Policy and Public Affairs Officer (Scotland)

Job Description

We are looking for a new member of our Policy, Campaigns and Engagement team to lead the development of our policy work and influence the Government and the NHS in Scotland. You will be innovative, flexible and have a passion for working as part of a team to achieve real change for people with blood cancer who live in Scotland.

This is an exciting time to join the Policy, Campaigns and Engagement team of the UK’s leading blood cancer charity as we continue to bring people affected by blood cancer to the centre of our policy, campaigning and engagement activity. We have recently launched our new organisational strategy; the impact of the policy and public affairs team in achieving Blood Cancer UK’s mission is more important than ever, and we are growing our team to reflect that and bring a specific focus onto how we achieve our policy objectives in Scotland.

You will have experience of working in a policy role and an excellent knowledge of health policy in Scotland. A good understanding of how to use health data most effectively in the pursuit of policy ambitions, and experience of working in or with Scottish Government or Parliament would be an advantage.

We’re open to applicants who would like to apply for the role on the basis of a job share. If this applies to you please outline this in your cover letter.

Key Responsibilities

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead Blood Cancer UK’s policy work in Scotland, ensuring the voice of people with blood cancer fully informs our public facing policy lines.
• Horizon scan for emerging policy issues by working closely with senior colleagues in the directorate. Develop Blood Cancer UK’s policy positions in Scotland on these issues by gathering insights from healthcare professionals, researchers and the blood cancer community.
• Put the blood cancer community at the heart of our policy and campaigns activity, including working closely with our Ambassadors in Scotland.
• Coordinate with the Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager to influence policy outcomes in Scotland.
• Maintain a detailed knowledge of the health/blood cancer policy landscape, including the evolving structure of the NHS and local/national organisations responsible for delivering services, and share this information internally in a timely manner.
• Represent Blood Cancer UK on policy coalitions, including the Scottish Cancer Coalition, at health conferences and in external meetings with officials and decision makers.
• Review and provide analysis of key health data, particularly in relation to diagnosis, care and treatment for people with blood cancer.
• Work with external organisations which Blood Cancer UK has commissioned to undertake policy research on our behalf.
• Work with the Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager to coordinate policy positions and priorities across the four UK nations

THINGS WE ALL DO

• Promote Blood Cancer UK’s vision, mission and core values
• We’re all fundraisers. This is slightly different for all roles, and your team will have fundraising KPIs and objectives we all work to
• Attend and assist at Blood Cancer UK events and activities as required (NB this involves evening and weekend work)
• Be an effective ambassador for Blood Cancer UK at any activity you attend
• All staff are expected to adhere to Blood Cancer UK’s policies and procedures
• Do any other reasonable things your manager needs you to do

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Experience of working in a policy development role and an excellent understanding of health policy and structures in Scotland
• Good understanding of health policy in Scotland and NHS structures locally and nationally
• An understanding of how data and evidence can best be used to support our policy campaigns
• Experience of responding to Government, Parliament and Committee consultations
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to develop good relationships both with colleagues and key external stakeholders, clinicians and people affected by blood cancer.
• Excellent knowledge of cancer policy or a strong desire to develop such knowledge.
• Good communications skills, including an ability to write for a range of audiences including via the web and social media and explaining complex concepts in plain English.
• Knowledge of, or desire to develop knowledge of, the Scottish Medicines Consortium and the Health Technology Assessment process
• Experience or knowledge of involving disabled people/people affected by long-term conditions in policy work
• Supports a culture of continuous improvement and able to work and plan with a high degree of autonomy
• A commitment to equal opportunities and diversity and the aims and values of Blood Cancer UK

Benefits

We welcome conversations about part time working, job shares, and all forms of flexible working right from application stage. You can get in touch with us at recruitment@bloodcancer.org.uk if you want to ask us anything about flexible working.

Benefits: We think our benefits are brilliant, and the majority start from day 1. These are just a few of them:

• 30 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays
• Generous pension scheme and Life Assurance
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave, as well as study leave and a day off to move house
• Wellbeing is a priority for us, we offer a wide range of individual and team support in our Wellbeing Hub
• Our Academy is our in-house Continued Professional Development (CPD) learning and development programme, including an internal mentoring scheme. We have organisation-wide focus days, which are days set aside for you to focus on your own development, without being interrupted by emails and meetings.
• Cycle to work and season ticket loans
• Opportunity to take sabbaticals

You can find full details about our benefits on our website.