Policy manager
Company: Royal Statistical Society
Salary: £40,000
Location: Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT (temporary office) with permanent location within central London
Background
Our vision is a world where data is at the heart of understanding and decision-making.
Founded in 1834, the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) is one of the world’s leading organisations advocating for the importance of statistics and data. We’re a professional body for all statisticians and data scientists – wherever they may live.
We have more than 12,000 individual members in the UK and across the world. As a charity, we advocate for the key role of statistics and data in society, and work to ensure that policy formulation and decision making are informed by evidence for the public good.
The membership of the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) constitutes a preeminent source of statistical expertise. Members work with RSS staff to support our work across areas such as policy development, education, training, statistical communication, and statistical literacy.
The Royal Statistical Society is a member-led organisation and volunteers are essential to our organisation.
Job purpose
The policy manager is based in our small, dynamic policy and advocacy team which is responsible for the policy, press, research, campaigning and external affairs functions of the Society. Our work is particularly relevant to the championing the public interest and supporting public understanding and engagement goals of the RSS strategy.
The initial focus of the role will be on taking forward the Society’s work to improve public understanding of statistics, data and AI: this encompasses both leading our education policy work and developing a new workstream focusing on public understanding of AI.
The post holder will also support and develop the Society’s other campaign priorities. This involves a mixture of conventional policy work, supporting the Society’s advisory groups and committees, convening stakeholders and organising events and quantitative analysis of important policy issues. The role will involve working alongside the Society’s fellows, who are often world experts in the fields of statistics, data and AI.
The post holder will spend around 60% of their time delivering core policy and advocacy work – supporting a regular cycle of engagement with advisory groups and implementing activities in line with our strategy and campaign priorities. The other 40% of time will be spent delivering project work that is externally funded, and the post-holder will play a role in scoping this work and developing funding proposals.
Key responsibilities
1. Delivering policy and advocacy work to support the Society’s campaign priorities – initially focusing on promoting public understanding of statistics and data.
- Scope, plan and deliver policy work in support of the campaign priority.
- Work collaboratively with RSS members to develop policy content.
- Support relevant advisory groups – advising chairs during agenda setting, supporting the smooth running of meetings and (using AI) circulating accurate meeting notes.
- Run the Society’s William Guy Lectureship scheme.
- Build understanding of the political and policy environment and effectively share this with RSS members and colleagues.
- Effectively communicate policy work in collaboration with senior communications manager and head of content.
- Develop subject matter expertise.
2. Developing and delivering policy and public understanding projects and supporting fundraising to deliver that work.
- Work with head of policy and advocacy to maintain the funding pipeline.
- Engage with potential funders to develop projects.
- Deliver policy research or public understanding projects that are supported by external funders (for example by desk research, analysis, planning and running roundtables, writing reports and developing associated material).
- Develop impact plans for research projects and delivering content and events to ensure projects have maximum impact.
3. Developing relationships with relevant stakeholders in government and civil society to maximise impact of our work.
- Identify key people in relevant government departments and build relationships
- Develop a network of civil society contacts in the relevant policy area – initially education and public understanding
- Arrange roundtables and events to engage stakeholders in policy work and introduce stakeholders to RSS members
- Monitor stakeholder engagement
General duties
- Support policy work on a range of subjects relevant to statistics, including: AI, education and statistical literacy and government use of statistics and data
- Organise and coordinate campaign and policy events on a range of subjects
- Support communications of the Society’s policy work by working closely with the senior communications manager and the digital content editor
- Work with the head of policy and advocacy to ensure appropriate support for all the Society’s policy groups including the Education Policy Advisory Group, the Public Statistics Advisory Group, the Academic Affairs Advisory Group, the AI Task Force and the Climate Change Task Force.
- Represent the Society at external events.
- Carry out other tasks as requested by the line manager and CEO.
Person specification
Essential
- At least two years’ experience in a role focusing on policy, influencing or communicating science.
- Experience of working on or analysing public policy.
- Good relationship-building skills, both internally and externally – plus sensitivity in working with members and volunteers.
- Experience of convening stakeholders to deliver policy or public affairs work.
- Experience of speaking to/engaging with subject matter experts and synthesising key points and drawing out policy recommendations
- Ability to write clear, well-structured notes, briefings and reports on policy issues.
- Good political and media awareness.
- Ability to communicate complex and technical information efficiently, effectively and succinctly including to audiences not familiar with the subject matter.
- Project management, time-management and work prioritisation skills.
Desirable
- A demonstrable interest in at least one of: statistics and data; science and innovation policy; promoting mathematical or scientific literacy; education policy; or evidence-based policy making.
- Ability to communicate professional messages effectively via social media.
Working for the RSS
Pension and benefits
Our defined contribution pension scheme can be joined after three months in post. Your contributions of up to 8% of salary will be double matched by the Society (making a maximum contribution by the Society of 16%). A training budget, season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme and employee assistance programme are also available.
Location
The RSS office is in central London. We offer flexible working arrangements, and this is a hybrid role with a minimum two days a week working in the office. In person attendance for certain meeting is required, including all-staff / team meetings and governance / committee meetings that take place in person. Limited travel within the UK and internationally may be required.
Working hours
35 per week full-time. Applications for job shares, part-time and flexible working will also be considered.
Holidays
25 days per annum, plus bank holidays and an additional shut down between Christmas and New Year.
Probation
This post is subject to a six-month probation period.
Please submit your CV to alongside a document that answers three questions:
- 1. Why would you like to join the RSS's policy and advocacy team? When answering please consider what interests you about the work we do and how your experience is relevant.
- 2. Can you describe a time where you (and your team) successfully influenced a public policy debate or outcome? Detail the role you played including, eg, your use of research, policy development, stakeholder management and communication techniques. What proved to be effective and what lessons did you learn?
- 3. Look at the chart on this webpage. ( Describe in plain English what this chart shows and what we might learn from it.
Please answer these three questions in no more than 2 sides of A4. We will select candidates for interview based on the strength of their answers to these questions and the suitability of their experience as demonstrated by their CV.
Please note that to be considered you must address these three questions and we will not consider CV only applications.
Deadline for applications: 9am Monday 20 October