Policy and Public Affairs Manager in London

MAIN PURPOSES OF THIS JOB

This role will lead on delivering our work to support biosolutions and engineering biology companies by influencing Government policy, running our member community and ensuring BIA delivers membership value for non-health biotech companies. The holder will deliver a comprehensive programme of work including supporting the implementation and development of BIA’s biosolutions policy recommendations, growing the biosolutions community, and providing the secretariat to our Engineering Biology Advisory Committee. This will involve close collaborative working with civil servants, CEOs and senior leaders from member companies, the wider engineering biology community, and parliamentarians.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Policy
  • Monitor, evaluate and communicate government and parliamentary announcements and activity relevant to biosolutions and engineering biology, particularly regarding innovation, finance, infrastructure and regulation.
  • Work with BIA colleagues, members and external stakeholders to develop sector positions on innovation, infrastructure, finance and regulation policies, and produce a strong evidence base to support advocacy.
  • Provide the Secretariat to the BIA Engineering Biology Advisory Committee and other member/stakeholder meetings, preparing agendas and papers, and producing minutes.
  • Working with the Head of Biosolutions & International Policy, support the development of new policy initiatives to increase the growth and scale of the UK’s biosolutions industry and BIA’s membership.
• Public affairs
  • Support the work of the policy team to deliver BIA’s annual Parliament Day and Party Conference events, driving biosolutions stakeholder meetings.
  • Build BIA’s engagement with parliamentarians on biosolutions.
  • Develop and deliver effective engagement campaigns to influence political, civil service and industrial biotech stakeholders.
• Community, Events and Communications
  • Monitor and act as a knowledge repository on the biosolutions and engineering biology sectors.
  • Help identify and onboard potential new members.
  • Help plan and deliver the core programme of BIA events that raise the profile of biosolutions and provide networking opportunities for BIA members.
  • Lead on the BIA’s biosolutions community events with the Policy Team Coordinator and BIA Events team.
  • Represent BIA at external events to showcase BIA’s biosolutions and engineering biology work.
  • Working with BIA colleagues, help develop online (website and social media) content to make the BIA the go-to organisation for the biosolutions and engineering biology industry.
  • Working with BIA colleagues, support the production of authoritative and impactful reports to promote the sector and BIA’s influencing work.
  • Build and manage the biosolutions community.

As a small organisation, flexibility is a key value all members of the team need to work to. As such the above duties and responsibility are subject to change as informed by needs of the team, organisation and changes in the external environment.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

• A demonstrable working understanding of UK Government and Parliament; the life sciences and biotech industry; or engineering biology.
• Persuasive communication skills adaptable for a variety of audiences.
• Excellent written skills with an ability to grasp complex issues quickly and how to distil these for a variety of external audiences.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with demonstrative ability to develop good working relationships with a range of stakeholders.
• Proven project management skills to drive projects through from conception to output.
• Collaborative team-player who is flexible to changing business needs and supports colleagues effectively.
• Ability to represent the BIA and its members in person and through oral and written communication.
• Degree level education or equivalent.

Desirable

• Experience working in or with government.
• Network of stakeholder relations in the non-health biotech sector.
• Event management experience.
• Understanding of engineering biology sector and biosolutions companies needs to scale and grow across finance, regulation, infrastructure.

WORKING FOR THE BIA

Building a thriving, diverse workplace is a priority across all industries. The BIA is committed to providing a fair and equitable working environment, to attract and nurture people from all backgrounds. We value the individuality and diversity that employees bring to the company throughout our activities.

WORKING PATTERN

We are currently working in a hybrid pattern, whereby we work 3 days in the office and 2 from home. If the successful candidate is located within 40 miles of the London office, we expect them to adhere to this pattern.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates are invited to submit their resume/CV and a cover letter detailing their relevant experience, with reference to the job description, outlining their approach to the role. Please note that all offers of employment are subject to two satisfactory references and proof of eligibility to work in the UK. Applications written using an AI generator will not be accepted. Deadline for applications is Monday 9th November, 11am. There may be an accelerated recruitment process, so interested applicants are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible ahead of this closing date. Initial interviews will take place during around the week(s) of 9th November (or earlier), dependent on availability. We are committed to providing equal opportunities and creating an accessible workplace. If you require any reasonable accommodations during the application, interview or assessment process, please let us know when you apply.