Senior Policy & Public Affairs Officer LBS-010

Job Category : Marketing & Communications
Location : 160 Tooley Street, Southwark Council
Hours Per Week : 36.00
Start Date : Immediate Start
Start Time : 09:00
End Time : 17:00
Salary: £192.13

The Policy & Public Affairs team, within Strategy & Impact, works to understand and influence external policy and practice that impacts our residents and the delivery of our commitments to them. It seeks to build the Council’s influence and ensure the needs of Southwark are understood by decision-makers.

The Senior Policy & Public Affairs Officer will develop and deliver influencing strategies on Southwark’s public affairs priority issues, holding responsibility for overseeing specific policy areas within the team. The post-holder will advise politicians and officers on a range of policy issues, developing expertise on their area of focus. They will work with colleagues across the council to deploy a range of public affairs approaches, including delivering events, engaging with decision-makers, promoting evidence, generating media coverage and building alliances.
This is a full time position with ideally 3 days in the office, but some flexibility can be considered for the right candidat

Knowledge, including educational qualifications:
Essential
Good understanding of current UK politics and knowledge of the social, political and economic issues relating to the work of the public sector, especially local government, and what this means for Southwark Council.

Knowledge of a range of campaign and public affairs approaches and an understanding of how to strategically deploy them to meet influencing objectives.
In depth knowledge of parliamentary and government decisionmaking processes, including the points for a local authority to influence them.

Experience:
Experience of building and managing strong collaborative relationships with senior external stakeholders.
Experience of writing persuasive and engaging outputs for a range of audiences.
Experience of researching complex policy issues and writing technical, accurate briefings and communications.
Experience of coordinating events and facilitating meetings with senior stakeholders.
Experience of developing and delivering political engagement and
communication strategies to secure policy change.

Aptitudes, Skills & Competencies:
Confidence in working effectively with senior colleagues and politicians.

Able to work collaboratively and purposefully with partner organisations locally and nationally to bring about change.
Able to prioritise in a fast-paced environment, use initiative and work independently
Able to write persuasively and concisely on complex and multifaceted topics.