Public Affairs Assistant

Are you passionate about dogs and their welfare? Are you looking for an exciting role in a team that aims to improve dog welfare legislation?

We’re looking for a Public Affairs Assistant to support the important work we do to ensure policy makers consider dog welfare in their decision making.

About this role
As Public Affairs Assistant, you’ll:

• administratively support the work of our Public Affairs team; by maintaining engagement spreadsheets, collating and submitting returns to political registers, and assisting the team with expense claims,
• support various meetings and events, internally and externally, including booking meeting rooms, drafting agendas and minute taking,
• support the sharing of our messaging, through contributing to our membership newsletters, and analysing reporting information to provide insight into, and support the teams work,
• organise travel and materials required by the team.

About you
This role is very busy, and the successful applicant will require the ability to remain calm under pressure, with a flexible but methodical approach and able to change direction quickly and prioritise tasks accordingly. It is important that the candidate is able to work as part of a team, but also able to work unsupervised and use their own initiative as appropriate. An interest and commitment to the aims of Dogs Trust is essential and the post holder must be comfortable around dogs.

About Dogs Trust
We love dogs. That’s why we do whatever we can to make sure every four-legged friend gets the love they deserve. We’ll never put a healthy dog down, so our work is focused on helping dogs in need, supporting owners every step of the walk, and creating a better world for dogs in the future. It’s what we’ve been doing since 1891 and how we’ve grown to become the UK’s leading dog charity, helping 12,000 loyal friends find their forever homes every year.

Please note, Dogs Trust is a wholly independent organisation, free of association with any political party. Our independence is critical, as it allows us to pursue our mission to campaign on dog welfare issues, on behalf of the UK’s dogs and their owners. For our public affairs roles, the ability to display political neutrality in the public eye or when working with MPs is essential.

About this team
The Public Affairs Team works across Westminster, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the EU, to ensure the health and welfare of dogs is always taken into consideration by policy makers. In addition to our direct political engagement, Dogs Trust chairs the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) which aims to combat growing concerns regarding the irresponsible advertising of pets for sale, rehoming, and exchange. We also provide the secretariat for the EU Dog & Cat Alliance, through which we engage with EU policy makers, and call for EU action to build a better Europe for dogs and cats.

To apply for this position please click the APPLY NOW button. Our application process requires you complete an application form and a covering letter explaining your interest and suitability for the role. Please note that we may close this vacancy early if we receive enough suitable interest, so to avoid disappointment early application is encouraged.