Senior public affairs officer jobs in belfast
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The eoa exists to grow and strengthen employee ownership as a force for powering fairer livelihoods, stronger businesses, and a more resilient economy. With 800+ member businesses and a community of thousands of employee owners, we are the national voice for employee ownership in the UK.
Our refreshed strategy is focused on accelerating impact through people powered growth. We’re here to make employee ownership a mainstream business model choice—by expanding the sector, setting the standard for excellence, and building a connected, values-led ecosystem. We do this through sharp insight, high-impact advocacy, and a thriving member experience.
For founders and business owners exploring employee ownership, or for leaders and managers building Great EO businesses, the eoa offers tools, knowledge, experience and connection. We facilitate powerful peer learning, codify what works, and champion the stories that inspire others to choose EO.
Together with our members, we’re creating the conditions for employee ownership to thrive—seizing the political, cultural, and digital opportunities ahead. and this is where you come in.
As Director of Partnerships and Growth, you’ll be the driving force behind the eoa’s external influence and reach. you’ll lead our advocacy and external affairs strategy, build meaningful partnerships, and deliver powerful events programmes that accelerate adoption of Great EO. You’ll also shape the narrative—ensuring our insights, policy recommendations and thought leadership land with impact.
This is a high-profile, senior leadership role at a pivotal time for the EO community. It calls for someone with a track record in advocacy or external affairs, strong commercial acumen, and the ability to lead high-performing teams. It also needs a big-picture thinker - someone who can champion EO, influence change, and help us build a more inclusive, resilient economy.
If you’re excited about the opportunity to grow an economy that puts people at the heart of business, we’d love to hear from you.
Role Details
At the heart of this Director of Parnterships & Growth role is the opportunity to shape the external environment for employee ownership, champion the voice of our members, and lead high-impact strategies that grow both our reach and the sector itself.
You’ll lead on policy, advocacy, external affairs and events—crafting compelling narratives, building powerful partnerships, and delivering programmes that drive commercial sustainability and sector-wide change.
From shaping relationships with key stakeholders and securing strategic sponsorships, to overseeing the delivery of thought leadership, content, and events, you’ll ensure that the eoa is not just part of the national conversation—but leading it.
Your ability to influence, convene, and inspire will be critical to removing barriers to employee ownership and unlocking the potential of our £1.7m organisation to deliver even greater impact.
Join us on this exciting journey where your leadership will shape policy, grow influence, and contribute to our mission of unlocking the potential of people, businesses, and the economy through employee ownership.
This role is remote, however regular travel to our HQ in Brough and across the UK is expected.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead external affairs, collaborating with stakeholders to shape policy, advocacy and best practice that removes barriers and expands EO.
- Establish relationships and secure commercial partnerships and sponsorships, generating revenue to support advocacy, events, and sector growth initiatives.
- Engage key stakeholders to co-produce content that positively influence EO practice and policy and amplify the eoa’s voice in public affairs.
- Oversee delivery of an effective content strategy that delivers our commercial objectives and positions the eoa as the leading EO authority.
- Oversee events programmes, ensuring they drive knowledge-sharing, sector development, and commercial sustainability.
- Represent the eoa at industry forums, policy roundtables, and public affairs events, championing the employee ownership model.
- Collaborate with the Director of Membership & Operations to align advocacy efforts with member needs and engagement.
- Lead and develop high-performing teams, fostering innovation and delivering measurable impact across advocacy, policy, event activities.
Success in this role
Success in this role means having a positive impact on the growth rate, influence and adoption of great EO across the employee ownership sector. Strengthening and expanding stakeholder relationships, driving advocacy impact and securing commercial sustainability through a diverse mix of sponsorships, partnerships will also be indicators of success.
Key outcomes for the role
- Growth of the employee ownership sector. Measured by increased number of EO businesses, heightened sector awareness
- Strengthened corporate engagement. Measured by growth in strategic partnerships, corporate and government engagement
- Strong Commercial Sustainability. Measured by increased sponsorship revenue, secured long-term commercial partnerships
- Increased policy influence. Measured by policy recommendations adopted, increased government engagement
- Enhanced sector insight and intelligence. Measured by utilisation of high-quality data and insights for regular sector related content outputs.
- Development and adoption of best practice. Measured by creation, adoption and promotion of best practice across the EO network.
- Successful events programmes. Measured by iIncreased participation, sponsorship growth, positive feedback.
About you
- Proven expertise in advocacy, public affairs, or policy leadership, ideally within a business, trade body, or membership association.
- Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with experience influencing government, media, and corporate partners.
- Demonstrated ability to drive sectoral or policy change, leading successful advocacy initiatives.
- Strong commercial acumen, with experience in sponsorship acquisition, revenue generation, and developing financially sustainable initiatives.
- Exceptional strategic communication and storytelling skills, able to engage and mobilise diverse audiences.
- Experience in event programme development, ensuring high engagement and sector impact.
- Passion for employee ownership and economic models that promote shared prosperity.
- Innovative, creative, and proactive in problem-solving and strategy execution.
- A confident and transparent leader who fosters collaboration and inclusivity through teamwork.
- Self-aware with emotional intelligence, resilience, and integrity.
Role Summary
- Contract: Permanent
- Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours per week
- Location: Remote, with regular travel to eoa offices and national events
- Salary & Benefits: £65,000 p/a + 7% Pensions. 30 Days leave + Bank Holidays.
- Reports to: CEO
- Management: TBC
We exist to grow and strengthen employee ownership as a force for powering fairer livelihoods, stronger businesses, and a more resilient economy.





The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
This is a new role within the communications and engagement team, with responsibility for helping our members to campaign and secure improvements to regional transport accessibility. The role is part of our work to achieve justice in society, where disabled people’s voices are amplified, and our message is heard and acted upon.
You will work across the north of England, mirroring the regions covered by the Sub-national Transport Body ‘Transport for the North’. You must live in this region to apply and undertake this position.
You will collaborate with Transport for All members, disabled people’s organisations, and civil society organisations, bringing disabled people together to share our views on accessible transport and make change. Where campaigning is already taking place, you will work alongside it, offering resources and practical support as desired.
You will need to stay abreast of transport developments in your region, and work closely with other teams to share your insights. This will ensure local disabled people’s experiences guide the national agenda.
Key responsibilities
1. Planning and development (10% of time)
· Plan regular activity across your region, considering staffing, budget, and wider organisational requirements
· Help to develop and deliver Transport for All’s membership offering, community building and local campaign support
· Keep Transport for All’s CRM and records up to date
· In partnership with your manager, create systems to monitor objectives against funding and organisational targets and prepare reports to evidence progress against these
2. Communication and community building (50% of time)
· Build relationships with local members, campaigners, disabled people’s organisations, groups and forums
· Represent Transport for All at meetings and events, including giving presentations on our work
· Organise and deliver regular member meetings online and offline, providing space for people to connect, share transport accessibility news and plan and progress campaigns
· Contribute and commission member content for the member newsletter, website, and social media
· Speak to the media and develop and grow a network of local members willing to train as spokespeople for meetings and media interviews
· Promote and grow a diverse membership in your region
· Ensure members can take part in paid opportunities via the training, research and consultancy team
3. Policy influencing and campaigning (30% of time)
· Maintain awareness of the policy agenda for your area
· Keep abreast of transport issues local members are experiencing
· Act as a conduit between members, the Insight and Advice team, and the Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns team
· Work collaboratively with the Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns team to form and maintain relationships with key regional stakeholders
· Coordinate responses to regional transport consultations in line with Transport for All positions, coordinating contributions from members, and giving guidance to members who wish to respond individually.
· Bring together and support members and campaign groups to influence local policy through local or national Transport for All campaigns. This could mean you will:
o Support members with campaign planning
o Provide practical support eg booking venues and access support for meetings, coordinating emails to local members
o Give guidance on technical aspects of transport policy
o Attend meetings with decision makers alongside campaigners, and representatives from the Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns team
o Publicise campaigns in local media
o Document campaigners’ experiences for others to learn from eg via website pieces or commissioned blogs
· Contribute to Transport for All’s understanding of overarching issues and contribute to national campaign planning.
4. Insight (10% of time)
· Share information about the Transport for All advice-line with members and the disabled community in your region
· Give updates on regional transport changes to the Insight and Advice team to support accurate advice giving and regional casework
5. General (at all times)
· Undertake any other tasks, duties or projects which may arise from time to time which are in line with the general level of this post and as instructed
· Undertake occasional evening and weekend work as required, and take responsibility for arranging time off in lieu with your manager
· Line manage and supervise members, contractors and staff as required
· Work within the Social Model of Disability
· Work in adherence to Transport for All’s values and staff policies
· Maintain confidentiality
· Attend staff meetings as needed
Skills
We’re looking for someone who:
1. Understands transport accessibility barriers for disabled people, this may be from personal experience
2. Lives in, and has knowledge of, the Transport for the North region, including political and/or transport structures
3. Is confident representing an organisation and building and managing external relationships
4. Has experience of working collaboratively to mobilise campaigners, including running meetings or events
5. Has a track record of securing change through campaigns, activism, public affairs or political influencing
6. Has versatile written and verbal communication skills, including listening skills
7. Can demonstrate excellent teamworking skills with the ability to work flexibly and collaboratively across a remote organisation
8. Is committed to, and understands, the social model of disability, and disability justice
We particularly welcome applications from disabled people. This explicitly includes those of us who are Deaf, neurodivergent, chronically ill, have a mental health condition, have age-related impairments, and people with both visible and non-visible impairments.
Why choose us?
Transport for All is a disabled people’s organisation. Almost all of our team and trustees have lived experience of impairment or chronic illness.
We’re committed to understanding and respecting each other's access requirements. Accessibility is embedded in our systems and ways of working, and wellbeing is our focus.
Transport Justice for disabled people.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
About you
Do you want to use your skills to make it possible for people with myeloma, an incurable blood cancer, to live longer and better lives?
Myeloma UK is looking for a motivated and pro-active Policy Officer to join our Patient Advocacy team within the wider Research and Advocacy directorate. You will have experience of analysing, developing, and communicating policy issues, excellent communication and influencing skills and the ability to present findings and recommendations to a range of audiences. The post holder will have excellent attention to detail and the ability to prioritise and work under pressure.
The successful candidate will be a highly regarded ambassador for Myeloma UK with a desire to continuously improve and to make a difference while working flexibility and using their own initiative.
Experience of public/patient engagement work, participating in government policy consultations and patient advocacy campaign work would be beneficial but not essential.
About the role
As the Policy Officer you will be part of the Patient Advocacy team who work to ensure that the patient voice is heard and acted upon by UK and devolved nations healthcare policy decision makers. You will support Myeloma UK’s ambition to deliver personalised medicine, such that every person living with and affected by myeloma and associated conditions has access to the best diagnostics, treatment and care services and quality of life experience.
Your role is vital to developing strategic approaches to UK health policy legislation and consultations to ensure that UK government and devolved nations healthcare policy supports the needs of people living with and affected by myeloma and associated conditions.
You will support the Policy Manager to assess existing healthcare policies, regulations and legislation to understand their implications for myeloma-specific healthcare systems, providers and patients
About us
Myeloma UK is the only UK charity focused on myeloma and its related conditions. We provide support and influence access to treatments, while researching a cure. Thanks to life-extending treatments and support, today many people affected by myeloma are able to live longer and to live well. Together, we support, so no one faces myeloma alone.
We are committed to bringing together the best and brightest people to help us ensure that every patient has an empowered present and a hopeful future.
Our ultimate goal is to find a cure and make myeloma history. Until then, our mission is to help every patient live well with myeloma for as long as possible. We are committed to diagnosing myeloma earlier, discovering and sharing knowledge, transforming the patient experience and influencing positive change in care.
Our culture
Wellbeing and staff engagement are at the heart of our culture. We offer our employees a range of benefits including a pension salary exchange scheme, flexitime, flexible working from home with hub-based office working, health plan, employee assistance plan and holiday purchase scheme and we are committed to providing learning and development opportunities for all our employees.
How to apply
If you think you would be a great fit for this role, get in touch and tell us more about yourself by sending the following:
1. A cover letter telling us more about you and what you think makes you a good fit for this role
2. A CV that sets out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements
Applications close on 12 May 2025 and interviews will be held w/c 19 May 2025.
Myeloma UK is an equal opportunities employer and always welcomes applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of:
· sex
· race
· disability
· age
· sexual orientation
· gender reassignment
· religion or belief
· marital status
· pregnancy and maternity
Please note, you will be asked to provide evidence of your eligibility to work in the UK prior to interview selection.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Position: Press and Communications Officer
Hours: Part-Time, 12 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Location: Office-based in Belfast with flexibility to work remotely
Salary: Starting from £9,045 (FTE £26,384) per annum, plus excellent benefits
Salary Band and Job Family: Band 1, Charity*
*you’ll start at the entry point salary of £9,045 (FTE £26,384) per annum, increasing to £9,611 (FTE £28,033) after 6 months service and satisfactory performance and to £10,176 (FTE £29,682) after a further 6 months.
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
This is a great opportunity to join a dedicated team who are passionate about improving the lives of people with MS. We are looking for someone who is confident in navigating social media channels and has a proven track record in creating engaging content for a range of audiences.
The successful candidate will be supporting the development and delivery of our digital communications to increase our reach across Northern Ireland so you’ll need to have confidence navigating Meta Platforms and online graphic design tools such as Canva or similar.
You will be joining a busy team so communication skills and time management are crucial as well as an ability to spot opportunities and work on your own initiative with support from your manager and the wider Northern Ireland team. If this sounds like you we’d love to hear from you.
Closing date for applications: 9:00 am on Wednesday 14th May 2025
Interested?
PLEASE PRESS THE 'HOW TO APPLY' BUTTON FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Equal Opportunities
We particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities and or from ethnic minority 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 employee benefits:
We have a wide range of employee benefits including (but not limited to):
Encouraging work life balance
- 38 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.
To fund world-leading research, share the latest information and campaign for everyone's rights. Together we are a community. Together we can stop MS