Head of Policy in Andover

AFF is looking for a Head of Policy, working within the AFF Senior Leadership Team, to play a key role in ensuring that the issues and evidence from soldiers and their families about family life in the Army are heard by policy makers, and that AFF continues to be a trusted voice and source of guidance for Army families. The role will set the direction on the key issues on which AFF needs to represent Army families, and co‑ordinate AFF’s engagement with decision makers. It will lead on setting the policy priorities within AFF, and on driving positive change for Army personnel and their families in defence and wider government.

The Head of Policy leads and manages the AFF Policy team so they are able to support Army families across a range of issues, and works closely with the Communications, Evidence and Engagement teams to respond swiftly and appropriately to emerging issues, to build evidence‑based policy programmes and to demonstrate our impact to the families we work for and the wider defence community.

What we are looking for

• You will have a keen interest in the quality of life of Army family members and professional knowledge of how Defence and wider government policies affect family life.
• You’ll have a drive for delivering positive change, based on demonstrable evidence of need, and will have the skills to identify and work effectively with key decision makers.
• You will have significant policy experience, preferably within a public policy environment.
• You will be able to work at pace, with a wide range of stakeholders, and to effectively summarise and communicate complex issues.
• You will have excellent communication skills, both in writing and speaking, and be able to represent the organisation professionally and with a sensitive understanding of your audience.
• You will be a confident and credible voice for Army families in a wide range of environments.
• You will have experience of managing a team, and of developing strong working relationships with colleagues across a wider organisation.
• You will want to continually develop yourself and your team, to ensure the continued growth of cross‑discipline capability in the team.
• You will be able to set direction, manage deadlines, and deliver consistently high‑quality output.
• You will be able to flex priorities as required and support the team effectively through a hands‑on approach to delivering output.
• You will have strong drafting skills and personal presentation skills in formal and informal settings, with experience in producing high‑quality outputs such as policy reports, responses to calls for evidence, briefing packs and presentations.

About the role

This is a full‑time role, at 37.5 hours per week. AFF offers all staff the opportunity to work flexibly, and we are open to discussions in relation to working patterns for this role, provided that working hours are within 0800‑1800, Mon‑Fri and can support line management responsibilities. This is a key outward‑facing role and regular presence in London and Andover will be required. Please indicate in your application if you would like to discuss a flexible working pattern should you be selected for interview.

The annual starting salary is £48,000‑52,000 per year, depending on experience. AFF offers a generous leave package of 30 days’ annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays and a day off on your birthday. We also offer non‑contributory Employee Assistance and Medicash schemes, and a pension salary sacrifice scheme.

Unfortunately, due to the requirement for frequent and sometimes short‑notice presence in London and Andover, as well as other key locations in the UK, it is not possible to offer this role to a candidate based outside the UK. AFF encourages applications from all sections of the community.

Closing, interview and start dates

We will be considering applications on a rolling basis; the final closing date for applications will be midday on Monday 29 June, but we reserve the right to bring this date forward if we make an early appointment into the role. Interviews will be conducted in person in Andover. The start date for this post is no later than 1 Sep 2026.