Programme Manager - Metro Mayors Programme

The RAMP (Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy) Project is a cross-party initiative. Our vision is to have a world-class migration system which helps to create a successful and inclusive UK and is fair to all. We help politicians to think more deeply and collaborate more widely on migration, asylum and integration issues to improve the quality and quantity of political debate and subsequent policy outcomes. We do this primarily by seconding high-quality advisers into the teams of a cross-party group of politicians and by acting as the secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Migration.

About the Mayoral Secondments Programme

We are about to launch an exciting new programme of work, seconding strategic policy advisers to a group of Metro Mayors and Combined Authorities to support their efforts to pursue policies which help to welcome and include migrants and refugees and to build deeper community cohesion in their area, as well as to advocate for a more effective national policy environment. This programme comes at an important time, as the new Government looks to devolve more power to city leaders, and when interaction between national immigration and asylum policies and our cities and local communities is high on the political agenda.

About the Role

The Programme Manager will be responsible for getting this new programme of work off the ground and managing its development. This is likely to include:

• Building relationships with Metro Mayors who have an interest in this work, staff across a range of Combined Authorities, and officials in relevant government departments, and engaging them with the project.
• Recruiting policy advisers with appropriate expertise who can be seconded into the teams of Metro Mayors/Combined Authorities, and providing ongoing management support as they develop strategies for their work and try to maximise their impact.
• Hosting regular team meetings for all mayoral advisers to identify common objectives and share learning, building a strong team culture and facilitating a collaborative working environment.
• Building relationships between leading policy experts and practitioners and the RAMP Mayors team, and encouraging and supporting advisers to build deep relationships with individuals, organisations and networks with relevant expertise in their locality.
• Establishing an advisory network with expertise in key areas (from academia, local government, civil society etc) who can support the Programme Manager and Mayoral Advisers to build the relationships and expertise needed to perform their roles well.
• Convening semi-regular events which bring Mayors and staff from Combined Authorities together with external experts to discuss key issues and form a shared understanding / agenda.
• Keeping abreast of the work of RAMP in Parliament and identifying potential synergies between Mayors and parliamentarians.
• Managing the budget for this programme and building relationships with and providing reports to donors (with an eye to securing further funding after the initial funding period ends).
• Monitoring progress towards key milestones and measuring the impact of the work.

Person Specification

We are looking for someone with the following skills:

• High levels of drive, energy and determination and an entrepreneurial attitude.
• Excellent relational and interpersonal skills - able to develop a wide network of relationships built on trust and credibility and to foster a strong sense of team.
• Sound political understanding and judgement and a good understanding of regional government structures, dynamics and financial processes etc.
• Strong project, financial and people management skills, with the ability to balance responsiveness to opportunities with a focus on strategic goals.
• Initiative, good problem-solving skills and an ability to learn quickly, help others to capture and share learning, and to adapt to a rapidly changing context.
• A strong commitment to RAMP's vision, mission and values and some understanding of the policies that would support the inclusion of refugees and migrants to our wider communities.
• Demonstrable commitment to the power of working collaboratively with people who may hold different views to yourself and each other.
• Great communication skills.

Strong candidates are likely to have this kind of experience:

Essential:

• Managing a budget and other people to achieve agreed goals.
• Working in a UK political context at a relatively senior level (e.g local, regional or national government, Parliament etc).
• Building networks of diverse stakeholders and seeking common ground where it is possible to do so.

Desirable:

• Influencing public policy and/or running campaigns.
• Working on migration and inclusion-related issues (resettlement and sponsorship, accommodation provision, ESOL provision and educational programmes, NRPF, economic inclusion etc may all be relevant).
• Experience of working in/with different layers of local and regional government.
• Experience of working with, and reporting to, private philanthropic funders and of securing funding for your work.
• Personal experience of migrating to the UK.

Conditions

The role would be responsible to the Executive Director, with a high degree of autonomy and responsibility. Support would be provided by a p/t administrator and by the wider RAMP team and board.

This is being advertised as a full time role, though a degree of flexibility would be possible and we are open to applications from job shares etc. The salary is £65K per annum (FTE). This would come with 25 days holiday, pension contributions and a standard benefits package.

The post-holder could work from home or from a convenient WeWork office, with regular travel to the cities where secondees are based and to central London for meetings with the ED, the wider RAMP team and the Board required.

To Apply

Please send a CV, and a cover letter (of no more than 2 pages) which sets out how your experience demonstrates that you fulfil the person specification set out above to by Thursday 31st October at 5pm. Please email us if you have any questions about the role ahead of making an application. Interviews will take place in early November.