Head of Policy & Advocacy - England

Job Description

Do you believe that great leadership is fundamental to securing the laws and policies in England to end the nature and climate emergency and bring about nature’s recovery?

This is an incredible opportunity to join the RSPB’s England Leadership Team as Head of Policy & Advocacy, leading a new and expanded team whose role is to influence Westminster, local government and statutory agencies on issues which are largely or completely devolved in England, such as agricultural, land use and nature & planning policy.

This is a crucial and exciting moment to hold governments at all levels to account for their action toward nature’s recovery.

What's the role about?

Policy & advocacy is a vital part of the RSPB’s mission, taking the learning from our science and action on the ground and ensuring it is embedded in legal and policy frameworks to deliver the systemic and landscape-scale changes that nature needs. The RSPB has a strong track record on influencing the laws & policies which affect nature, often collaborating with like-minded organisations in doing so.

We work both with politicians and civil servants, as well as providing a campaigning platform for our supporters on those issues which they feel passionately about, for instance through the recent #AttackonNature campaign.

Be it through implementing the 25 Year Environment Plan, establishing new Environmental Land Management Schemes or delivering on the UK Government’s 30x30 commitment, we are facing perhaps our biggest and last opportunity to turn around nature’s decline, as a suite of new domestic policies are brought into law in England. Equally, the jeopardy presented to existing environmental protections by the Retained EU Law Bill is grave.

We’re looking for an energetic leader and role model, able to organise, inspire and motivate people to achieve great outcomes; both within your own team, across the organisation and with external stakeholders. You’ll be someone who combines political nous with a passion to achieve the best for nature, by working with and through people.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

• Experience of managing and leading diverse teams and building a positive, inclusive team culture.
• A broad understanding of English environmental policy.
• An understanding of the range of approaches used to affect systemic change, from political advocacy through to public campaigning.
• An ability to rise above the detail, processing complex information, policy concepts and scientific evidence, presenting them simply and compellingly.
• Excellent communication skills with an ability to advocate at a senior level (both internally and externally e.g. Government Ministers); negotiate and build partnerships; and generally motivate and inspire those around you.
• Experience of successfully leading teams though change and times of uncertainty.
• An ability to lead without direct authority – the RSPB’s community of advocates extends well beyond the few people in the Policy & Advocacy team, including, for example, our Area Managers, Conservation Officers & Communications team. This role will be responsible for leading our advocacy strategy across all of RSPB England.
• A commitment to developing yourself and those around you, being an active role model leading and implementing a culture of inclusion, collaboration and innovation.

Additional information:

Closing date for applications: Sunday 19 February 2023 at 11:59pm. As part of this application process you will be asked to complete an application form including evidence on how you meet the skills, knowledge, and experience listed above.

This is a permanent, full-time role. However, we are open to consideration of flexible and/or part-time working arrangements, to accommodate the right candidate. Interviews for this position will be held from 27 February 2023. Interviews are likely to be held in two stages. For further information please contact Lina.Koevchinova@rspb.org.uk

During the application phase, we will be holding open briefings to explain more about the role, the RSPB and our policy & advocacy work in England, with opportunities for any questions. If you would like to attend a briefing, please contact Lina.Koevchinova@rspb.org.uk. Alternatively, individual discussions to explore the role further can be arranged on request.

The successful candidate can be based anywhere in England. We are open to either home-working or hybrid-working from one of our offices across England (office space allowing). Like many organisations, the RSPB conducts much of its business virtually, although we do also place value on the benefits of working face-to-face, with colleagues and external stakeholders. As such, occasional travel within England is a requirement of the role.

We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse RSPB, in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To achieve our vision of creating a world richer in nature, we need more people, and more diverse people, on nature’s side. People of colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we are particularly interested in receiving your application.

The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Before applying for this role, we recommend reading through the candidate guidance notes attached to the top of this advert.