Public Affairs & Campaigns Adviser

Job title: Public affairs and campaigns adviser

Contract type: Permanent

Salary: Grade 4, £32,119 - £35,000

Working arrangements: Full time, 35 hours per week. Hybrid working, with a minimum of 6 days per month in the office.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Royal College of Physicians at a crucial time. The RCP is a patient centred and clinically led organisation in the health sector and is the oldest medical royal college representing hospital doctors.

The public affairs and campaigns adviser supports the development of the RCP’s influence and networks, particularly in government and Parliament, identifying opportunities to involve RCP fellows and members in our influencing work.

Working closely with the public affairs manager, you will help support our public affairs and policy work, proactively identifying opportunities to ensure the organisation is influencing the health agenda effectively on a range of topics including the NHS workforce, health inequality, sustainability and climate change and clinical research.  

You will be as comfortable speaking to parliamentarians and other stakeholders as you are writing consultation submissions and briefings. You will understand and be able to engage with the detail of legislation, while appreciating the bigger picture and our place in it. You will have experience of carefully analysing the external environment to spot opportunities to raise the profile of our policy priorities.

The policy and campaigns team – and the wider communications, policy and research department - is a fast paced, collaborative and innovative environment. We value the opinions and ideas of every member of the team and actively seek their contributions. You will help us set our objectives and improve the ways we work.

Purpose and scope

Key responsibilities

• Helping the RCP meet its objectives by contributing to the development and implementation of strategies to engage with and influence decision makers.
• Maintaining a keen awareness and understanding of issues within health and care in order to help identify opportunities for influencing, contribute to policy development, advise senior officers and work with communications colleagues and other staff as appropriate.
• Proactively identifying opportunities for engagement, working with the media team to craft statements so relevant issues are highlighted to the media.
• Maintaining and developing relationships with Parliamentarians, their staff and civil servants.
• Maintaining and developing relationships with other health organisations and bodies involved in the delivery of care.
• Working flexibly and proactively, undertaking a range of work such as writing briefings, policy positions, parliamentary bulletins and consultation responses.
• Preparing senior officers and staff for stakeholder meetings, and yourself representing the RCP at meetings and events.
• Any other duties commensurate with your post, including deputising for the public affairs manager.

About you

You will

• have a background in public affairs, understanding how the UK political system works and how to effectively influence it
• be able to quickly develop positive and effective working relationships with a diverse range of people
• have excellent writing skills and experience of producing letters, briefings, parliamentary consultation responses and other communications on behalf of senior people
• have contributed to developing and delivering successful influencing campaigns, including tailoring communications to a variety of audiences
• be able to act on your own initiative to develop new work, proposing reasonable and realistic solutions 
• understand the importance of and be committed to involving a diverse range of organisations and people in developing and delivering campaigns.

You may have experience of

• health and/or social care policy
• policy development and/or communications management
• working directly with draft legislation
• working in a membership organisation and involving members in advocacy.

For more information about the role please view the job description .  

Our benefits

Working at the RCP comes with lots of benefits designed to ensure that you feel valued and supported in your role. The benefits we offer include:

• 27 days holiday per annum, plus bank holidays
• group personal pension plan with 7% employer contribution
• interest-free season ticket loan 
• life assurance
• annual pay award 
• flexible working hours
• employee assistance programme – 24/7 advice and support for any work-related issues as well as any problems affecting your home life
• occupational health team – includes employment and work-related health assessments, health checks and work station assessments
• cycle to work scheme 
• corporate eye care scheme
• professional training and development opportunities
• enhanced maternity and paternity pay
• staff discounts platform – including discounts on cinema tickets and a range of high street brands

About the RCP

The Royal College of Physicians is a rewarding and friendly place to work with an incredible history, dating back to our foundation in 1518. We are a professional membership body for physicians – doctors who work in hospitals – with over 40,000 members in the UK and around the world working to improve patient care and reduce illness. Our activities focus on educating, improving and influencing for better health and care.

How to apply

To apply, please submit your CV and cover letter outlining how your skills and experience meet the job description. Please note that applications received without a cover letter will not be shortlisted.

For more information about the role, please view the job description and person specification. If you would like to talk to us about it, please email Oliver Parsons, public affairs manager, via [email protected] .

Closing date: Thursday 4 April

Shortlisted candidates will be notified by: Friday 12 April

Interview date: Wednesday 17 April (interviews will be conducted in person at our London office).

The RCP positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, transgender status, religion or belief, marital status or pregnancy and maternity.

The RCP is all about our people – our members, staff, volunteers and leaders. We educate, influence and collaborate to improve health and healthcare for everyone and know we can only do this by being inclusive, encouraging and celebrating diverse perspectives. Welcoming into our community people who represent the 21st-century medical workforce and the diverse population of patients we serve is a priority for us.