Job Title: Public Affairs Manager
Salary: £44,500 - £52,785 per annum
Location: London
Closing Date: 30th September 2024
Interviews are expected to take place on 7th October 2024
About Centrepoint
Centrepoint is the UK’s leading charity for homeless young people supporting more than 14,000 16-25 year olds into a home and a job every year. Centrepoint works directly in London, Manchester, Yorkshire and the North East of England, and partners with dozens of organisations across the UK.
We help vulnerable young people by giving them the practical and emotional support they need to find a job and live independently.
Together with our partners, we support thousands of homeless young people each year.
As well as providing direct services, Centrepoint works to influence Government policy to the benefit of homeless young people. The successful candidate will lead Centrepoint’s public affairs activity, ensuring that our voice is actively represented in policy debates, while strengthening and enhancing our reputation within political circles. This role requires a strategic thinker with a strong understanding of the political environment and a passion for advocating on behalf of Centrepoint’s mission.
This post is central to the delivery of Centrepoint’s ambitious influencing objectives, ensuring teams are abreast of relevant developments in parliament and opportunities to communicate our aims to key decision makers.
What you’ll be doing
- Develop and deliver public affairs activities in support of Centrepoint’s ‘Change the Story’ strategy.
- Communicate Centrepoint’s key messages within Parliament and the broader political environment.
- Build trusted relationships with Parliamentarians and political influencers, managing a contact programme to inform them about youth homelessness.
- Identify and arrange opportunities for the CEO, Senior Leadership Team, and Ambassadors to engage with political audiences across all levels of government.
- Manage relationships with think tanks, lobby groups, and other political bodies to enhance Centrepoint’s reputation.
- Liaise with Select Committees and All-Party Parliamentary Groups, coordinating Centrepoint’s input for inquiries.
- Oversee relationships with external agencies interfacing with the political community, ensuring consistent and coordinated messaging.
As the ideal candidate, you will be able to demonstrate:
- The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of key government policies and their impact on Centrepoint's work. They should have experience working in a Parliamentary, public affairs, or policy-related setting.
- The successful candidate will possess excellent written and verbal communication skills, along with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- A minimum of five years’ experience of having worked in the public affairs field, with a network of key contacts and decision makers.
- Excellent knowledge of the UK’s political system and government structures. A thorough understanding of the Parliamentary and legislative process – and a clear history in managing sensitive political relationships in a high-profile organisation, operating in a highly-regulated environment.
- An ability to build links and negotiate with a wide range of organisations, and liaise with senior staff, external stakeholders and young people.
- Ability to build or draw upon existing contacts and develop new ones across the sector and within Parliament, local government and policy networks.
- Strong written and verbal communications skills.
- Analytical mind able to cut through complex issues to see the big picture.
- Experience of operating effectively in a complex environment with multiple agendas and stakeholders.
- Experience of supporting and leading a team.
Why join Centrepoint?
In return for your efforts you’ll receive a competitive salary, excellent training and development, and a host of staff benefits including:
- 25 days of annual leave per year, rising by one day per year to a maximum of 27 days
- Healthcare cash plan (Cover the costs of a wide range of medical treatment including Dental, Optical, Complementary and Alternative therapies).
- Private Medical insurance
- Income protection
- Employer pension contributions of 5%
- Access to Cycle 2 Work loan scheme
- An interest-free travel loan
At Centrepoint we challenge the discrimination within society that contributes to youth homelessness, and we are just as committed to fairness and equality within Centrepoint itself. We are passionate about ensuring all of our colleagues are made to feel included in the work we do and that we value the rich diversity within the organization.
We are an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications regardless of sex, gender, race, age, belief in any religion and none, gender identity, ethnic origin, class, sexuality, nationality, appearance, unrelated criminal activities, disability, responsibility for dependents, part time or shift workers, being HIV positive or living with AIDS, lived experience of homelessness or using young people’s services and any other matter which causes a person to be treated with injustice.
Centrepoint’s policy is to recruit, employ and promote people on the basis of their suitability for the work to be performed, and to this end, our aim is to ensure that all applicants, employees and volunteers receive equal treatment.
