Policy Officer

NHS Providers is the membership organisation for the NHS hospital, mental health, community and ambulance services that treat patients and service users in the NHS. We help those NHS foundation trusts and trusts to deliver high-quality, patient-focused care by enabling them to learn from each other, acting as their public voice and helping shape the system in which they operate.

NHS Providers has all trusts in England in voluntary membership, collectively accounting for £115bn of annual expenditure and employing 1.4 million people.

We are recruiting a policy officer to join our busy, supportive and high performing team. The current focus of this role is to support our analysis and influence of the national policy agenda on NHS funding and finances. This portfolio is one of the most high profile, broad and reactive areas of work in our organisation. In a given week you may be asked to do some of the following:

• Analyse a new piece of financial guidance for senior NHS leaders, and draft a briefing for members
• Devise a project plan, with support from the policy advisor, to gather insights from trust leaders on financial performance
• Write briefings for senior leaders at NHS Providers ahead of key stakeholder meetings, sometimes within tight deadlines
• Conduct research into a new policy area, and horizon-scan for upcoming milestones
• Collaborate with communications colleagues to draft a press release or blog about the financial and operational challenges facing trusts
• Organise logistics for a roundtable between our members and NHS England

Background knowledge of the NHS would be advantageous but is not essential for success in this role. The key requirements are set out in the person specification below, but particularly:

• to have an appreciation of the policy implications of the portfolio and interest in learning about the detail of these
• ability to organise your workload (with support from the policy advisor)
• strong written and verbal communication skills
• ability to build effective working relationships both within and, where appropriate, outside the organisation.

The role will be of interest to all applicants who wish to broaden their experience of health policy and develop their understanding of the NHS.

We actively support equality of opportunity for all our staff and welcome applications from individuals regardless of age, any disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion, or belief. We particularly encourage applications from those from underrepresented communities.