At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead impactful policy projects to improve health outcomes and influence the UK health research landscape.
- Company: Join a leading Academy dedicated to advancing medical sciences and health policy.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, generous pension, hybrid working, and 26 days annual leave.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in health policy while collaborating with top experts and organisations.
- Qualifications: Strong understanding of UK health policy and experience in managing multiple projects.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for professional growth and a commitment to inclusivity.
The predicted salary is between 44340 - 44340 £ per year.
Salary and Role: Starting from £44,340 + benefits. Role duration: Permanent (37.5 hrs/week). Location: London, UK (Hybrid - 50% office attendance).
Summary Purpose - what you will be achieving: As a key member of the Academy's Policy Team, the Senior Policy Officer will play an important role at a critical moment for the organisation. This role will help the Policy team to plan and deliver a new set of priorities for 2026/27. Relevant priorities for this role include, but are not limited to:
- Improving health outcomes in the UK and internationally
- Mobilising the UK health research system to turn discovery into practice.
- Making the UK the best place in the world to have a career in medical sciences.
Within these overarching priorities, there are some distinct policy programmes the incoming Senior Policy Officer is likely to work on, which could include:
- Maximising the impact of medical sciences in prevention and early detection
- Transforming the generation and application of clinical evidence to speed up translation from discovery to patient impact, ensuring equitable inclusion of underserved groups
- Making the UK a global leader in responsible, effective and equitable AI and data use across the biomedical sciences.
- Conducting a foresight exercise to identify high‐impact innovations that will be critical within the near future and ensure the health system is enabled to support them.
The Senior Policy Officer will be line managed by a Policy Manager.
About the role - what you will be doing:
Core policy work: Lead on or support a range of policy projects and activities to inform and influence the policy landscape in accordance with Academy priorities. This work may include leading on or supporting the following:
- Major working group studies and corresponding outputs
- Informing and responding to Government set pieces and announcements
- Consultations and rapid responses, and shorter position papers
- Roundtables, workshops, and other relevant policy events
- Correspondence and briefings for senior stakeholders
- Work closely with Fellows and other experts to identify and analyse key policy issues, gather data and expert opinion
- Construct impactful conclusions and recommendations to advise internal and external stakeholders
- Deliver implementation and follow‐up activities on policy recommendations across external audiences and stakeholders
- Maintain an excellent understanding of the policy landscape by monitoring developments and key policy issues, including the use of animals in research
- Scope potential new areas of policy work, and/or identify opportunities for the Policy Team.
External engagement: Collaborate with organisations from academia, Government, healthcare, industry and the charity sector. Maintain and develop an effective network of contacts across the sector (including our Fellows) to inform and increase the impact of policy work. Represent the Academy at external meetings, parliamentary engagements and political events.
Supporting The Academy's Wider Functions: Support the Academy's briefings and parliamentary monitoring functions. Coordinate across a wide range of Academy functions, including its Briefings, Impact, and Events capabilities, to maximise the effectiveness of policy work. Work with the Communications and Engagement teams to co‐develop relevant outputs and activities. Brief senior stakeholders for high‐level meetings and events where necessary. Support the development of core scripts on priority policy topics across the Policy team. Support the Monitoring and Evaluation team with monitoring the policy team's impact.
Budget and line management: Occasionally manage policy budget lines. Occasionally supervise policy interns and placement students.
Application timeline: Closing date for completed applications: 9am, Wednesday 22 April. Interviews will likely be held online on Thursday 7 May.
Requirements:
Essential:
- Good understanding of the UK health research and medical sciences policy landscape, and/or other related areas.
- Experience in scoping, planning and delivering multiple policy projects in parallel, to achieve organisational objectives.
- Ability to develop knowledge of complex policy topics at pace, and identify opportunities for impact within these topics.
- Strong analytical skills and experience of collating evidence from multiple sources.
- Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with key internal and external contacts, including senior, high‐profile individuals.
- Ability to harness the benefits of working in a diverse organisation that is rapidly growing and changing, including across different departments and sub‐teams.
- Effective written and verbal communication skills.
- Able to run impactful policy events, meetings, and engagement activities.
- Commitment to inclusive, accessible and evidence‐based policy work.
Desirable:
- Strong attention to detail.
- Good IT, literacy and numeracy skills.
Benefits:
Competitive Rewards: Generous pension scheme with flexible contributions – we contribute between 8% – 13% of your gross salary (with employee contributions of 3% – 8%). Life assurance at three times your salary.
Work‐life Balance: Hybrid and agile working. 50% office attendance. 26 days annual leave, plus Christmas closure days and bank holidays. Buying and selling leave. Family‐friendly policies including enhanced maternity and paternity leave (subject to a qualifying period).
Wellbeing and Development: Complimentary subscriptions to Headspace and Classpass to support your physical and mental wellbeing. Support through tailored learning and development.
Additional Benefits: A range of enhanced benefits become available once you've completed your probation period.
Senior Policy Officer in London employer: Academy of Medical Sciences
Contact Detail:
Academy of Medical Sciences Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Policy Officer in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend events, and connect with professionals on LinkedIn. The more connections you make, the better your chances of landing that Senior Policy Officer role.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the Academy's current policy projects and priorities. Show us that you’re not just interested in the role, but that you understand the impact of the work we do!
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your communication skills! As a Senior Policy Officer, you'll need to convey complex ideas clearly. Try explaining key policy issues to friends or family to refine your approach.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows us you’re genuinely interested in joining our team.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Policy Officer in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application to highlight how your experience aligns with the key priorities of the role. We want to see how you can contribute to improving health outcomes and mobilising the UK health research system.
Showcase Your Skills: Don’t forget to emphasise your analytical skills and experience in managing multiple policy projects. We’re looking for someone who can hit the ground running, so let us know how you've done this in the past!
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, clarity is key! Use straightforward language and structure your thoughts logically. We appreciate a well-organised application that makes it easy for us to see your strengths.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets to us without any hiccups. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Academy of Medical Sciences
✨Know Your Policy Landscape
Before the interview, dive deep into the UK health research and medical sciences policy landscape. Familiarise yourself with current issues, key players, and recent developments. This will not only help you answer questions confidently but also demonstrate your genuine interest in the role.
✨Showcase Your Project Management Skills
Be ready to discuss your experience in scoping, planning, and delivering multiple policy projects. Prepare specific examples that highlight your ability to manage competing priorities and achieve organisational objectives. This will show that you can handle the demands of the Senior Policy Officer role.
✨Build Connections
Think about how you've built and maintained relationships in previous roles. Be prepared to share examples of how you've engaged with senior stakeholders or collaborated with diverse teams. This is crucial for a role that requires external engagement and collaboration across various sectors.
✨Prepare for Impactful Communication
Since effective written and verbal communication is key, practice articulating your thoughts clearly and concisely. Consider preparing a brief on a relevant policy topic to showcase your analytical skills and ability to construct impactful conclusions during the interview.