Strategic Policy Advisor , HEO, Perm, Liverpool, London, Newport

• Are you able to see the big picture across Government?
• Do you have an inquisitive and analytical mind?
• Do you want to lead projects?

The Communications & Policy Directorate is at the centre of delivering the Commissions purpose and strategy. The directorate leads the organisations efforts to engage with charity trustees, the public and stakeholders to support those running charities, to help the sector deliver positive outcomes and build public trust in charity. The policy function ensures that the Commission spots and understands key policy challenges and how they impact on the public, charities and our regulatory priorities. We develop and lead clear, consistent and effective policy interventions in response. This includes understanding casework risks, undertaking stakeholder engagement and communicating new policy positions, and supporting parliamentary or legislative activity. We undertake a significant programme of horizon scanning in order to ensure we are an agile and forward-thinking regulator.

Role Purpose: Strategic Policy Advisor.

This roles is based in a small but busy strategic policy team. We undertake both proactive and reactive policy work on the full breadth of challenges arising in charity governance and from the changing regulatory landscape. Recently this has included addressing charity use of AI, examining challenges with banking services for charities, and considering the implications of campaigning rules and new legislation on charities. You will have the opportunity to lead a diverse and exciting portfolio of end-to-end policy development projects, that could include regulation of social housing charities, options to understand and reduce barriers to individuals becoming charity trustees and how we engage with and support new trustees more effectively.

Strategic policy advisors are expected to work independently to build stakeholder relations, analysis and liaising with Government on their proposed legislative plans where they impact charities, and plan various policy interventions. The postholders will have substantial autonomy, ensuring that senior Commission staff are appropriately briefed on developments. They will provide advice and guidance to senior colleagues, including the CEO, on strategic policy interventions and work collaboratively and constructively with senior colleagues from across the organisation.

Key responsibilities:

This is a role leading on a variety of policy development. The core responsibilities include:

• Undertake policy development programmes in line with best practice. This will include scoping projects, evaluating and recommending options, and overseeing implementation, including products such as new guidance or communications to charities.
• Developing and delivering stakeholder management and engagement strategies with external stakeholders and government departments.
• Horizon-scanning and spotting issues as they develop.
• Briefing senior staff and providing comprehensive and balanced advice
• Feeding into a broad range of the Commissions change and improvement projects by providing a policy perspective

You will develop an excellent understanding of the Commissions remit and strategic purpose and the environment (political, legal and economic) in which we operate, and embed this in your policy proposals and recommendations.

Ability:

• Ability to develop exciting and forward thinking policy
• Relationship management and influencing (with internal and external stakeholders)
• Excellent, succinct and persuasive written and oral communication skills
• Ability to take the initiative in identifying and dealing with issues
• A demonstrable ability to work flexibly and effectively under pressure, manage multiple targets and deadlines
• Proven skills in providing advice developed by gathering information from a range of internal and external sources
• Strong analytical skills and sound judgement to evaluate complex information to support decisions
• Ability to plan, prioritise and work collaboratively at all levels to achieve demanding targets and deadlines and good project management skills, with a track record of delivering projects to agreed milestones and targets.

Experience:

• Experience of policy development
• Experiencing in working closely with senior stakeholders
• Experience of gathering evidence to successfully inform a proposal, an assessment of a problem, or of conducting horizon scanning
• Management of a project or initiative, a research programme, or a contract

Technical:

• Knowledge of the techniques, approaches or skills associated with policy
• Strong knowledge and interest in public policy issues and current affairs.
• Knowledge of either the charity sector, regulation or public sector policy making would be desirable, OR a proven ability to come up to speed quickly with understanding a sectors legal, regulatory and policy environment