Policy Assistant (fixed-term) in Islington

Salary: £26,936 (London) / £24,479 (National) per annum

Hours: Full-time

Contract: Fixed-term (until May 2027)

Benefits:

• 27 days annual leave + statutory holidays + three closures days over the Christmas period.
• Flexible working for all staff, including working from home/hybrid working, and flexitime/TOIL scheme.
• Attractive family-friendly policies.
• Private healthcare cover.
• Season ticket loans.
• Employee awards, and training and development opportunities.

Office locations: London or Bristol

Please note, the successful candidate will be expected to carry out two days in-person working per week on average, which will include attendance at your office location. Flexible working arrangements can be discussed and agreed with the line manager, subject to role and business needs.

An exciting opportunity has arisen at the National Housing Federation (NHF) for a Policy Assistant, who will work to support our policy team to develop high-quality, relevant, evidence-based policy. The NHF is the voice of housing associations in England. We are the trade body to almost 600 housing associations, who have grown from philanthropic roots to provide 2.6 million homes to around six million people.

Key elements of the role:

• Providing support to the team in engaging with member housing associations to identify and respond to the key opportunities and challenges facing them now, and in the future.
• Undertaking evidence gathering and analysis to support policy development.
• Contributing to policy development, including drafting text for briefings or consultation responses, and taking forward elements of policy projects with support from colleagues.
• Supporting the running of policy team meetings and events.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:

• Experience of delivering excellent customer service and giving accurate advice/information in a timely manner.
• Knowledge of or interest in housing and social policy.
• Knowledge of or interest in the policy development process.
• Ability to communicate in writing and verbally to different audiences.
• Ability to bring together and summarise information from different sources.
• Excellent administrative skills with the ability to prioritise, multitask and meet deadlines.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

The NHF has published its equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, which was co-created with staff and is available on our website. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace, and we value the contribution each individual makes to our work. We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and are working to increase the diversity profile of our workforce. We are currently under-represented by ethnic minorities, people with a disability or disabilities and LGBTQ+, and would particularly welcome applications from people in these groups.

Disability confident employer

We are a disability confident employer and, if you are a disabled person who meets the skills and experience we consider essential for the role, we will offer you an interview. Please note: there may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job. In certain recruitment situations, such as high volumes of applications, we may be required to limit the overall number of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. In these circumstances, the NHF will select the disabled candidates who best meet the minimum criteria for the job rather than all of those that meet the minimum criteria, as we would do for non-disabled applicants. This is in line with the Disability Confident guidelines.

We are happy to consider reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process if you have a disability or have a condition that you feel may affect your performance during the recruitment process. Please email the People team with your request or to arrange a time to discuss in more detail.

Completing our Application Form

To apply for this role, please complete our online application form. The application form includes your employment and education history, plus you will be asked to answer questions in relation to your knowledge, skills and experience, why you are applying for the role and questions in relation to our values. The application form is anonymous and will not require you to upload a CV or cover letter. This will help us to shortlist candidates for interview based solely on their knowledge, skills and experience.

Right to work in the UK/UK VISA sponsorship

You must have the right to work in the UK, and it is important to note that the NHF does not sponsor individuals to work in the UK.

Closing date for applications: 7th May 2026

Interview date: w/c 18th or 25th May 2026