Please note this is a fixed term contract for 12 months.
The National Influencing Manager is an important role in our mission to make dementia the priority it needs to be. This is way more than a typical public affairs job. In fact, it’s not a typical public affairs job at all. We do things differently here. We don’t carp from the side-lines and moan about how bad everything is. Instead, we develop overwhelming, evidence and policy-based cases for change which we deploy based on our deep understanding of a complex, constantly adapting system.
Dementia is a whole system challenge so it demands a whole system approach. That means our National Influencing Manager needs to determine key decisionmakers capable of shaping national policy and then engaging them directly with an overwhelming case for change. Understanding the system is paramount, as is deploying evidence and policy in the most impactful way. We work across England, Northern Ireland and Wales, but this role is predominantly focused on England. It will require close working with National Influencing Managers in the other nations as well as with colleagues in Local Systems Influencing, Policy and Evidence. Integration and teamwork is everything in this role – with colleagues internally and with the system externally.
You’ll lead a team of three National Influencing Officers, and be part of an even larger Evidence, Policy & Influencing (EP&I) function which is laser-focused on ending the devastation of dementia through changing policy. As an integral part of the part of EP&I Management Team, you will share responsibility for management of the sub-directorate.
You will:
- Develop and oversee the execution of a high quality, innovative and successful political engagement strategy, in line with agreed organisational priorities.
- Be responsible for planning, budgeting, reporting, evaluating impact and managing risk across all aspects of our National Influencing work.
- Ensure the experience and insight of people with and affected by dementia is at the heart of all our engagement.
- Embed everything you do in a systems leadership approach, working across organisational and geographical boundaries to achieve objectives.
- Build consistency and understanding around our influencing work across all three nations by developing a shared and equally relevant set of influencing priorities alongside other senior colleagues within the Evidence, Policy and & Influencing team.
- Build impactful, sustainable relationships with senior external stakeholders such as partners in NHS systems, Government, think tanks and other charities (and hold responsibility for identifying and tracking those relationships) to further our strategic objectives.
- Ensure delivery of the team’s National Influencing strategy primarily in England, but to fully contribute to success across the three nations we operate in.
About you
You are dynamic and driven to make a difference. You want to work hard, with like-minded people, to tackle the leading cause of death in the UK. You have experience of management and are able to inspire people to give their best to their work. With your team and others, you can be persuasive and bring people along with you. Plugged in to the external environment, and well-connected within the health policy space, you enjoy getting out and about to meet people and to make connections. You are comfortable working with senior people and decision-makers. As a natural communicator and influences you love finding different ways to communicate our policy impactfully to varied audiences.
We have a lot to offer you in return. Alzheimer's Society has been named one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2023. We achieved excellent scores for workplace happiness, pride, and job satisfaction. As part of the team, you will work alongside smart, passionate people working towards the same goal. Through your work here, you will be able to build your own personal platform and make a name for yourself. Alzheimer’s Society is proud of investing in our people and you will be able to take advantage of our huge range of development opportunities. We also have flexible working arrangements available and good benefits.