Senior policy research officer jobs

Date posted: Monday 6 July 2026

Salary: £94,592 per annum with excellent benefits

Contract type: Permanent, full time or part time

Hours per week: 37.5 hours per week. All staff are required to work in person for a minimum of two days per week, in line with our hybrid working policy. The post-holder may be required to undertake some work outside normal working hours.

About the Health Foundation

Health is our most precious asset. Good health enables us to live happy, fulfilling lives, fuels our prosperity and helps build a stronger society. Yet good health remains out of reach for too many people in the UK, and health and care services are struggling to provide access to timely, high-quality care.

The Health Foundation is an independent charitable organisation with a mission to build a healthier UK. We work to achieve this by generating high quality research and analysis; developing practical solutions to the biggest problems in health and health services; engaging, convening and building coalitions to build understanding, inform debate and drive action; and developing the long-term capability needed to transform health and care.

Our values

We expect everyone who works with us to be committed to our values and to share our commitment to becoming a more diverse and inclusive organisation. Our values are impact, evidence, integrity, and collaboration. You can read more about them in our five-year strategy. We also expect everyone to share our commitment to becoming a more diverse and inclusive organisation and to help deliver our EDI Strategy.

About the role

This role is one of three key Deputy Directors in the Health and Care Policy team. The team focuses on shaping the future of the health and care system in the UK to ensure the best care for all, by supporting more evidence-informed policy and decision-making.

You will work alongside the Director of Policy and Research and other senior staff to oversee and manage our large portfolio of work on health and care policy. This will include leading high-quality research and analysis and using evidence to inform policy and decision-making – including through direct engagement with policymakers, events and convening. You will also be directly responsible for overseeing our thematic programme of work on health system reform and neighbourhood health, working with staff in the Health and Care Policy team and other teams across the Foundation.

Key responsibilities include:

• Working with the Director of Policy and Research and other senior members of staff to oversee and lead the health and care policy team’s work
• Lead the development and delivery of high quality research and analysis, and communicate our messages to external audiences
• Lead the delivery of our thematic programme of work on health system reform and neighbourhood health
• Build and maintain strong networks with relevant health and social care policy stakeholders
• Be a visible and credible senior leader for our work on health and care policy, setting high standards for the quality, rigour, and impact of our work, and supporting others to meet them

How to apply

Our priority is to find the right individual for each opportunity. We are dedicated to building an inclusive workplace that values diversity and invite you to find out more.

If you would like to apply, please submit your CV, and a supporting statement that answers the following application questions:

• Why are you well suited to this role? What leadership skills and experience would you bring to the Senior Leadership Team of the Health Foundation? (max. 300 words)
• What skills and experience do you have in generating and using high quality research and analysis to influence and inform national policy? What experience do you have in leading teams to do this effectively? (max. 400 words)
• Based on your experience, what are some of the key ingredients for effectively using research and analysis to influence policy decisions? (max. 400 words)

Our commitment to equality, inclusion and diversity

We are committed to an inclusive hiring process, where every candidate has the chance to showcase their unique skills and experience in an accessible and supported environment, to ensure that we can make the best appointment for each opportunity on merit.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and encourage those from underrepresented groups in this field to apply to us.

We have identified three key areas to improving diversity. Our aim to achieve a more balanced representation across our organisation, with a particular focus on increasing the number of women in leadership, enhancing the representation of people from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds and welcoming more people with disabilities. As part of this commitment, we strongly encourage applications from these groups.

Apply to join our team and let's work towards building a more diverse and inclusive workplace together.

If you require any support through this process, please contact us. Help us work together to make the recruitment process and potential future employment more accessible and enjoyable for you.
 

Closing date: Friday 24th July 2026

Interview date: Week commencing 17th August 2026

Main Purpose of the Post

The Chief Executive will have overall responsibility for all aspects of the day to day running of the RLSS and all its services. This will include management of staff and ensuring the services are meeting the needs of those who require them, in addition to managing finances, membership and external relationships. The post holder will be accountable to and work closely with the Board Chair and its Directors to set the strategic direction and further develop the business model which will serve Religious Life Groups for the future.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Strategy & Leadership and Governance

· Provide visible, ambitious, and focused leadership of the RLSS.

· Be overall responsible for the management of the RLSS working in conjunction with the Chair and Directors to provide leadership.

· Lead and contribute to the Board’s overall development of the strategy and annual plans to ensure achievement of a One Church approach to applying the Church’s safeguarding standards.

· Ensure risks to the overall objectives of the RLSS are identified, mitigated, and reported to the Board.

· Develop a culture of resilience, adaptability, and continuous learning within the organization to navigate challenges and maintain trust among victims/survivors and members.

· Develop and promote services and practice improvements which are designed to mitigate risk and improve understanding within safeguarding.

· Effectively sustain a culture that consistently meets the needs of and engages with victim/survivors and with Religious.

· Foster and develop a climate of shared accountabilities, learning and continuous improvement.

· Ensure the RLSS meets it statutory, legal, and regulatory obligations.

· Ensure appropriate presentation and reporting to the Board (and any sub committees and advisory groups) on the progress of the RLSS and on all matters relevant to the discharge of the Board’s responsibilities.

· Oversee all promotional activities, press releases, digital presence, radio, and newspaper interviews.

Staffing & Management.

· Be accountable for the recruitment, retention, ongoing development, and wellbeing of RLSS staff.

· Enthusiastically and effectively, lead, shape, and influence teams to deliver the vision and goals of RLSS to ensure best practice in the delivery of all its safeguarding services. 

· Create a supportive working environment which promotes transparency and collaboration in safeguarding.

· Ensure that high quality people management is embedded across the service and foster a high performing culture with shared accountabilities and continuous improvement. 

· Ensure the effective management and implementation of robust performance management and appraisal processes.

· Provide direction, support, and set clear objectives to immediate line reports.

· Provide or arrange professional supervision to safeguarding case working staff.

· Produce, review and update plans relating to service areas.

· Establish and maintain effective and secure record keeping systems.

· Ensure the management and implementation of regular quality assurance, audit, performance management and reporting, using effective management information systems, ensuring this meets CSSA’s requirements.

Collaboration/Networks.

· Contribute to strategic level initiatives with key partners, particularly the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) and relevant statutory agencies, to ensure joint planning, access to resources and the development of interagency strategies.

· Build strong and dynamic relationships and networks within and outside the Church to deliver better outcomes for Religious in safeguarding.

Policy and Procedure

· Ensure a robust and up to date Policy & Procedure framework approved by the Board is in place including HR, Health and Safety, Data Protection and operational delivery.

· Ensure there is a system in place to review approved policies and procedures to ensure that substantial changes or additions are brought to the Board for decision.

· Undertake operating compliance exercises including annual risk assessments, health and safety checks and reporting on incidents and near misses.

· Ensure

 

Finance & Resources

· In conjunction with the Board of Directors, develop a long-term funding strategy, including gathering data, completing research, developing models to ensure the service is cost effective.

· Agree and deliver to budget maintaining a reserve level in line with policy and monitor all budgets and provide financial reports to the Board of Directors.

· Be responsible and accountable for all finances and resources within the teams, ensuring value for money, the avoidance of waste, and the efficient and effective use of all resources.

· Ensure the equitable and timely allocation of work, assuring the most appropriate interventions that timescales are being met and appropriate records maintained.

· Be responsible for all contracts, tenancy agreements and leases.

· Have overall responsibility for the security of confidential information, use of computers and database information.

· Well-developed database and Microsoft Office skills.

This a summary of the key activities of the post.  It is not intended to be an exhaustive list and the post-holder may be required to perform other duties which are appropriate to the scale and nature of the job role.

Role Requirements

Essential Criteria you need to be able to demonstrate:

Strategic and system leadership

• Experience of working at Chief Executive level in similar size/larger organisation.

• A strong track record leading organisations, setting direction and delivering outcomes

• Resilience and the ability to work under pressure whilst showing consideration to others.

Culture and capability building

• motivating people, driving, and evaluating performance, and building a positive and inclusive culture

Commercial and professional judgement

• Professional knowledge and experience that evidence a strategic and operational understanding of safeguarding

• Management skills including finance, planning, project management and marketing.

• Strong commercial acumen.

• Experience of negotiating and managing contracts.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and competence in using digital technology for service delivery across the organisation.

• A creative thinker, proven leader with a ‘can do’ attitude which is results orientated.

Stakeholder engagement and influence

• Interpersonal and listening skills; an ability to deal sensitively with those in Religious Life, Victims/Survivors public, the vulnerable and their families/representatives.

• Skills in conflict resolution, negotiation and problem solving.

• Experience of reviewing evidence and taking appropriate action where necessary; applying sound judgement, with an attention to detail; maintaining confidentiality and building trust

• Ability to respond, sensitively and fully to complaints.

 

Desirable Criteria you need to be able to demonstrate:

· Understanding of the way in which faith-based organisations respond effectively/ dysfunctionally to safeguarding issues

· Senior management experience in the charitable sector

Due Diligence – Please note that as part of the safer recruitment process, due diligence including social media checks will be undertaken on appointable candidates.

Battersea is two years into an exciting phase of innovation and transformation as part of a five-year strategy to be here for every dog and cat. With increased investment in income generation, we have recently expanded our team to drive the growth necessary to achieve our organisational goals. Our fundraising team connects the journey of the animals in our care to the wider public, demonstrating how their contributions enable us to support every dog and cat. This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in the implementation of our new strategy.

This role leads the ongoing development and implementation of Battersea's Supporter Experience strategy, creating relevant and engaging supporter experiences that build loyalty, increase long-term value and support income growth. Working across Public Fundraising and the wider Income Generation directorate, the role is responsible for shaping supporter journeys, embedding supporter-centred approaches and using insight, data and technology to continuously improve engagement, retention and supporter value.

What we can offer you:

In return for your commitment to our cause and to recognise the value of our employees, Battersea offers a range of benefits to support the wellbeing of our employees. These include:

• 28 days of annual leave (plus 8 days paid public holidays) per year.
• Discounted gym memberships and cycle to work schemes.
• Employee Assistance Programme and access to Wellbeing Resources.
• Generous pension contributions - up to 10% employer contribution.
• Free healthcare cash plan, where you can claim for a range of treatment including dental, optical, physiotherapy, chiropody and acupuncture every year.
• Annual interest-free season ticket loans.

We are also committed to providing learning and development to our employees. During your time with us, we provide support for your professional and career development, including access to digital and in-person training programmes, leadership and management training, mentoring and much more.

Our hybrid working model:

We operate a 50% onsite hybrid working model, with our office-based staff splitting their time between site based and home working. This enables our office-based staff to balance the benefits of home working with onsite collaboration and maintaining a connection to our cause.

Diversity and inclusion:

We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive experience for all staff, volunteers and trustees and those hoping to join us. We operate an anonymised shortlisting process and actively seek to ensure our process is fair and equitable for all.

We understand the value of diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences to help us deliver even more for our dogs and cats, and we welcome applicants from all sections of the community.

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we will ask about any adjustments you may need at application and/or interview stage, and if you are offered a role with us, we’ll talk to you about any workplace adjustments you may need to help you perform at your best. If you would like to talk more about this, please contact us. Greyscale copies of the recruitment pack are also available on request.

More about us:

At Battersea, we aim to never turn away a dog or cat in need of help. We give each one lots of love, expert care and get to know their characters and quirks so we can find them a new home that’s just right for them. Join us and help us be here for every dog and cat, wherever they are, for as long as they need us.

Acceptable use of AI:

At Battersea, we value expertise. We recognise each candidate that applies to us will have a range of expertise they can offer us, so we want to hear about this in your own words. We understand the support that generative artificial intelligence (AI) software can offer but it can also lead to numerous applications presenting as generic and impersonal. This makes it difficult to gain understanding of your unique experience.

To best showcase yourself, we encourage you to write your responses without the assistance of AI. If you require the use of AI software to aid in completing your application, we ask you use the generative responses as a prompt for writing your answers and avoid copying and pasting. You must also ensure the information presented in your application accurately reflects your experience.

Closing date:

28th July 2026, 11:59pm

All applications must be submitted before the closing date advertised. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received.

Interview date(s):

First round (online) - 5th August 2026

Second round (in person, it may include a task) - 11th and/or 12th August 2026

For more information about the role, please download our Recruitment pack.

Role purpose

The Head of Finance is a key member of the Charity’s senior management team, working closely with the chief executive, directors, and trustees. The head of finance will lead the day-to-day financial operations of the Charity, including budgeting, reporting, audit, payroll, and pensions. Managing the finance manager and management accountant, the Head of Finance will ensure the effective running of the finance department and smooth day-to-day processes. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, you will be a key advisor on strategic financial decisions, balancing meticulous operational control with strategic planning.

As the Head of Finance, you will:

• Proactively contribute to the development and delivery of the Charity’s strategy through developing long-term financial planning to underpin our objectives.
• Act as senior finance business partner to the senior leadership team, supporting strategic and operational decision-making.
• Lead on the annual audit and production of statutory accounts, ensuring effective management of the audit process.
• Support the rest of the Charity team to become financially informed and comfortable understanding financial performance, control, and accountability.

Main responsibilities

Financial controls, reporting, and operational finance

• Lead the finance function of the Charity, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant financial management and reporting.
• Ensure that appropriately robust internal financial and operational controls are in place.
• Ensure that our unrestricted and restricted funds and accounting records are maintained in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements and best practice.
• Ensure timely and accurate monthly management accounts and other reports are produced by the finance team and distributed to members of the senior management team, encouraging ownership of departmental budgets.
• Manage and oversee accounts receivable and payable, ensuring strong cash management.
• Ensure all banking facilities, financial systems, and internal processes function to a high standard and enable the Charity to carry out its transactional and operational financial functions.
• Lead financial risk identification and mitigation, working closely with the chief executive and leadership team, and reporting to the board of trustees.

Financial administration and governance

• Manage the production of statutory accounts in line with the Charity SORP and lead the annual external audit process.
• Oversee our tax affairs, including PAYE, national insurance, corporation tax, VAT, and gift aid.
• Responsible for our payroll and pensions functions.
• Maintain and continuously improve financial policies, procedures, and controls, working closely with the fundraising and operations teams to ensure organisational efficiency.
• Identify and escalate financial risks to the chief executive and board
• Line manage and support the management accountant and finance manager, ensuring professional development and high-quality output.

Person specification

Knowledge and experience

We are looking for candidates with demonstrable strategic financial leadership spanning organisational planning, budgeting, risk, and reporting. You will have:

• You must be a fully qualified accountant (ACCA, ACA, OR CIMA)
• Excellent knowledge of charity financial management, SORP, and audit is essential.
• Experience of effective budget setting and implementing controls and processes to manage and monitoring budgets
• Firm understanding of risk management
• Experience of improving policies and processes in comparable organisations
• Success in delivering increased cost effectiveness
• Evidence of building financial impact and performance metrics and reporting
• Understanding of the requirements of legislation, Charity Commission and professional body guidance on a being a well-run and financially accountable Charity
• Considerable experience of management and development of staff

Skills, abilities, and behaviours

• A strategic thinker with the ability to see the bigger picture and make decisions in line with the charity’s needs as part of a team
• Strong change management skills with experience of managing teams through change
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to interpret and communicate financial information to a non-specialist audience
• Strong organisational development skills, able to identify and act on opportunities to drive performance in business
• Experience of the charity or not-for-profit environment (this could be gained as a trustee) preferably with some understanding of charity funding and investment management
• Collaborative working style with excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Resilient with a flexible, creative and solutions-focused approach to problem-solving

Salary: £45000-£49000 p.a DOE

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Reports to: Senior Insight Manager

Direct reports: There is potential for line management responsibility for an Insight Officer to support their development, oversee elements of their work, and help to ensure high standards of research quality and delivery.

Location: Harlow, Essex. Easily commutable from London Liverpool Street or Tottenham Hale Station. We offer a free minibus service to/from Harlow Town Train Station as well as free parking and EV charging on site.

Extra Information: Open to conversation on hybrid, flexible and compressed working arrangements. The team works a minimum of two days a week from the office.

About the role:

At the Motability Foundation we fund, support, research and innovate so that all disabled people can make the journeys they choose. We oversee the Motability 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.

This role will support the Senior Insight Manager in delivering policy research and insight as part of the new insight function. This role sits at the intersection of research and policy, ensuring that evidence is not only generated, but interpreted and mobilised effectively to inform forward-looking organisational positioning.

What you will be doing:

As Policy Research Manager, you’ll play a central role in building and mobilising the evidence needed to influence policy and public debate on mobility, disability and welfare reform. Working closely with colleagues across Insight, Policy and Public Affairs, you’ll help to ensure that the Foundation has a robust, timely and compelling evidence base to support advocacy, engagement with decision-makers, and external partnerships.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Developing clear and persuasive evidence narratives that demonstrate the social value and impact of the Foundation’s work, drawing on research, evaluation findings and wider policy evidence
• Scoping, developing and oversight of rapid evidence reviews and insight summaries to inform policy positions, responses to consultations and support external engagement
• Delivering forward-looking policy analyses using futures and foresight approaches (including horizon scanning and trend synthesis), assessing potential implications for disabled people and organisational positioning.
• Acting as the lead for policy-relevant research on welfare reform and related priority areas, synthesising internal and external evidence to inform organisational responses
• Supporting coordination with Motability Operations on shared policy and research priorities
• Supporting relationships with external partners including Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs), think tanks and public research bodies, including representing the Foundation to contribute an evidence-informed perspective
• Supporting dissemination and engagement activity, including roundtables, briefings, thought pieces and events that help shape debate and explore innovative policy solutions
• Working collaboratively across the organisation to move our evidence and insight from reactive to proactive, strengthening our influence over time

Your experience:

You’re curious, motivated and motivated by public impact. You enjoy turning complex evidence into clear messages that resonate with different audiences, and you’re keen to see research used to influence real-world decisions. You understand what makes for good enough evidence to influence policy making.

You’re comfortable working across organisational boundaries and with external partners, and you bring energy, judgement and confidence to conversations about policy, evidence and social value.

You’re likely to thrive in this role if you:

• Enjoy synthesising research and data into compelling, accessible insight
• Are motivated by social purpose and improving outcomes for disabled people
• Have a strong interest in public policy
• Have a strong understanding of how evidence can be used to influence decision-making
• Are proactive, organised and able to respond quickly to emerging issues
• Are confident representing an organisation externally and contributing to policy discussions
• Like working collaboratively and building trusted relationships across teams and sectors

If you’re interested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills and experience, we'd still encourage you to apply.

Requirements

We recognise that candidates may come from a range of backgrounds. We’re particularly interested in people with strong potential who are keen to develop their skills in a purpose-driven environment.

Must haves:

• Experience conducting or coordinating research, evidence reviews or analysis in a policy, public affairs, research or related setting
• Familiarity with government policy-making processes, consultations and/or parliamentary engagement
• Ability to synthesise complex information into clear, concise written outputs
• Understanding of how research and evidence can be packaged and used effectively to inform or influence public policy
• Experience working with or alongside external organisations such as think tanks, charities, DPOs, academic or public research bodies
• Strong written communication skills and confidence contributing to external briefings, reports or events
• A relevant degree or postgraduate qualification in a social science, public policy or related discipline, or equivalent work experience

Nice to haves:

• Experience working on disability, welfare, transport or social policy issues
• Experience supporting advocacy or public affairs activity using evidence
• Experience designing or managing rapid evidence reviews or insight products
• A recognised professional research qualification such as the MRS Advanced Certificate, or equivalent professional research training.

Benefits

Who are we?

We are building a future where all disabled people have the transport options to make the journeys they choose.

We fund, support, research and innovate so that all disabled people can make the journeys they choose. We oversee the Motability 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 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.

Why choose us?

We want working for the Motability Foundation to be the best career move you’ve ever made. When you join the Motability Foundation you will join a group of people who are supportive, innovative and motivated to improve the lives of our beneficiaries.

We value everyone’s unique qualities and celebrate having a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture where everyone feels safe to be their authentic selves. This is embedded into our values, Collaborative, Respectful and Evolving.

We bring our people together through our People Forum, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Forum, Social Squad and our Wellbeing Champions and our employee Spotlight Awards help us recognise the excellence and dedication of our staff.

We are proud to be recognised as Disability Confident Leader, have attained Platinum Level Award for Investors in People and are members of the Business Disability Forum.

A career with Motability Foundation can offer you so much more than earning potential, we pride ourselves in offering some fantastic benefits. Some of these include:

• 26 days annual leave, plus the option to buy/ sell up to five days.
• One wellbeing day for extra flexibility.
• Pension scheme - Up to 20%, including a 10% non-contributory contribution and matched contributions up to 5%.
• Life Assurance of four times your salary.
• Private healthcare through BUPA for you and your family, along with a Medicash Health Plan.
• Employee assistance programme: GP appointments, eye tests, flu vaccinations, sick pay and free gym and yoga sessions.
• Enhanced Parental Leave, including Adoption Pay.
• Free parking, EV charge points and a minibus service to/from the town centre and train station.
• Fresh fruit, breakfast snacks, and a Dress for Your Day dress code.
• Learning and development opportunities to help you grow.

Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, and we aim to be an employer of choice for candidates with disabilities.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we have committed to ensuring that disabled people and those with long term health conditions have the opportunities to fulfil their potential. We want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to perform their best when interviewing and when working with us, so if you require any reasonable adjustments that would make you more comfortable, please let us know so that we can do our best to support you.

To help us create an inclusive workplace we are committed to offering to interview every disabled applicant who meets the minimum criteria for the job. Some of our roles attract a high volume of applications and in some circumstances, we may need to limit the number of interviews offered to disabled and non-disabled candidates. re

This is an exciting time to join us. As we grow our international efforts and sharpen our strategic focus, we are creating a new Head of Research & Grants role to lead our combined research and grant-making function. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, you will be our senior operational and strategic leader for how we identify, fund and learn from the work that gives babies the best start in life.

The grants and research effort of the Foundation is focussed on the ‘So What?’. You will make sure every piece of ground breaking research and every charity grant adds to our global advocacy for babies, informing and educating policy makers across the world about the 1001 Critical Days and how they can help parents and carers give their babies the best start in life.

To apply, please click the redirect to recruiter button. 

Martingale Foundation exists to fund and support the next generation of talented researchers. We believe that family income should not be a barrier to the pursuit of excellence, and our mission is to enable and nurture talented individuals from low-socioeconomic backgrounds to thrive within world-leading postgraduate research.

Martingale’s flagship programme is the Martingale Postgraduate Scholarship, which supports students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds to pursue and excel in postgraduate degrees, by providing:

• A fully-funded Living Wage Scholarship to pursue a one-year masters degree or a four-year PhD.
• All tuition fees and research expenses, including a tax-free stipend for living costs.
• Tailored support to apply for Martingale courses at our partner universities.
• Access to Martingale programmes, including leadership training and connections with top academic and industry professionals.
• Membership of a pioneering community of talented researchers.

About Purposeful Ventures

Martingale Foundation is incubated by Purposeful Ventures who provide operational and strategic support. The Policy Manager will be employed by Purposeful Ventures.

Our vision is of a fairer society where all young people thrive. Purposeful Ventures partners with social entrepreneurs and philanthropists to improve the education and well-being of young people from their earliest years.

We define and diagnose the issues affecting children and young people, analyse evidence and explore the most promising solutions. We then select, accelerate and, where we find a gap, incubate organisations which tackle those issues. We offer more than just funding to our charitable organisations. Our expertise, operational experience and networks enable us to deliver tailored, hands-on support with a relentless commitment to system change.

About the role

In the four years since Martingale launched, we have now supported over 200 Scholars to undertake postgraduate degrees across our thirteen partner universities.

As Martingale grows, we are building our policy and advocacy function to shape the future of postgraduate access, affordability and outcomes. We are seeking a rigorous, proactive and collaborative Policy Manager to drive the monitoring, insight and evaluation that underpin our influence, and to support the development and implementation of our policy positions and stakeholder engagement.

Reporting to the Head of Communications and External Engagement, you will lead Martingale’s policy tracking, political intelligence, evidence generation, and evaluation and learning. You will turn a fast-moving external landscape into clear, actionable insight, and produce the evidence, analysis and draft materials that enable the Head and CEO to position Martingale credibly with funders, universities, the sector and government.

This is a hands-on, delivery-focused role with significant autonomy. You will own workstreams end-to-end, build systems and processes where they do not yet exist, and influence more senior colleagues and stakeholders. You will sit at the centre of a landmark research and policy programme and help deliver a campaign to implement the recommendations from Martingale’s major HESA-based research partnership, making the case that talent, not background, should determine who progresses to and thrives in postgraduate study.

Please download the full job description on the Purposeful Ventures website.

Key Responsibilities:

You will lead on monitoring and insight, and on evaluation and learning. You will support the Head of Communications and External Engagement on policy position development; consultations, briefings and submissions; and policy and stakeholder engagement and convening.

Monitoring and Insight

• Lead Martingale’s policy tracking and horizon scanning across legislative and regulatory developments, research funding policy, labour market and skills policy, and higher education sector developments relevant to postgraduate access, affordability and outcomes.
• Gather and synthesise political insights to anticipate risks and opportunities, briefing the Head and CEO on what is changing, why it matters to Martingale, and how we should respond.
• Lead the generation of evidence - coordinating, analysing and interpreting data and research (including Martingale’s HESA-based research and partner analysis) to underpin our policy positions and external narrative.
• Build and maintain trackers, briefings and knowledge systems that make insights from across government and higher education accessible, timely and actionable across the team.

Evaluation and Learning

• Lead the monitoring and evaluation of Martingale’s policy and advocacy activity, defining what success looks like and setting clear measures to track progress against our objectives.
• Establish and run learning cycles that capture what is and is not working, feeding insight back into strategy, planning and delivery.
• Own evaluation tools and reporting, ensuring activity is measured against clear objectives and that impact is demonstrable to colleagues, the Board and funders.
• Coordinate with the Programmes Team to leverage lessons and insights from our engagement with scholars to shape our policy work.

Policy Position Development

• Support the Head in developing Martingale’s policy positions for both government and higher education stakeholders, translating evidence into clear, credible and mission-aligned policy asks.
• Draft and refine policy content, ensuring positions are intellectually rigorous, well-evidenced and consistent with Martingale’s voice and values.

Consultations, Briefings and Submissions

• Draft consultation responses, briefings, submissions and other policy materials for the Head and CEO to own and represent in external forums.
• Coordinate inputs across the team and with partners to deliver high-quality, accurate and timely products to deadline.
• Help ensure Martingale’s policy activity complies with charity law and Charity Commission guidance on campaigning and political activity, escalating issues as appropriate.

Policy and Stakeholder Engagement and Convening

• Manage the planning and delivery of Martingale’s stakeholder engagement, including roundtables and convenings.
• Maintain the stakeholder engagement register, tracking relationships, mapping sector and geographic coverage, and identifying gaps and opportunities.
• Build and steward day-to-day relationships with stakeholders across government, academia, research councils, funders, learned societies and partner organisations to advocate for our mission, escalating to the Head and CEO where appropriate.

Ways of working

• Work closely with the Head of Communications and External Engagement, providing the monitoring, insight, evidence, drafting and evaluation that underpin Martingale’s external positioning and influence.
• Collaborate across the communications, partnerships and programme teams, and with delivery and research partners, creating shared understanding of priorities, timelines and dependencies.
• Manage resources and any project budgets responsibly and use evidence and learning to improve practice over time.
• Carry out any other duties as are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the role as requested by the line manager.

Key Requirements:

Experience and skills

Essential

• Demonstrable experience in policy, public affairs, research or analysis, ideally within a mission-driven organisation.
• Strong understanding of the UK education, social mobility and/or research funding landscape, including the roles of bodies and organisations such as UKRI, Universities UK, Department for Education and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
• Excellent research and analytical skills, with the ability to synthesise complex policy and evidence into clear, accessible insight.
• Outstanding written communication, with the ability to produce high-quality briefings, consultation responses and policy materials for senior and external audiences.
• The ability to distil complex topics into compelling arguments for a range of audiences.
• Proven ability to own and deliver multiple workstreams to deadline, creating plans, systems and processes where they do not yet exist.
• Experience monitoring and evaluating activity and using evidence and learning to improve practice.
• Ability to build and manage relationships with external stakeholders, and to brief and influence more senior colleagues.
• Advanced IT proficiency: spreadsheets, word processing, CRM or databases such as Beacon, email, web-based applications.

Desirable

• Experience of horizon scanning, political monitoring or intelligence-gathering.
• Familiarity with higher education or research organisations, and/or with postgraduate, doctoral or research-focused study.
• Understanding of industrial strategy, labour market and skills policy
• Familiarity with Charity Commission guidance on campaigning and political activity for charities.
• Experience delivering policy or research work in a startup or scale-up environment.

Personal Characteristics

• Excellent interpersonal skills: able to build rapport and trusting relationships, and to work co-operatively in a multidisciplinary setting.
• A commitment to Martingale’s mission to support postgraduate students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Comfortable working in a rapidly growing and changing organisation with a degree of ambiguity – confident to create processes and ways forward where they might not yet exist.
• Curious, rigorous and detail-oriented, with sound judgement about what matters and why.
• Resourceful, able to act on initiative, hardworking, and systematic.

The GAMH Research, Policy and Advocacy Officer is a new post that will play a central role in advancing GAMH’s global policy and advocacy agenda, helping to strengthen and elevate the focus on the health and wellbeing of men within national, regional and global policy environments. The postholder will design and deliver policy advocacy initiatives, generate high-quality research, write reports and publications, support project coordination, engage stakeholders and partners, and support communications to influence decision-makers aimed at improving health and wellbeing outcomes for men and boys within a gender equality framework. The position will work across all GAMH workstreams, with a particular focus on men’s health in Europe, prostate cancer and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programmes.

This exciting new role will is being created at a time of organisational expansion and growing interest in men’s health worldwide. It will require attendance at meetings in London and the South East of England and occasional European/international travel will also be required.

Key Responsibilities

1. Policy Advocacy and Campaign Development

• Develop and contribute to GAMH’s policy positions and advocacy on key men’s health issues, with a particular focus on men’s health in Europe, prostate cancer and HPV.
• Monitor and analyse key policy developments relevant to men’s health and the work of GAMH across prevention, early diagnosis, screening, treatment, and support.
• Support the design and delivery of advocacy strategies and campaigns targeting policymakers, professional societies, international non-governmental organisations and other international bodies.
• Support coalition and network building by GAMH to strengthen policy responses on men’s health.
• Prepare policy briefings and advocacy materials.

2. Research, Analysis and Writing

• Conduct and synthesise research on men’s health issues, including policy analysis, epidemiology, and literature reviews.
• Write high-quality accessible reports, evidence summaries, position papers and publications to support GAMH’s work.
• Identify relevant gaps in policy data and evidence relating to men’s health. 

3. Project Coordination and support

• Manage the development of a European Men’s Health report.
• Play a leading role in, and support, the development of GAMH’s Global Prostate Cancer Initiative and wider work on prostate cancer policy.

• Assist in the planning and delivery of other GAMH projects, as necessary.
• Contribute to funding proposals and reporting to donors.

4. Stakeholder Engagement and Partnerships

• Support the strengthening of GAMH engagement with national men’s health networks and its members, particularly in Europe.
• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders across each of the relevant GAMH workstreams, including policymakers, non-governmental organisations, UN agencies, academics and researchers, patient organisations, professional bodies, advocates and industry.
• Represent GAMH at meetings, conferences, and events (as required).
• Attend and report to the GAMH Board of Trustees (as required)

5. Communications, Dissemination and Impact

• Support the dissemination of GAMH reports, campaigns, and advocacy outputs.
• Support launch event/s of GAMH and initiatives and reports.
• Contribute to GAMH’s website, newsletters, and social media channels.
• Support monitoring and evaluation of GAMH advocacy and research activities.

Person Specification

Essential

• Degree (or equivalent experience) in health policy, public health, or a related field.
• Demonstrable experience in policy advocacy, campaigns and research.
• Experience of research, analysing and synthesising complex information into clear evidence-based written outputs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills (in English), with ability to adapt content for different audiences.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Confidence working with senior stakeholders and external partners.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities.
• Strong interest in gender and global health issues, particularly men’s health.
• Commitment to GAMH’s mission and values.

Desirable

• Experience working on policy and research related to one or more GAMH focus areas, particularly cancer, mental health, primacy care, self-care and sexual and reproductive health.
• Experience and understanding of working on gender and health issues, particularly men’s health.
• Knowledge of European and global health policy institutions and processes.
• Experience working at an international level in an NGO, government, professional body, university or other context.
• Experience in stakeholder engagement and partnership development.
• Additional European language(s).

Skills and attributes

• Highly organised and reliable.
• Ability to work independently and remotely (home-based).
• Ability to work across multiple topics and deadlines simultaneously.
• Collaborative and proactive.
• Adaptable.
• Takes initiative.
• Communication and influencing ability.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and benefits.
• Annual leave, statutory sick pay and parental leave, pension contribution scheme.
• Opportunity to contribute to a growing global movement on men’s health.
• A flexible and supportive working environment.
• Exposure and engagement with national and international partners, policymakers, funders and senior leaders.
• An exciting mission-driven and collaborative working environment.

Position: Head of Research
Hours: Part-time, 14 hours a week – job share
Contract: Permanent
Location: Office-based in London N4, with flexibility for hybrid working
Salary: £66,421 per annum FTE (£26,568 per annum, actual for 14 hours per week) plus excellent benefits
Salary Band: Band 4

About us

We make sure people living with MS are at the centre of everything we do. And it’s this commitment that unites us across the UK.

Our strategy is based on what people affected by MS have told us is important to them. It gives us a clear and determined focus.

Our work is based on the hopes and aspirations of our MS community. Together we campaign at all levels, fund ground-breaking research and provide award winning support and information.

Our people are our greatest asset and the key to our success. We offer a vibrant, progressive working environment where you'll be able to make a difference.

About this job

The Head of Research enables successful delivery of the organisation’s ground-breaking Research Strategy. They will provide vital leadership, strategic direction and day to day management of the MS Society’s research programme as well as leadership of the Research Team.

This varied and exciting role also involves developing and maintaining strategically relevant partnerships, annual grant round, new research strategy and acting as a spokesperson for the MS Society as well as being a key ambassador – inspiring internal teams about the MS Society’s research programme.

Please note this is a part-time 14 hours per week position. This could be worked across either 2 or 3 days.

Closing date for applications: 9:00 on Tuesday 21 July 2026

Interested?

PLEASE PRESS THE 'HOW TO APPLY' BUTTON FOR MORE INFORMATION.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled people and or people from minoritised ethnic backgrounds.

We’d be grateful if you downloaded and completed the equality and diversity monitoring form and submit it with your application. 

Disability Confident Employer 
We’re a Disability Confident Employer and we’re committed to promoting equality and diversity.

You can ask for reasonable adjustments as part of both our recruitment and new starter on-boarding processes.

If you need any help or adjustments to apply for this role, please contact us. You can also ask for the application materials to be sent to you in a different format. Such as for them to be sent to you by email or in a larger word format.

More about our recruitment and selection process 

• The first round of our recruitment and selection process includes an interview with competency-based questions.
• Our recruitment and selection process might also include extra tasks. For example, a written or Microsoft Excel test or making a presentation.  
• We’ll let you know what the selection process will include when we invite you to interview. You can ask for any more reasonable adjustments for the interview as part of the invitation.
• You might also be invited for a second interview. We’ll let you know about this during the selection process.

More about our employee benefits:
We have a wide range of employee benefits including (but not limited to): 

Encouraging work life balance

• 39 days paid annual leave (including bank holidays), pro-rata for part-time
• More annual leave entitlement, based on length of employment
• Smart working options (with the opportunity to work remotely and find a smart working pattern that suits both you and us) 
• Flexible working options 

Caring for you and your family 

• Generous sick pay entitlement
• More sick pay entitlement, based on length of employment 
• Opportunity to buy and sell annual leave in each calendar year 
• Free access to a GP virtually 24 hours a day/7 days a week allowing you unlimited advice, reassurance and where appropriate diagnosis 
• Enhanced leave for new parents 
• Free access to a confidential 24 hours a day/7 days a week helpline service for both you and your family with a specialist range of support and information
• Special leave options (such as up to 5 days paid leave for domestic or personal emergencies a year)
• 10 days paid disability leave a year, pro-rata for part-time 
• 10 days paid carers’ leave a year, pro-rata for part-time 
• Cycle to work scheme 
• Death in service scheme
• New family-friendly benefits, including paid leave:
  • In the event of miscarriage or still birth 
  • To support fertility treatments
  • For antenatal appointments for both parents

Thinking about your finances 

• Enhanced salary sacrifice pension scheme
• Discounted season ticket loan and interest-free emergency loans
• Give as you earn to support other charities of your choice before tax
• New employee portal including lifestyle savings vouchers and personal wellbeing

Enriching your life at work

• Personalised development plans with a wide range of training courses and opportunities to source additional training options with your line manager
• Yearly internal apprenticeship opportunities
• New, modern offices that embrace working together both in-person and remotely 
• Various opportunities to influence how we internally operate (including surveys, and focus and committee groups) 
• Active and supportive internal employee networking groups for collaboration and peer support 
• 2 days paid leave a year for volunteering for MS Society activities during normal working hours (such as fundraising events, or campaigning in the local community) 
• 2 days paid leave a year for volunteering with other charities during normal

Safeguarding 
We’re committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of everyone who uses our services and we come into contact with.

This is regardless of Gender, Race, Disability, Sexual orientation, Religion or belief, Pregnancy, Gender reassignment.

We recognise our particular responsibility to make sure vulnerable adults and children are protected.

We have measures in place to protect everyone we come into contact with from abuse and maltreatment of all kinds.

Your right to work in the UK 
You must have the right to work in the UK to work in paid employment with us. You’ll need to share documents showing you’re eligible to work in the UK if we offer you employment.

You can find the UK visas and permits granting you the right to work in the UK on the UK Government website. We currently don’t have a Sponsor Licence agreement with the Home Office and aren’t able to support you with your visa applications.

No agencies please.

Location: Contracted to our Peterborough office with the flexibility for hybrid working 
Salary: £29,000 – £34,000 depending on experience
Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours per week
Contract: Fixed term contract – 12 months (maternity cover)

Benefits: We want all our employees to feel valued and engaged and are committed to offering a positive working culture along with a good work-life balance. As well as ensuring we pay our employees fairly, we offer the following benefits: Flexible working, Generous annual leave, Private Medical Insurance, including dental and optical, Pension Scheme, Sick Pay, Death in Service, Employee Assistance Programme, Bike Loan Scheme, Cycle2Work Scheme, Eyecare, Discount Portal.

Be a part of an energetic and vibrant team who are driven by the desire to improve the lives of people living with kidney disease. Our vision is the day when everyone lives free from kidney disease.

Kidney disease affects one in ten people in the UK, yet it still doesn't get the attention it deserves. At Kidney Research UK we are determined to change that. In this role, we are looking for an experienced senior research communications officer to help us drive increased engagement with our research across all audiences.

The Role
·        Play a key role in bringing the research we fund and the partnerships we develop to life, telling our story in an accurate and engaging way and raising the profile of Kidney Research UK
·        Work with colleagues across the charity to develop, lead and deliver communications plans to support specific areas of our work, including partnerships with other medical charities and industry, and key strategic projects being led by Kidney Research UK
·        Build relationships with the researchers we fund to help create a sense of community, develop an in-depth knowledge about our research portfolio and encourage our research community to engage and work with us

What We're Looking For
·        Educated to degree level in life sciences
·        Experience in a communications role in a health, medical, patient or research-related organisation

If you're ready to help us grow and strengthen our scientific communications, we'd love to hear from you. Please complete the online application form and submit together with your CV.

We are committed to providing equal opportunities for everyone and encourage applications from all sections of the community.

About Kidney Research UK:
Kidney Research UK is the leading charity in the UK focused on funding research into the prevention, treatment and management of kidney disease. Our vision is the day when everyone lives free from kidney disease and for more than 60 years the research, we fund has been making an impact. But kidney disease is increasing as are the factors contributing to it, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity, making our work more essential than ever.
At Kidney Research UK we work with clinicians and scientists across the UK, funding and facilitating research into all areas of kidney disease. We collaborate with partners across the public, private and third sectors to prevent kidney disease and drive innovation to transform treatments.
Over the last ten years we have invested more than £71 million into research. We lobby governments and decision makers to change policy and practice to ensure that the estimated 7.2 million people living with all stages of kidney disease in the UK have access to the most effective care and treatment, and to make kidney disease a priority.
Most importantly, we also work closely with patients, ensuring their voice is heard and is at the centre of everything we do, from deciding which research to invest in to how we plan our priorities and our work across the charity.
Those patient contributions are vital, always helping us and our partners to understand what life is like with kidney disease, always ensuring we see the patient behind the treatment and always reminding us that behind every statistic and every number is a person – the patients and the carers who inspire our mission and push us forward to make a difference and change the future of kidney disease.

Closing date: Monday 6 July 2026. We may extend the closing date, however, please apply as soon as possible.
Preliminary telephone interviews will be held on 10 and 15 July 2026. In-person interviews will be held in Peterborough on 20 or 22 July 2026.
No agencies please.
You may have experience in the following: Research Communications Officer, Science Communications Officer, Health Communications Officer, Medical Communications Officer, Communications Manager, PR and Communications Officer, Research Engagement Officer, Science Writer, Health Writer, Charity Communications Officer, Content and Communications Officer, Charity, Charities, Third Sector, Not for Profit, NFP, etc.

REF-229 462

Location: Home based within commuting distance of either Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast 

Salary: £32,750 per annum
Hours: 35 hours per week 

Interview date will be scheduled as and when applications are received. Please apply promptly as the vacancy will close once we have appointed a successful candidate.  

This is a full time fixed-term position for one year (with possible extension subject to funding). 

 

Who we are looking for  

Breakthrough T1D is the UK’s leading type 1 diabetes charity, dedicated to funding research, advocating for change, and supporting the T1D community. A year into our exciting rebrand from JDRF to Breakthrough T1D, we’re looking for a Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer – Devolved Nations to help us build on this momentum.

The role of the Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer - Devolved Nations is vital to achieving our UK-wide advocacy mission: to reduce health inequalities in type 1 diabetes, to widen access to type 1 diabetes treatments and technologies and to ensure that people with type 1 get access to emerging new treatments and future cures in the devolved nations.  

You will lead on projects with key stakeholders and high-level Parliamentarians, such as our access to treatments and early detection work, as well as people with type 1 diabetes, policy makers and researchers. You will help to deliver Breakthrough T1D’s influencing plans, improving access to and choice of type 1 diabetes treatments and technology in the devolved nations.  

Experience required 

• Experience of working successfully with politicians, their offices, Government departments, and other public affairs stakeholders to influence policy and to influence public/stakeholder discourse across the devolved nations

• Experience of leading public affairs delivery in at least one (preferably all) of the devolved nations 

• Experience in analysing Government policy in-depth and creating policy briefings  

• Experience of drafting briefings, reports and policy submissions   

• Experience of communicating across a range of parliamentary and professional stakeholders at all levels   

• Demonstrable knowledge, interest and experience of working in a public affairs and policy-based environment 

• Experience of organising stakeholder events  

About Breakthrough T1D 

Breakthrough T1D is the world’s leading charitable research funder into type 1 diabetes, improving lives until we find the cure. We are dedicated to our 400,000 strong type 1 community in the UK and work closely with our international affiliates across the world, including the US, Canada and Australia. 

You will find a vibrant atmosphere and spirited team at Breakthrough T1D, always striving to make a difference to people living with type 1. 

Employee benefits 

As an employer we offer: 

• Hybrid working arrangements 

• Flexible working and will consider compressed hours 

• Generous annual leave entitlement – 25 days per year plus bank holidays for full-time staff with leave increasing after three and five years’ service 

• Health cash plan that allows you to claim for some treatments such as dental, optical and physiotherapy treatment 

• Season ticket and cycle loan 

• Pension scheme 

• Family-friendly policies – maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave at enhanced rates 

• Personalised training to suit your career aspirations and professional development 

Breakthrough T1D is an equal opportunity employer, we welcome applications from all individuals regardless of race, gender, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation or age. 

Salary: £35,159 to £36,935 (starting salary range)

Working pattern: Full-time, Permanent (35 hours per week)

Pension: USS

Annual leave: 25 days plus 8 bank holidays, 3 well-being days, and a Christmas office closure

Location: Hybrid, flexible working model with an office located in central London. Occasional UK-wide travel for GHE and relevant events.

Reports to: Policy Manager (Skills, Innovation, International)

Purpose

GuildHE is seeking an ambitious Policy Officer to play a pivotal role in the next phase of our organisation’s growth. Working directly with the Head of Research Policy and the Policy Manager (Skills, Innovation, International), you will help monitor, analyse, and respond to policy initiatives within the research and innovation space.  You will support a range of member-focused events and activities to ensure staff in our member institutions are well-informed and supported. This includes supporting the management of the GuildHE Research Consortium and leading on the organising and delivery of our flagship annual PGR Doctoral Festival, helping our members develop, share best practices, and maximise their research impact.

 

Key Responsibilities 

Policy Analysis & Communication

1. Horizon Scanning: Monitor government departments (e.g., DSIT, DfE), funding and regulatory bodies (UKRI, Research England, OfS, Innovate UK), and other stakeholders for policy updates, funding calls, and consultation launches in relation to Research and Innovation policy.

2. Briefings: Produce concise policy briefings, data summaries, and position papers for GuildHE members and leadership on key Research and Innovation issues (e.g., REF, knowledge exchange, KEF, commercialisation, research culture, open research). Develop high-quality external reports, consultations, blogs and other materials articulating member challenges and opportunities.

3. Consultation Drafts: Assist senior policy colleagues in gathering evidence, analysing member feedback, collaborating with sector stakeholders, and drafting compelling arguments that articulate the unique perspectives of GuildHE institutions.

4. Share Best Practice: Identify case studies across the GHE membership to share best practice internally and externally and drive national conversations about new ways of working and operating in the sector.

5. Policy issues: Maintain up-to-date knowledge of national and institutional research and innovation policies indicated by the Head of Research Policy or Policy Manager (Research, Innovation, International).

Member Support & Consortium Coordination

1. Member Engagement: Maintain regular, positive communication with research and innovation leads across member institutions, fostering a collaborative network.  Support relevant GuildHE member networks, including the Knowledge Exchange, Innovation and Place network, promoting communication, collaboration, and best practice exchange to inform evidence-based policy development.

2. Member development: Provide support for timely implementation of good practice guidelines and associated resources, within agreed budgets. This includes assisting with members' business development initiatives, such as Research Degree Awarding Powers.

3. Event Delivery: Develop and deliver content for events including the GuildHE Research Consortium meetings, the Research and Knowledge Exchange Symposium, PGR Doctoral Festival, the PGR Network for global majority students and sandpits/match events, workshops and roundtables. 

4. Shared Services: Collaborate with other GHE teammates to maintain and deliver our shared services (i.e. research outputs repository, shared postgraduate online training, research impact tracking and researcher development tools) and explore new services in response to members’ needs

5. PGR Students: Develop and deliver initiatives for postgraduate students and early career researchers (e.g., our PGR Support Programme and associated student networks), working closely with the Policy Manager (Student Experience) to ensure postgraduate students are reflected in broader student support policies.

The postholder will also be expected to:

1. Actively support the delivery of the GuildHE strategy.

2. To contribute positively to a small, professional team focused on delivering excellence in their members’ interests.

3. Support GuildHE events and communication activities as appropriate - including campaigns, writing articles, blogs and press releases.

4. Build strong relationships with key stakeholders at HE institutions and sector agencies, including senior leaders, academics, and policy staff.

5. Gather feedback from HE institutions and use this to inform the continuous improvement of our services.

6. Demonstrate a proactive approach to embedding EDI principles within all policy development and advocacy efforts.

7. Represent GuildHE externally on a range of HE sector groups and projects and deputise for the Head of Research Policy or the Policy Manager (Skills, Innovation and International) as appropriate.

8. Undertake any other reasonable duties as may be required.

 

Person Specification

Core Skills

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain strong relationships

• Clear, concise writing skills for drafting policy responses, reports, and emails to senior stakeholders with excellent attention to detail.

• Problem-solving, Influencing and advocacy skills 

• Ability to digest complex, lengthy policy documents and extract key themes relevant to GuildHE members.

• Confident digital skills and highly proficient user of computer packages including MS Office and G Suite

• Ability to manage multiple tasks effectively, adhere deadlines, and maintain project momentum. This includes the capacity to monitor progress, identify and mitigate potential risks, and proactively address challenges.

• Experience in using data and evidence to enhance and impact assess activities. 

• Facilitation and convening skills would be advantageous 

Core Attributes

• Ability to build professional relationships quickly and sustainably with members and a wide range of stakeholders

• Able to meet deadlines, to prioritise work and to anticipate issues and problems with strong attention to detail

• A collaborative, communicative and flexible team player who is also comfortable working independently.

• An individual who shares our values of equity and inclusion and can translate these values into day to day work and impactful outcomes.

• An understanding of, or a keen interest in, the UK higher education sector, research funding landscape, or public policy.

• To be willing to travel across the UK for meetings with members, stakeholders and events and to work flexibly, when and where necessary.

Ideal Experience

• Knowledge and understanding of higher education policy, working in research and innovation and/or supporting a research environment. 

• Experience of developing policy positions and responses

• Experience in synthesising complex data and/or ideas

• Experience in supporting training and development

Job Advert

GuildHE is a formal representative body, representing diversity in the higher education sector and the widest variety of institution types across the UK.  We are undergoing an exciting period of transformation, evolving our policy approach and member-focused services to significantly increase our impact within the sector and ensure we’re providing timely, proactive support to our members as they address emerging 21st century challenges.  

GuildHE is seeking an ambitious Policy Officer to play a pivotal role in the next phase of our organisation’s growth. Working directly with the Head of Research Policy and the Policy Manager (Skills, Innovation, International), you will help monitor, analyse, and respond to policy initiatives within the research and innovation space.  You will support a range of member-focused events and activities to ensure staff in our member institutions are well-informed and supported. This includes supporting the management of the GuildHE Research Consortium and leading on the organising and delivery of our flagship annual PGR Doctoral Festival, helping our members develop, share best practices, and maximise their research impact.

If you think you can bring bold, creative and proactive energy to our small-and-mighty team to help take us to the next level, we want to hear from you!

Application closing date: Sunday 12th July

Interviews: Tuesday 21st July 

Please submit your cv and a cover letter via the jobs portal

Curious about the role? Please contact Dana Gamble, Policy Manager for more information

 

Senior Health Education Officer

Salary: £35,923 FTE per annum

Letchworth Garden City/ home working (hybrid)

Full time (35 hours a week)

Permanent

Flexible working considered

Are you passionate about advancing healthcare education and making a real impact on MS care? Do you bring a proactive, can-do attitude and experience supporting programmes, projects or stakeholders? If you’re looking to take the next step in your career and want to play a key role in supporting health professionals to develop and thrive, we’d love to hear from you.

Join our friendly team
We are looking for someone with strong communication and relationship building skills, who will enjoy enthusing others to support our cause. Ideally, you will bring experience in project and event coordination, alongside strong data, reporting and organisational skills gained within the health, education or charity sectors, but for the right person, relevant transferable skills and an enthusiastic approach are just as important. We encourage you to apply, even if you feel you may not meet all the criteria listed.

Our charity
The MS Trust is a UK charity which is here to help everyone make sense of MS. We are here for everyone affected by MS, from the moment of diagnosis and throughout their journey. We're here today, tomorrow and every day after that.

The role
Senior Health Education Officer: This is an exciting and varied senior role where you will support the coordination and delivery of a range of education programmes and projects for health and social care professionals. Working closely with other members of the Education team, you will organise events, training and meetings, build relationships with healthcare professionals and external stakeholders, and contribute to the delivery and continuous improvement of high-quality learning that enhances MS care.

What we can offer

· 25 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays, which increases with length of service to 30 days.

· Company pension with enhanced employer contribution. Salary Sacrifice scheme available.

· Death in Service benefit.

· Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay.

· Sick pay.

· Hybrid working.

· Employee assistance Programme

· Fantastic office location with free parking, local to town centre and train station. Good transport links to London and Cambridge.

· Learning and development policy to develop all staff.

· Cycle to work scheme, Volunteering day and Season ticket loans.

 

To find out more and apply

Please visit our website to download a job pack and application form (CVs will not be considered).

 

As part of our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), we appreciate your time completing the form, as this allows us to keep our recruitment process fair and neutral.

Closing date: 20 July 2026 at 9am

First Interviews: 30 July 2026

This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in growing a major donor programme that directly supports life-changing eye care services in the Holy Land. You will work closely with the Executive Director, UK (EDUK) and senior leadership, including the CEO and Trustees, to contribute to the long-term sustainability of a respected and impactful international charity.

As part of a small, ambitious and collaborative UK team, you will play a major role in shaping and developing the major donor programme, building meaningful relationships with supporters and seeing the tangible impact of your work on patients and communities.

The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group (SJEHG) is a UK-registered charity delivering expert eye care to the people of the Holy Land, regardless of ethnicity, religion or ability to pay. It operates through two locally-registered charities to provide services in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.