Associate Head of Policy and Public Affairs (Online Safety Act)

Your new company
I am delighted to be working with a Not-for-Profit organisation, and we are looking for an Associate Head of Policy and Public Affairs to head up the Policy, Public Affairs and Research team on a 6-9 month FTC. With a team of six sitting underneath you, in this short period of time, there will be some key deliverables that the charity will be looking at completing during your contract. This includes passing bills on the Online Safety Act, attending submits and launching a new Policy. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who has proven policy leadership who wants to work for a great cause.

Your new role
The successful candidate will:

• Provide direction, leadership and line management for the Policy and Public Affairs team.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues within the leadership team and across the organisation to contribute to the delivery of the strategy.
• Provide leadership as the charity responds to emerging opportunities and threats affecting children's safety online. This will include formalising interim and final policy positions to address reactive issues.
• Ensuring that the team's policy positions and influencing strategies are evidence based, high quality, impactful and support the strategic ambition to transform the online world so it is safe for children. This will include managing the finalisation and launch of our Generative AI policy position.
• Provide support, guidance and challenge to ensure the team delivers and launches cutting edge policy and research on online safety including risks posed by new and emergent technologies. This includes acting as a sounding board to help shape the team's policy, public affairs and research work.
• Maintain relationships with civil service, parliamentary and civil society stakeholders and leverage these to amplify our policy impact.
• Represent the charity on relevant internal and external advisory groups. This can include deputising for senior colleagues.

What you'll need to succeed

This position is ideal for someone who:

• Solid understanding of the public policy and regulatory opportunities and challenges relating to online safety (ideally, but not a necessity).
• Evidence of strong team leadership skills, with experience of line management and leadership.
• Demonstrable strategic decision-making skills, with experience of weighing up competing options and opportunities to deliver strategic objectives at a senior level in an organisation
• Excellent evidence-based policymaking skills, mixing strong analytical skills with the ability to understand the wider policy context to turn problems into practical, robust policy solutions.
• Experience of analysing, comprehending and responding at pace to complex policy and public affairs developments in a fast-moving external environment
• Experience of managing complex and competing priorities with a strong track record for delivery at speed and under pressure, responding to tight external deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including demonstrable experience of successfully building external influencing networks and dealing effectively and persuasively with senior internal stakeholders.

What you'll get in return

This FTC is available on a 6-9 month basis. Ideally, the successful candidate will start sooner rather than later to allow for a cross-over from the current post holder before and after they return from their extended period of leave. The salary is £52,084 - £60,271/annum (inc London weighting). Excluding London, the weighting salary is available upon request. Benefits include: 29 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, competitive pension contribution and salary assurance up to five times your salary.

What you need to do now
If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now. If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career.

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