Are you passionate about ending domestic abuse? Are you an ambitious self-starter with bags of ideas and the initiative to bring them to life? Do you believe in the power of policy influencing to bring about positive change? Then this could be the ideal role for you.

Reporting to:           Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager

Location:                  Home-based, with regular travel to London and occasional UK travel

Salary:                      £35,000 per annum

Contract:                  Full time, permanent (35 hours per week)

This post is only open to women applicants, as being a woman is considered a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.

About SEA

Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) is the only UK charity dedicated to raising awareness of economic abuse and transforming responses to it. Our vision is a world in which all women and girls are economically equal and live their lives free from abuse and exploitation. Economic abuse is a form of coercive and controlling behaviour. 4.1 million UK women experienced economic abuse from a current or former partner in the last year. Not only does it limit their choices and ability to access safety, but it has an ongoing impact. It damages future dreams and aspirations, and, in some cases, it takes lives.

About the role

We are looking for a Policy and Public Affairs Officer to join the team to work on an exciting new three-year project funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. As part of this project, you will work closely alongside our frontline partner Money Advice Plus to help take our influencing work to the next level in our mission to stop economic abuse forever.

The role of the Policy and Public Affairs Officer is to work closely with the Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager and Head of Advocacy and Communications to develop viable, evidence-based policy solutions and deliver influencing plans to engage stakeholders from across parliament, the civil service, industry and charities to address economic abuse. Your focus will be on developing policy and influencing government on coerced debt – one of the most insidious yet devastating forms of economic abuse – to drive forward public and private sector responses. In this role, you will work collaboratively with our frontline partner Money Advice Plus and victim-survivors to ensure our policy and influencing work is grounded in women’s lived experiences of economic abuse.

You would be joining us at a significant moment as we launch our ambitious new three-year strategy. As part of this, we will build on our influencing work by ensuring victim-survivors’ voices are heard by the new Government to deliver lasting change.

Key responsibilities

Policy

• With the support of the Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager, work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to develop viable, evidence-based policy solutions to complex issues affecting economic abuse victim-survivors, with a specific focus on coerced debt and credit restoration.
• Develop and maintain expertise on key policy areas, focusing on solutions to coerced debt and the commissioning of economic advocacy support.
• Scope and deliver high-quality, evidence-based policy outputs including briefings, position statements, reports and consultation responses. This will include undertaking research, analysing evidence, centring survivor voices and developing innovative solutions to complex problems.
• Engage with victim-survivors in the Experts by Experience Group on identifying policy solutions and collaborating with external partners to ensure our policy work is survivor-centred and explicitly recognises the needs of under-served groups in line with our equity, diversity and inclusion strategy.
• Support the organisation by providing policy steers to colleagues to help inform their work, in particular advising communications colleagues on lines to take externally.

Public Affairs

• Work collaboratively with the Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager and Head of Advocacy and Communications to develop and implement effective public affairs strategies to support the delivery of our policy-influencing priorities on coerced debt.
• Develop high-quality policy briefings and speaking notes for internal representatives and political stakeholders to support our influencing work.
• Work collaboratively with the Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager to organise successful stakeholder events, like webinars, parliamentary receptions, roundtables or All-Party Parliamentary Groups etc.
• Brief and support members of the Experts by Experience Group to engage with parliamentarians.
• Monitor external developments in the political sphere and provide public affairs advice to the organisation to maximise our influencing opportunities.
• Monitor parliamentary activity and identify influencing opportunities in parliament, like oral questions, select committee enquiries, legislative stages etc.
• Update our stakeholder contact database with key contacts across parliament, the civil service, industry and charities.

General Duties

• Represent the charity and our policy positions at meetings and events as appropriate.
• Work with the Experts by Experience Group, women who have experienced economic abuse, to ensure our policy and public affairs work is survivor-centred.
• Work closely with communications colleagues to ensure that our communications support our influencing work.
• Alert the Advocacy and Communications team of any policy or legislative changes and work with the Communications Officer to update our information and resources for victim-survivors accordingly.
• To contribute to the promotion of the charity and our work.
• To participate and contribute to team meetings and organisational development.
• To engage in learning and take responsibility for your own personal development; and
• To comply with our policies and procedures and legal requirements, such as the provisions set out in the GDPR, Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Equality Act 2010.

This role description is not exhaustive. The postholder may be required to take on additional duties which are not specified here but which are in scope of the role.

Skills and Experience

• Experience in policy development, including undertaking research and analysing evidence to form credible evidence-based solutions and producing policy outputs like reports, consultation responses or briefings.
• Experience of working in parliament, local or national government, or in a political or government-facing role.
• Strong public affairs skills, including excellent knowledge of parliamentary processes, sound political judgement, and proven ability to build support among a variety of stakeholders.
• Outstanding communication skills with the ability to land complex messages clearly, concisely, and persuasively for different audiences both verbally and in writing.
• Strong organisational skills and experience in organising events, like webinars or parliamentary roundtables.
• Experience in effectively managing projects, using interpersonal and organisational skills to get the best out of others, while navigating competing priorities with agility.
• Knowledge of domestic, including economic, abuse and/or debt advice and policy responses is desirable.
• A “can-do” approach with the ability to work accurately and effectively under pressure.
• Demonstrable commitment to our values as a feminist organisation.

Working arrangements

• Candidates must have the right to live and work in the UK. All posts, including remote posts, must be based in the UK.
• Due to the nature of our work and this role, appointment will be subject to satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and references.
• This role is UK home-based, but will require some travel across the UK and to London as well as occasionally working outside of agreed hours, which is taken back as time in lieu.
• A laptop and mobile phone are provided, and travel expenses are covered.
• The wider SEA team meets approximately once a month virtually, with in-person meetings every quarter.

What we offer

• 25 days annual leave, plus 5 Wellbeing Days and Statutory Bank Holidays
• Home based
• Flexible working
• 5% Employer Pension Contribution
• Reflective practice
• Health Cash Plan, including Employee Assistance Programme
• Enhanced sick pay, family leave and carer’s leave
• The chance to be part of our highly professional, supportive team

To apply

Please apply via our online application system or by contacting [email protected] to request an application form. Please also complete our equality and diversity monitoring form.

Closing date for applications: Midnight 20 April 2025

Interviews: Interviews will take place, via Teams, week commencing 5 May 2025.

Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) is committed to developing an inclusive team which reflects the diversity of the communities we support. Our culture celebrates diverse voices, and we particularly encourage applications from Black and global majority applicants and disabled applicants who are under-represented at SEA.