Head of Public Affairs

Do you have experience of developing and delivering public affairs, government relations or political influencing strategies? Could you identify and act on political opportunities to help generate greater urgency and political prioritisation for dementia?

We are currently recruiting for a Head of Public Affairs, to join on a permanent contract, working full-time, 35 hours per week. This is a remote, home-based role, which may require you to travel to London on a monthly basis for conferences, events and in-person stakeholder or team meetings.

As the Head of Public Affairs, you will play a key role in Alzheimer’s Society’s political engagement across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Your aim will be to secure greater urgency, ambition and sustained political prioritisation for dementia, ensuring our evidence, policy positions and the experiences of people affected by dementia lead to decisions that improve diagnosis, treatment, care and support.

This is a senior, outward-facing leadership role operating in fast-moving and often uncertain political environments. Therefore, you will need to anticipate change, identify the moments when progress is possible and rapidly adapt strategy, messages and resources.

You will work collaboratively with other senior colleagues to set the public affairs strategy, establish clear political outcomes and lead a high-performing team to deliver them. You will judge where power and influence sit, build trusted relationships with senior political and system leaders, convene coalitions and use parliamentary, governmental, media and campaigning routes to accelerate change.

Your work will ensure our influencing is grounded in robust evidence and lived experience, politically astute, responsive to external change and focused on impact rather than activity.

Interviews for this role have been provisionally scheduled to take place via MS Teams on Friday 30th October.

Joining us you’ll have substantial senior-level experience of developing and delivering public affairs, government relations or political influencing strategies. You’ll be able to build credibility and influence senior stakeholders, including politicians, advisers, civil servants, health and care leaders, and sector partners.

To be successful in this role you’ll have a good track record of translating evidence, policy priorities and lived experience into compelling influencing strategies, political propositions and engagement plans. You’ll also be able use good political judgement and strategic prioritisation to identify a political opportunity or emerging trend and adapt strategy effectively.

Crucially, you’ll be an effective leader, with the ability to drive delivery and develop and motivate high-performing teams. You’ll be a good communicator with the ability to build positive, collaborative relationships with teams and stakeholders across the organisation.

• Leading and developing a team of managers, officers and assistants, fostering a culture of high support, high challenge, pace, sound judgement and continuous learning.
• Delivering an ambitious public affairs strategy across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with clear political objectives, choices, audiences and measures of impact.
• Driving greater urgency and political prioritisation for dementia, making the case for dementia as a health and care priority and securing visible, sustained commitment from decision-makers.
• Identifying and acting on political opportunities across the three nations, tailoring approaches to their different institutions, policy landscapes, parliamentary processes and political cultures.
• Ensuring the organisation is prepared for elections, changes of government or leadership,…