Start date: Late January/Early February 2023
Place of work: The Heritage Alliance, St Martin Within Ludgate, London. EC4M 7DE
Reporting to: CEO
Hours per week: 35 hours per week
Salary: £35,000 FTE. This is a permanent post with a six-month probationary period.
Are you passionate about the Heritage Sector? Do you want to work at the heart of heritage policy and help to champion its future? The Heritage Alliance is seeking an outstanding person to take up the key role of Head of Policy. The successful candidate will join the Alliance’s small, energetic team based in our offices just around the corner from St Pauls.
This is an exciting and wide-ranging role, requiring a dynamic, proactive and reliable individual with a strategic outlook and a track record of influencing and impact. It is also ideal for someone with an interest in the heritage sector and a background in advocacy and strategic communications. The role gives an opportunity to lead a small team and work with them to design and deliver an influencing and advocacy strategy for a post-pandemic heritage sector, and also deliver professional external communications. Key upcoming priorities include National Planning Policy Framework Reform, Environmental Land Management, climate change, the impacts of Brexit and Covid and the cost of living and energy crisis.
Reporting to the Chief Executive and sitting on the Senior Executive team, the post holder will work closely with colleagues to deliver the strategy for the organisation. This role will suit someone who has solid policy, advocacy and communications experience and is looking to grow and develop at an exciting time for the sector and the organisation.
Applicants should be persuasive writers and communicators, have a passion for advocacy and policy, strong analytical skills, a strategic mindset, and the ability to deliver at pace with a strong ability to prioritise.
Whilst a demonstrable interest in heritage policy is important, direct experience across heritage policy areas is not essential; the successful candidate will possess the skills needed to quickly acquire technical knowledge. Experience working with Government and politicians, the media, managing events and meetings is highly desirable.
The closing date for applications is 9th January with interviews expected shortly afterwards. The start date would ideally be the beginning of February. There will be comprehensive handover from the current post-holder.
Role Description:
Advocacy
- Management of the policy work portfolio, including planning forthcoming work, reactive engagement and commissioning innovative reports;
- Researching across a wide range of policy briefs affecting the Alliance’s members to produce succinct briefings and consultation responses;
- Engagement with policy makers, civil servants, MPs, Peers and Arms-Length Bodies to advocate for heritage sector priorities;
- Co-ordinating, supporting and implementing the work of the Alliance’s Advocacy Groups in liaison with their Chairs;
- Creation of strategic advocacy products and plans.
Communications
- Leading strategic communications planning, and management of all public affairs and media related information resources, including maintaining and developing the contact databases;
- Strategic oversight of a number of the Alliance’s communications improvements, including a branding refresh; website and Heritage Update (the Heritage Alliance newsletter) improvements;
- Holding responsibility for overseeing the communication delivery of Heritage Update, members’ email, social media, and the website;
Management and Strategic support
- Line management of the policy and communications team, which ranges from 1 to 3 staff, plus interns. Leading recruitment and management of interns and Civil Service Fast Streamers;
- Supporting the Chief Executive and Senior Team in delivering The Heritage Alliance’s strategic plan, governance, infrastructure, and membership-related activities, deputising for the Chief Executive as required;
- Strategic oversight of a number of the Alliance’s events, including the annual Heritage Day, Heritage Debates and workshops;
- Providing secretariat support for Board meetings and managing the Board’s forward agenda;
- Acting as the Heritage Alliance’s Data Protection Officer;
- Undertaking the delivery of the IT upgrade project.
Key Competencies:
Experience
- An understanding of the policy landscape and/or the heritage sector landscape. You will have a strong instinct for where critical policy opportunities lie and how to exploit them;
- Demonstrable experience of gathering evidence and undertaking analysis of complex information and preparing clear, concise and accurate briefings, reports and consultation responses;
- Experience in strategic communications, either to Government, businesses, communities, or the public;
- Demonstrable experience of using quantitative and qualitative data to create clear, highly professional written work;
- Experience of delivery of events, both digital and in person;
- Experience of delivering social media campaigns, newsletters, and website content;
- Line management experience is desirable.
Skills, Abilities and Knowledge
- The confidence and credibility to liaise with senior colleagues and external stakeholders;
- An interest in heritage policy, Government and political affairs, and the desire to learn more;
- Ability to think strategically, delivering projects that meet multiple outcomes;
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to write clearly and concisely, with experience of writing copy for publication to a wide variety of different audiences;
- Excellent time management skills, able to take on a wide range of tasks, prioritise delivery, and use a broad range of skills in a fast-changing environment. Highly organised, ability to oversee multiple channels of delivery;
- Ability to work independently, with limited supervision;
- Ability to initiate further deliverables by thinking creatively;
- Excellent IT skills are essential;
- A positive team-player mentality, able to work in a small team and support colleagues.
Qualifications:
- Educated to a degree level or equivalent experience
To apply:
Please complete this application form (please click the link to download) and return to Lizzie Glithero-West, Chief Executive, via lizzie.glithero-west@theheritagealliance.org.uk.
For an informal chat about the role, you can talk to either the current post holder, Polly Martin or our Chief Executive, Lizzie.
Closing Date: 9th January
Equal Opportunities
The Heritage Alliance is fully committed to the provision of equal access and opportunity as an employer. Our Equal Opportunities Statement can be read here: Equal Opportunities Statement – The Heritage Alliance
The Heritage Alliance will interview registered disabled candidates who meet the key competences required.
About The Heritage Alliance
The Heritage Alliance is the largest coalition of heritage interests in England. Together its members own, manage and care for the vast majority of England’s historic environment. The Alliance represents over 185 Members – major national and regional non-Government organisations, from larger bodies such as the National Trust, English Heritage, and universities, to many smaller and more specialist bodies representing visitors, owners, volunteers, professional practitioners, funders and educationalists – which are in turn supported by well over 7 million members, Friends, staff and Trustees.
Find out more about our work here: www.theheritagealliance.org.uk