Policy and Public Affairs Specialist

About Us 

Hibiscus Initiatives is a passionate, women’s organisation, delivering high impact advocacy and advice services for more than 35 years to those at the intersection of the Criminal Justice and Immigration systems. As an organisation, we have distinct expertise in working with Black and minoritised women in prison, in the community and in immigration removals centres.

Our holistic and trauma informed approach makes a real and lasting impact on women's lives. We aim to make a difference within the criminal justice and immigration systems too by working with women and amplifying their own voices, so their experience is recognised by those making policy decisions.

We are particularly keen to attract talent from Black and minoritised communities and those with lived experience of immigration, the criminal justice systems, and/or gender-based violence. Hibiscus adopts anti-racist; anti-oppression, and feminist principles and believes in the importance of nurturing a diverse team who can embody these principles.

We are committed to the wellbeing and development of our staff. We provide regular training and other learning opportunities and offer wellbeing classes and activities, clinical supervision, an Employee Assistance Program and other benefits to support staff wellbeing. 

This post is restricted to women only as a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9 paragraph 1, Equality Act 2010. 

About the Role 

We are now recruiting for an experienced Policy and Public Affairs Specialist to lead on planning and delivering Hibiscus’ work on racial and intersectional inequalities in the Criminal Justice and Immigration systems. 

Development, research and report writing will be a key aspect of this role; the successful candidate will be responsible for drafting policy recommendations, reports, and consultation responses on issues related to Black and minoritised migrant women in contact with the Criminal Justice and Immigration systems. Supporting the Head of Policy and Public Affairs, they will engage and develop relationships with key political and parliamentary stakeholders, developing and delivering a variety of public affairs initiatives to inform decision-makers and influence policy in Criminal Justice, Immigration and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sectors. The post holder will prepare press releases and statements to address prison and immigration reforms, identifying the gaps of adequate support for women, and will analyse external and internal quantitative and qualitative data relevant to our work.

As part of the role, the Policy and Public Affairs Specialist will be responsible for raising awareness and creating content on the treatment of Black and minoritised migrant women within the Criminal Justice System. The post holder will identify opportunities for influence, monitor trends and developments, and prepare communications, reports and policy briefings to help ensure our work has an impact.

The post holder will also be responsible for leading Hibiscus’ partnership work on the Women’s Justice Reimagined project, advocating for the reimagination of the Criminal Justic System. They will build on Hibiscus’ policy work to raise our profile within advisory and working groups, creating alliances with other organisations in the sector and collaborating with other specialist and third-sector organisations to campaign for policy change and increase policy and decision-makers awareness of the issues Hibiscus works on.

[Please note: Successful candidates will need to have been resident in the UK for a minimum of 3 years to ensure the clearance process is authorised.]

Salary
 £30,500 - £34,000 *  
*negotiable within salary band, depending on experience 

Team 
Policy and Public Affairs  

Duration  
Two years (thereafter subject to funding) 

Hours  
Full-time (35 hours per week)

Location 
Hibiscus Head Office and across London, with flexible working arrangements considered. 

Reporting to 
Head of Policy and Public Affairs 

About You

The successful candidate will have experience working in the UK political context to influence change, with demonstrable experience in developing and implementing public affairs strategies and building relationships with policy makers to inform decision making in government and across the Criminal Justice and Immigration sectors.   

The candidate will have knowledge and experience in collecting quantitative and qualitative research methods to produce evidence-based reports, press statements, and legislative policy briefings. They will have in-depth knowledge of UK legislation and government institutions related to Criminal Justice, VAWG and Immigration sectors and an ability to analyse government and public policy reports to provide accurate and accessible briefings.

The successful candidate will demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a strong self-awareness and ability to prioritise workloads whilst working collaboratively with colleagues.

They will demonstrate a commitment to Hibiscus's ethos aims and objectives, including having an intersectional and anti-racist approach to the work and a comprehensive understanding of one of more of Hibiscus’ key work areas.