Policy Officer

The Richmond Group has delivered a programme of work, funded by Sport England, including delivery of We Are Undefeatable (WAU), a social marketing campaign, the development of resources for patients and professionals, packs, evaluation of a suite of physical activity projects and a system influencing programme.

We are now entering a new phase of the programme, through extended partnership funding from Sport England, which aims to increase both our system influencing and place-based activity and integrate this work with our WAU campaign. The aim is to drive system change with a focus on reducing physical inactivity levels amongst people with long term conditions, who are twice as likely to be inactive as the general population.

To deliver this work we need a Policy Officer to play a pivotal role in supporting the system change we're seeking through impactful influencing activity. This role will:

Support delivery of our influencing plans nationally and locally with a focus on policy and public affairs activity

Report to the Senior Influencing Manager

Work closely across the whole RG Physical Activity Programme team, RG secretariat and our coalition members.

This is a fixed-term contract ending March 2028.

We operate a hybrid working model. We offer flexibility on working from home but require the applicant to be in our central London office once per week, on average. Travel costs to the London office are the responsibility of the postholder and are not covered by the charity.

Age UK Grade 6L

Must haves:

The below competencies will be assessed at the indicated stage of the recruitment process: Application = A, Interview = I, Test = T, Presentation = P

Experience

• Developing policy positions, proposals and analysis and delivering influencing activity that drives change in policy and practice A, I
• Writing effective, accessible communications including influencing briefing resources and reports T
• Demonstrating strong interpersonal skills, collaboration and negotiation to develop and manage successful relationships, ideally at a national and local level. A, I
• Presenting at conferences, facilitating meetings confidently and effectively, and networking. I, T
• Monitoring and evaluating influencing activity I

Skills and knowledge

• Understanding of the lived experience of people with multiple long term health conditions I, T
• Strong political awareness, with an understanding of the health and care system and policy landscape in England, including public health, prevention and the social determinants of health I
• Strong analytical skills - interpreting statistical evidence, research and lived experience to develop practical insights and purposeful recommendations and understand the impact of influencing activity A, I
• Confidence navigating complexity, ambiguity and change and ability to digest complex policy issues and translate into influencing opportunities and practical implementation I
• Ability to work in a fast paced, complex environment, and collaborate with a diverse range of stakeholders I
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to adapt tone and message for different audiences and produce clear, concise and persuasive communication A, I
• Excellent team working skills along with an ability to use own initiative and work independently A, I
• Proactive, creative and flexible approach to identifying and taking forward opportunities and shaping new ideas I, T
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workloads, manage competing demands and work calmly and confidently under pressure A

What we offer in return

• Competitive salary, 26 days annual leave + bank holidays + annual leave purchase scheme
• Wellbeing days - 2 paid days per year (pro rata for our part-time colleagues)
• Excellent pension scheme, life assurance, Bupa health cashback plan and EAP
• Car Benefit scheme, Cycle to Work scheme
• Home & Tech - apply to buy any Home & Tech items from 'Currys' & 'IKEA', 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

Supporting statements and anonymisation
Candidates are expected to provide a supporting statement that explains how they meet the competencies annotated with an 'A' in the job description, to assess suitability for the position. Age UK acknowledges and accepts that AI may be used to support the application; we do expect candidates to personalise experience, knowledge and skills and failure to do so, may result in your application being rejected.

Please submit a Word version of your CV as it will be anonymised by our recruitment system when you apply for a role. Our system is unable to anonymise supporting statements and heavily formatted CVs. Please could you remove any personal information including your name before you upload to support our inclusive recruitment process. All equalities monitoring information is also anonymised and not shared with the hiring panel. Your name and address will only be known to us if invited for interview.

Equal opportunities & Disability Confident Scheme
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. Age UK is a Disability Confident Scheme employer. Due to high numbers of applications received, 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.

Reasonable adjustments
Disabled job seekers can access reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. All requests for reasonable adjustments are considered on a case-by-case basis, in collaboration with the disabled job seeker to best meet their needs, by contacting the Recruitment Team. Disability disclosures will be kept confidential and only shared on a need-to-know basis to support the implementation of adjustments. Disclosures will not be used to inform hiring decisions.

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.

For a full list of benefits please visit our website.