Public Affairs Officer (Fixed Term)

Public Affairs Officer (fixed term)

Salary: £35,850 (London) / £31,994 (National) per annum
Hours: 35
Contract: Fixed term (until January 2025)

Benefits:

- 27 days’ annual leave + statutory holidays + 3 closures days over the Christmas period
- Flexible working for all staff including working from home/hybrid working, and flexitime/TOIL scheme
- Attractive family friendly policies
- Private healthcare cover
- Season ticket loans
- Employee awards, and training and development opportunities

For more information about our benefits please visit our website.

Location: London/Bristol - employees are able to work from home on an arrangement agreed with their line manager.

Due to an internal promotion, an exciting opportunity has arisen at the National Housing Federation (NHF) for a Public Affairs Officer. The NHF is the voice of housing associations in England. We are the trade body to almost 600 housing associations, who have grown from philanthropic roots to provide 2.6 million homes to around 6 million people.

Our vision is for a country where everyone can live in a good quality home they can afford. We work with our members to make this vision a reality – delivering ambitious programmes that lead to lasting, positive change.

With a general election on the horizon, housing has become a high priority across the political spectrum. We work at the forefront of the political debate – not only on housing, but also on a wide range of other policy issues including welfare, homelessness and climate change. Our work affects the lives of millions of people and diverse communities across the country.

Our dynamic Public Affairs team has built close working relationships at the most senior level of politics. We have established ourselves as a leading organisation on housing issues for both the Government and Opposition. We have proven our ability to influence policy decisions, shape legislation and develop trusted relationships with key decision makers.

Our Public Affairs Officers independently lead on their own policy areas, creating influencing strategies designed to achieve impactful results for our members. In an election year, we need you to play a crucial role to ensure social housing maintains its political salience, and that housing associations are positioned as an integral part of the solution to the housing emergency.

Key elements of the role:

- Developing and leading Public Affairs strategies to influence the main political parties on topics that matter to our members
- Building effective relationships with parliamentarians, ministers and shadow ministers, researchers and political advisers
- Collaborating with colleagues through project groups and providing expert Public Affairs advice on a range of policy issues
- Monitoring Parliament and key political development to ensure NHF staff and our members are informed on key issues
- Drafting high-quality briefings, letters and other documents for national politicians
- Making the case for the NHF’s influencing asks in face-to-face meetings with key political stakeholders and presenting to internal and member groups

The successful candidate:

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:

- A proven ability to develop and implement effective influencing strategies
- Experience of building and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders
- Commitment to working collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation
- Exceptional written and oral communication skills
- A good understanding of the political environment and climate in the UK

Equality, diversity and inclusion

The NHF has published its equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, which was co-created with staff. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and we value the contribution each individual makes to our work.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and are working to increase the diversity profile of our workforce. We are currently under-represented by ethnic minorities, people with a disability or disabilities and LGBT+, and would particularly welcome applications from people in these groups.

Disability confident committed employer

We are a disability confident committed employer and if you are a disabled person who demonstrates you meet the skills and experience we consider essential for the role, we will offer you an interview.

We are happy to consider reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process if you have a disability or have a condition that you feel may affect your performance during the recruitment process. Please contact Stephanie Green, People Manager with your request or to arrange a time to discuss in more detail.

Our role profile and job advert can also be requested in large print or in accessible format.

Uploading your CV and cover letter

If you decide to apply for this role, when requested, please upload a version of your CV that does not include any personal details, such as name, gender, age etc. You should also ensure that you do not add your name at the end of the cover letter. This will help us to shortlist candidates for interview based solely on their knowledge, skills and experience.

Right to work in the UK / UK VISA Sponsorship

You must have the right to work in the UK and it is important to note that the NHF does not sponsor individuals to work in the UK.

Closing date for applications: 7 April 2024

Interview date: w/c 15 April 2024

So, if you’d like to join us as a Public Affairs Officer, please apply via the button shown. This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.

Job Types: Full-time, Temporary contract

Salary: £31,994.00-£35,850.00 per year

Work Location: In person

Reference ID: PubAffOff(Mar24)