Head of Policy and Evidence

Position:
Head of Policy and Evidence

Hours: Full-time (35 hours a week)

Contract: Fixed term contract for 9 Months, maternity cover

Location: Office-based in London with flexibility to work remotely

Salary: £63,654 per annum plus excellent benefits

Salary Band: Band 4

About us

We make sure people living with MS are at the centre of everything we do. And it’s this commitment that unites us across the UK.

Our strategy is based on what people affected by MS have told us is important to them. It gives us a clear and determined focus.

Our work is based on the hopes and aspirations of our MS community. Together we campaign at all levels, fund ground-breaking research and provide award winning support and information.

Our people are our greatest asset and the key to our success. We offer a vibrant, progressive working environment where you’ll be able to make a difference.

About this job

We’re looking for an experienced and dynamic Head of Policy and Evidence to lead our policy, social research, and healthcare professional engagement activity to improve the lives of people affected by MS.

You’ll provide leadership and strategic direction, ensuring the Policy and Evidence team has clear priorities and a proactive and impact-driven approach. Strong management and leadership skills are essential to this role.

Acting as a senior spokesperson for our policy and evidence work, you’ll need to be influential both internally and externally, including representing the MS Society at a range of external meetings with a variety of audiences.

You’ll play a crucial role championing the role of impactful evidence based decision making across the organisation and have substantial experience of supporting the development of issue-based influencing campaigns. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of securing policy change across a broad range of issues and influencing policy makers at a UK or national level.

Please note this is a fixed term contract for 9 months starting in January 2025.

Closing date for applications:
9:00 on Friday 1 November 2024

Interested?

More information can be found by downloading the attached documents in ‘supporting documents’ and then to apply for this role, please submit the following:

• an updated CV.
  
• a supporting statement indicating how you meet the essential criteria as set out in the person specification in the attached job description.
  

Top Tip:
you will need to save your Cover Letter, CV and Optional Equal Opps form as one document and upload this to the site.

We’d be grateful if you downloaded and completed the equality and diversity monitoring form and submit it with your application.

Equal Opportunities

We particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities and or from ethnic minority backgrounds.

We’d be grateful if you downloaded and completed the equality and diversity monitoring form and submit it with your application.

Disability Confident Employer

We’re a Disability Confident Employer and we’re committed to promoting equality and diversity.

You can ask for reasonable adjustments as part of both our recruitment and new starter on-boarding processes.

If you need any help or adjustments to apply for this role, please contact us. You can also ask for the application materials to be sent to you in a different format. Such as for them to be sent to you by email or in a larger word format.

More about our employee benefits:

We have a wide range of employee benefits including (but not limited to):

Encouraging work life balance:

• 38 days paid annual leave (including bank holidays), pro-rata for part-time
• More annual leave entitlement, based on length of employment
• Smart working options (with the opportunity to work remotely and find a smart working pattern that suits both you and us)
• Flexible working options

Caring for you and your family:

• Generous sick pay entitlement
• More sick pay entitlement, based on length of employment
• Opportunity to buy and sell annual leave in each calendar year
• Free access to a GP virtually 24 hours a day/7 days a week allowing you unlimited advice, reassurance and where appropriate diagnosis
• Enhanced leave for new parents
• Free access to a confidential 24 hours a day/7 days a week helpline service for both you and your family with a specialist range of support and information
• Special leave options (such as up to 5 days paid leave for domestic or personal emergencies a year)
• 10 days paid disability leave a year, pro-rata for part-time
• 10 days paid carers’ leave a year, pro-rata for part-time
• Cycle to work scheme
• Death in service scheme
• New family-friendly benefits, including paid leave:
  • In the event of miscarriage or still birth
  • To support fertility treatments
  • For antenatal appointments for both parents

Thinking about your finances:

• Enhanced salary sacrifice pension scheme
• Discounted season ticket loan and interest-free emergency loans
• Give as you earn to support other charities of your choice before tax
• New employee portal including lifestyle savings vouchers and personal wellbeing

Enriching your life at work:

• Personalised development plans with a wide range of training courses and opportunities to source additional training options with your line manager
• Yearly internal apprenticeship opportunities
• New, modern offices that embrace working together both in-person and remotely
• Various opportunities to influence how we internally operate (including surveys, and focus and committee groups)
• Active and supportive internal employee networking groups for collaboration and peer support
• 2 days paid leave a year for volunteering for MS Society activities during normal working hours (such as fundraising events, or campaigning in the local community)
• 2 days paid leave a year for volunteering with other charities during normal

Safeguarding

We’re committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of everyone who uses our services and we come into contact with.

This is regardless of Gender, Race, Disability, Sexual orientation, Religion or belief, Pregnancy, Gender reassignment.

We recognise our particular responsibility to make sure vulnerable adults and children are protected.

We have measures in place to protect everyone we come into contact with from abuse and maltreatment of all kinds.

Your right to work in the UK

You must have the right to work in the UK to work in paid employment with us. You’ll need to share documents showing you’re eligible to work in the UK if we offer you employment.

You can find the UK visas and permits granting you the right to work in the UK on the UK Government website. We currently don’t have a Sponsor Licence agreement with the Home Office and aren’t able to support you with your visa applications.

No agencies please.