Job Description
The NRLA: Who we are
The UK's largest membership organisation for private residential landlords, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) supports and represents more than100,000 members across England and Wales.
Created by landlords, for landlords, it offers investors everything they need to run a successful and compliant lettings business, whether they are full-time property professionals running large portfolios or accidental landlords with a single let.
The NRLA is a trusted ally, on hand to guide members through the complex regulatory environment, with all the essential documents and guidance needed to run a successful and fully compliant business.
A truly member-first organisation, innovation is at the heart of what we do and have invested in and developed new proptech solutions for members, including the acquisition of property safety certification firm Safe2 and the development of property management system Portfolio.
A dynamic and fast-paced organisation, the NRLA is a great place to work, and it is not just us saying that, we have Investors in People Gold status to prove it. The association was also named one of the best companies to work for in the UK in a list compiled by The Sunday Times.
Our enthusiastic and ambitious staff work out of offices in Central Manchester and Central London with hybrid working options available. Colleagues typically work from home four days a week with one day in the office.
We are looking for colleagues who are professional, adaptable, and innovative. In return we offer an inclusive and creative working environment with attractive options for training and career development and a competitive salary and benefits package.
The NRLA package:
● 25 days annual leave increasing to 26 days with three years’ service, 27 days with five years’ service and 28 days with seven years’ service
● Additional annual day off for your birthday
● Salary exchange Pension scheme
● Life assurance
● Cash plan health and wellbeing benefit including Employee Assistance Programme and counselling service
● Sick pay
● Cycle purchase loans, season tickets loans and interest free staff loans
● Complimentary NRLA membership
● Non contractual annual performance-related bonus scheme
● Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
We are looking for a Public Affairs Officer to join our Campaigns and Policy team on a fixed term contract for 12 months. This is a full time role and we are ideally looking for someone to start by the end of January 2025.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Develop and Implement National Public Affairs Strategies, in Collaboration with colleagues:
● Work with the Public Affairs Manager and Public Affairs Officer to develop and implement the NRLA public affairs strategy, ensuring our work represents, supports and leads NRLA members.
● Lead on projects as part of the public affairs strategy, as agreed with line manager, from initiation to evaluation. This includes project managing and reporting.
● Analyse relevant policy documents and keep up to date with legislative developments through political monitoring.
● Work with media and external relations colleagues to provide support on public affairs-related content.
Promote the NRLA's Work Through Engagement with Political and Sector Stakeholders:
● Build relationships with key parliamentarians and their staff to promote the NRLA’s public affairs objectives, including providing written and verbal briefings.
● Build and sustain productive working relationships and ensure regular communication with a range of stakeholders.
● Work together with the NRLA’s external agencies and consultants.
● Support the organisation of any political or parliamentary events, including briefings, report launches, engagement at party conferences.
● Attend any relevant meetings or events, as required, and on occasion deputising for others.
● Take responsibility for updating team systems, logs and project management tools, as required.
Ensure NRLA Members and Staff are Up-to-Date and Engaged on Public Affairs Activity:
● Research and draft briefings, speeches and presentations for senior management where required
● Together with the policy team, identify policy developments relevant to the organisation, updating senior staff and the wide team on intelligence as appropriate.
● Support member communications e.g. monitor team email inboxes and respond to queries, provide content for the NRLA communications channels, and present regularly at regional meetings.
● Work collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation, including (but not limited to) policy, communications, research, editorial, marketing and commercial, to ensure public affairs activity is integrated with the organisation's work
● Take responsibility for updating team systems, logs and project management tools, as required.
● Ensure NRLA's messaging reaches not just members, but also non-member landlords and the wider public, working with colleagues across the organisation
● Analyse analytics data for our website, newsletter and social media to monitor the effectiveness of our content, and identify suggestions to improve performance.
● Communicate our public affairs work internally
Other:
● Undertake any other duties as may be reasonably required within the scope of the role.
PERSON SPECIFICATION:
Qualifications
● Degree in politics, public policy or similar discipline; or equivalent experience
Skills & Abilities
● Good written and verbal communication skills
● Analytical and able to interpret diverse information
● Numerate
● IT literate: Microsoft Office, internet and email
Experience
Essential
● At least one year's experience of working and/or influencing policymakers, politicians and/or stakeholders
● Flexible, with demonstratable ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team
Desirable
● Project management
● Experience of the housing sector
● Experience of the key campaign areas relevant to the role
Knowledge
● Understanding of UK politics, the private rented sector, and the role of trade associations
● Understanding of the role of national and local governments and how to interact with governmental stakeholders
Personal Attributes and other requirements
● Excellent interpersonal skills to develop strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders
● Commitment to the NRLA’s objectives
● Willingness to travel and/or work out of office hours on occasion (e.g. for meetings and engaging with NRLA members – on average once a month)
The closing date for this role is 10th January 2025, although we reserve the right to close the role earlier if we have a sufficient number of applications.