ABOUT THE ROLE

The Policy and Participation Assistant is a new role and will play a key part in growing the policy function within The Diana Award and will help us ground the way we engage and influence decisionmakers with the meaningful and inclusive participation of young people.

The role will work closely with and report to the Policy Manager and will support key programmes related to policy and advocacy work, liaising directly with MPs and policymakers through the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Mentoring. The role will sit within the Impact and Influence team, reporting to the Policy Manager (with a dotted reporting line to the Youth Voice and Participation Manager).

This is a paid internship, funded with support from the Jack Petchey Foundation. As part of this role, the successful candidate will be part of the Jack Petchey Internship Programme with 30 other interns from different youth organisations in London and Essex. This development programme will require the Assistant to attend a residential launch conference, four professional development workshops through the year and a celebration event at the end of the programme.  The successful candidate will receive an extra training bursary of £1,000 for approved training and will be matched with a mentor from another organisation to help support their professional development. The Jack Petchey Internship Programme training days and events will take place in person in London and the successful candidate will be expected to take full part in this programme alongside their role at The Diana Award.   

Please note, this internship has a start date of March 2024.

The Jack Petchey Internship Programme is designed for young people who are leaving further or higher education and starting out in the youth/charity sector - or young people who have done one or two years of employment and are looking to transfer into, or take their next career step in, the youth/charity sector. 

 For more information about the Jack Petchey Internship Programme, please visit: https://www.jackpetcheyfoundation.org.uk/opportunities/internships/

 JOB DESCRIPTION

The role will provide policy and project support in the following three key areas:

1) Policy Research and development:  

The role will work with the Policy Manager to help develop our policy agenda and key messaging. Duties may include:

• Progressing one strand of the Diana Award’s key policy positions over the course of the year, supported by the Policy Manager to plan key activities and lead delivery

• Monitoring the political developments from Whitehall and Westminster and communicating these to the wider organisation.

• Helping to run stakeholder testing exercises e.g. focus groups and outreach with young people, sector partners and think tanks

• Helping with the drafting of key documents e.g. internal and external briefings.

• Attending external networks and events on behalf of the organisation.

2) APPG on Mentoring:

The Diana Award is the secretariat for the APPG on Mentoring. The Assistant will work closely with the Policy Manager to run the secretariat and help us grow its influence. Duties will include:

• Supporting with the organisation of member meetings

• Developing and producing a members’ newsletter

• Support the running of the secretariat’s social media accounts

• Helping to recruit and onboard new members and liaising with the chair and officers as required.

3) Youth Voice and Participation Project:

The youth voice and participation project is currently in its research phase and will be producing a series of recommendations for the organisation to take forward into 2024. The role will work with the Youth Voice and Participation Manager supporting the implementation of the recommendations that relate to our policy and advocacy work.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Knowledge, skills and experience

• An interest in politics and public policy, especially where this concerns young people. This should be demonstrated through your education background, degree, relevant work or volunteering experiences, or through your personal interests and hobbies.

• A collaborative and open mindset, as you will work closely with others including the wider Impact and Influence team, Marketing and Communications colleagues and Programme staff to achieve TDA’s objectives.

• The capability to build relationships with a range of stakeholders such as young people, MPs, civil servants, and sector partners, when supporting the organisation of external events and activities.

• An understanding of safeguarding issues as they apply to children and young people, particularly within the context of policy, advocacy and research

• Good written and verbal communication skills

• Ability to work on own initiative and within a team

• Ability to prioritise own workload manage time effectively

• Good IT skills including all Microsoft packages

Personal attributes

• Demonstrable commitment to the mission and values of The Diana Award.

• Commitment to learning and self-development

• Ability to work well under pressure

• Driven to achieve great results

OUR CULTURE & BENEFITS

The Diana Award is committed to anti-racism, social justice and building and developing a workforce which reflects the diversity of the young people we support. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer that values and respects the people who work for us. We seek to ensure all job applications are treated fairly, with respect and without bias.

We positively encourage applications from suitably experienced candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.

We work hard to make sure every member of staff is inspired, nurtured and supported. You will have 23 days of annual leave per year (we are also closed between Christmas and New Year!)  your own personal training budget, 5% employer pension contribution, the ability to work flexibly around core hours, access to our employee assistance programme 24/7, wellbeing initiatives, and opportunities to work, connect and learn from employees across the organisation!

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all. This is a responsibility that is shared by all members of staff the successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS or equivalent police check.

APPLICATION DETAILS

As part of the application, you will be asked to upload your CV and answer 3 skills-based questions. We recommend using the STAR (situation, task, action and result) method to structure your answers is a useful way to communicate important points clearly and concisely.

Please reach out to people@diana-award.org.uk if you require any support with the application process or have questions about the role or the process.

Application deadline: Wednesday 31 January 2024 at 09.00am.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview to take place during the week commencing Monday 05 February 2023.

Good luck with your application!