Job description
70 people are dying every day from alcohol across the UK – and the UK Government is not doing enough to stop this. Join our small but mighty team to help drive change and improve the lives of people affected by alcohol.
We are looking for an Advocacy Support Officer to support our campaigns across a range of topics and get the UK Government to take action on alcohol harm. In this role, you will split your time between the Alcohol Health Alliance UK (AHA) and the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS), working 3 days a week for the AHA and 2 days a week for IAS.
The Alcohol Health Alliance UK is a partnership of over 60 organisations, working together to reduce alcohol harm. We are one of the largest public health alliances, with members including charities, medical royal colleges, alcohol health campaigners and patient representatives.
The Institute of Alcohol Studies is an independent charity and think tank dedicated to advancing the use of the best available evidence in public policy decisions about alcohol, reducing the gap between evidence and policy.
| Post title: | Advocacy Support Officer |
| Contract: | fixed term contract until mid-August 2022, starting asap, full time |
| Location: | flexible, working remotely and in the office (Alliance House, 12 Caxton Street, London, SW1H 0QS) |
| Reports to: | IAS Head of Policy |
| Salary: | £25,000 + generous defined contribution pension |
| Holiday Entitlement: | 25 days |
Job purpose
This is an opportunity to work on a high-profile issue which cuts across a range of the biggest social and political issues of the day, including addiction, health inequalities, marketing, domestic abuse, homelessness, and the influence of business in setting government policy. It’s a great chance to get experience in charity campaigning and communications and to build relationships with leading health organisations.
Core duties
- Identifying Parliamentary opportunities for influence
- Building relationships with MPs and Peers
- Preparing briefings, consultation responses and parliamentary questions
- Maintaining the database of Parliamentary contacts
- Writing and overseeing distribution of monthly e-newsletters
- Identifying and contacting potential new members for the Alcohol Health Alliance
- Acting as the point of contact for enquiries from members and the public
- Organising meetings and events (virtually and in-person, including in Parliament), booking rooms, planning catering, identifying speakers, writing agendas and minute taking.
- Managing finance processes including membership subscriptions and invoicing
- Supporting the work of the AHA Communications Manager and Policy and Advocacy Manager, and the IAS team
Person specification
You will be proactive and self-motivated, able to balance priorities in a fast-paced environment. Essential requirements for this role are:
- Experience in political and/or media campaigning
- Knowledge of the UK Parliament / Government
- Experience in drafting engaging copy for newsletters, web or similar
- Able to work on own initiative and meet deadlines across several projects simultaneously
- Experience of organising effective meetings and writing high quality minutes
- Excellent interpersonal skills and confidence, ability to work with a range of individuals
- Excellent verbal and written communications skills, including ability to draft succinct briefings for Parliamentarians
- A good degree, preferably in politics or a related field
- Passionate about achieving social change
Desirable, but not essential, requirements for this role are:
- Knowledge of public health or alcohol policy
How to apply
To apply, please send your CV and a covering letter outlining why you want to work with us and why you would excel in the role given the role description, to Sarah at sschoenberger@ias.org.uk.
Deadline for applications is 9am on 6 December 2021.
Interviews will be held in the week of 13 December 2021.