Public Affairs Officer

Today, 12 children and young people will be diagnosed with cancer. We’ll stop at nothing to make sure they get the right care and support at the right time.

• Salary: £32,316 (London); £30,753 (outside of London)
• Hours: 35 per week
• Role type: Permanent
• Location: Hybrid - frequent in-person presence in London
• Closing date: 1st December 2024
• Interview date: Expected to be between 9th - 16th December

Change lives in a life-changing career

When a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer, their whole world can feel like it’s falling apart. Independence is taken and confidence is stolen. Stability no longer exists. The future suddenly feels uncertain.

The impact of cancer on young lives is more than medical. That’s why we exist. Our specialist social workers help children and young people with cancer and their families navigate the emotional and practical impact of cancer. We remove barriers, solve problems and prioritise wellbeing. And we stop at nothing to make sure they get the right care and support at the right time.

We challenge the systems and policies that surround children and young people, we highlight gaps and campaign for change. Because we know what a better future could look like. And we know what we need to do to make that future a reality. We need to push harder, reach further and work smarter. And we need the right people on our team to help us get there. People like you.

About the role

We’re looking for a motivated, communicative, and knowledgeable Public Affairs Officer to join our Policy and Influencing Team, to help us achieve the positive change children and young people with cancer across the UK, and their families, need in the health system. This means amplifying the voices of young cancer patients and delivering evidence-based campaigns that make change happen.

The Public Affairs Officer is responsible for supporting the Policy and Influencing Team with public affairs expertise to deliver the key components of our influencing work in England and UK-Wide (Westminster). You will help us influence the system for children and young people with cancer and their families, so we can change experiences of having cancer and ensure children and young people’s voices are heard.

This role is subject to a criminal record check. In the event of a successful application a basic criminal record check will be completed.

This role is a hybrid role, with frequent in-person presence in London required. As a London-based role requiring frequent travel within London, the advertised salary is reflective of our London pay scale.

What will I be doing?

No two days are the same at Young Lives vs Cancer. So, summarising your ‘day to day’ isn’t easy.

• monitoring the UK policy and influencing landscape, finding opportunities for our influencing work
• developing briefings and materials to deliver our influencing work
• building and maintaining excellent working relationships with elected representatives, officials, external partners and your colleagues too
• delivering our public affairs work in Westminster
• supporting our exciting campaigning activities
• monitoring and tracking the impact of our engagement and influencing work

What do I need?

The key skills we’re looking for in this role are:

• Have experience working in a policy or public affairs environment
• Have experience or knowledge of policy, public affairs and/or political processes and how to use them in your work
• Have effective influencing and relationship building skills
• Are comfortable and confident working in a diverse and changing external environment
• Are solutions-focused, have attention to detail, and able to analyse complex information
• Are an excellent communicator, and not afraid to get involved and engage with a variety of stakeholders and in a variety of activities and settings

What will I gain?

For people to reach their full potential, they need the right environment. As a member of Team Young Lives, you’ll be made to feel supported, valued and appreciated. Here’s how we do it:

• Flexible working: we’re open to working hours outside of 9 - 5 and we can talk through your flexibility requirements at interview stage
• Wellbeing days: four days a year to do what works for you – from catching up on training to going for a walk
• Generous annual leave allowance
• Great family/caring leave entitlements
• Enhanced pension
• Access to our employee savings scheme

Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

At Young Lives vs Cancer, we recognise that opportunities for too many people remain a condition of their sex, ethnicity, class, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation – or a combination. This has never been acceptable to us as an organisation. We don’t just accept difference, we value it, celebrate it, nurture it and we thrive because of it.

We’re on a journey to be reflective of the diverse children, young people and families we support. We know we aren’t there yet, and we’re passionately committed to taking actions and making changes to be a truly diverse, inclusive and equitable organisation. This includes taking anti-oppressive action and removing barriers in our recruitment practices. We particularly welcome applications from members of minoritised communities. Our Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging strategy will tell you more.

We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. CVs can be uploaded, but we won't be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to fully complete the work history sections of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly and objectively.

Accessibility

We’re committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we’ll always aim to be as accommodating as possible. Please let us know in your application form of any adjustments or access requirements we could make to help you with the application process and interview.

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