Senior Policy and Public Affairs Analyst, HWE Grade C: £32,471 (National Framework) or £38,143 (London Framework – if you are London office based or homebased and live within the boundary of the M25) – There is also an additional homeworking allowance of £581 per annum for those working from home Contracted Hours: Full-time 37 hours per week. Compressed hours will be considered Contract Type: Permanent Location: Home-based, flexible location or London office based. Hybrid working (working 2 days a week from home). Occasional travel to our London office and to Parliament will be required Closing Date: Monday 24 February 2025 at 11.59pm Potential Interview Date: (via Teams) w/c 10 March 2025 For an informal discussion or further information about this role, please contact the Hiring Manager – Rebecca Curtayne, External Affairs Manager and for general enquiries contact our recruitment team. Help us improve health and care Healthwatch England is the independent champion for people who use health and social care services. We’re here to find out what matters to people and help make sure their views shape the support they need. Our sole purpose is to help make care better for people. We make sure NHS leaders and other health and social care decision-makers hear your voice and use your feedback to improve care. We also help people find information about health and social care services nearby. Last year, we supported over a million people to have their say or get the advice they needed. We have an ambitious vision to ensure that health and care works for everyone. Using the power of people’s stories, we aim to help improve how services are run now and in the future. To help us do this, we are looking for an exceptional senior policy and public affairs analyst who wants to use their skills to make a difference. Join our small but dynamic team and in return, you’ll get to enjoy a great place to work, with excellent benefits. Why this could be a great role for you… You’ll be joining at a pivotal time, with the government soon launching a new 10-Year Health Plan in Spring, an independent commission into social care and new legislation aimed at improved areas like mental health care. Together with our unique statutory powers and track record in influencing policy and getting the public voice heard, this role offers a great opportunity to an ambitious public affairs and policy professional looking to take a step up in their career. In the role of a Senior Policy and Public Affairs Analyst, you will be responsible for helping to deliver our public affairs engagement and policy analysis on key health and social care issues in support of Healthwatch England’s strategy. You will play a key role in building and maintaining constructive relationships and partnerships with MPs, key individuals, organisations and networks to ensure that parliamentarians, policy-formers and decision-makers act on the Healthwatch network’s insight. You will also develop and deliver policy research projects and reports to share Healthwatch insight, in line with our influencing strategy, as well as identify changes, gaps, shortfalls and good practices in legislation, public policy and practice that affect people’s experiences of health and social care. What you will bring… You will have excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the versatility to turn your hands to presenting succinct internal briefings, crafting evidence-based submissions to select committees, or presenting research findings via Teams. You’re also a confident relationship builder who champions our priorities and can constructively challenge where necessary. You’re curious about how policies affect the lives of people and know which research methods will help you find evidence. When applying for this role, please consider that we are specifically seeking someone with experience working in a fast-paced public affairs and policy environment; and who understands the national health and social care stakeholder landscape and context. Healthwatch England is a small organisation with a big remit, the successful candidate will manage a wide range of tasks, which can be challenging, but there is an opportunity to learn a range of skills from working here. Within your supporting statement, you should evidence how you have worked with MPs, the Government, or other external stakeholders to make the case for policy change and the outcomes you secured a result. What we can offer you Your health and wellbeing are important to us and are supported through our benefits scheme. - 27 days’ annual leave, rising with service to 32.5 days, plus 8 Bank Holidays - NHS pension scheme, with around a 14% employer contribution - Free employee assistance service 24 hours a day - Discounts to supermarkets, high street stores, electronics and fleet cars - Discounted gym vouchers - Cycle to work scheme - Internal reward scheme where you could earn yourself a voucher or two - Equipment for homeworking We want to make working for CQC a great experience for everyone, and to role model a diverse and representative culture. To support an inclusive environment where colleagues feel empowered to bring their whole selves to work, we support a variety of staff networks, including the Race Equality Network, LGBT Equality Network, Carers Equality Network, Disability Equality Network and Gender Equality Network. We want to support you to succeed and be your very best with opportunities for training and development, along with the support of experienced managers and mentors. Individual Adjustments… We are committed to being open and transparent around our processes and we endeavour to offer every candidate the opportunity to perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. We seek to support candidates to identify potential challenges and work with them to identify and facilitate individual adjustments as appropriate. Should you require assistance and/or would like to request an adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, please contact a member of the recruitment team. Healthwatch is committed to promoting a fair and inclusive workplace where all our people can flourish and reach their full potential. We know diverse teams allow for a more creative and productive environment and therefore encourage applications from everyone regardless of age, gender/sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability, ethnicity or sexual orientation. Please note some roles may be subject to a satisfactory DBS check