Job summary
The role sits in the NHS Confederations Strategy Policy Team who deliver the organisations policy and influencing activities, including producing publications, briefings and thought leadership pieces to highlight important policy issues facing members, influence policy agendas, and to help spread learning.
Through our networks we speak on behalf of providers and commissioners across the different sectors, but we are also uniquely placed to articulate the interests of the whole healthcare system. We believe this role is more vital than ever as every part of England moves towards integrated care system status in 2021. Our strength lies in the diversity of our membership and our ability to bring together all parts of the health and care system to develop solutions to major challenges.
Main duties of the job
The Strategic Policy Team delivers policy support on a wide range of system-wide issues including, health inequalities, funding, integration, transformation, workforce, urgent care, social care, quality, local growth and technology alongside support for media work and assistance with developing content for the Confederations annual conference. The team works closely with the communications directorate, the Confederations networks and external partners on a wide range of issues relevant to our members.
About us
The NHS Confederation is the membership body for the NHS, which brings together and speaks on behalf of all parts of the health system.
Our membership spans the full range of organisations that provide and commission services, including acute, community, mental health and ambulance service trusts; clinical commissioning groups; primary care networks; and integrated care systems.
We work across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and have a European Office focused on Brexit and international learning opportunities. The NHS Confederation is also contracted by the Department of Health and Social Care to provide the NHS Employers service, which acts on behalf of employers within the NHS provider sector in England. This places us in a strong position to influence workforce policy development and implementation.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Working as part of the Strategic Policy Team, this role will work across a range of policy areas. Specific accountabilities include:
- Identifying influencing opportunities and developments that will affect NHS Confederation members, and drawing on member priorities, expertise and knowledge in the development of policy thinking.
- Developing insightful, evidence-based, member-informed policy positions, advice, recommendations and thought leadership and delivering work that drives a range of influencing activities.
- Evaluating the quality and effectiveness of this policy and influencing work, against the organisations strategic impact goals.
- Project managing an area of activity, including planning and reporting on progress, aligning with work across the organisation and creating synergies with the work of other teams.
- Facilitating new national and local relationships and opening new opportunities for partnership working, as well as working with the commercial team to attract funding to support delivery of policy priorities.
- Identifying opportunities for the improvement in the NHS and designing and delivering opportunities to link members with the latest policy thinking and support offers.
- Developing and maintaining strong relationships with other policy experts and leads within NHS Confederation, relevant external policy leads across NHSE, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Care Quality Commission, and stakeholder organisations including think tanks, academic institutions, and patient organisations.
- Developing high-quality policy products, including rapid response briefings, letters, consultation responses, policy analysis pieces and other relevant communications.
- Working with the press and media, and the NHS Confederations media team, providing comment and background briefing on topical health stories and issues; and engaging personally in external communications from social media to blogging to speaking at external meetings and events.
- Contributing to the development of an effective and cohesive policy team that has a shared commitment to excellence and supports the work of our members, deputising Senior Policy Advisors and the Deputy Director of Policy as appropriate.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Working as part of the Strategic Policy Team, this role will work across a range of policy areas. Specific accountabilities include:
- Identifying influencing opportunities and developments that will affect NHS Confederation members, and drawing on member priorities, expertise and knowledge in the development of policy thinking.
- Developing insightful, evidence-based, member-informed policy positions, advice, recommendations and thought leadership and delivering work that drives a range of influencing activities.
- Evaluating the quality and effectiveness of this policy and influencing work, against the organisations strategic impact goals.
- Project managing an area of activity, including planning and reporting on progress, aligning with work across the organisation and creating synergies with the work of other teams.
- Facilitating new national and local relationships and opening new opportunities for partnership working, as well as working with the commercial team to attract funding to support delivery of policy priorities.
- Identifying opportunities for the improvement in the NHS and designing and delivering opportunities to link members with the latest policy thinking and support offers.
- Developing and maintaining strong relationships with other policy experts and leads within NHS Confederation, relevant external policy leads across NHSE, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Care Quality Commission, and stakeholder organisations including think tanks, academic institutions, and patient organisations.
- Developing high-quality policy products, including rapid response briefings, letters, consultation responses, policy analysis pieces and other relevant communications.
- Working with the press and media, and the NHS Confederations media team, providing comment and background briefing on topical health stories and issues; and engaging personally in external communications from social media to blogging to speaking at external meetings and events.
- Contributing to the development of an effective and cohesive policy team that has a shared commitment to excellence and supports the work of our members, deputising Senior Policy Advisors and the Deputy Director of Policy as appropriate.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Demonstrable track record in delivering research, consultancy or policy-related work that has led to change.
- Strong knowledge of the current UK health policy landscape, including national policy priorities, service challenges for the NHS and its role in local communities.
- Thorough understanding of the UK political environment and the operation of government.
- Well-developed analytical and problem-solving skills and the ability to write accessible, compelling policy narratives.
- Experience scoping and delivering planned work, as well as the ability to be responsive and agile in a rapidly changing environment.
- Excellent relationship building and influencing skills, working with senior stakeholders to build effective formal and informal networks.
- Strong presentational skills, the ability to develop communications for different audiences and present complex information simply and clearly.
Desirable
- Experience of developing long-term influencing strategies.
- Record of working collaboratively with partner organisations to build coalitions and achieve shared goals.
- Experience of working with press and media.
- Experience working with or in a membership or network environment.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Demonstrable track record in delivering research, consultancy or policy-related work that has led to change.
- Strong knowledge of the current UK health policy landscape, including national policy priorities, service challenges for the NHS and its role in local communities.
- Thorough understanding of the UK political environment and the operation of government.
- Well-developed analytical and problem-solving skills and the ability to write accessible, compelling policy narratives.
- Experience scoping and delivering planned work, as well as the ability to be responsive and agile in a rapidly changing environment.
- Excellent relationship building and influencing skills, working with senior stakeholders to build effective formal and informal networks.
- Strong presentational skills, the ability to develop communications for different audiences and present complex information simply and clearly.
Desirable
- Experience of developing long-term influencing strategies.
- Record of working collaboratively with partner organisations to build coalitions and achieve shared goals.
- Experience of working with press and media.
- Experience working with or in a membership or network environment.