About Us
Metropolitan Thames Valley is a 57,000-home provider of affordable homes, and care and support services in London and the South East, the East Midlands, and East Anglia. It is a member of the g15, the voice of London’s largest housing associations, collectively housing one in ten Londoners and building a quarter of the capital's new homes. With a history spanning 70 years, we believe that everyone should have a home and the chance to live well.
About the job
Job description
We are seeking to recruit two exceptional individuals, to two new senior roles of Senior Public Affairs Manager within the newly-formed Public Affairs Team.
Public Affairs sits at the centre of the organisation, reporting directly to the Chief Executive, and tackles some of the biggest issues in housing by being an informed and credible stakeholder to government. The Public Affairs team represents our residents, builds understanding of our organisation, and communicates the frontline impact of policy. You will work with: Ministers; Special Advisors; senior civil servants; the leadership of local authorities in London, the East Midlands, the South East and East Anglia; and housing experts and think tanks.
The work of housing associations intersects with a wide-range of high profile policy areas including housing affordability, welfare reform, public health, and the funding of the social care system. You will play a major role in ensuring the various inter-related strands of our work remain coherent, and engage closely with senior colleagues across the organisation to bring together small project teams to deliver new analysis, insights and strategies. You will also work closely with colleagues at all levels, strengthening the capacity of the organisation to engage externally.
The roles sits as part of a new Communications and Public Affairs Senior Leadership team presenting role holders with the opportunity to help determine strategy and direction. Working closely with the communications team, you will produce and distribute engaging content, such as case studies, data sets, blogs, consultation responses, new research, and visits plans.
The Public Affairs team supports the Metropolitan Thames Valley Executive and Board to fulfil the organisation’s responsibilities as Vice Chair of the G15. The G15 is the collective voice of London’s largest housing associations, who together house one in ten Londoners, and build a quarter of the capital’s new homes. You will be part of the team leading preparations for the organisation to become Chair of the G15 in June 2021, requiring significant senior-level engagement, including with the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Housing, and the Greater London Authority.
Person Specification
These are intellectually demanding roles, working at the intersection of policy, delivery, and communications, and we are looking for two exceptional candidates who are excited by this prospect.
You will need strong conceptual analytical skills and be comfortable moving between the big picture and drilling down into the detail.
You will be data-driven, and communicate confidently and concisely. You will also be comfortable interacting with key housing think tanks and academics, and colleagues, to ensure recommendations are informed by robust evidence, latest insights and a strong appreciation of frontline impact.
You will have experience of working in complex policy areas, identifying the key issues, and the opportunities and risks within them, and successfully communicating with, and engaging, key audiences. You will be interested in public policy, economics, and social issues.
You will need strong relationship management skills, and an ability to collaborate with colleagues in communicating our priorities and driving forward progress against them across the organisation. You will be able to evidence that you have managed relationships with a range of stakeholders, internally and externally.
You will have experience of taking an innovative approach, and seeking opportunities to do things differently. You will have a proven track record of being responsive to change and adapt quickly, or develop new options and ideas, as circumstances change. You will have evidence of planning and prioritising effectively to meet deadlines, remaining calm to deliver results at pace.
You will enjoy being part a high-performing team and demonstrate exceptional rigour in shaping and driving work. You will need to bring a commitment to high standards and enjoy developing the capabilities of this new team and helping it to succeed.
Additional benefits
In addition to generous holiday entitlement we provide:
- A matched contribution pension scheme;
- Life assurance;
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave;
- Salary sacrifice schemes and season ticket loans;
- Voluntary benefits including cash back and discounts from high street names;
- A commitment to flexible and agile working.