Alzheimer's Society
Head of Public Affairs
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Head of Public Affairs
Salary: £69,081 - £76,756 Per Annum
Working Hours: 35 per week
Contract: Permanent
Location: Home-based
Applications Close: 23:59 on Tuesday 20th October
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?
About the role
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.
About you
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.
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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.
What you’ll focus on:
- 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, fiscal events, legislative programmes, consultations and other significant political moments across all three nations.
- Positioning Alzheimer’s Society as a leading, authoritative and solutions-focused voice on dementia, using evidence, lived experience and policy expertise to shape political debate.
- Representing our priorities through speeches, events, professional networks and media activity, and support senior spokespeople to engage effectively with political audiences.
About Alzheimer's Society - who are we and what’s our mission?
Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer. One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime.
At Alzheimer’s Society, we’re the UK’s leading dementia charity and the only one to tackle all aspects of dementia by giving help and hope to people living with dementia today and in the future. We give vital support to people facing the most frightening times of their lives, while also funding ground-breaking research and campaigning to make dementia the priority it should be. Together with our supporters, we’re working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives.
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Our values make sure that our focus is clear for the challenges and opportunities ahead and remind us of what we all stand for.
Our commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
We need to ensure the voices around our table better reflect and understand the communities we exist to serve. We strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as part of a minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Alzheimer's Society.
Our hiring process
We want you to bring your whole self to the process. Applications are anonymised until interview stage, and we’re happy to support any adjustments. Share your feedback via our candidate survey when applying to help us improve. We may close early if we receive high interest (with 48 hours’ notice). Some roles may require a DBS check as part of our safer recruitment commitment. Thinking about using AI during the recruitment process? we know this can be helpful in many ways but remember to include your personal and authentic self too. Your voice and experience are what really set you apart.
Giving back to you
At Alzheimer’s Society, we value our people and take a total reward approach to pay and benefits. You’ll enjoy a generous double-matched pension scheme, 27 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays and wellbeing days), and access to a free Health Shield Cash Plan, 24/7 EAP, Thrive mental wellbeing support, and virtual GP services. Our Society Plus platform offers exclusive discounts, wellbeing resources, and recognition schemes, while our flexible working, family-friendly policies, and life assurance provide peace of mind and work/life balance. We also offer a free Will-writing service and long service awards to recognise your ongoing commitment.
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