Permanent Contract Vacancy

Job level: Level G – Officer/Executive

Salary: Starting salary of £17,142 competitive benefits

Working hours: Part-time (17.5 hours or 2.5 days per week), flexible working window from 8am to 6pm

The College of Optometrists is the professional body for optometry. It qualifies the profession and delivers the guidance and development to ensure optometrists provide the best possible care. We promote excellence through the College’s affixes, by building the evidence base for optometry, and raising awareness of the profession with the public, commissioners, and healthcare professionals.

We are looking for a Policy and Public Affairs Officer who will join our established and busy Policy and Strategy department. This role will support the Policy and Public Affairs team in developing and delivering influencing activities to help achieve our strategic goals.

Reporting to the Head of Policy and Public Affairs, you will be a key member of a close-knit, dynamic team working to improve eye health services across the UK. You will play an active role in shaping and delivering effective policies and influencing activities around key issues for members and their patients, working creatively and collaboratively with others to deliver agreed outcomes. This is a varied role that requires you to use your initiative and manage multiple tasks and priorities.

Main responsibilities:

– Support the Policy & Public Affairs team to keep abreast of developments by collating sources and sharing updates from national governments, health services and other external organisations.
– Prepare agenda and papers for the Clinical Council for Eye Health Commissioning meetings, ensure the governance arrangements are followed, support working groups and communicate with members.
– Keep the list of College’s policy key messages up-to-date, ensuring it is used to inform relevant communications.
– Maintain regular and consistent communication with College representatives to provide briefings, and to receive updates about the activities and decisions of the committees they sit on.
– Support the Policy & Public Affairs team in the development, delivery and review of the Public Affairs strategy.
– Coordinate the College Policy Advisory Panel by ensuring that membership numbers are maintained, members are updated on key College activities and the Panel meets at agreed intervals.
– Build relationships with external stakeholders, decision-makers and governments across the UK.

To be considered for the role, candidates will need to have experience of:

– Developing clear, evidence-based policy positions
– Drafting responses to consultations
– Supporting the planning and implementation of effective influencing activities
– Engaging stakeholders
– Writing clear and effective reports and other communication materials
– Managing detailed processes which require accuracy and attention to detail
– Working with multiple projects and teams
– Working to tight deadlines

In addition, you will be able to demonstrate the following knowledge, competencies and skills:

– Ability to analyse and synthesise information from a wide range of sources
– Good project management skills
– Good working knowledge of public policy and the governments of the four UK nations
– Clear and accurate written and verbal communication skills
– Ability to write effective, evidence-based reports and other documents
– Ability to work very flexibly and be able to respond to changes in the external environment at short notice
– Excellent attention to detail and accuracy
– Good knowledge of MS Office: Word, Outlook, Excel and Power Point

A copy of the full job description summarising the key activities and full list of essential requirements can be downloaded from the website. In return, we offer a variety of benefits including a generous pension plan, life assurance and a health care cash plan. The College has a TOIL policy and provides time off for events taking place during the evening and weekends. There is also potential to progress to a range maximum of £20,751 (£41,501 FTE) under our performance based/market driven incremental scheme.

To apply for the position, please send your CV and a cover letter no later than the closing date below clearly demonstrating how you meet the requirements of the role to: jobs@college-optometrists.org

Application deadline: Sunday 12 May at midnight

Interview date: Friday 17 May via Teams

Equality and inclusion

The College is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment and to avoiding unlawful discrimination. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, valuing the differences that a diverse workforce brings to the organisation. In support of this we follow a fair recruitment process in which shortlisting and other recruitment decisions are made on the basis of skills, competencies and experience demonstrated in the application and interview process.

If you require a reasonable adjustment to be made to support your application due to a disability or other condition, please let us know.

Additional Information

• Typical working hours at the College are 9 am to 5 pm (7 hours, excluding lunch). We operate a flexible working window from 8 am to 6 pm where you can vary your start and end time (working a 7 hour day). This role is part-time, requiring 17.5 hours or 2.5 days per week, with flexibility in working patterns. You will be expected to work on Tuesday afternoons to cover departmental needs, including attending department meetings in person at the office once a month.
• We also offer hybrid working (a mixture of home and office working). Typically College staff will work around 20 – 40% of their time at the workplace (whether this is the office at Craven St, or a face to face meeting, exam or event at another business related site or organisation) per week. We will consider the postholder being fully remote.
• The post holder may on occasion be required to work in the evening, approximately 8 times a year, to attend virtual Policy Advisory Panel meetings and review group meetings. Applicants should therefore have some flexibility with regard to working hours. The post may also include some UK travel and occasional nights away from home.