Lead Political Advisor

Job description

Role purpose

To be a Disability Gamechanger:

• Design, coordinate and lead Scope’s political influencing strategy and communications.
• Create, maintain and develop Scope’s political and parliamentary relationships that help deliver change for disabled people.
• Represent Scope externally to parliamentarians, political stakeholders and key strategic partners to deliver Scope’s political influencing and profile building alongside the Political Strategy Manager.

Main responsibilities

• Develop, deliver, monitor and evaluate parliamentary strategies and tactics for Scope’s influencing priorities, and play an active role in the delivery of other major projects across Scope as required.
• With the Political Strategy Manager, execute Scope’s Political Strategy.
• Identify and pursue opportunities to further Scope’s influencing priorities within parliamentary business, including through debates, legislation and select committee inquiries.
• Work closely with the policy and campaign teams and others to coordinate and oversee Scope’s response to political consultations, inquiries and policy documents and those of relevant external agencies (e.g. think tanks, independent commissions or NGOs).
• Provide advice and guidance on major political opportunities and risks to Scope.
• Brief and accompany senior spokespeople at meetings with political contacts and strategic partners and draft written briefings on Scope’s influencing priorities for the CEO and senior team.
• Produce correspondence, briefings and communications to key political stakeholders on Scope’s influencing and wider corporate priorities.
• Ensure Scope maintains joined-up relationships with external partners and take responsibility for dealing with correspondence from / issues involving partnership working.
• Design and deliver aspects of Scope’s political presence at conferences and other political events.
• Ensure Scope’s high reputation and credibility among political audiences, building and maintaining productive working relationships with politicians and political stakeholders.
• Work closely with the media team to provide messaging, analysis and insight to support Scope’s political influencing strategy through the media and proactive work with journalists, broadcasters and opinion-formers.
• Be an ambassador for Scope externally.
• Deputise for the Political Strategy Manager as required.

Internal contacts

• Policy and Campaigns
• Strategy, Evidence and Insight
• Communications
• Marketing, Fundraising and Engagement

External contacts

• Political parties, politicians and their staff
• Disabled people and their families
• Disabled People’s Organisations
• Civil servants
• Special Advisers
• Think tanks, membership bodies and trade associations
• Other charities and not-for-profit organisations

Person Specification

Knowledge and experience

Essential

• Clarity about the contribution of political influencing to achieving social change.
• Demonstrates a facilitative working style, able to broker internal and external relationships to ensure effective business solutions and resolve conflict where necessary.
• Demonstrates excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to be flexible, respond positively to change work effectively under pressure and deal with conflicting priorities.
• Demonstrates effective interpersonal skills.
• Evidence of excellent IT skills particularly Microsoft Office.

Desirable

• Demonstrable understanding of the social model of disability.

Skills

Essential

• Substantial experience of developing and implementing political influencing strategies and proven experience of deploying a range of influencing tactics, with a track record of success.
• Strong understanding of UK parliamentary and government structures and the processes, policy-making procedures and decision-making mechanisms of the UK political environment, and how to influence these.
• Proven relationship-building skills.
• Sound political judgement and demonstrable experience of effectively working with UK parliamentarians, parliamentary systems and processes.
• Substantial experience of communication at a senior level (e.g., to Cabinet Ministers) with a wide range of external contacts – MPs, peers, special advisers, ministers, senior civil servants, local government decision-makers and other strategic partners. Ability to maintain a proactive and accessible approach in a high-pressure role.
• The ability to assimilate and summarise complex information in a clear and concise manner across a number of policy areas.
• Ability to develop political messaging and write for a range of external audiences.
• Proven project management skills including working with multiple stakeholders across departments and ability to prioritise and schedule a range of short-term, strategic and ongoing tasks.
• Good interpersonal skills including diplomacy, negotiation and the ability to motivate others.

Desirable

• Demonstrable understanding of the social model of disability
• Experience of organising political events