Address
Form of work
SalaryWe are seeking an experienced Public Affairs and Communications professional to support our policy and campaigning work.
About us
We are a small charity that has grown over the past four years. We have a longstanding commitment to working from home, and we offer our staff genuine flexibility. 23 of our 26 staff work part time, and staff are located across the UK.
We have an active programme of policy and campaigning to protect and strengthen the rights of low income pregnant women and new parents. Our in-house legal team delivers advice and casework support to over 3,500 pregnant women and new parents across the UK each year and our 50+ online information sheets are viewed over 1.3 million times.
About our policy and campaigning work
Maternity Action’s vision is a society which fully respects the rights of all pregnant women and new parents to employment, social security and health care.
To achieve this vision, we undertake thoughtful research and policy analysis which is grounded in the lived experiences of pregnant women and new parents, and which draws on the expert knowledge of our legal team and evidence from our advice services. Our work influences law and policy with the aim of reducing poverty, improving health and advancing equality and human rights for all pregnant women and new parents.
We prioritise issues affecting low income and marginalised women and have an active programme of research, policy and campaigning work on employment, social security and healthcare.
Key areas of campaigning on employment rights include ending pregnancy and maternity discrimination in the workplace and promoting a more equitable framework for maternity and parental leave. Our work on the cost-of-living crisis is highlighting the underinvestment in maternity pay and maternity benefits, the limited support available for migrant mothers and calling for improved financial support. We have an on-going campaign and programme of work around NHS charging for maternity care, which affects some of the most socially and economically vulnerable women in the UK.
Our policy and campaigns work has a strong focus on partnership working with voluntary organisations, health professionals and unions to support women to exercise their rights. We convene the Alliance for Maternity Rights and the Maternity Entitlement Group to promote collaborative campaigning on employment rights and on charging for NHS maternity care. We work closely with a range of voluntary organisations in our policy and campaign work, including smaller frontline organisations working with marginalised women.
About you
We are looking for an experienced Senior Public Affairs and Communications Officer to strengthen our influencing and communications work to bring about the policy changes required to achieve our vision of a society which fully respects the rights of all pregnant women and new parents to employment, social security and health care. The role will develop and deliver Maternity Action’s public affairs and communications strategies, working with staff across the organisation.
The role will involve advocating and influencing for improved maternity rights across employment, social security and healthcare, through building and maintaining relationships and ensuring that our evidence-based policy and campaigning work is widely promoted and disseminated.
You will have experience of keeping abreast of political developments and identifying opportunities to promote policy and campaigning work to influence and shape the debate and drive policy change.
You will have experience of building and maintaining relationships with senior stakeholders in Parliament, Government and voluntary organisations, as well as making connections with journalists, and be confident working across multiple, complex policy issues. You will have an excellent understanding of the political system and context and the different mechanisms that can be used to influence.
You will have experience of preparing parliamentary briefings, consultation responses and policy submissions and delivering communications content through a range of different channels, including traditional and social media.
We particularly welcome applications from Black and minority ethnic candidates and from people with lived experience of pregnancy or parenting, low income or migration.
The role
This is a hybrid role to be delivered from home and our office in Finsbury Park, London. We would prefer to appoint for 28 hours/week, however we are open to 21-27 hours/week. Thursday is a core day and we are otherwise flexible about start/finish times and days worked, within normal business hours. Hours can be spread across three, four or five days. You must be available to take calls on non-working days, for which TOIL will be given.
Please send us an application outlining how you meet the selection criteria and your CV. Applications close 9am Monday 29th January. Virtual interviews will be held during the week of 5th February.
