Overview

We’re looking for a Policy and Influencing Manager to help us achieve our ambition to improve urban health in the UK and beyond. 

Policy and Influencing is a fast-developing function at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation, established to turbo-charge our influence on decision-making to improve urban health and health inequity. Working across the organisation - in particular with colleagues leading our urban health programmes - the Policy and Influencing function uses the insight generated by our programmes to build our networks, raise the profile of the issues we work on and influence policy development. 

We are looking for an experienced policy and public affairs professional to lead our influencing on two of our Impact on Urban Health programmes (currently Health Effects of Air Pollution, Childhood Obesity, Multiple Long Term Conditions and Children’s Mental Health). You will work with our Programme Directors and their teams to develop compelling influencing strategies for each programme, and deliver policy and influencing activity to achieve these strategies. We are looking for someone who enjoys testing new ways of working as we explore how we can best achieve impact, whether acting alone or with our partner organisations: this is a rare opportunity to work in a genuinely innovative organisation that is able to test new approaches and is willing to take risks. 

You will enjoy working on complex and of the moment policy issues, developing in depth expertise on the Programmes you will work on, horizon scanning and spotting opportunities for influence, and sharing this expertise and insight with colleagues. In particular, you will advise Programme Team colleagues on the development of investment partnerships, taking the lead on investment partnerships with a particular influencing focus. This might involve commissioning original research to support our policy development process, working with partner organisations to design campaigning partnerships, or funding others to trial new ways of involving communities impacted by health inequity in the policy decision-making process.

You will work with the Head of Policy and Influencing (Impact on Urban Health) on Parliamentary and Government engagement for your programmes, and will work very closely with Communications Managers assigned to each programme to create impactful communications to influence. 

You’ll be excited by the opportunity to work at an organisation that prioritises diversity, equity and inclusion in all we do, whether in term of the impact we seek to have in the external world on health equity, but also in the ways we work. As Policy and Influencing Manager, this may mean working with partners to explore who we can support their own influencing activity, designing research and policy reports that bring the voice of people most impacted by the issues we work on to the debate or exploring ways to develop our own policy positions in an inclusive and equitable way. 

You will be a team player, who enjoys working in a matrix across multiple teams within the organisation.

 About us

At Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation, our mission is clear – to build the foundations of a healthier society.

 As part of our team, you will work alongside talented people from a mix of personal and professional backgrounds. We are a Living Wage employer and support flexible working, part-time roles, and job shares. Though our ambitions are serious, this is a friendly place to work with lots of opportunities to meet and socialise with colleagues. We believe there is immense power in diversity and aim to recruit and nurture talent who think and act differently. 

There is more information about working with us on our website, where you can read about:
•      how we approach recruitment

•      our team, culture, and values

•      the benefits of working with us

•      and our approach to diversity, equity & inclusion, health & wellbeing, and learning & development

Job description

The opportunity

Job title:

Policy and Influencing Manager  

Salary:

An annual salary of £50,000 FTE

Contract type:

Permanent

Closing date:

9 am, 26th September 2022

Interview dates:

w/c 3 October 2022

w/c 10 October 2022

Reporting to:

Director of Policy and Influencing

The team:

The Policy and Influencing Team uses the insight we generate through our programmes to influence decisions made about health equity and urban health. We work closely with colleagues across the organisation, especially in the Programme Team and Communications Team to develop influencing strategies, build our stakeholder networks and raise the profile of our work. The Policy and Influencing Team also works closely with our partner organisations to develop exciting partnerships to influence, with a focus on influencing decisions made in Parliament, Government and other organisations involved in policy development.

 Key

responsibilities:

-      Develop and deliver compelling influencing strategies for two of our Urban Health Programmes

-      Develop investment partnerships with a particular influencing focus within these programmes

-      Act a source of policy expertise and political insight for colleagues across the organisation, proactively briefing on key political events and policy developments.

-      Develop a policy bank of evidence-based and up to date policy for each programme, key messaging and policy asks to maximise the impact of the insight generated by our work

-      Lead horizon scanning to identify proactive and reactive influencing opportunities, and deliver this activity, in partnership with internal and external colleagues.

-      Working closely with Communications Managers to develop and deliver impactful communications to influence

-      Bringing a diversity, equity and inclusion lens to all our policy and influencing activity, whether in how we work with partners or in our own systems and processes.

Person specification

What we’re looking for

Skills and experience:

Knowledge and qualifications:

 Abilities and attributes:

 -      Experience working in public affairs and policy in a UK setting, with impact on policy making in Westminster Parliament and/or the devolved administrations.

-      Experience developing impactful influencing strategies and delivering activity to achieve these strategies

-      The ability to develop expertise and familiarity with different policy areas quickly.

 -      In depth understanding of the UK political environment and operation of Government.

-      Expertise in public policy, ideally in issues relating to health equity or social justice.

 -      Excellent interpersonal and networking skills at all levels.

-      Enjoys working in places with a clear and ambitious mission, a matrix structure and ways of working that challenge the norm.

-      Willingness to prioritise diversity, equity and inclusion in all our work.