City Year UK believes in the power of young people to change the world. Through a year of voluntary service, 18-25 year old corps members make a difference to the life chances of school pupils from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, and prepare themselves for a future of work and civic leadership.
Overview of role
Reporting to the Director of Development and External Relations and working very closely with the Chief Executive and Head of PR, the Public Affairs & Communications Manager will develop political and policy maker support for City Year’s work and for the ‘year of service’ model.
The focus will be to raise our profile amongst key stakeholders, to build the profile and credibility of City Year UK’s impact in education and to build momentum for a ‘year of service’ becoming recognised and funded by Government at a national and / or regional level.
Primary Responsibilities
- Broaden City Year UK’s network of ‘witnesses and champions’ to increase understanding of and support for the City Year model and the ‘year of service’ campaign;
- Lead on City Year UK’s positioning and conversations with Ministers, advisers, civil servants and MPs;
- Represent City Year UK at relevant events, including seeking opportunities at the party political conferences;
- Foster and maintain proactive and effective working relationships and networks amongst peer organisations, policy-makers and practitioners in those policy areas relevant to our concerns and objectives, in particular Generation Change;
- Draft policy briefings and prepare papers on public affairs for the External Relations Committee;
- Support the Head of PR to increase our profile in mainstream media, apply for flagship awards, secure speaking opportunities for our Chief Executive and organise events to showcase City Year UK.
You will have:
- Solid and demonstrable experience of Public Affairs work, in-house or within an agency or political setting (essential);
- Proven track record in bringing in Government income streams (desirable);
- Experience of communications, public relations and events (desirable);
- Demonstrable project management skills (essential);
- Experience of working with / engaging young people (desirable);
- Excellent attention to detail and strong organisational skills;
- Strong interpersonal, relationship building and presentational skills with an ability to engage with a wide range of audiences;
- Competent user of Microsoft Office software (essential).
You will receive:
- Up to 5% employer pension contributions after 6 months’ probation;
- 25 days holiday per year;
- One additional day per year after two years of employment, capped at a maximum of 28 days;
- A range of other great benefits.