Head of Policy and Public Affairs

Carers UK is looking for maternity leave cover for our Head of Policy and Public Affairs to lead the team for 10-12 months. This is an exciting opportunity to join our team at a critical time to influence policy and practice to bring about lasting change for unpaid carers.

The pandemic has really shone a light on what Britain's unpaid carers do. The last few years have been fast paced, offering fresh opportunities for carers' support as well as new challenges that make life more difficult for carers and which need to be overcome.

The role would involve leading and managing the Policy and Public Affairs team and influencing political and policy-making processes, delivering effective campaigns, leading key research with and about carers and engaging carers in our work to ensure that they are at the heart of what we do., This role is responsible for work at the heart of the organisation focussing on the equality, support and recognition of unpaid carers in society. Leading areas of work, devising campaigns, building policy and finding good practice is at the centre of the role, ensuring that we maintain our strong profile in Parliament and with Government. Over the 10 - 12 months you would be working on our major 60^th anniversary programme, Carers Week, health and social care policy, key research and campaigns over that time period.

This role is responsible for maintaining our great reputation for our strong evidence-based research programme including delivering our renowned State of Caring survey, the first of its kind nationally and globally and which now has over 10 years of data.

Having a good eye for media and what is necessary to support our work is essential as is a strong close working relationship with the communications team.

This role is also responsible for carer engagement in our policy and public affairs work, whether it's carers meeting Ministers, helping shape policy or practice, testing our research or helping tell their stories to increase understanding.

Diversity and inclusion

Carers UK is committed to becoming a diverse and truly inclusive organisation. We strive to create a workplace where our colleagues and volunteers can truly be themselves and feel like they belong and constantly seek to ensure all voices are heard.

To embrace this culture of diversity, our employee and volunteer recruitment should reflect our stakeholders and the society that we serve and support, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, physical abilities, disabilities or religious practices. We value individual diversity and are actively building diverse teams here at Carers UK and value our colleagues from a wide range of backgrounds.

As a membership charity for carers, we particularly seek employees and volunteers with a real understanding of the issues faced by carers. Reasonable adjustments can be made to the process and role dependent on the needs of the applicant.

You will be an experienced policy, campaigns and public affairs professional with a passion for change and social justice. You will have great working knowledge of the policy and legislative landscape and be able to demonstrate changes that your work has delivered. You will have experience of delivering research which helps to bring about change. Self-motivation, with sound experience of planning, but an ability to respond quickly to a changing external environment, will be at the heart of your approach.

You'll have a strong sense of purpose to bring about change that improves carers' lives, and will be results driven. Collaboration internally and externally will be important to you and you will have good experience of employee management, leading a team and budget management.