Public Policy Manager

Department: Communications and Engagement

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: London

Compensation: £65,000 / year

Salary: £65,000

Bonus: Discretionary

Location: Kings Cross, London (Tuesdays-Thursdays - 3 days in our office, Monday + Friday - anywhere)

Closing date: From the 13th May, we will transition to a rolling application process. The role will remain open until we have identified a strong shortlist of candidates for the interview stage.

About ARIA: ARIA is a R&D funding agency created to unlock technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible. From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world‑class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these head on. Our success is shaped by one question: how will ARIA transform the lives of the UK’s future generations? Whether that’s a life‑changing new technology or a burgeoning new industry, it should be obvious that ARIA played a catalytic role.

Role Summary: This role will help drive ARIA’s growing capability in public policy, government engagement, and ethics and social responsibility (ESR). You will be joining ARIA at a time of significant growth, with a new CEO, two cohorts of Programme Directors (PDs), significant investment in AI in Science, and bolstering the crucial role translation plays to help realise the societal impact of our work. This role will report directly to the Head of Policy, Ethics and Social Responsibility, in the directorate for communications and engagement.

What you’ll do: The scope of the role will evolve as ARIA continues to grow, but will broadly involve the following:

• Public Policy Engagement: Partner with the Programme Directors, as part of their discovery process and beyond, on their interactions with government and wider public policy stakeholders, devising and driving engagement plans and activities with the programme teams. This could include pieces with a longer‑term focus, such as scoping out the regulatory landscape for new capabilities that may emerge from our programmes, as well as timely practical tasks such as preparing briefings and speaking points.
• Create and maintain a suite of foundational materials for delivering high‑quality policy support to our PDs, including engagement trackers, horizon scanning summaries, meeting templates and guidance.
• First port of call for replying to and triaging inbound requests related to policy or government engagement.
• Be up‑to‑date and plugged into the wider R&D policy ecosystem to identify opportunities for ARIA, programmes and the communities we seek to positively impact.
• Drive ARIA‑level engagement and events with government, such as ministerial visits, roundtables and workshops.
• Leverage external specialist expertise to drive programme outcomes, which may include scoping/overseeing policy and public engagement partnerships to deliver discrete high‑impact projects.
• Work closely with teams across the organisation, including the Communications and Engagement team and the forthcoming Translation team, to ensure alignment and effective information sharing on cross‑functional work strands and deliverables.

• Ethics & Social Responsibility: Partner with the PDs, as part of their discovery process and beyond, to identify and manage the ESR considerations that are part of their programmes. This may include helping to develop the tools and approaches (such as governance frameworks or foresight research) to enable each PD to maximise the benefits of their programme for the communities they serve, and mitigate the potential harms.
• Work with our external ESR Advisors to identify and deliver specific advice and training for PDs, their teams and Creators. This may also include organisational‑wide training activities.
• Key liaison for managing the requests for help and advice, and information flows, between PDs, core ARIA team and ESR Advisors.
• Ensure the smooth running of the Board's ESR committee, including coordination of inputs from programme teams and functional teams.
• Be up‑to‑date and plugged into the wider ESR context and discourse around the programmes you support to inform thinking on our approaches to ensure responsible research and funding.

Who you are: A successful candidate will bring many of the following skills/experience to the role:

• Research and evidence based mindset – capable of proactively assessing, and carrying out, what additional research/analysis is required to inform decision‑making/bring clarity to ambiguity.
• Effective communicator, clear, concise and persuasive – with strong writing ability for different audiences and formats such as briefings, summary reports, notes to senior members of the executive etc.
• Critical thinker – able to quickly get to grips with complex or technical subject matter, across a diverse portfolio of research areas, drawing out salient points to land with a lay or non‑technical audience.
• Proactive – comfortable taking initiative; able to set priorities, problem‑solve and drive projects end‑to‑end in a fast‑moving, dynamic environment.
• Nuanced understanding of how to navigate government (Whitehall) and the wider ecosystem it operates in, including regulatory environments.
• Solid experience of diverse stakeholder management, particularly to reach consensus or optimise outcomes – this could be gained from working in a client‑based role, a matrix organisation or somewhere with a complex external stakeholder environment.
• Demonstrable interest in politics and how this affects government priorities, policies and potential implications for the wider ecosystem.
• Sound understanding of engaging or working with civil/public servants/regulators, with an appreciation of the environment they operate in.
• Familiarity with the need to exercise discretion and judgement in situations that demand a thoughtful and nuanced approach.
• Demonstrable experience of setting up, managing or helping with projects/reports, from start to finish, with little or no supervision.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience and interest in the R&D, science or innovation ecosystem.
• Experience and interest in ESR (ethics and social responsibility), in science, research or emerging technologies.
• Experience of the role policy and regulation plays in translation for emerging technologies and new scientific capabilities.

Benefits:

• 27 days annual leave provision, with the option to buy/sell additional days
• Hybrid working arrangements; 60% in office / 40% at home
• Discretionary performance related pay
• Supportive environment for learning and development opportunities
• Enhanced family leave arrangements
• A free and confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme
• Life Assurance
• 2 days of paid volunteer days
• 5% defined contribution pension scheme with Smart Pension
• Cycle to Work scheme
• An excellent office location in Kings Cross, London

Not sure you meet 100% of our criteria? Don’t worry! If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We want to attract the broadest array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you’re new to the field, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar. Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interests and what you hope to bring to this role. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please notify us and we will make every effort to accommodate you. Disclosing any requests is intended to provide ARIA with the best opportunity to support candidates and will have no negative impact on your recruitment process. ARIA adopts a highly considered approach to ethical and social responsibility.