***THIS JOB VACANCY HAS NOW CLOSED***
AFF is looking for a Head of Policy, working within the AFF Executive Team, to play a key role in ensuring that the issues and evidence from soldiers and their families about family life within the Army are heard by policy makers, and that AFF can continue to be a trusted voice and source of guidance for Army families.
The role leads the AFF Policy Team to ensure they are able to effectively support Army families across a range of policy areas. It will set the direction on the key issues on which AFF needs to represent Army families, and co-ordinate AFF’s engagement with decision makers. It will provide policy advice to internal and external colleagues, and work closely with them to ensure that we can draw on a wide range of credible evidence and deliver positive change.
This role also leads on developing AFF’s impact measurement capability and, working closely with the AFF Communications Team, the demonstration of our impact to the families we work for, and the wider defence community.
What we are looking for
You will have a keen interest in the quality of life of Army family members, a passion for delivering positive change, and knowledge of defence and Army policies, for example, the New Accommodation Offer, and how they can affect family life.
You will have significant policy experience, preferably within a public policy environment. Ideally, you will have a background in one of the AFF specialist subject areas. You will be able to work at pace, with a wide range of stakeholders, and to effectively summarise and communicate complex issues. You will have excellent communication skills, both in writing and speaking, and be able to represent the organisation professionally and with a sensitive understanding of your audience.
You will have experience of managing a team, and of developing strong working relationships with colleagues across a wider organisation. You will want to continually develop yourself and your team, to ensure the continued growth of cross-discipline capability in the team.
You will be able to set direction, manage deadlines, and deliver consistently high-quality output. You will be able to flex priorities as required, and support the team effectively through a hands-on approach to delivering output. You will have strong drafting skills, with experience in producing high-quality outputs such as policy reports, responses to calls for evidence, briefing packs and presentations.
A full list of the skills and experience we are looking for can be found in the Job Description.
About the role
This is a full-time role, at 37.5 hours per week. AFF offers all staff the opportunity to work flexibly, and we are open to discussions in relation to working patterns for this role, provided that working hours are within 0800-1800, Mon-Fri. Please indicate in your application if you would like to discuss a flexible working pattern should you be selected for interview.
The annual starting salary is £48,000-53,000 per year, depending on experience. AFF offers a generous leave package of 30 days’ annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays and a day off on your birthday. We also offer non-contributory Employee Assistance and Medicash schemes.
Unfortunately, due to the difficulties obtaining employer’s liability insurance overseas, it is not possible to offer this role to a candidate based outside the UK.
AFF encourages applications from all sections of the community.
Job description, application form and further information
- Head of Policy Job Description
- Important Information for Applicants
- Application Form (completed form to be returned in Word format)
- Recruitment Information
- Applicant Privacy Notice
Any enquiries about the vacancy can be directed to Tracy Connolly (HR Administrator) via email recruitment@aff.org.uk
Closing, interview and start dates
- We will be considering applications on a rolling basis, as they are submitted, which may mean that we identify suitable candidates for interview before the closing date.
- The final closing date for applications will be midnight on Sunday, 25 February 2024, but we reserve the right to bring this date forward without notice if we make an early appointment into the role. To ensure you are considered, please submit your application at the earliest opportunity.
- We will contact shortlisted candidates for interview as they are identified and interviews are likely to take place at any time after this job advert goes live. Interviews will take place via Microsoft Teams.
- The start date for this post is the first week of April 2024.
Due to the significant number of applications received for posts, we will only be able to provide feedback for those candidates who are invited to interview.
