Address
Form of work
SalaryPublic Affairs Officer
Harrogate, North Yorkshire – with travel within the Yorkshire area
We offer hybrid working and we are committed to paying the Real Living Wage.
About Us
Yorkshire is one of the regions hardest hit by cancer. Together, we can change this.
Yorkshire Cancer Research is a charity dedicated to funding research so that you and those you love live longer healthier lives, free of cancer.
Thanks to supporters, the charity funds vital cancer research and pioneers innovative new services for people with cancer. These life-giving medical breakthroughs are helping more people survive cancer – in Yorkshire, and beyond.
As an inclusive employer, our aim is to ensure our workforce reflects the rich diversity of our region. We believe a diverse workforce is vital to us taking action to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer more effectively in Yorkshire. We offer equal opportunities regardless of race, religion or belief, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnerships.
The Benefits
We offer all employees a wide range of benefits including an enhanced contributory pension scheme, 25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays (increasing to 30 days after 5 years’ service), flexible working arrangements, private medical insurance, enhanced maternity leave, career progression, learning and development, wellbeing initiatives, offices within walking distance of Hornbeam Park train station, free onsite parking and a whole lot more.
We’ve got a strong set of values that inform everything we do and we’re looking for people who are aligned with these. As our Public Affairs Officer, you will put people in Yorkshire at the heart of everything you do, unite with colleagues and other organisations in this cause, and dare to think big and bold to make positive solutions happen.
To find out more about our values and how important they are to us, please visit our website.
The Role
Reporting to the Policy & Public Affairs Manager, as part of the Cancer Insight Team, the Public Affairs Officer will support the development and delivery of our growing influencing work, managing relationships with national and regional decision-makers, developing and mobilising a campaign supporter base and producing annual policy campaign plans.
Specifically, you will:
Conduct and regularly review external stakeholder analyses of key decision-makers within Yorkshire, Westminster and the NHS, with a view to building and maintaining effective relationships.
Undertake research, actively seek to build relationships and manage a rolling contact programme for key external stakeholders.
Organise a wide variety of meetings and events, both in-house and externally.
Develop strong relationships with Public Affairs counterparts within the cancer charity, health inequality and Yorkshire charity spheres, with a view to sharing best practice and coordinating efforts on areas of mutual interest.
Monitor political announcements, developments and news at a national and regional level to inform both policy and Public Affairs workstreams and coordinate engagement where appropriate.
Maintain sound knowledge of relevant policy issues at a national and regional level.
Produce blogs, consultation responses, internal and external briefings, parliamentary questions, key messages and letters.
Coordinate the development, implementation and evaluation of campaigns which support our influencing activity.
Oversee the recruitment, retainment and mobilisation of a campaign supporter network.
About You
To be considered for this role, you will need:
To have a degree in a relevant subject area, for example politics, PPE, international relations or a similar humanities field.
To have experience in a Public Affairs or campaigns role.
To have experience of writing influencing materials such as briefings, letters, blogs and campaign materials.
To have experience of relationship-building and conducting stakeholder analyses.
To have experience of researching a wide variety of topics and organisations in order to inform and strategise.
To have a passion for political influencing and campaigning to deliver change.
To have excellent verbal, written and presentation skills.
To have strong networking, influencing and relationship management skills.
To be a strategic thinker with strong analytical, judgement and decision-making skills.
To have strong organisational and time management skills with the ability to prioritise work, handle conflicting demands and meet tight deadlines.
To have the ability to think creatively, linking policy, practice, and research, and identifying risks and opportunities for the charity.
To have strong IT skills including MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint).
Application
Before applying, please visit our Careers Page to view the full role profile and find out more about working for Yorkshire Cancer Research.
To apply please submit a CV and cover letter outlining your suitability for the role to Claire Wooldridge, Head of People, before 16 April 2024. Please read our privacy notice before applying.
Yorkshire Cancer Research is a responsible and flexible employer. We welcome any discussion for flexible working at the interview/offer stage where we will consider an individual’s circumstances against the needs of the charity.
We positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates from all backgrounds. If we can make any reasonable adjustments to support your application, please contact us via our website.
