JOB DESCRIPTION



JOB DESCRIPTION

| | |

|Job Title: |Salary: £55,000 ( + benefits) |

|External Affairs Director | |

| | |

|Responsible to: |Responsible for: |

|Director |Publications , Production & Design Manager |

| |Media Manager |

| |Events Manager |

| |Corporate Relationship Manager |

| |External Affairs\Personal Assistant |

|Contract: |Start Date: |

|Permanent |January 2006 |

The Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) is the UK’s leading progressive think tank with a reputation for high quality, cutting edge research and policy publications. We are a registered charity whose purpose is to contribute to public understanding of social, economic and policy questions through research, discussion and publication. We have an active programme of seminars, research and publications working in a wide range of fields from education, health, sustainability and equality, criminal justice and transport to media, business and economics. We also publish Public Policy Research, a quarterly journal on economic and social policy issues.

ippr specialises in innovative, robust policy research. It has grown rapidly over the past five years and now employs over seventy people, has an office in Newcastle, ippr north and recently launched a new Centre for Cities to join its staff based in Central London.

External Affairs includes ten staff in total and covers our media, events, fundraising, publishing, design and relationship management functions. It works to: maintain and improve the quality of ippr’s published materials; raise and protect our profile through media, the web and networks; host high level debates and ensure we reach a broad and growing audience including the wider policy community, local government, funding partners, subscribers, alumni and members of the public.

The team plays a vital role in planning, positioning and quality control within ippr. The team currently raises what it costs each year through fundraising, events, subscriptions and publishing. As well as managing the team the External Affairs Director is expected to play a central role in developing ippr’s overall strategy alongside the Director, Deputy Director, Research Director and Operations Director.

The ippr is looking for an exceptional individual to fill the post of External Affairs Director. The post holder needs to have substantial relevant experience in communications, public affairs or equivalent, strong management skills, a passion for policy and politics, excellent networks and strategic planning skills.

The External Affairs Director’s key responsibilities will be:

Strategy

• To be able to grasp a range of policy areas, understand the current political climate and ensure the work of the ippr reflects these.

• Represent the organisation externally to a wide range of audiences.

• Assist the Director and wider senior management team in strategy, planning and management of staff and communication with trustees

• To devise, develop and implement, ippr’s external affairs strategy including ensuring that ippr can both plan longer term and respond quickly and flexibly to external change and opportunities.

Management

• To provide motivational and inspirational leadership to a busy and highly pressured External Affairs. This will include direct support, supervision and appraisal of managers within the team in line with ippr management policies.

• Maintain oversight of activity and output of various research teams and external factors to ensure a strategic approach to ippr’s publications, communications and events activity.

• To oversee and develop innovative ways of ensuring ippr’s message is heard to as wide an audience as possible.

• To ensure that ippr’s external communications are accurate, clear, consistent and in line with the overall ethos and strategic aims of ippr.

• To ensure that external affairs plans its work effectively, that it priorities effectively and communicates well with research and other staff, particularly in ippr north and Centre for Cities.

• The post holder is likely to be expected to play in key role in writing, editing and commenting on ippr’s range of materials from research publications, web content and corporate materials.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential Skills

Candidates should demonstrate the following skills:

• Strong intellectual skills, with a track record of innovative thinking, analysis and practical activity.

• Ability to be an effective and coherent manager and the capacity to lead highly motivated and autonomous staff in an effective and flexible way.

• Interest in policy and politics and an understanding of the relationship between communications, public debate and influence.

• In depth understanding of how the media works and the key players in business, government and civil society.

• First class writing and editing skills.

• Understanding of the ways in which research evidence and policy ideas can be promoted and applied in public and private sector decision-making.

• Capacity to deal with people at the highest level from the worlds of government, politics, business and academia.

• Capacity to think analytically and imaginatively, and to develop new and innovative approaches to external affairs.

Essential Experience

Candidates should demonstrate experience of:

• Working with, and influencing decision-makers at all levels of the public and private sectors.

• Management in the private, voluntary or public sector.

• Successful delivery of communication strategies, including how to consult others, get buy in, motivate and develop staff.

• Highly developed communication skills, including public writing for publication in a variety of outlets.

• Presenting content to a range of audiences, including policymakers, practitioners, public and the media.

• Networking and network-building;

Line management and responsibilities

• The External Affairs Director will report to the Director of ippr;

• The External Affairs Director will be responsible for the management of the overall management of the External Affairs team with direct line management responsibility for: Publications, Production and Design Manager, Media Manager, Corporate Relationship Manager, Events Manager and Personal Assistant. There are currently ten people in the team in total.

Further information about the work of ippr can be found at

DETAILS

ippr’s structures reflect informal and flexible ways of working which are responsive to changes in staff and priorities.

LOCATION

Our offices are currently based in Covent Garden, London WC2. We reserve the right to move your base within the Central and Inner London area in the event of the organisation relocating to new offices.

WORKING HOURS

You are employed as a full-time member of staff, working 37.5 hours a week between the hours 8.30 – 6.00pm including a lunch hour. Exact timings can be individually negotiated with your line manager. Due to the nature of this post you will sometimes be expected to work outside these hours. Overtime is not paid, and we do not operate a time-off-in-lieu policy, but we do embrace family-friendly working practices and endeavour to accommodate request for flexible working where possible.

SALARY

£55,000 per annum paid on the 19th of each month.

ANNUAL LEAVE

Annual Leave @ 25 days per annum pro rata + statutory holiday and Christmas break: offices are closed on 25th December and re-open on 2nd January.

PROBATION PERIOD

Your probation period will last for six months, after which time your period of notice will be two months.

STRUCTURE / MANAGEMENT

IPPR’s structure consists of 11 Research Teams, the Operations Team and External Affairs Team.

(please see organisation chart at the end of this job description)

AWAY DAY

All staff are expected to attend the Away Day and attendance at IPPR events may be required within as part of your job description.

SMOKING

IPPR operates a “no-smoking” policy in all its offices.

Application Process

In order to make an application we request that you submit a C.V. along with a covering letter that outlines your suitability for this post, paying particular attention to the criteria laid out in the person specification. (please note C.V’s received without a covering letter will not be accepted)

Please note that the closing date for the receipt of completed applications is 5pm Monday 28th November 2005.

We will contact shortlisted candidates to arrange interview and explain the next stage of the process.

Please submit applications to

Recruitment

Ippr

30 – 32 Southampton Street

London

WC2E 7RA

Alternatively e mail your application to recruitment@

|TRUSTEES |

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|DIRECTOR |

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|Directors PA |

|Operations |Research Directorate |External Affairs |

|Directorate | |Directorate |

|Finance | | |External Affairs Director |

|Operations & HR |Research Director |Directors & Associate Directors | |

|Director | | |PA/ External Affairs |

| | | |Assistant |

|Operations Team |Research Teams |External Affairs |

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| | | |

| | | |

|Finance | |FR PM SMO EAM |

|Officer x 1 | | |

|HR Officer x1 | | |

|Office Mgr x 1 | |CRM MPA EOx 2 [pic] |

| | | |

| | | |

|Office & IT | | |

|Asst. x 1 | | |

|Reception | | |

|Directors Support Team

RF x 2

|Migration & Equalities

TL x 1

RF x 1

RA x 2

|Digital Society

TL x 1

RF x 1 |Social

Policy

AD x 1

SRF x 1

RF x 1

RA x 2

TA x 1

|Centre for Cities

D x 1

SRF x 2

RF x 2

EC x 2

PA x 1

TA x 1 |IPPR North

D x 1

RD x 1

EAM x1

RA x 1

TA x 1 |

International

AD x 1

RF x 1

RA x 1 |

Democracy

AD x 1

RF x 2

RA x 2 |

Sustainability

AD x 1

SRF X 2

RF x 1

RA x 2

TA x 1 |

Public Services

AD x 1

|People & Policy

TL x 1

RF x 1 [pic] | | | | | | | | | | | | |Eco

RF x 1

TA x 1 |Health

SRF x 1

RF x 2 |Education

SRF x1

RF

RA x 1 | | | |

KEY:

D Director EC Economist CRM Corporate Relationship Manager

AD Associate Director EO Events Officer EAA External Affairs Assistant

TL/SRF Team Leader/ Senior Research Fellow SMO Senior Media Officer PA Personal Assistant

SRF Senior Research Fellow EAM External Affairs Manager

RF Research Fellow PM Publication Manager

RA Research Assistant MPA Marketing and Publications Assistant

TA Team Administrator FR Fundraising ippr Organisation Chart October 2005

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External Affairs Director – September 2005

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