Job title: Public Affairs Officer
Department: JRF
Reports to: Head of Policy Campaigns and Impact
Section: Communications and Public Engagement
Location: London
Grade: G
Date: December 2025
Purpose of Job
This role will work closely with the Campaigns and Public Affairs Team to support the delivery of JRF’s policy influencing strategies across our key policy areas. It includes building relationships with MPs, Peers, and Staffers, conducting political monitoring and horizon scanning, and ensuring that our planning and content management systems are consistently updated.
Organisation Context
The Public Affairs Officer is part of the CPA team within the CPE Directorate, responsible for policy influencing and cross‑organisational strategies. The team works collaboratively with other directorates to secure measurable progress against policy objectives. The officer will support multidisciplinary policy groups covering areas such as social security, work, housing, family and care, and energy.
Main Accountabilities
* Public affairs support – Assist in the delivery of policy and advocacy activities, including parliamentary events, conference presence, written briefings and MP engagement. (30%)
* Horizon scanning – Monitor Westminster, UK government departments and city regions to identify opportunities for JRF. (20%)
* Stakeholder mapping – Build detailed profiles of parliamentarians and maintain a core list of public affairs stakeholders. (10%)
* Stakeholder engagement – Support colleagues to prepare for high‑value interactions and maintain contact records. (10%)
* Network building – Develop an effective network of contacts in political offices and partner organisations. (15%)
* Representation and insight gathering – Observe speeches, conferences and committee hearings, reporting key points. (15%)
Knowledge, Experience and Training
* Essential experience – Working in a public affairs, policy or political team; initiative, flexibility and ability to manage multiple projects under tight deadlines.
* Networking and interpersonal skills to develop and promote relationships.
* Analytical skills and research acumen to solve challenges.
* Collaborative teamwork across multidisciplinary groups.
* Desirable experience – Tracking political engagement within campaigns; working with people who have lived experience of poverty and hardship campaigning for change.
* Essential knowledge – Strong understanding of UK Government and Parliamentary procedure; issues facing low‑income households; clear grasp of JRF’s mission and policy aims.
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including engagement with parliamentary audiences.
* Desirable knowledge – Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and its application to the role.
Values and Behaviours
We are built on trust, integrity, continuous improvement, communication, support, inclusivity, respect, teamwork, outcome focus and resourcefulness. The candidate will demonstrate these values by acting with integrity, improving processes, communicating clearly, caring for colleagues, fostering inclusion, showing respect, collaborating effectively, concentrating on results and using resources wisely.
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