Public Affairs Officer

Job content

About the role
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An exciting opportunity has arisen to make a vital contribution in protecting and enhancing the profile and reputation of the University of Leicester. Reporting into the Head of Public Affairs and as a member of the President and Vice-Chancellor’s Office, you will develop and deliver dynamic and persuasive political and parliamentary stakeholder engagement and play a key role in engaging with policy makers, civil servants, politicians, business leaders and senior key stakeholders across many fields of public life.
The University has recently launched a new strategy, a key component of which is to value, nurture and celebrate our people and relationships, ensuring they are inclusive, impactful, sustainable, and influence positive change in our world. We have set out to shape policy and influence decision-making to improve lives and livelihoods in the region, nationally and globally. The Public Affairs Officer will play a key role in delivering against this strategic aspiration.
Able to work independently and as a member of a close-knit team, you will provide high quality briefing documents, presentations and reports for senior audiences. You will build and strengthen the University’s relationship with local, regional, national and international stakeholders in support of the University’s new strategy. You will be proactive in using your own initiative and deliver a range of activities, projects and events that deliver opportunities for policy makers, politicians and influential stakeholders to interact with, and develop better understand of, the University’s world-class research, innovation and education.
At the University, we are adopting an agile working approach which means that you will be both home and campus-based in a way that helps deliver a more effective work-life balance than ever before. For this role, you will be on campus for a minimum of two days a week, which will be discussed further as part of the interview process.

About you
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You will have a thorough understanding of the policy-making process and the workings of government and will be able to build and maintain a strong network of external stakeholders, locally and nationally. You will have competent knowledge of current affairs at local, national and international levels and demonstrate a good understanding of the latest policy developments in higher education.
You will possess the high standard of professional performance required to represent the Vice-Chancellor’s Office internally and the University to external audiences.

Additional information
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Informal enquiries regarding this opportunity are welcome, and should be made to Paul Angrave at Paul.Angrave @leicester.ac.uk.
The University of Leicester has been changing the world, and changing people’s lives, for 100 years. When you join us, you’ll become part of a community of Citizens of Change, which includes not only our staff and our current students but also thousands of Leicester graduates around the world.
As a diverse and forward-thinking employer, we embed the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion into everything we do. That includes not just our core missions of teaching and research, but also our support for staff, students and our local community.
We’re committed to the wellbeing of all our staff and to the sustainability of our environment, on our campus and beyond. We offer a competitive salary package, excellent pension scheme and a generous annual leave allowance, along with opportunities to develop your career in a supportive and collaborative environment.

Job Type: Full-time