Policy and Parliamentary Affairs Manager

Foreign Policy Centre
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Location London, United Kingdom
Application deadline 30 November 2023
Contract type Fixed term
Hours Full-time
Salary Dependent on experience and career level. A junior manager would be expected to earn £30,000 - £35,000 and a mid-level one, £35,000 - £40,000.
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The Foreign Policy Centre is seeking a Policy and Parliamentary Affairs Manager to lead its parliamentary engagement. This role involves maximising opportunities to connect policy makers with FPC’s network of experts, supporting the development of policy recommendations, and helping to inform public debate on key foreign policy issues to ensure the effective delivery of its mission.

About the The Foreign Policy Centre

The Foreign Policy Centre (FPC) is an independent, non-partisan international affairs think tank based in the United Kingdom. Our mission is to inform both the British and global debate, seeking sustainable solutions for the world’s most pressing challenges.

Roles and responsibilities

  • Monitor Parliamentary debates, committees, inquiries, government reviews and other processes and groups (e.g. APPGs) relevant for the delivery of FPC’s programme of work.
  • Identify opportunities in Parliament, Whitehall and beyond for the FPC to build its network, engage with, and respond to, policy developments and keep colleagues informed about important deadlines for oral questions, submissions, and briefings.
  • Act as a key point of liaison for the FPC’s staff and particularly its network of fellows and advisers to facilitate a mutual exchange of information, ideas and expertise between policy researchers and policy makers.
  • Lead on the development of briefings, submissions to Parliamentary or governmental inquiries, drafting potential amendments for Bills, advisory notes for Parliamentarians and other key stakeholders, or other similar written outputs, increasing the impact of FPC and partners’ research and outputs.
  • Strengthen ongoing, and develop new, relationships with the Parliamentary community (MPs, Peers, researchers, committee clerks and APPGs) as well as governmental and diplomatic audiences (special advisers and civil servants) to help better inform the FPC’s research output and engage with policy development.
  • Work with the FPC team to organise and deliver the FPC’s calendar of events, including seminars, receptions, and conferences; as well as assist in the development and planning of FPC’s attendance at party conferences.
  • Represent the FPC – where appropriate – as a speaker at events and in meetings. Providing other administrative and operational support as required.

Experience and skills

  • Educated to at least undergraduate degree level.
  • A minimum of three to five years of experience working in Parliament or in a similar parliamentary liaison role.
  • Proven ability to build impactful relationships with policymakers or similar audiences, working in a non-partisan, cross party way.
  • Expert knowledge of the public-policy process including parliamentary procedure and frameworks, as well as the inner mechanics of Whitehall.
  • Strong communications skills, with native English language proficiency, and knowledge of how best to communicate for different audiences – both publicly and privately – in a variety of formats, including social media.
  • Excellent drafting and editing skills, including for articles, briefings, and reports, with a keen eye for attention to detail.
  • Prior event organisation experience, particularly for Parliamentary or similar audiences.
  • Strong organisational ability, including ability to work to tight deadlines, prioritise workload and operate both independently and as part of a team.
  • Flexible approach to working hours, with the understanding that evening work will sometimes be required in order to attend or deliver events.
  • The ability to respect the need for confidentiality when appropriate.
  • The right to work in the UK.

Desirable, but not required:

  • Regional or thematic knowledge on one of our focus areas (human rights, democracy, good governance and conflict resolution).
  • Fluency in another language (particularly Arabic, Russian or Chinese).
  • Fundraising and donor reporting experience.
  • Project management experience.
  • Knowledge of how to use MailChimp, Eventbrite, WordPress, YouTube and social media systems.

Application

To apply, please send your CV and a cover letter outlining your interest and suitability for the role to [email protected] by 23:59 on Thursday 30th November 2023. Please note, applications submitted without a cover letter will not be considered and we will only be able to give feedback to shortlisted candidates. Interviews are expected to be held within the first two weeks of December.

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