Policy Manager

Our campaigns team focuses on using public affairs, lobbying and media work to advance change.  

We are recruiting for a new senior policy role, which will involve developing and executing a strategy to influence penal policy and practice, with a focus on adult males, alongside some targeted public affairs work in the area of IPP reform.

Key Responsibilities

• Developing and executing strategy to influence penal policy and practice, working with key members of staff from across the organisation to identify issues and secure change.
• Lobbying and influencing a range of stakeholders, developing and nurturing strong relationships with relevant agencies and opinion formers.
• Speaking on behalf of the Howard League at a senior level at a range of conferences and events.
• To write reports, consultation responses and parliamentary briefings with clear objectives for change, in line with the organisation’s strategic priorities.
• Line managing at least one member of staff in the policy team.
• Maintaining professional knowledge and skills to keep pace in dynamic environments and share skills as appropriate with colleagues.
• Working as part of the whole office team.

Selection criteria

We would expect our successful candidate to meet at least one or more of the desirable criteria:

Technical expertise and qualifications

Desirable: 

A university degree or equivalent studies in a relevant field (such as law, criminology, sociology etc).

Experience:

Essential: Experience of managing staff.
Essential: Experience of policy development.
Desirable: Experience of working on legislation and drafting amendments.
Desirable: Experience of working in a public affairs environment.
Desirable: Experience of participatory projects involving lived experience.
Desirable: Experience of campaigning.

Knowledge and skills

Essential: A commitment to, and understanding of, the Howard League’s strategic objectives.
Essential: A commitment to social justice, human rights and prison reform.
Essential: A commitment to the Howard League’s values of collaboration, excellence, integrity, learning, accountability and courage.
Essential: Excellent verbal and written communication skills and a proven track record of writing and producing materials to publication standard.
Essential: Ability to take initiative, think creatively and problem-solve.
Essential: Excellent organisational skills, the ability to keep to a clear timetable and achieve agreed targets with a short turnaround.
Essential: A good team player, with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build productive working relationships with colleagues.
Essential: Ability to think creatively and conceive innovative solutions and ideas.
Essential: Computer literacy, with experience in using a range of office software.
Desirable: Knowledge of criminal justice issues and the penal system, including of the IPP sentence.

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