The Russell Group, which represents 24 leading universities in the UK, is seeking a Public Affairs professional to work within their Communications team. This is a permanent full-time post.
The role involves, but is not limited to, the following:
- Reporting to the Head of Communications and working with them to lead the Russell Group’s Public Affairs activity, ensuring it delivers the organisation’s key priorities.
- Developing a good understanding of the Russell Group’s policy priorities and higher education policy in general so they are able to communicate confidently to a variety of audiences on a range of topics or lead on specific areas and projects when required.
- Maintaining and building on the Russell Group’s existing network of political and stakeholder relationships, strengthening our ability to engage and influence and ensuring the Russell Group is seen as a trusted organisation.
- Developing new networks in sectors that can help deliver Russell Group objectives.
- Co-ordinating the Russell Group’s response to new parliamentary legislation or bills that impact our universities, lobbying MPs and Peers across all political parties, civil servants, political advisers and influential third parties as appropriate.
- Providing counsel to the Chief Executive and senior team, preparing briefings for meetings with external stakeholders and supporting policy colleagues.
- Supporting the Head of Communications in maintaining oversight of Public Affairs across the organisation to ensure opportunities are being maximised.
- Identifying opportunities to develop advocacy positions that show how Russell Group universities can help to deliver on external stakeholders’ priorities while making the case for the positive impact of higher education and research.
- Developing strong relationships with Public Affairs teams in member institutions and other organisations, providing support to our members and leading collaborations where appropriate.
- Attending relevant events to develop networks and represent the Russell Group.
- As a member of an integrated communications unit, take on occasional out-of-hours duties where necessary to respond to emerging issues.
Candidates will need to demonstrate they can work proactively, take ownership of their portfolio, meet tight deadlines, pick up a range of topics quickly and with authority, and work cooperatively and flexibly as part of a small team. Applicants should be able to demonstrate the following:
- Experience of policy development in a political or public sector environment and be able to quickly grasp complex issues and clearly communicate them.
- Strong experience in devising and delivering Public Affairs strategies, knowing how to communicate with a range of audiences.
- Experience of working in external affairs and an understanding of UK politics, policy development and advocacy.
- Ability to manage and prioritise a challenging and varied portfolio of work, understand the worldview of different political actors and meet tight deadlines.
- Ability to work under pressure and to think and act strategically.
- Be an advocate for their respective specialism and share expertise to build capability across the wider organisation.
A full vacancy description for the role (including a detailed list of key competencies) and our Equal Opportunities Monitoring form are available on ourw website.
We welcome applications from people whatever their race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion and belief, or age. We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion as a core part of our values, which are stated in the vacancy description document.
The starting salary will be in the range of £48,300-£54,000. This is dependent on skills and experience. A higher salary may be available for exceptional candidates.
The post is based in our Central London office with flexibility for home working for part of each week. Benefits include a generous career average pension, enhanced parental leave/pay and flexible working polices, an interest-free travelcard loan and a cycle scheme.
Closing date for all applications: 17:00 on Wednesday, 7 February 2024
First and second round interviews are likely to be scheduled for the weeks commencing 19 and 26 February 2024 respectively.
Only applicants invited to interview will be contacted. If you have not heard by 22 February 2024 your application will not have been successful.
To apply, please submit the following via the button below by the application deadline:
1. An up-to-date curriculum vitae (max. two sides of A4) including:
- details of your current and past employment
- your degree qualifications including subjects and grades
- two references (your current/most recent employer and a former line manager)
2. A cover letter no more than two sides of A4 addressing the following points:
- how your knowledge, skills and experience meet the requirements of the role
- why you are interested in working for the Russell Group
3. We ask all applicants to complete an Equal Opportunities Monitoring form which you can download from our Vacancies webpage.
For a confidential discussion, please contact Hamir Patel on 020 3816 1316.