Role outline and purpose

This role will support the delivery of our ambitious policy influencing programme, helping to implement influencing plans to bring about the changes needed to reduce, prevent and eventually end the need for food banks in the UK. The Public Affairs Officer will be responsible for planning, delivering and monitoring public affairs activity with a particular focus on the UK Parliament. This will include supporting the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ending the Need for Food Banks’ programme of work.

Role responsibilities

·       Planning and delivering impactful public affairs activity: Supporting the development and delivery of public affairs plans for key projects, including high profile policy influencing campaigns, and planning and delivering engaging events in Parliament and at party conferences.

·       Secretariat support for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ending the Need for Food Banks: Providing administrative support to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Ending the Need for Food Banks and working closely with the APPG officers and Trussell Trust staff to ensure a full, ambitious programme of activity is delivered each year.

·       Supporting a strategic approach to public affairs activity: Making effective use of public affairs systems and processes, including stakeholder mapping and horizon scanning for opportunities to engage, mobilise and work with key audiences, including UK Parliamentarians, UK Government Ministers and advisers, and assessing their impact. Ensuring alignment with public affairs work across all parts of the UK.

·       Building and managing strong relationships with key external stakeholders: Developing relationships, partnerships and networks to help raise the profile, credibility and influence of the Trussell Trust and our policy positions, particularly in the UK Parliament.

·       Working closely across the wider organisation to support our policy influencing aims: Supporting key stakeholders across the Trussell Trust to plan, deliver and participate in the Trussell Trust’s policy influencing work, including senior leaders, people with lived experience of poverty and food bank staff and volunteers.

·       Building awareness of our public affairs activity and impact across the Trussell Trust: Providing accessible and engaging updates and insights from the UK Parliament and Government relating to key policy areas and helping ensure alignment with public affairs activity across the UK’s nations and regions.

Person Specification

Technical skills and minimum knowledge:

·       Experience of working or volunteering in a political, public affairs or policy environment

·       Knowledge of the machinery and structure of government and the UK Parliament 

·       Experience of successfully delivering impactful public affairs or campaigns activity to engage UK Parliamentarians

·       An effective and confident communicator (written and verbal) with strong stakeholder relationship management skills 

·       Experience of delivering events and projects, using project management processes to meet agreed objectives and deadlines

·       Self-sufficient use of I.T., including proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and cloud-based software, such as Salesforce.

 Behaviours and competencies:

·       Works collaboratively across teams and organisations, managing challenges in a constructive manner

·       Balances competing priorities and work to tight deadlines

·       Demonstrates a commitment to the values of the Trussell Trust 

·       Demonstrates empathy for people from disadvantaged, marginalised or socially- excluded backgrounds

·       Role models inclusive behaviours, values and leadership

 Key Stakeholders

·       Policy and Research department, particularly the Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Senior Research Manager, and Senior Policy Partnerships and Campaigns Manager

·       Organising and Local Mobilisation department

·       Network Operations department, particularly Policy and Public Affairs Manager (Scotland) and network leads for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

·       Public Engagement directorate, particularly the Strategic Communications, Audience Insight and Engagement teams

·       UK Parliamentarians

·       Anti-poverty sector partners

·       Food bank network