Senior Public Affairs Manager - Scotland
Application Deadline: 28th February 2021
Job Type: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: £38,250-£45,000 pa
Location: Scotland – regular travel to Edinburgh office.
Do you want to play a key role in an organisation which stands up for children and fights child poverty? Join us as Senior Public Affairs Manager to help us influence policy and practice changes in Scotland that lead to families' having enough money to meet their basic needs and children in the early years are supported to reach their potential.
Every child has the right to have their basic needs met, and to receive the support to ensure they can reach their full potential. The greatest barrier to this in the UK is poverty and inequality.
Our UK mission is to make a sustainable reduction in the number of children growing up in poverty, and to narrow the learning gap between those children and their better-off peers.
We believe this future is possible. It requires more money to be put back into the pockets of parents and carers, decent jobs, more opportunities for young children to play and learn, and policies and services which centre children and families' needs, reduce discrimination, and that are designed to help children to flourish by preventing difficulties at the earliest possible stage: in pregnancy, at birth, in the crucial first 1,001 days of life and throughout childhood.
We work closely with the communities we aim to support. We recognise their diversity and strengths as well as the challenges they face, and we aim to reflect their diversity and experiences in our UK staff team.
As Senior Public Affairs Manager Scotland you will work collaboratively with our team and partners to identify, create and deliver creative opportunities and strategies that challenge progress and influence government and others to develop further solutions to tackle child poverty and its impact on early childhood.
You will:
Support and develop a small team of two Policy and Practice Impact Advisers
Oversee our approach to engaging with Scottish Parliament, Scottish Government and other decision-makers – creating opportunities to influence decision-making processes, forging trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, drafting high level briefings and correspondence, maintaining an overview of political trends, and deploying political intelligence and judgement
Develop credible policy solutions and positions on key issues based on good political judgement, high quality analysis of policy trends and research, and working with families and others
Build and maintain external relationships with stakeholders in the political and policy communities and build a network of allies on key issues
Create opportunities for parents and children to shape policy solutions and influence decision-makers
Advise colleagues on influencing practice that enables families to support their children's wellbeing and development in the early years
To be successful you will have significant experience of securing national policy and practice changes in Scotland and an in-depth knowledge and understanding of political and policy structures and processes in Scotland and how to influence them. You will hold a network of senior contacts across government, parliament and policy sectors. You will work with minimal supervision, collaboratively with others and demonstrate positive and inclusive leadership behaviours. In addition, you will have
Proven ability to set a clear direction, lead and motivate a small team and be a strong team player with an empowering and collaborative working style and excellent interpersonal skills
Positive, resilient and committed to improving the lives of young children and families by working with them as partners in our work
Outstanding communication skills with the ability to synthesise large amounts of technical information for a range of audiences
Experience of developing policy proposals using analysis and commissioning and/ or overseeing research projects, evidence from practice, and an understanding of family's experiences and needs
A knowledge and understanding of key issues and what works to tackle child poverty and support early child development
If it would help, you can chat to the hiring manager before applying for this role – as a large organisation with a competitive interview process, we know it can be daunting. We are here to help you through the process and support you to do your best.
At Save the Children we are committed to the safeguarding and protection of children in our work. We will do everything possible to ensure that only those who are suitable to work with children are recruited to work for us. This post is subject to a range of vetting checks including a criminal records disclosure.
Diversity & Inclusion Save the Children UK is committed to diversity and equality of opportunity in all aspects of our work both external and internal.
We are committed to diversity and equality of opportunity in all aspects of our work both external and internal. We strive to be an inclusive employer and particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups such as returning parents or carers who are re-entering work after a career break, people who are LGBT+, from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, with a disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition, with caring responsibilities, from different nations and regions, and from less advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.
If you share our belief in the power of children, join the fight. It takes relentless determination, creativity, and a commitment to real change. Because every child should be able to make their mark on their world and help to build a better future. We look forward to hearing from you.
Please note - whilst this role is advertised as office based, Save The Children UK will remain a remote-working organisation until at least 30 June 2021.
We particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities, Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, LGBT+ and from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds, as these are underrepresented at Save the Children UK.
Jobs are positioned within the salary structure on the basis of evaluation. New employees would normally be appointed at the bottom of the grade, however the appointed salary may also take into account the relevant experience a candidate brings to a role. Save the Children is committed to paying staff in a fair and equitable way and will benchmark all salary offers in line with the pay of existing staff.