External affairs consultant jobs

Reporting to: Director of Policy and Engagement 

Direct reports: 1 x Scotland Policy and Public Affairs Manager and Legislative Lead, 2 x Policy and Public Affairs Officers, 1 x England Policy and Public Affairs Manager 

Location of work: Home-based. The post holder must be easily and quickly commutable to London and will require frequent meetings in London. The role may involve some irregular travel throughout England and Scotland to attend events and meetings.

Contract type: Full-time, 35 hours per week,  flexible hours may be considered. The role may require occasional evening and weekend work 

Contract Length: Permanent 

Salary: £54,500 - £56,500 

BACKGROUND

Our work has never been more needed. The latest research suggesting that the number of children and young people at risk of hunger has rocketed to 2.6 million* means that one in five children don't have enough to eat.When a child is too hungry to learn, when they’re aching for something to eat, they can’t concentrate. They can’t absorb information. Big feelings and worries can be impossible to control. They fall behind in their studies.

Magic Breakfast provide a nutritious and filling breakfast to over 300,000 children and young people every school day. We work with schools in areas of high disadvantage, helping staff target the children most in need without barrier or stigma.  Magic Breakfast are ambitious to grow our impact to remove hunger as a barrier to learning for all children and young people in the UK.

 This is an exciting time to join Magic Breakfast if you wish to make a difference to the lives of children as we work to influence both policy implementation, with the national rollout of primary-aged universal school breakfast, and legislative change, through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. There has also been commitment from the Scottish Government for a national breakfast scheme and we are seeking to expand our advocacy work into Wales. Magic Breakfast’s influence will be instrumental to ensuring school breakfasts are implemented in a way that is hunger-focused and barrier free.

In addition, thousands of secondary school children are at risk of losing their free school breakfasts from September next year. For many of these students, this is their only opportunity to have a nutritious meal before facing a demanding school day, including taking exams.  And for the very youngest, we know that the disadvantage gap begins before they even reach reception. With the Government commitment to another 100,000 places in school-based nurseries, early years is also a critical part of our advocacy work.

 Being part of the work of Magic Breakfast is your chance, together with parents, teachers and people across the UK, to demonstrate the power of school breakfasts and to shape the way forward to end morning hunger for good.

*Food Foundation Insecurity Tracker Jan 2025

JOB PURPOSE

The Head of Policy & Public Affairs will review, develop and implement our advocacy strategy and lead a team to influence the devolved legislatures across the UK to address child morning hunger, with a view to the underlying systemic causes of child poverty and hunger, by driving change through policy and legislation. The role operates at our ‘Head of level’ which is the most senior operational specialist level and provides both operational and strategic leadership.

This role will also provide wider leadership across the charity and input into organisational strategy development and planning as part of the Core Management Group. This role will ensure that the Policy and Public Affairs function is aligned to the wider strategic aims and outcomes of Magic Breakfast as well as the internal operational systems and delivery.

The strategic leadership will ensure an external and long term view, with an outward looking and forward thinking approach that builds thought leadership, relationships and partnerships, with positioning to anticipate and build on new opportunities to end child morning hunger for good.

It will require an experienced Policy and Public Affairs professional, with significant experience of high impact and demonstrable outcomes at a senior level in the field. The postholder will lead the policy and public affairs team to influence the Early Adopters Scheme, the national rollout of primary school breakfast provision in England and breakfast legislation in the Children’s Wellbeing Bill (CWB).

They will also develop, guide and lead plans to influence the Scottish government, particularly in the run up to the election in May 2026 and the influencing of manifestos; and will lead Magic Breakfast’s upcoming influencing work in Wales. 

In the external leadership that the role provides they will build relationships with politicians, political influencers, special advisors and civil servants to establish long-term, sustainable solutions to child morning hunger in the UK.

As a compassionate, people centric and inspiring leader they will work to enable their team to grow and develop in their skills ensuring they can step away from the detail whilst retaining accountability, build effective resource management and progression pathways. This role may manage external consultants where necessary, and work collaboratively with external organisations to amplify our voice and asks and strengthen our position as a thought leader. 

 KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

· Review and define the advocacy strategy for 25/26 in line both with moving political environment and Magic Breakfast’s influencing agenda, considering the systemic barriers to ending child morning hunger for good.

· Develop and maintain close relationships with the Department for Education and other key departments including Department for Health and Social Care and Treasury, to secure hunger and child focus as key priorities for breakfast provision.

· Develop, monitor and evaluate influencing plans for each devolved nation

· Support the development of influencing plans with coalition groups and organisations to influence school breakfast policy, commitments and implementation

· Review policy positions in Wales and Northern Ireland and define our advocacy approach, gaining external insights and analysing available research and data to shape the plan

· Develop a vision for advocacy beyond current demands, considering political appetite and gaining insight from lived experience communities and relevant sectors, to ensure that we are clear on future asks, and can build the foundation towards them.

· Work with Impact and Insights team to define future research needs to meet our longer-term advocacy plans

· Enhance and establish internal processes and ensure good internal information dissemination 

· Work closely with key internal stakeholders to shape advocacy work and support broader organisational objectives

· Embed learnings and develop a fail fast, learn fast culture in the team

· Coach, support and lead direct reports enabling increased professional development, strategic decision making, proactive project management and robust political influencing

· Contribute to and help shape the work of the Core Management Group to ensure ongoing alignment for in year implementation of the strategic plan and create integrated future year plans which meet organisational goals

· Monitor and review KPIs to monitor and measure both team and cross organisational performance, using the results to guide teams and surface learnings

· Assess areas of risk and escalate where necessary and according to policy

· Develop and monitor annual team budgets

General

• Work collaboratively across the organisation, building good working relations and providing ad-hoc support to other teams and members of staff

• Passion and commitment to Magic Breakfast’s aim of alleviating morning hunger as a barrier to learning for children in the UK.

• Help to maintain a positive working environment; keeping the vision of Magic Breakfast at the heart of everything we do. 

• Share Magic Breakfast’s commitment to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

• Establish and ensure existing Ways of Working are adhered to across team

• Adhere to all Magic Breakfast policies and procedures and ensure that all activity is compliant with current legislation, GDPR, data protection and child safeguarding requirements

• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the role

 PERSON SPECIFICATION

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

· Strategy development, demonstrating a deep understanding of how to craft, implement, and evolve strategies that align to operational outcomes for the Policy and Advocacy function as well as enabling our organisation strategy in our aim to end child morning for good.

· Stakeholder management and partnership building with extensive experience of engaging, influencing, and collaborating with diverse stakeholders, including senior political figures, policymakers, funders and sector leaders.

· Ability to confidently and flexibly deal with volatile political environment, anticipating potential developments and adapting to emerging situations to meet aims

· Highly experienced in developing and shaping policy positions, using insights, research and data sets to inform and guide decision-making

· Understanding and experience of the role of the broader external environment to shape policy asks and political influencing, including the implications of a policy ask in one sector on another.

· Experience of influencing key political events such as budgets, national elections and the legislative process.

· Significant experience of coaching, supporting and managing the development of a team, with the ability to make difficult decisions and challenge where needed to deliver the organisational strategy.

Desirable

· Experience of education, food insecurity, child poverty or childcare sectors

Skills and Abilities

• Effective leadership mentality with confidence to step away from the detail and delegate responsibility, enabling others to use judgements, make decisions, learn from failures and continuously improve.

• Analytical and evidence based decision making, with the ability to turn data and analysis into policy and advocacy related recommendations or outcomes for action.

• Effective planning, prioritisation and project management skills. Able to organise self and team to meet planned objectives and strategic direction with the ability to pivot and manage the unexpected.

• Strong, influential and impactful interpersonal and communication skills and to advocate for own specialism, department and Magic Breakfast's mission, effectively conveying the organisation's impact and needs to a wide range of audiences.

• Operational and financial acumen and analysis: understanding and practical application of knowledge as required around funding considerations, budget development and management, risk management, and ensuring systems in place for efficiency by setting and maintaining policy and procedural frameworks.

• An outward looking and forward thinking approach that drives a sense of curiosity, innovation and continuous improvement. Always thinking what can we learn from others, what new developments can be explored and what are the opportunities for the function to improve and grow with others too.

WHAT WE OFFER

At Magic Breakfast we value our employees and work hard to develop offer a supportive, respectful culture which enables everyone to bring their whole self to work.

Please find attached our job pack

APPLICATION PROCCESS

Should you wish to discuss the role before applying please email our People and Culture Team, recruitment @ magicbreakfast. com

Shortlisting - w/c 5th May

Interview 1 - 15th and 16th May

Interview 2 - w/c 21st May

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately, once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.

Background:
Established in 2011, Kaleidoscope Trust (KT) is a UK-based charity focused on fighting for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and gender diverse (LGBTI+) people across the Commonwealth and beyond. We fund, fight for and empower those upholding the human rights of LGBTI+ people by working with governments, changemakers and civil society organisations to effect meaningful and lasting change in the lives of LGBTI+ people.
 

The Role:
The UK Policy and Advocacy Manager will lead Kaleidoscope Trust’s UK-focused policy and public affairs activities, in line with the organisation’s strategic objectives, and support, where appropriate, the wider work of the Policy and Public Affairs Team, including with external relations, communications, campaigns and events.

This role aims to:
▪ Provide the Secretariat function to support the co-chairs of the APPG for Global LGBT+ Rights to deliver the APPG’s strategy and work plan.
▪ Build and maintain relationships with government officials and the wider policy community across the UK, strategically deploying senior organisational staff or representing Kaleidoscope Trust and the APPG in external meetings and civil society forums as directed, and support delivery of events where such stakeholders are to be engaged.
▪ Identify and share insights into relevant emerging international political and policy trends helping to anticipate issues, risks and opportunities and translate these for relevant UK stakeholders.
▪ Draft insightful and compelling policy submissions, briefings and papers under the guidance of KT’s Head of Policy and Public Affairs.
▪ Fulfil the key responsibilities of the job role in a professional manner while adapting to often changing circumstances and re-prioritising accordingly.
 

For more information on the role, please find the Job Description attached.

Imagine being told that you, or someone you love, is losing their sight. In that moment, two profound questions demand urgent answers:

• Can this be stopped?

• How will I live my life?

Currently, research into preventing and treating sight loss is chronically underfunded, receiving a mere 1.2% of publicly funded health research grants: people who are blind or vision impaired are three times more likely to experience loneliness and isolation than the general population.

Fight for Sight is uniquely placed to answer both questions with a resounding ‘yes’. We fund the brilliant minds and bright ideas putting change in sight for everyone impacted by vision loss. Our researchers are making breakthroughs and discoveries that will help us better understand, diagnose prevent and treat vision loss. 

We won’t stop until we: Save Sight. Change Lives.

We are now looking for experienced, committed, and creative individuals to join our dynamic team to help realise a new five-year growth strategy. 

You’ll be part of something impactful, we’d love to hear from you.

Marketing Manager 

A unique opportunity has arisen to join our busy communications team for a 12-month maternity cover. You’ll play a critical role in uncovering stories of social change, bringing them to life and amplifying these stories with a view to raising brand awareness, demonstrating impact and supporting fundraising activities.

Responsible to 

Head of Communications and External Affairs

Direct reports 

None

Working hours and contract 

28h per week

Salary 

£38k-42k depending on experience

Location

We operate a flexible working policy with a recommended two-days per week in our East London Head Office. 

How to Apply

Please submit your CV and an up to two page supporting statement which evidences the specification below.

Closing date for applications: Wednesday 30, April 2025 at 9am

Early applications are encouraged. We will be interviewing on a rolling basis; therefore, we reserve the right to close the vacancy as soon as we have found the right candidate.

Role Responsibilities 

• Work with colleagues to develop tailored communications and marketing plans for key projects, agreeing and monitoring against KPIs,

• Advise and support colleagues on communications planning, audiences, channels, and key messages,

• Manage and maintain the communications activity planner ensuring that cross-departmental needs are identified and prioritised,

• Produce engaging communications – writing, editing and proof-reading – ensuring consistency and compliance with brand, values, key messages and style guides,

• Act as a 'brand guardian' ensuring consistency across all internal and external communications,

• Contribute to the successful marketing and delivery of engagement events for funders and partners.

Inter-departmental working

• Working with social change (impact) colleagues, identify leading impact stories and case studies, which we can tell across print,online and in multimedia formats. 

• Work with fundraising colleagues to identify which stories of impact best support income generation from IG up to major donors and High Net Worth Individuals. 

• Create and nurture positive relationships with the people and organisations whose stories we tell, ensuring they understand the central role they play in building coalitions of support for our work.

• Build an engagement plan for organisations receiving social change funding and set clear expectations around reporting and sharing evidence of impact. This could include regular briefings/meet-ups and a regular e-newsletter. 

• Conduct regular on-site visits with funded projects capturing content. 

• Develop, with support from an external consultant, a press strategy, which encompasses a strategy for reactive and proactive press, including promoting internal speakers.

• Support the programme manager with sharing information around social change funding rounds internally (internal comms) 

• Build a reliable press list, including developing relationships with key journalists from relevant publications. 

• With an external consultant, develop strategies to increase engagement with vision loss champions and other high profile supporters, directly relationship managing when appropriate.

Digital 

• Run quarterly webinars framed around our work in social change, which can act as a showcase for impact and that feed the funnel of people interested in social change funding or funding social change. 

• Ensure all funding rounds are accurately reflected on our website in good time for funding rounds going live.

• Build web pages crafted to appeal to individuals with an interest in funding social change research. 

• Develop and deliver a corporate website portal that highlights the impact of our work and opportunities for how people can become involved. 

• Search optimise content so that it appeals to those who are:

•  Seeking social change funding
•  Seeking to fund impactful social change programmes
•  Seeking to replicate what works (blueprints for change)
•  Develop digital and social media strategy, alongside Digital Content Manager. 

Policy, campaigns and research (social impact) 

• With Head of Communications launch a policy and public affairs arm for the new organisation. 

• Contribute to the successful delivery of major integrated campaigns including awareness, fundraising or policy centred projects, ensuring alignment and amplification with all other activities. 

• Contribute to the legacy strategy of campaigns, such as The Unseen and See My Skills. 

• Represent Fight for Sight in cross-organisational working groups in this area.

Ad hoc role / support within the team 

• Ensure that all systems and processes are fully GDPR compliant including regular reviews.

• Ensure increased levels of engagement with Fight for Sight’s social media channels, reporting on performance. 

• Ensure that all content on the Fight for Sight website is up to date, fit-for-purpose and engaging, working with colleagues to monitor performance, proposing and testing improvements.

• Ensure that all communications reflect the experience of blind and vision impaired people and, wherever possible, co-produce activities and plans.

• Keep up to date on sector developments, sharing findings with colleagues.

• Support the selection of appropriate consultants and freelancers to support on areas of focus, including copywriting, design, digital platforms. 

Person specification

Desirable skills, knowledge & experience

• Degree or equivalent (Communications, Marketing or related subject is desirable),

• A strong communicator, you’ll be able to forge relationships across departments and collect stories from colleagues, including fundraising, retail, volunteers and people with lived experience,

• We’re looking for someone who has empathetic and sensitive, you're skilled at treating people’s stories with care and attention, developing authentic narratives and communicating them for maximum impact, 

• An expert interviewer who can draw out the details of people’s stories, you’ll spot what makes a strong story for our charity,

• With strong interpersonal skills, you’ll positively manage relationships with people who volunteer to share their stories, as well as internal colleagues and freelance writers, photographers, etc. 

• Working with internal stakeholders to place diverse projects across fundraising, marketing, communications, retail and social change and medical research, you’ll place the stories so that they have the biggest impact for the charity while ensuring individuals aren’t overloaded with requests, 

• Strong commissioning skills to manage a pool of external writers, photographers and videographers,

• Strong writing and editing skills to turn stories into engaging copy across a multi-channel environment,

• Demonstrable experience of PR and Press activity,

• Experience of working with key marketing platforms including Hootsuite and Canva, and e-newsletter platforms,

• Working knowledge of website editing platforms or content management systems. 

Desirable

• Experience of working in the charity sector or within a medical research charity,

• An understanding of and commitment to the mission of ending avoidable sight loss and delivering positive social change for blind and vision impaired people,

• Experience at creating engaging, accessible content that really helps to support and inspire audiences and potential partners, 

• A self-starter, proactive with a constructive and collaborative approach,

• The ability to make the complicated seem simple; you will enjoy sharing your skills, and developing others,

• Personable, with excellent listening skills and high emotional intelligence, with the ability to think creatively,

• An intelligent and proactive approach to problem-solving,

• Excellent accuracy and attention to detail,

• Experience of creating accessible content. 

Personal qualities

• Strong communication skills and presentation style.

• Flexibility and a practical, can-do attitude.

• Highly motivated and able to juggle a varied workload.

• Personable, with excellent listening skills.

• Excellent accuracy and attention to detail. 

• Growth mindset. 

Flexibility

The role description is a general outline of duties and responsibilities and may be amended as we grow. The post holder may be required to undertake other duties as may be reasonably required from time to time.

Employee benefits

We value our staff and volunteers and want to make sure that they are supported in their work. Other benefits we also offer are:

• A great team and a supportive culture

• Employer pension contributions matching up to 10%, and death in service cover

• Generous parental leave

• Flexible/hybrid working options

• Apprenticeships scheme, study leave and financial support for training & development

• Cycle to work scheme, eye test vouchers, and a staff loan scheme, access to an Employee Assistance Program

• An active Social Committee and staff events

Application & Interview process

See above for How to Apply. Please note that we value the authenticity and individuality of our applicants and believe that your CV and cover letter should reflect your unique skills, experiences, and personality. Therefore, please refrain from using AI tools, including ChatGPT, to produce your application materials. Successfully shortlisted applicants  will be invited to interview online via MS Teams

Accessibility

We believe in fostering an inclusive environment where all individuals, regardless of their abilities or circumstances, feel supported and valued. If you have any accessibility requirements or specific needs that you would like us to accommodate during the application process, please let us know. If you are unfamiliar with MS Teams and would like to familiarise yourself with the platform before the interview, we are more than happy to arrange a tech run-through to ensure your comfort and confidence. 

Equal opportunities, diversity & inclusion

Don’t meet every single requirement? At Fight for Sight we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workforce, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every item in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles that we have. 

We have an inclusive and accessible recruitment process, including any adjustments required to support people from diverse community groups.

About the role
As Head of Communications and Marketing you will lead the communications team to deliver a high-impact strategy to promote the work of the Foundation. You will manage the continuous evolution of the Foundation’s profile and brand, coordinating and delivering compelling content for a range of audiences across all channels. You’ll work closely with senior leadership to align the Foundation’s goals to the work of the team to support the delivery of our mission to empower women to start, grow and sustain successful businesses. For full information on this role, please download the job pack.

What the Foundation can offer you
A fantastic package of 28 days of annual leave (which includes three that must be taken during the festive break).
An organisation that values you. As a smaller organisation, we value everyone’s individual perspective and voice and all team members are able to contribute to our strategic planning.
Professional development, with career growth built into each staff member’s annual plan and a wide range of skills-building and learning opportunities provided. Each staff member has an annual £1,000 training budget.
A positive, supportive and collaborative culture and leadership style. We encourage teamwork and open and honest communication, while maintaining a friendly and relaxed atmosphere where everyone can thrive.
A focus on personal wellbeing and happiness, with regular team-building activities and line manager meetings that as well as your personal wellbeing.

About the Foundation 
The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women exists to create a future where women everywhere enjoy equal economic opportunities so they can thrive. Together with partners around the world, we work with women in low and middle income countries so they can start, sustain and grow successful enterprises. We collaborate to create fairer business environments so women are not constrained by gendered barriers and can reach their potential on their terms.

Since 2008, our training and mentoring services have supported 300,000 women to build successful micro, small and medium enterprises in over 100 countries. By blending insights from research, strong partnerships and pioneering technology we open doors for women entrepreneurs to skills, confidence, networks, finance and markets. We press for change to stop millions of women being held back from having the choice and opportunity to thrive.