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Job Description

Date: November 2016

Job title: Head of Policy and Public Affairs

Status of post: Permanent, full time

Salary: NICVA Grade L, NJC points 44 – 46 (£38,789 – £40,619)

Candidates will normally be appointed at the start of the scale.

Responsible to: Deputy Chief Executive (as directed by the Chief Executive)

Responsible for: Policy, Research and DetailData teams

Key Relationships: Chief Executive, Policy, Research and project teams as well as being a member of Senior Management Team along with the Chief Executive, Deputy Chief Executive, Head of Information Management and Head of Organisational Development.

Summary of main duties

• Manage all activities within the Policy and Public Affairs function of the organisation.

• As part of the senior management team, contribute to strategic and operational planning and decision-making.

• Represent the organisation and the sector, as appropriate to Government, the media and other bodies and in other areas of organisational activity as designated by the Chief Executive .

Specific Duties

1 Policy Development

• Support VCSE organisations to generate solutions to social, economic and environmental problems.

• Manage the NICVA research strategy including producing State of the Sector to provide evidence for policy analysis.

• Support VCSE organisations to influence public policy decision making.

• To write and oversee the development of high quality briefings, consultation responses, reports and other policy outputs as required.

• To build relationships with government officials, politicians, other voluntary organisations, academics and others in the social policy field to further NICVA’s effectiveness in delivering policy outcomes.

• To monitor social policy trends within Northern Ireland, Ireland, UK, Europe and beyond and advise NICVA of implications.

• To provide advice and information on UK/NI/RoI institutions, policies, legislation and programmes to voluntary and community sector organisations and to build the capacity of organisations to influence the same.

• To contribute to opportunities for debating issues of relevance to the sector through ad hoc discussions, seminars, conferences, networks, advisory groups and steering committees as appropriate.

• To contribute to regular information updates, fact sheets, guides, manuals and briefings for all NICVA communication channels.

• To identify opportunities for the development of the Public Affairs function to include identifying opportunities for funding specific projects and contributing to the writing of funding applications.

2 Developing the organisation

• To manage the development, implementation and review of research & policy operational plans.

• To actively contribute to the development of NICVA as a member of the senior management team and participate at all management meetings.

• To provide management, supervision, staff development and appraisal of all appropriate staff.

• To continually improve NICVA’s Policy and Public Affairs role by generating and implementing creative and innovative approaches to influence others.

3 Communication and media

• To develop and lead NICVA’s media strategy ensuring a good public media profile for NICVA’s work.

• To substitute for the Chief Executive as required as NICVA’s main media spokesperson articulating NICVA’s policy positions on all aspects of public affairs.

• To be the lead contact person in NICVA for external media contact.

• To manage communications with the media using press releases, briefings, social media and other communication channels as appropriate.

4 Other Duties

• To manage the public affairs elements of NICVA projects as they arise from time-to-time (current example Impact of Alcohol project and support for Faith-based organisations).

• To contribute to the promotion of NICVA.

• To undertake such other reasonable duties as NICVA may from time to time require.

Personnel Specification

Date: November 2016

Job title: Head of Policy and Public Affairs

Experience and Qualifications

Essential:

1. Minimum of five year's relevant work experience which includes all of the following:

a. Experience of managing a wide range of projects or activities at a senior level to include managing and leading a team.

b. Experience of working in a policy development role to include leading on consultations on social and economic policy issues of interest to the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector.

c. Experience of working with NI government departments, political representatives, the NI Assembly and voluntary, community and social enterprise sector organisations on policy issues.

2. Experience of using websites, social media, regional and local press and media tools to encourage debate and communicate policy messages.

3. Experience of devising work plans and reporting on outcomes.

4. A degree level qualification in a relevant discipline or equivalent; or six years relevant experience as required above.

Desirable

5. Experience of leading and coordinating campaigns involving press and media work.

Skills and Competencies

Essential

1. Ability to analyse evidence, assess policy options and disseminate briefings to the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector.

2. Ability to plan and deliver projects and provide strategic direction and support to colleagues.

3. Ability to organise workload to achieve agreed targets and objectives.

4. Excellent presentation skills including the ability to communicate clearly both orally and in writing and to adjust the style and content of communication to meet internal and external needs.

5. Ability to build good working relationships both internally across the organisation and externally at all levels.

Knowledge and Interests

Essential

1. Extensive knowledge of current policy issues within the voluntary and community sector in NI, Europe and beyond.

2. Extensive knowledge of NI political structures

3. Extensive knowledge of NI public finance and policy decision making structures.

Other requirements

Essential

1. Ability to work within the vision, mission and values of NICVA.

2. Ability to work flexible hours and to travel throughout Northern Ireland, and occasionally abroad at times demanded by the job.

3. Committed to NICVA’s policy of equality of opportunity.

4. To ensure the appropriate business car insurance is in place if the successful candidate claims mileage expenses and uses their own vehicle for work purposes.

Assessment Method – Head of Policy and Public Affairs – November 2016

|Criteria |Essential |Desirable |Method of Assessment |

|Experience and Qualifications | | | |

|1.Minimum of five year's relevant work experience which |√ | |1 (a, b, c). Shortlisting, pre interview |

|includes all of the following: | | |task and interview |

| | | | |

|a. Experience of managing a wide range of projects or | | | |

|activities at a senior level to include managing and leading|√ | | |

|a team. | | | |

| | | | |

|b. Experience of working in a policy development role to | | | |

|include leading on consultations on social and economic | | | |

|policy issues of interest to the voluntary, community and |√ | | |

|social enterprise sector. | | | |

| | | | |

|c. Experience of working with NI government departments, | | | |

|political representatives, the NI Assembly and voluntary, | | | |

|community and social enterprise sector organisations on | | | |

|policy issues. | | | |

| |√ | | |

|2. Experience of using websites, social media, regional and | | | |

|local press and media tools to encourage debate and | | | |

|communicate policy messages. | | | |

| | | | |

|3. Experience of devising work plans and reporting on | | | |

|outcomes. | | | |

| |√ | |2. Shortlisting, pre interview task and |

|4. A degree level qualification in a relevant discipline or | | |interview |

|equivalent; or six years relevant experience as required | | | |

|above. | | | |

| | | | |

|5. Experience of leading and coordinating campaigns |√ | |3. Shortlisting |

|involving press and media work. | | | |

| | | | |

| |√ | |4.Shortlisting and verification of |

| | | |qualifications |

| | | | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

| | |√ |5. Shortlisting and interview |

|Skills and Competencies | | | |

|1. Ability to analyse evidence, assess policy options and |√ | |1. Shortlisting, pre interview task and |

|disseminate briefings to the voluntary, community and social| | |interview |

|enterprise sector. | | | |

| | | | |

|2. Ability to plan and deliver projects and provide | | | |

|strategic direction and support to colleagues. |√ | |2. Interview |

| | | | |

|3. Ability to organise workload to achieve agreed targets | | | |

|and objectives. | | | |

| |√ | |3. Interview |

|4. Excellent presentation skills including the ability to | | | |

|communicate clearly both orally and in writing and to adjust| | | |

|the style and content of communication to meet internal and |√ | |4. Application form content, pre interview |

|external needs. | | |task and interview |

| | | | |

|5. Ability to build good working relationships both | | | |

|internally across the organisation and externally at all | | | |

|levels. | | | |

| | | |5. Interview |

| |√ | | |

|Knowledge and Interests | | | |

|1. Extensive knowledge of current policy issues within the |√ | |1. Shortlisting, pre interview task and |

|voluntary and community sector in NI, Europe and beyond. | | |interview |

| | | | |

|2. Extensive knowledge of NI political structures. | | | |

| | | | |

|3. Extensive knowledge of NI public finance and policy | | |2. Shortlisting, pre interview task and |

|decision making structures. |√ | |interview |

| | | | |

| | | |3. Shortlisting, pre interview task and |

| |√ | |interview |

| | | | |

|Other requirements | | | |

|1. Ability to work within the vision, mission and values of |√ | |1.Interview |

|NICVA. | | | |

| | | | |

|2. Ability to work flexible hours and to travel throughout |√ | |2.Shortlisting |

|Northern Ireland, and occasionally abroad at times demanded | | | |

|by the job. | | | |

| | | | |

|mitted to NICVA’s policy of equality of opportunity. | | | |

| |√ | |3.Shortlisting |

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