Public Affairs Officer

Age UK's Influencing division has a rare and exciting opportunity for a Public Affairs Officer to join our successful External Affairs team. Join us at a crucial time as we embark on an exciting time in UK Politics in the run up to the General Election and as we prepare for a new Parliament of MPs and a new Government.

You'll need to be passionate about social change, as you'll support Age UK's External Affairs team to deliver effective Public Affairs activities and campaigns which change the lives of older people by maintaining and increasing Age UK's profile among Parliamentarians, Government and stakeholders.

As Public Affairs Officer, you'll provide accurate Parliamentary and political monitoring to relevant Age UK staff, identifying opportunities to raise the issues that matter to older people. You'll also support Age UK to identify parliamentarians and policymakers and develop and build relationships with them to support our influencing work.

A high standard of written communication is important in this role and you will have an ability to translate complex material into compelling narratives. You will develop, draft and deliver a regular programme of communication emails to MPs. You will produce accurate in-person and in written briefings about campaigns, policy and Age UK's services to Parliamentarians and their researchers.

We're looking for someone with expert knowledge of UK Parliament and local and national Government structures, who thrives in a fast-paced environment who has the drive and flexibility to adapt with the often short-notice requirements of the role.

You will have a good understanding of developing and delivering political events. You will be responsible for running the secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ageing and Older People and lead on a range of political events.

We offer hybrid working from our offices in the City of London. As part of this role, you'll be required to attend the London office regularly, you'll also need to have the ability to carry out external meetings in central London at short notice.

Age UK Charity Job Grade 7L.

Must haves:

• Excellent knowledge and understanding of local and national government structures, the UK Parliament and our political, policy and campaigning context, and experience of influencing them.
• Strong interest in UK politics and how to influence change.
• Excellent all round communication skills, particularly the ability to communicate clearly and concisely to a range of audiences.
• Experience of engaging with senior stakeholders including Parliamentarians.
• An understanding of how to work in a politically balanced way.
• Ability to project manage, including personal time management, planning, implementing, devising, and prioritising multiple projects to meet agreed deadlines and targets, overseeing work across teams and monitoring and evaluating quality and impact.
• Knowledge and understanding of what equal opportunities means in relation to this post and the ability to incorporate equality practices into all aspects of the work.
• Experience of setting up and maintaining systems
• Experience of planning and co-ordinating events, projects and initiatives.
• Experience of working collaboratively with others to achieve results.

Great to haves:

• An understanding of social policy and issues affecting older people.
• Experience of influencing change from a voluntary sector perspective.
• Experience of working in a political environment.
• Experience of achieving change through campaigns and/or Public Affairs.

What we offer in return

• Competitive salary, 26 days annual leave + bank holidays + annual leave purchase scheme
• Excellent pension scheme, life assurance, health cashback plan and EAP
• Car Benefit Scheme, Cycle to Work Scheme and Season Ticket Loan
• Techscheme - buy any tech from Apple or Currys, up to £1000, and spread the cost over 12 months, interest free
• Blue Light Card Scheme
• You Did It Awards - recognition awards from £100-250.

Additional Information

Must be able to travel easily into central London to attend meetings, sometimes at short notice.

There is an occasional requirement to travel and stay overnight (e.g. party conferences); some out of hours working (e.g. occasional evening Parliamentary events).

For a full list of benefits please click here https://about-us/jobs/employee-benefits/

All CVs and covering letters will be anonymised by our recruitment system when you apply for a role at Age UK. All equalities monitoring information is also anonymised and not shared with the hiring panel. Your name and address will only be known to us once you are invited for an interview. We are trialling this functionality to strengthen our recruitment process and offer a fair, unbiased selection process.

Age UK is an Equal Opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates, regardless of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital/civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity. We guarantee an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria under the Disability Confident Scheme. Please note that on occasion, due to high numbers of applications, Age UK reserves the right to limit the overall number of interviews offered, and therefore, it may not always be practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people that meet the minimum criteria for the job.

Age UK is committed to safeguarding adults at risk, and children, from abuse and neglect. We expect everyone who works with us to share this commitment.

Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert at any time.

Age UK politely requests no contact from recruitment agencies or media sales. We do not accept speculative CVs from recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.