New Local
Head of Policy & Insights (maternity cover)
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About Us
New Local has a mission to transform public services and unlock community power. We publish research, lead peer learning, influence government and work with public sector organisations on some of today’s most pressing issues, informed by our network of 50-plus local authority members.
Purpose
This role sits in our Practice and Programmes team, and whilst you will lead our policy work, you will also deliver practice projects. We are looking for someone who can apply their policy expertise in both our policy and practice work.
Our thought leadership and policy approach is deeply rooted in our practice and peer-learning networks. You will lead this work drawing on the pioneering work we see in places, and with our members, to develop narratives and practical insights which challenge thinking and practice and inform the national policy conversation about the conditions and enablers needed for places to accelerate and grow innovation in place-based, preventative and relational working. This could be through leading work resulting in policy papers, blogs or thought pieces, through the shaping of events or member sessions or through influencing key stakeholders. You will develop relationships with key partners to shape and deliver policy projects that move forward on our agenda on community power and public service reform.
In our practice work you will solve challenges alongside councils, other public sector partners and communities, supporting them to deepen the impact of innovative place-based approaches and to understand the conditions needed for them to grow. You will be leading projects, working alongside delivery partners where needed, managing other New Local team members, to deliver high quality work and impact for our partners.
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We are committed to strengthening the feedback loops between practice and policy locally, regionally and nationally and this role is key to this.
Person Specification: Knowledge and Skills Required
- Experience in using research skills (qualitative and/or quantitative) to shape and inform policy discussions and ensure relevancy to debates. (E)
- Experience of using different approaches and methodologies in practice work to inform and influence practitioner audiences. (E)
- Knowledge in at least one area of specialism of relevance to New Local’s work - e.g. Knowledge of place-based public service reform. This could include local government reorganisation, devolution, preventative and relational public services, local economies. (E)
- Outstanding written skills, with a demonstrable track record of brilliant writing for a range of audiences and a deep understanding of how to present work in engaging and accessible ways. (E)
- Strong verbal communication skills, able to present ideas and arguments in an engaging way to a variety of audiences. (E)
- An entrepreneurial mindset with a track record of partnership initiation and business development. (E)
- A broad research, practitioner and policy network and a desire to grow and maintain a strong online profile. (E)
- Excellent project planning and project management skills with strong attention to detail. (E)
- Capability to work in a highly creative and autonomous way. (E)
- Capability to deal with ambiguity and to support team members and partners to manage uncertainty and work towards clarity. (E)
- Capability to actively contribute to the highly supportive, collaborative and friendly organisational culture at New Local. (E)
- A champion for community power, who understands and is committed to its principles. (E)
- Excellent understanding of the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector. (D)
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How to Apply
To apply for this role, please email recruitment@newlocal.org.uk including your:
- CV
- An answer to these questions in no more than 400 words in total: How do you see the relationship between practice and policy? Where do you have experience of shaping policy recommendations through practice?
The deadline for applications is 13 July 2026, 9:00am.
For the recruitment timeline and full Job Description and New Local benefits, please visit our website: https://www.newlocal.org.uk/about/jobs/
If you would like an informal conversation about this role, require any help applying for this role or taking part in the recruitment process, then do not hesitate to contact us at recruitment@newlocal.org.uk
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