Policy and Public Affairs Manager

Policy and Public Affairs Manager
National Literacy Trust
London/Hybrid with around 2-3 days per month in the office in London (Vauxhall) and willingness and flexibility to regularly attend meetings, events and briefings in London
Salary £44,000 per year
Full-time, 35 hours per week with flexible working
Permanent
Excellent benefits including generous leave allowance totalling 39 days (including bank holidays and office closure between Christmas and New Year), pension contributions of 8% of annual salary, a cycle to work scheme, employee assistance programme and other health and wellbeing benefits.

Charity People are delighted to be partnering with the National Literacy Trust, a national charity which empowers children, young people, and adults with the literacy skills they need to succeed, to recruit a Policy and Public Affairs Manager.

Literacy changes everything. It gives you the tools to get the most out of life, and the power to shape your future. It opens the door to the life you want. But low literacy is inextricably linked to poverty. Over the last 30 years, the National Literacy Trust have continued to work with people who need them the most, supporting schools, families and communities on a local and national level.

The Policy and Public Affairs Manager will work as part of a small policy team, with colleagues across the organisation, and internal and external stakeholders, to help shape Government policy on a range of issues relating to literacy and disadvantage.

Key responsibilities

Monitor and analyse developments in public policy and manage public affairs activity in line with our organisational strategy
Write succinct and influential reports, consultation responses, briefings, articles and web pages on policy issues for a range of audiences
Organise policy-focused events including managing invite lists, event logistics and related communications and messaging, working with the media team where necessary
Build and maintain relationships with Parliamentarians, policymakers, and partner organisations to influence literacy policy.
Coordinate the activity of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Literacy, including engaging politicians and policymakers, organising meetings, maintaining appropriate paperwork and drafting policy briefings
Manage the delivery of policy activity supported by our corporate partners, including coordinating meetings, providing updates and ensuring targets are met
Advise programme teams on related policy activities and provide briefings

What we're looking for

The successful candidate will demonstrate the following essential skills and experience:
Ability to understand and articulate academic research and policy papers
Excellent writing skills, including drafting policy papers and briefings
Experience of public affairs and managing policy activity
Experience of working in a policy-related role (e.g., charity, civil service)

The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following desirable criteria:
Understanding of literacy / early years / education sector
Understanding of local and/or national government structures and processes
Experience of senior stakeholder management and partnership development, including cross-sector campaigns
Intermediate quantitative skills (e.g., analysis of DfE datasets in Excel)
Event management

The NLT team are passionate about their mission and have a strong and positive working culture, based on shared values and respect. This role is primarily home-based, but you will need to be able to attend the office in London (Vauxhall) at least 2-3 times a month and be willing and able to attend meetings, events and briefings in London on a regular basis. Travel to and from London is not covered by expenses, therefore you will need to be based within easy access to London.

How to apply

If you would like to apply, please upload your CV using the link below in the first instance. Jen D'Souza from Charity People will be in touch with the full details about the job and how to apply. The deadline is 9am Wednesday 5 November. The first stage (online) interviews will take place on Wednesday 12 November, with second stage (in person) interviews on Tuesday 18 November.

Charity People is a forward thinking, inclusive organisation that actively and deliberately promotes equity, diversity and inclusion. We know organisations thrive when inclusion is at the forefront. We evidence our commitment by matching charity needs with the skills and experience of candidates irrespective of background e.g. age, disability (including hidden disabilities), gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We do this because we believe that greater diversity leads to greater results for the charities we work with.