We’re the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) - the voice of the UK food and drink industry: the largest manufacturing sector in the country. We help our members operate in a highly regulated marketplace to maximise their competitiveness and profitability. Our job is to communicate our industry's values and concerns to Government, regulators, consumers and the media. We also work in partnership with key players in the food supply chain to ensure our food is safe, affordable and nutritious.
The Role
As a Public Affairs Manager, you will work closely with the Head of Corporate Affairs and Media Manager in building the FDF’s reputation as the voice of food and drink manufacturing through the delivery of effective public affairs strategies.
Principal Accountabilities
Parliamentary and Stakeholder Engagement
- To develop and manage FDF’s public affairs engagement strategy in Westminster and Wales to support advocacy on FDF’s key priorities;
- To build and maintain productive working relationships with colleagues, members, Parliamentarians and counterparts in similar organisations;
- To identify opportunities to promote FDF’s position, including producing briefings, correspondence and digital output on a wide range of topics;
- To lead FDF in its role as Secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Food and Drink, co-ordinating meetings and activity throughout the year.
Political Intelligence
- To keep abreast of political and policy developments affecting the sector, providing timely advice to FDF colleagues and member companies;
- To compile a weekly ‘must read’ report for colleagues and members to showcase FDF analysis and insight.
Events management
- To plan and deliver public affairs events, including the annual Parliamentary Reception, Party Conferences and other ad hoc activity.
The Team
FDF’s Corporate Affairs team ensures we and our members have strong and constructive relationships across the UK Government, Parliament, and the media. This enables us to showcase FDF’s policy work for political and media stakeholders seeking expertise on UK food and drink issues, and ensures our members’ issues are at the forefront of the public policy agenda.
Requirements
- Educated to degree level or equivalent experience in a relevant discipline;
- Excellent knowledge of UK political processes and the policy climate;
- Robust, self-confident, good interpersonal skills and able to work with people at all levels (including people in very senior positions);
- Previous political and public affairs experience;
- Able to demonstrate interest in the food and drink sector;
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
- First-rate organisational skills with attention to detail;
- Able to work as part of a team and be prepared to support others;
- Able to work flexibly, multi-task, prioritise and have good time management skills;
- Competent in Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook.
This role will involve the need to occasionally attend events at the weekend or in the evening.
Our Benefits
FDF is a great place to work where we take wellbeing seriously and have a great benefits package to match, offering a pension scheme, life insurance, 25 days holiday, private healthcare, leisure travel insurance, gym subsidy, interest-free season ticket loan and cycle-to-work scheme.
Our Workplace
We’re based in the heart of central London in a modern, bright open-plan office. We have a friendly work culture with great break-out spaces, quiet booths and opportunities for flexible-working. Our ‘Feel Good for Life’ team regularly organises events and activities to promote positive health and wellbeing.