Within the Involvement, Influencing and Support Directorate, our policy, public affairs and campaigning work is focused on creating lasting change. We identify creative policy solutions in response to the challenges people with arthritis face. We influence decision-makers across the UK by developing evidence and through stakeholder engagement, public affairs activity and by campaigning alongside people with arthritis.
About us
Arthritis causes pain, fatigue and isolation for 18.8 million people in the UK every single day. It can impact on the ability to work, our relationships and take away our independence. We don’t accept this.
We are Versus Arthritis. We are volunteers, healthcare professionals, researchers and friends, all doing everything we can to push back against arthritis. We’re reaching out to everybody with the information and support they need, funding vital research and changing the way society sees arthritis. Together we’ll keep running, researching, influencing, volunteering, advising, chatting, baking, listening. We won’t stop until no-one has to tolerate living with the pain, fatigue and isolation of arthritis.
Join us and use your skills, knowledge, passion and energy to help us defy arthritis.
About the role
The main purpose of this role is to lead the charity’s policy activities. The Senior Policy Manager will set the strategy for policy prioritisation within the context of our organisation’s ambitions. They will oversee a programme of policy work including ensuring the delivery of high-quality consultation responses, policy positions and reports. They will work closely with colleagues from the devolved nations to build a UK wide approach to policy development that is consistent and coherent, whilst recognising nation differences. This role will ensure an approach to policy development rooted in people with arthritis’ needs and the development of high quality and incisive policy content. This role will be particularly suited to an experienced Policy Manager who is wishing to further develop their skills and expertise.
The Senior Policy Manager will also work closely with colleagues across public affairs, campaigning, communications and digital to ensure that our policy work is translated into engaging and accurate content for our influencing and campaigning.
The Senior Policy Manager will work closely with the Head of Policy and Public Affairs to ensure the smooth-running of the department, including strategy development, budgeting, annual planning and facilitation of senior level meetings. The Senior Policy Manager will also work closely with the other Managers to ensure roll out of the team’s plans, as well as connecting with other teams across the Directorate and charity.
The successful post-holder will have excellent analytical skills, ideally a scientific qualification and strong communications skills. An ability to demonstrate strategic thinking and to be able to navigate complexity and ambiguity is key. An enthusiastic, adaptive and flexible approach is important, as is the ability to matrix-work in partnership across teams.
Key requirements
If you have:
- Excellent knowledge and recent experience gained from work within a UK focused policy team;
- Excellent knowledge and experience in health and care policy, with a well-developed understanding of the impact of long-term conditions and/or disability on people’s lives;
- Experience and/or ability to demonstrate strategic policy development skills;
- Strong knowledge of research methods used in policy development and influencing;
- An enthusiastic, adaptive and flexible approach.
… we’d love to hear from you.