We’re looking for a Public Affairs Assistant to join our External Affairs team. This is a brand new role at the ABI and exciting opportunity for anyone with a passion for politics and an interest beyond Westminster.

You’ll be working alongside the Head of Public Policy on the ABI’s public affairs work in the devolved nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It’s a varied and fast-paced  role with the opportunity to show your talents for policy analysis on behalf of ABI members and colleagues; producing ABI submissions for parliaments and governments; engaging with Ministers, their officials and with Members of the Scottish Parliament, Senedd and Northern Ireland Assembly.

Sounds like a dream job but taking you out of your comfort zone? Don’t worry – we can offer you the training and support to get you up to speed.

Please note we are open to applications from those who wish to work on a flexible and/or job share basis. The successful candidate will be expected to work primarily from Edinburgh with some travel to our London office from time to time; there is some flexibility on home location. However, due to COVID-19, we’re currently working from home. If you would like to know more about how we’ve adapted, take a look at our blog.

Your role:

We want you to play your part and bring your ideas to the ABI’s public affairs work across the devolved nations including:

• Analysing policies and legislation relevant to insurance and long-term savings from the Scottish and Welsh Governments and Northern Ireland Executive.

• Engaging with Ministers and their officials in the three devolved administrations, and with Members of the Scottish Parliament, Senedd and Northern Ireland Assembly.

• Producing and presenting research and information for ABI member firms on insurance and long-term savings issues in the devolved nations.

• Preparing briefing notes for senior colleagues in advance of meetings with key stakeholders.

• Contributing to the ABI’s response to government and parliamentary consultations and enquiries.

• Monitoring and summarising meetings of the Scottish Parliament, Senedd and Northern Ireland Assembly to brief members on relevant updates.

• Working with wider ABI colleagues to help them understand policy work in the devolved nations in relation to UK-level issues.

• Leading the preparation of member newsletters, co-ordinate responses to MP letters and inquiries and undertaking political research.

We’re looking for:

• A passion for working in policy, politics and communications and curiosity to learn more.

• The knowledge to explain politics and governance across the devolved nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and how they relate to UK Parliament and Government.

• The skillset to explain, tell stories and excite other people’s interest in public affairs, insurance and long-term savings.

• An organised approach to your work with an attention to detail that demonstrates your high standards.

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage with people at all levels.

• An enthusiastic “can-do” attitude and a willingness to adapt to changing work demands and priorities.

Throughout the interview and assessment process, we will be looking for you to demonstrate the ABI’s values; We are Brave; We take Ownership; We are Appreciative; We are Human and We are Curious. For more information about what these mean to us, please visit: https://www.abi.org.uk/about-the-abi/careers/our-values/

Where can this role take you?

Wherever possible, we support our staff to develop their careers internally. The next natural step for you in this role would be a Public Affairs Adviser – but this is flexible.

With a supportive environment and the fantastic exposure you get to lots of people in the industry and the knowledge you’ll build on a range of regulatory and policy issues, the ABI is a great place to start your career.

What training and benefits are offered?

On your first day you’ll be met by our HR team for a full company induction. You’ll then have inductions to get you up to speed with anything from Events to how our finances work, plus one to ones with relevant colleagues. Everyone goes on an introduction to insurance course and will receive plenty of on the job training. We host various Staff Learning Events throughout the year and you will be able to attend relevant ABI and industry events. Additional training will be tailored to your own personal needs and aspirations and we have a range of courses as part of our Learning and Development offering.

More detail on our company benefits can be found here.

Interested?

The deadline for applications is 29 November 2020.

Please note you can access our privacy notice via https://www.abi.org.uk/about-the-abi/careers/abi-candidate-privacy-notice/.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer and as such, we:

·         Are partnered with Vercida who provide an accessible website accredited by The Shaw Trust. Our jobs can be viewed on Vercida here.

·         Are committed to making reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process as required for disabled candidates. To discuss in more detail, please contact careers@abi.org.uk. We will also check this with you should you be invited to interview

·         Offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum requirements for a role. If you believe this may apply to you, you will be able to indicate this on your application form. Please note that there may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate for us to interview all disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job. In certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, we may need to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people.

About us:

The Association of British Insurers is the voice of the UK’s world-leading insurance and long-term savings industry. A productive and inclusive sector, our industry supports towns and cities across Britain in building back a balanced and innovative economy, employing over 300,000 individuals in high-skilled, lifelong careers, two-thirds of which are outside of London.

The UK insurance industry manages investments of over £1.7 trillion, pays nearly £12bn in taxes to the Government and supports communities across the UK by enabling trade, risk-taking, investment and innovation. We are also a global success story, the largest in Europe and the fourth largest in the world.

The ABI represents over 200 member companies, including most household names and specialist providers, giving peace of mind to customers across the UK.

If you would like to know more about the ABI and the work we do please visit www.abi.org.uk. You can find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram too.