Policy and Public Affairs Lead

Policy and Public Affairs Lead
Contract: 12-month, fixed term contract
Location: Hybrid - London, UK. There will be occasions when office working is required.
Hours: 21 hours per week (3 days per week)
Salary: £55,000 (GBP) £33,000 to reflect pro -rata working hours (3 days a week).

Our client is the UK's leading charity for film in education and the community. They provide screen industry careers information and advice, support young filmmakers and bring the power of moving image storytelling into classroom teaching.

The charity also runs their annual Film Festival which enables more than 400,000 pupils to visit the cinema for free, and their Film Awards - the UK's leading showcase for young filmmaking talent.

The core programme is free for UK state schools, colleges and other youth settings, thanks to support from the BFI, awarding National Lottery good cause funding, and through other key funders including Cinema First and Northern Ireland Screen.

Charity vision: Film enriches the life of every child and young person.

Charity mission: To inspire and support young people to learn, and to realise their creative, cultural and career aspirations, through film and the moving image.

The charity operates a hybrid working policy with offices in London, Cardiff, Belfast, Edinburgh and Salford. They are open to flexible working and offer staff a health plan.

Role Summary

The Policy and Public Affairs Lead will join the organisation at a pivotal moment in the development of its political engagement, raising their profile through the delivery of an effective public affairs strategy across England and the devolved nations.

Working closely with colleagues in evaluation, research, fundraising and communications, the post holder will build strong relationships with MPs, civil servants and regional politicians to advocate for the role of film in education and align public affairs goals with potential funding opportunities.

As the leading film learning organisation in UK education, the organisation enjoys significant screen sector support and is looking to develop a political profile to match.

Main Responsibilities:

• Lead on the development of the organisation's policy and public affairs strategy for England and the devolved nations
• Develop and strengthen links with key government departments (DfE, DCMS, DWP, DBT, DSIT) and education/creative sector bodies
• Prepare policy briefings and ensure that colleagues are kept up to date on education and creative industry
• Support the Evaluation and Reporting Manager to conduct research and position findings and impact data to policy, political and statutory funding audiences
• Support the fundraising department and programme leads to identify potential national and regional funding opportunities
• Support the Press and Editorial Manager to place policy-led stories in media outlets, including education and screen industry trade titles
• Any other reasonable duties assigned by the organisation

General Responsibilities:

• Commitment to quality internally and in all dealings with stakeholders including teachers, children and young people, industry partners, funders, supporters, parents and carers, and members of the public.
• Commitment and active participation in helping the organisation live its EEDI values and ethos through everything it does.
• Contribute to long term planning to ensure growth in line with demand and resources.
• Contribute to the regular monitoring and evaluation of the organisation's work.

Person Specification:

Minimum Requirements:

• 5 years' experience of working in a senior public affairs or policy role.
• Strong communicator with the ability to collaborate effectively in a cross-team environment
• A confident self-starter with extensive experience of briefing trustees and executive teams
• Experience of developing and managing policy and public affairs strategies and campaigns across England and the devolved nations
• Experience of engaging high level political stakeholders, including Ministers and senior civil servants in England and the devolved nations
• Excellent working knowledge of education and creative industry policy and practice across England and the devolved nations
• Experience of leading policy and public affairs activity that has resulted in funding
• Experience of writing briefing/position papers, blogs and articles for media
• Experience of shaping evaluation and research activity to support policy and public affairs campaigns
• Experience of managing a busy and varied workload, ensuring deadlines are met

Desirable:

• A good understanding of the education market and how teachers can use film and the moving image to meet their teaching and learning objectives
• An understanding of screen industry career pathways and post-16 Film and Media Studies qualifications
• A working knowledge of UK film distribution and exhibition
• Familiarity with the Microsoft Office 365
• A love and knowledge of film culture

Closing: 9:00am, 10th Mar 2025 GMT

Interested?

To apply, please click the apply button. You will be taken to a simple CHM Recruit form where you can find out more information and complete your application by following the instructions.

All employees regularly working with children and member data are required to undertake and maintain enhanced DBS clearance (and/or Access NI check or Disclosure Scotland check, depending on working location), acquired at the organisation's expense; employment is dependent upon this.

No agencies please.