benefits including:

• Flexible and hybrid working opportunities, including flexible start and finish times
• Convenient Oxford location with free parking
• 25 days holiday, increasing to 30 days, plus public holidays
• Option to buy or sell up to 5 days of annual leave
• Christmas office closure (currently an additional 3 1/2 days leave)
• Contributory company pension scheme (currently employer matching up to 8%)
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Free life assurance (currently 4 x salary)
• Tailored learning and development, including access to complete iHasco training library
• Health and wellbeing resources including an Employee Assistance Programme
• Season ticket loan scheme
• Regular calendar of social activities organised by a dedicated Social, Wellbeing and Employee Engagement team

Assistance Dogs UK acts as an umbrella body for accredited assistance dog organisations. The Charity seeks to advance the education of the public and service providers about assistance dogs, and the rights of people who rely on them.

ADUK is a small but growing charity hoping to make a big impact for our already highly engaged members. Members work with us collaboratively to share their experience and knowledge, and this enables us to meet our charitable objectives and advance the industry. 

ADUK is looking for an experienced and dedicated professional to be part of our ambitious team at a key time for the charity.  In this new role, our Policy and Campaigns Manager will develop our policy positions and further our campaigning aims to promote standards-based approaches to the training and welfare of assistance dogs, and to facilitate better access for all those who rely on these highly trained dogs.

This is a new role so we are seeking someone who will be inspired by our work and be excited about making it a success.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CLOSING DATE FOR THIS POST IS 3RD JUNE 2024

Haringey Community Collaborative Manager

We are looking for someone who has experience of either operational or operational and strategic management skills, with a proven track record of leading, delivering and developing projects or services. 

Having a keen interest in the local community and a passion to ensure that local VCS within the Borough of Haringey is appropriately engaged with and supported, bringing people together and working in a role that can effect positive change resulting in improved outcomes for people who the VCS support and work with.

Someone with creativity in involving and reaching diverse groups and communities with a solid understanding of diversity and the implications for engagement, along with knowledge and experience of collaborative ways of working. Your communication skills will give you the confidence to interact with local communities, senior stakeholders, as well as build relationships with strategic partners and funders.

You will be confident leading a team, and capable managing, monitoring and reporting performance.

Job Summary

The Haringey Community Collaborative Manager is responsible for leading the development of the VCS Capacity Building strategy and the effective co-ordination of the Community Collaborative team which includes a Communications and Engagement Officer, a Workplace Development Manager, and a Capacity Building Manager.

We envisage the Haringey Community Collaborative Manager performing at either a primarily operational level or, for a more experienced candidate, at both operational and strategic levels. The salary range reflects this, with the upper end of the salary range reserved for candidates who can demonstrate an ability to deliver at both the operational and strategic levels.

Operationally, the postholder will have specific management responsibility for co-developing priorities for local VCS funding and capacity building, as well as the Volunteer Centre and wider VCS community of practice. The post holder has lead responsibility for developing the Annual Work Programme, performance management and reporting against the targets and milestones in the Contract.

Strategically, the role would include a wider contribution to the strategic management and development of Public Voice, supporting the CEO as required. This would include leading the shaping and delivery of a Capacity Building strategy; representing the VCS Alliance at stakeholder meetings and influencing key stakeholders to better support Haringey’s VCS; as well as growing the reach and impact of the Capacity Building service by engaging new funders and partners.

We are equally open to applications from candidates who feel they can deliver exclusively at an operational level, as well as those who feel they can also deliver at a strategic level. We would ask candidates to specify in their application whether they are applying for either the operational role, or the operational and strategic role.

At Ambitious about Autism, we’re currently looking for a Research Manager to join our External Affairs team.

You’ll conduct and commission research projects, publish and disseminate research findings to ensure we are maximising our reach and impact, and ensure that we are using relevant and up-to-date evidence throughout our work.

You’ll identify key research needs and questions to continually improve our activities and impact for autistic children and young people, drafting briefs and managing independent researchers to deliver projects on time and to budget.

You’ll use both quantitative and qualitative research methods to develop and support co-produced research with autistic children and young people, as well as parents and carers, whilst ensuring that new evidence is embedded into our resources, working collaboratively with the policy, communications, fundraising and service delivery teams to ensure that we maximise the impact of our findings.

The successful candidate will be joining the organisation at an exciting time and this role will play a central role in providing an evidence base for us to influencing Government, as well as enable us to engage media and public attention to our calls for change. It will also look for ways to unlock insight and learning, so we can influence the practice of the wider education sector.

We are looking for someone who has:

• Strong working knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods.
• Proven experience of managing research projects or programmes within agreed timescales and budgets.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to critique and summaries data and research findings to make recommendations.
• Excellent writing and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex research evidence into forms that are accessible for a range of audiences.
• Ability to effectively prioritise a diverse workload in a fast-paced environment.

In return, we offer great benefits including a generous holiday allowance and commitment to continued professional development (CPD), flexible, hybrid working and more!

This is a fantastic opportunity for an ambitious individual who would like to work for a forward-thinking, open and honest organisation and make a real impact to the young people we work with. Please find our full recruitment pack on the link below.

If you have any questions about the role or would like to have a confidential chat, please contact James Axford, Recruitment Officer.

Would you like to be part of a passionate team working to prevent harm to children?

· £26,207 FTE plus pension and NI contributions

· Monday to Friday 8.30am-2.30pm – or Part Time or Job Share

· Free parking

· Term time only. Annual Leave compensation included in FTE salary.

· Employees’ Assistance Programme

· Uniform provided – polo shirt and fleece

You will be a key team member, being the first to welcome schools when they arrive in the morning. You will take them through their day, facilitating and making everything run smoothly.

On days that you’re not Visit Managing you’ll be a Guide for small groups of children, taking them on their interactive educational journey through the safety zones.

This role could suit you if you are…

Well organized and have experience of managing different scenarios calmly, with confidence, and good humour.  You will be able to engage, and enjoy working with, people of all ages from 10 to 80 years old. A real team player who is prepared to take responsibility for ensuring a smooth service for all involved. Someone that has strong safeguarding values and passionate about promoting the well-being of children and young people.

Experienced in working in face-to-face delivery in any sector, having an education or training background would be desirable. 

Enhanced DBS check with children’s barred list information required

To apply send your CV and a covering letter telling us why you’d like to be one of our Visit Managers to the email address in the Job Description

Deadline is midnight on Sunday 2 June  2024

If you’d like a chat about the role before applying just call Elaine on 0116  262 9739

Role description, April 2024  

Reports to:         Director of Communications and Marketing    

Direct reports:    None

Role Summary    

This exciting role will enable Alcohol Change UK to reach millions of people across the UK with key messages about alcohol and alcohol harm, delivered through print, online, and broadcast media engagement tactics. With a high level of existing press interest in our work and campaigns (including our flagship Dry January® campaign), this is an exciting moment as we look to develop our proactive media engagement and share reframed stories about alcohol which resonate with a huge audience. Your work will drive significant awareness of our organisation, and ultimately enable millions of people to transform their relationship with alcohol.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities    

Media engagement  

• Manage the organisation’s media inbox and phone line, handling enquiries from journalists and providing responses in a timely manner

• Provide regular out of hours media cover on a rota basis (scaling depending on busier campaign periods, shared fairly with others and TOIL provided for hours worked)

• Develop public media statements and quotes across the whole spectrum of Alcohol Change UK’s work, issuing to press both reactively and proactively

• Provide ongoing development of our key lines library, regularly reviewing responses we have on file for a range of topics 

• Support Alcohol Change UK spokespeople (Chief Executive, Directors and others) prepare for interviews: developing tailored briefings ahead of opportunities, providing a sounding board to rehearse key lines when required and giving feedback on appearances to support ongoing development

• Manage our media database and reporting tools, providing regular condensed reports for the Director of Communications and Marketing/CEO/Board and develop insights-gathering to better inform our media engagement strategy

• With the Director of Communications and Marketing, play a key role in media crisis management, escalating issues as appropriate, suggesting solutions and developing organisational responses to sensitive situations

• Support the deployment of Alcohol Change UK voices, working closely with the Engagement Team to identify Community Champions, Ambassadors and others who are happy to be supported to share their experiences of alcohol and alcohol harm with the media

Developing a new proactive media strategy  

• Plan and deliver a new strategy for generating proactive media coverage, where Alcohol Change UK’s research, campaigns, parliamentary and wider activity connect with larger audiences in a strategic way

• Working closely with teams across the organisation, craft compelling media plans and press releases to generate coverage of our work

• Bring fresh energy to opportunity spotting, securing opinion pieces, expert comment, letters to editors and other ‘newsjacking’ content – particularly on ‘culture change’ topics such as sober shaming and stigma 

• Manage relationships with key journalists in our sector, exploring opportunities for partnerships and exclusives

Campaign media activity  

• Particularly for our flagship Dry January® campaign, and with the support of the Director of Communications and Marketing, develop media support briefs for external media agencies, when required 

• Develop fresh strategies and media angles for annual campaigns (Dry January®, Sober Spring, Alcohol Awareness Week) to keep activity engaging for public and returning audiences

• Think creatively to craft media strategies which are tailored to reach segmented audience groups, aligning with targets for individual campaigns to reach under-served communities 

• Provide detailed campaign media evaluations, insights and learning reports

Other    

You will also be expected to:    

• Work closely with colleagues across the charity to support their work and to act as ‘one team’ 

• Contribute actively and positively to charity-wide strategies 

• Continually develop your knowledge of alcohol harm and solutions to it 

• Act as a positive ambassador for Alcohol Change UK at all times 

• Know, embrace and actively uphold the values of Alcohol Change UK at all times 

• Work flexible hours as necessary to meet the needs of the charity, time off in lieu (TOIL) will be earnt for any work required outside of normal working hours 

We are looking for an Interim External Affairs Manager to help lead our communications activities from 24 June 2024 to 31 December, while our permanent External Affairs Manager is on sabbatical. This is a particularly exciting time to join the team, as we seek to maximise our impact ahead of the next general election and develop our strategy for the next few years. 

The successful candidate will help to manage the day to day work of the External Affairs team, including supporting colleagues to enhance our reach on social media and digital channels, deliver our events programme and deepen our impact with key audiences. 

You will be joining an inclusive and supportive team who welcome people from all backgrounds. What’s important isn’t your level of education or the opportunities which you have had, it’s about you and how you seize the opportunities ahead of you. 

This is a diverse role and will include:

Communications and events

• Working with Head of External Affairs and Income (EA&I) to manage the External Affairs’ team’s day-to-day work, including supporting the team with social media, website and press relations

• Working with Head of EA&I to deliver communications strategy

• Overseeing and project managing the charity’s events programme

Leadership and management

• Leading External Affairs team catch ups and project planning 

• Line managing an External Affairs Officer and an Intern with a focus on professional development

• Providing sign-off on a number of areas, including those that carry some risk to the charity

• Working with the Head of EA&I to collect key management information to report on the impact and reach of external affairs activities to the CEO

• Assisting with the charity’s other activities as required.

Influencing and stakeholder management

• Working with the Head of EA&I to manage and deliver the influencing strategy, including helping to deliver campaigns.

• Supporting team with public affairs engagement

Essential skills and qualities:

• A comms all-rounder who can help lead and manage our busy External Affairs team. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to tell a clear story and to tailor content for different audiences.

• The ability to guide colleagues in producing a range of content for different platforms and audiences, including via social media, digital and press relations. 

• The capacity to juggle competing priorities, and to help guide others in doing so.

• Strong project management, organisation and decision-making skills.

• Experience of organising events (particularly online) and an understanding of different tactics to engage audiences.

• A creative self-starter who can take the lead in identifying and acting upon opportunities to increase the impact of our communications activities.

• Strong reputation management skills.

• The ability to support and develop junior colleagues.

• An interest and/or background in campaigning.

• A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

• A passion for improving the lives of people with money and mental health problems.

The Task Ahead: Finance Manager

As The Difference moves from its early start-up phase into the delivery of our 2025-30 strategy, our programmes and sector-influencing work are expanding to reach more schools and to deepen our impact. Alongside this growth, our team - and the operational function which supports them - is also growing.

As Finance Manager, you will be a key member of the Finance & Operations team. You will hold end-to-end responsibility for the finance function, from reconciliations to budgeting. You will decide where and how our existing processes could be improved, as well as developing new systems that will underpin our work as a larger and more established charity. You will be supported by the Director of People, Finance & Operations, as well as our external auditors.

The Difference is still a small and growing charity. This means that our work is fast-paced, our roles are broad, and there is a culture of being reactive and flexible, as the needs of the organisation evolve. If this sounds exciting rather than daunting, then this could be the role and team for you!

Areas of Responsibility

The Difference is looking for a Finance Manager to lead our finance function in the following ways:

• Oversee our internal bookkeeping, payment, and accounting processes, and improve these systems ongoingly.

• Lead on budgeting and forecasting across the organisation, supporting teams to predict income and expenditure and make sound financial decisions.

• Lead on the production of management accounting information, including internal monthly management accounts, quarterly reports for Trustees, and financial reports for investors.

• Lead on The Difference’s audit process, with external auditors.

• Work with the Development & Impact Manager to update fundraising pipelines, and ensure the availability of high quality income projections for Trustees.

• Support accurate budgeting and reporting for grant funding, including tracking spend of restricted funds.

• Support business planning by working with teams to model potential future work - e.g. costs of expansion of an existing programme; modelling potential new programmes.

Person Specification

Essential – We are looking for the following skills, aptitude and experience; though you may be stronger in some areas than others:

• Values – Your experience evidences shared values with The Difference (see below) and a personal commitment to our mission to improve life outcomes for vulnerable people.

• Finance experience, operational and strategic – Experience across all areas of finance, from accurate invoicing, payments and record-keeping, through to setting and managing budgets, financial modelling and forecasting, and working with external accountants or auditors.

• Finance process development – Experience of developing finance systems; the ability to recognise how processes could be continuously improved, and enact this improvement.

• Leadership of self and others – Confident in identifying skills or information gaps within your team, and drawing on the expertise of others to address these gaps. Able to show how you've continually grown your own skills and those of your team members so that together you can efficiently cover workload and plan ahead.

• Proactive problem-solving – Ability to thrive in a fast-paced start-up environment and to problem-solve: from rolling sleeves up and diving into detail to working collaboratively to build capacity.

Desired – You are more likely to be successful in your application if you have one or more of the following additional experiences: 

• Accounting qualification and experience - Some form of accounting qualification and post-qualification experience.

• Early-stage charity/social enterprise experience – You may have specific experience growing charities or businesses for social good at the early or start-up phase.

• Experience of charity finances – You may have worked for or supported other charities, and have experience of working with philanthropic grants, charity accounting, and governance.

• Insight into schools – You may have experience working in the education sector, whether that’s through working for a business or charities that partnered with schools, or through working in a school yourself. 

Why Work for The Difference?

Schooling isn’t working for the children who need it most. Every week in England 109 children – equivalent to three full classrooms – are permanently excluded. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Since the pandemic, school suspensions have risen significantly, as has persistent absenteeism. 1 in 5 children are missing more than 10% of their time in school. Children who are excluded or persistently absent are much more likely to already be experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage. They are more likely to live in poverty, have additional learning needs, suffer mental health challenges, or experience a lack of safety outside school. Certain ethnicities are also disproportionately affected, notably Gypsy Roma Traveller and black Caribbean children. 

Exclusion and high rates of absence can have a dramatic effect on life chances. These young people are more likely to drop out of education or employment, become vulnerable to long-term mental ill health, or be at risk of criminal exploitation. The Difference believes that children and young people deserve better and that the education system has to change.

Our Organisation 

The Difference is a young education charity, founded to change the story on lost learning.  By 2030, we want rates of exclusion and absence to be falling nationally and for schools to be better equipped to support all children, including those who may be vulnerable. The Difference was born out of a year of research into school exclusions with think-tank IPPR. This research identified a lack of inclusion expertise in schools and proposed a new leadership development programme to fill this gap. In 2018, Difference founder Kiran hired the team who took this idea from concept to reality, beginning work with our first schools.

The Difference is now a 22-strong team delivering multiple school leadership programmes, alongside a growing research and policy arm. The team is supported by our Youth Advisory Board, made up of young people who have experienced exclusion and who provide their expertise and insights on how school inclusion work should be done. This work is needed more than ever. Effects of COVID-19, coupled with the spiralling cost of living, have substantially increased levels of vulnerability. Schools serving excluded pupils face under-funding. The Difference has had excellent early impact but there is work ahead to capture this, share learning with schools and policy-makers, and grow our capacity to lower exclusions across England.

Our Values

• High Expectations - We are ambitious for excellence from young people, colleagues and ourselves.  We don’t believe in writing off someone’s potential because of their identity or experience of crisis. 

• Strong Relationships - We prioritise genuine relationships over transactional interactions, and know that this requires deliberate relational practice. We see colleagues and partners as people first and their roles second; and know this greater trust allows us to take more risks, gain more feedback and have greater impact.

• Internalised Locus of Control - We work hard to reframe difficult situations to discover what we have within our power in terms of solutions. We take it upon ourselves to walk towards challenges and can take a high level of ownership and agency in our work/

• Pragmatism - We believe leadership means recognising current limitations and striving for improvements within and beyond them.  We develop consensus and chart new ways forward, challenging false and extreme positions like “zero exclusions” or “no excuses”.

• Scientific approach - We take a diagnostic approach to unpicking causes of problems. We are loud and proud of our failures, recognising failing fast and often is key to finding the best solutions. We test solutions and are willing to use data and feedback to make adjustments and choose new directions. 

• Not Squeamish about Structural Inequality - We believe patterns of inequality can and should be disrupted. We strive to be clear-eyed about these inequalities, and both the individual practice and system-changes required to address them. We push ourselves to overcome awkwardness in talking about this; and begin by acknowledging our own biases and blind spots.

• Asset-based - We work hard to avoid deficit thinking and aim to start with what’s strong, not what’s wrong. We are careful not to frame our colleagues and stakeholders - particularly young people and families – as victims but instead to recognise their agency.

• Wise selves - To both enjoy work and do their best, we want to make decisions and work with others in our “wise” - or regulated - selves. We also want to bring our compassionate self to those we work with, externally and internally, to support one another through challenging times. 

How To Apply 

To apply, please complete all sections of the application form by midnight on Sunday 19th May.

First round interviews will be held during the week beginning 27th May, over video call. Please indicate if you would not be available to attend an interview during this week.

If successful in this stage, second round interviews (including a task to be completed the same day) will take place on the week beginning 3rd June, at our office in Bethnal Green. 

We are committed to building a diverse team and strongly encourage applications from under-represented groups in the charity sector such as people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, people with experience in the care system, non-graduates and first-in-family graduates. 

As part of our commitment to fairer recruitment, all applications will be assessed with names and any protected characteristics redacted.

Recommended Reading 

If you’d like to understand more about The Difference and what we are trying to achieve, we would recommend the following:

• The research which underpins our organisation.

• Our latest Impact Report, sharing our work in 2023