Policy Manager (Maternity Cover)

Reports to: Head of External Affairs

Directorate: Practice & Quality

Salary: £37,501-£39,000

Location: London - EC4Y 8EE (Hybrid), flexible working option available

Contract: Full-time, Fixed-term Contract (12 months)

Job Purpose

The successful candidate for our Policy Manager (Maternity cover) position will be joining BSR’s high performing and dynamic External Affairs team, which is promoting excellence and driving up the standard of Rheumatology care across the four nations of the UK by affecting public policy change. In 2023 our External Affairs team were nominated for an industry wide Public Affairs award for hugely impactful Homecare Medicines Campaign, so it is a fantastic time to join the team and we continue to work on the cutting-edge of policy and public affairs.  
The role of the Policy Manager is to work closely with our members to give a voice to the society within emerging health policy discussions, public consultations and to play an important role in the development of our integrated departmental campaigning approach. The Policy Manager also plays a leading role in the development of our pro-active policy work and helps to shape the direction of the society’s lobbying. In the last year the Policy Manager has played a crucial role in producing expert advice and guidance, as well as groundbreaking health economics research, which are improving the delivery of Rheumatology care across the country – and 2024/25 is going to be another exciting period for the team.  

Main Responsibilities

• To develop the Society’s pro-active policy agenda by conducting research, writing policy papers and managing research contracts in-line with of our goal to improve the quality of care in Rheumatology services.
•  To drive excellence in all aspects of rheumatology by managing BSR’s member-led Clinical Affairs Committee and supporting the committee to deliver on their work plan. 
• To co-ordinate BSR’s response to health policy developments and in regular public consultations, for example technology appraisals, guidelines in development and quality standards.
• To support the development of the Society’s leadership voice in the public policy space by working closely with the Head of EA and Public Affairs Manager to deliver our integrated campaign approach to influencing change.
• To build and maintain stakeholder relations with internal and external stakeholders and to engage with relevant bodies to represent the society as and when required on emerging policy issues.
• To lead on growing awareness amongst the BSR membership of the impact of our policy work on improving Rheumatology care by delivering planned communications and contributions to regional and national member bodies. 

Person Specification

Experience

1. A demonstrable interest in helping people with rheumatic conditions to receive the highest quality outcomes and live well, championing the specialty, influencing change and building a thriving community of best practice. 
2.  Experience working in a policy role within a political, governmental or not-for-profit environment, or other experience which you can demonstrate matches suitability with the role responsibilities.    
3.  A demonstrable interest in health policy or a strong working knowledge of the current NHS and health policy landscape. 
4.  Experience working with or management of committees and/or within a membership organisation. 
5.  An academic or professional understanding of the use of different research methods and their application in conducting research and writing papers. 

Ability and skills

1. Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to communicate complex issues succinctly to different audiences.  
2.  Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to develop stakeholder relationships.  
3.  Good analytical skills with a demonstrable ability to digest public policy and communicate its key outcomes.  
4.  Excellent organisational and record keeping skills, with project management being a bonus.  
5.  The ability to work with a high degree of independence as a part of a small team.  

Inclusion and Diversity

BSR is committed to encouraging inclusion, equity, and diversity in our workforce. We are actively trying to increase the diversity of our staff team. We try to reduce as many barriers as we can for those with a disability. We know that everyone is an individual, so please always tell us what we can do to support you.  
We welcome approaches from individuals from underrepresented groups, including those from minoritised communities, and those with a disability, to better reflect the community we serve and help broaden our perspectives. 

Benefits of working at BSR: 

We offer a wide range of benefits, most of which start from day one of joining us. Our benefits fall into four main areas: Wellbeing, Time- based, Learning and development, and Financial. Just some of them include: 

Wellbeing:

• Free period products in our office
• Free flu vaccinations 
• Mental Health First Aiders 
• Access to a clinical psychologist via HelloSelf
• BUPA healthcare scheme- we offer a cash plan, which you can add children or partners to  
• Employee Assistance Programme. This is a free, confidential counselling service to all staff, as well as a general advice service provided by BUPA 
• WeCare offers access to a 24/7 virtual GP, as well as a mental health support service, a get fit programme and an online portal with lots of helpful resources 
• Our enhanced sick pay offer is: 
  • Up to two years’ service: 4 weeks full pay and 4 weeks half pay 
  • After two years’ service: 12 weeks full pay and 12 weeks half pay 
• We work in a social environment with a range of activities, both virtual and in person, run by our Social Squad. This includes an organisation-wide volunteering day. 

Time-based: 

• 30 days annual leave in addition to bank holidays
• All staff can request sabbaticals at any point, which are considered on a case-by-case basis 
• We also offer an extra day for moving house 
• Bank holiday swops- you can swop a bank holiday day for another day’s leave (entitlement remains 1:1 days)
• We’re a 4 day week employer, which at BSR means working your fulltime hours (31.5 each week) over 5 days

Learning and development: 

We will help you develop your career by supporting your personal development and encouraging internal progression. This includes recognising individuals’ achievements through our internal staff awards. We offer a huge range of learning opportunities, both in-house and externally. This includes a thorough induction programme when you join us, as well as development opportunities aimed at line managers, and wellbeing-based learning sessions. And if professional membership is a required part of your role, we’ll cover the cost of that. 

Financial: 

• We offer a performance related pay and incentive scheme
• Income protection scheme
• You’ll be enrolled on our pensions scheme with Aegon (via Second Sight). Our current pension match is 5% employer contribution if you contribute 4% (9% contribution in total). 
• Our life assurance policy pays three times your basic salary
• Interest free season ticket loans 
• Ride-to-work scheme 
• Interest-free loan scheme  
• We also provide generous enhancements within our parental and family leave policies:
  • Our maternity/shared parental/adoption offer is 6 weeks at full pay, 33 weeks at half pay, followed by 13 weeks at the statutory rate  
  • Our paternity leave offer is 6 weeks at full pay.