Location: Blended between office and home (England and Wales). Time in office negotiable
Citizens Advice offers confidential advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free. Through our national network of charities, we give people the knowledge and the confidence they need to find their way forward whoever they are, and whatever their problem.
Do you want to work for an organisation that makes a difference, every single day, to people from all walks of life? The people that turn to Citizens Advice need help overcoming an obstacle in their lives from debt to evictions to trouble at work and you can be key to them getting the support they need in the quickest, easiest, and most effective way.
Citizens Advice is in the problem business. Last year we helped 2.7 million people with individual advice with over 10 million problems - helping them to find a way forward. We help people with a huge range of issues including the cost of living crisis, benefits, housing, debt, energy and consumer issues.
We don’t just give advice, we campaign to shape a society where people face fewer problems. As our new Senior Public Affairs Officer, you’ll get to work on some of the most pressing issues facing our society, campaigning to drive positive social change.
You’ll have a track record in campaigning for policy change; a strong understanding of Whitehall, Westminster, and the wider political environment; great political instincts; and a commitment to social justice and the mission of Citizens Advice.
We’ll provide a supportive and open organisational culture, and the opportunity to work on high profile campaigns on the most pressing social issues.
Please provide details in your cover letter to evidence the following essential criteria. Please make sure your cover letter provides evidence for the essential criteria succinctly.
* A commitment to the mission of Citizens Advice, and a passion for social justice.
* A proven track record of delivering national public affairs projects which have delivered policy change
* Demonstrable evidence of making sound political judgements, and a clear understanding of how to persuade senior decision-makers to change policy
* Excellent interpersonal skills, and the ability to build strong relationships with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels, establish credibility, work collaboratively to solve problems, and ability to influence decision-makers
* Excellent communications skills, including the ability to distil information into core messages and write persuasively and concisely on a range of complex issues
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is of strategic importance within the organisation and recognised as integral to all we do as a service.
Central to pursuing our EDI mission is building diverse and inclusive teams in which everyone has a sense of belonging. We believe inclusion is a social justice issue - a principle that underpins our all EDI work. To that end, we particularly welcome applications from people we would like to see better represented in our organisation and sector - people of colour, LGBTQ+ people and disabled people. We follow the social model of disability. We will offer an interview to disabled candidates who indicate they wish their application to be considered under our Disability Confident Interview Commitment where they meet our selection criteria in their application. Some of our roles attract a high volume of applications and in some circumstances where it is not practicable or appropriate, we may limit the number of interviews offered to disabled and non-disabled candidates. We will provide reasonable adjustments as needed.
We’re a flexible employer, so this role may suit anyone who’d prefer a flexible arrangement to help their work/life balance, many of our colleagues spend most of their time working remotely. Whilst we prefer a blended approach between a local office, if one is near you, and home we’re open to being flexible on location, occasionally a role may require you to be based in a certain location if that's the case it will be detailed in the advert or job description. This can be discussed in more detail during your interview.
The National Citizens Advice Operates from offices in England and Wales, with 4 regional offices based in Cardiff, London, Birmingham and Leeds, therefore all successful applicants must be based within England or Wales.
Please be aware that Citizens Advice is not a sponsoring organisation. Therefore the successful applicant must already possess the right to work in the UK or be able to secure the right to work in the UK independently.
We have been awarded the top charity in Third sectors' employer index, where it's recognised that Citizens Advice is an organization that not only prioritizes the people we serve but also values the wellbeing of its employees.
Citizens Advice seeks to redeploy internal staff who are at risk or under notice of redundancy and will prioritise them in the recruitment process where necessary. If you have been confirmed as at risk or under notice of redundancy please ensure you indicate this in the at-risk box in your application.
Please note, in the event of a high number of applications, we reserve the right to close the application early.
This vacancy closes at 23.59 on the closing date.
For more information about the organisation, our values and benefits please see the following link - Information, values and benefits
Need help with your application, see our useful how to guides on the following page - Guidance notes for applicants