Policy Assistant in London

Race Equality Foundation is a registered charity which tackles racial inequality to improve the lives of Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, believing that everyone should be provided with the opportunities to flourish. We do this by exploring what we know about discrimination and disadvantage, using that knowledge to develop interventions that will overcome barriers and promote equality, and disseminating this knowledge and good practice through training, conferences and written material. The Foundation has delivered change through a range of ground-breaking projects. These include:

• the evidence-based Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities parenting programme
• the pioneering research which saw us interview 38 black and minority ethnic young disabled people to understand their experience of independence and independent living
• being a founding member of the Coalition of Race Equality Organisations (CORE).

We continue our efforts to progress race equality through demonstrating what is possible, such as our work on improving blood pressure testing by African and Caribbean men through the use of community facilities such as barber shops. At the same time, we continue to intervene in national debates impacting black and minority communities as can be seen through our work on mental health and with the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. We are based in London but have a national remit. The Foundation is led by the CEO, Jabeer Butt, OBE and has a management committee which supervises its work.

The overall purpose of this job is to support the research and policy work of the Policy and Practice team at the Foundation. The work will involve:

• Supporting the co-production of evidence-led solutions to tackle systemic racism
• Supporting or carrying out reviews of evidence
• Undertaking report writing in delivering projects
• Supporting recruitment and retention of people with lived experience who will be involved in our projects
• Using social media and other influencing tools to promote race equality
• Working with and managing relations with voluntary sector and statutory sector partners in our projects and influencing activities
• Undertaking all arrangements of meetings and events, including preparation of papers
• Attendance and note taking at meetings, including the preparation of minutes/notes for circulation
• Keeping and organising accurate electronic and paper records.

Other tasks may be required from time to time. Commitment to putting race equality in practice. Travel to attend meetings outside of London may be necessary. The Foundation has a strong collaborative ethos and attempts to ensure that this operates both with the agencies with which we work and between staff members.

There will be contact with service users and people with lived experience, other staff at the Foundation and our Management Committee. Regular contact will take place with agencies working in partnership with us, academics and policy makers.

Travel and hours of work: The Foundation works across the UK and travel in and out of London will be an essential part of the job. This post may involve some evening and weekend work for which time off in lieu can be taken. Staff work 35 hours a week with office hours being 9am to 5pm.

Provision of training and development: There will be an induction programme. Staff are encouraged to seek relevant training opportunities.

Skills, experience, and knowledge required include:

• Experience of working with people with lived experience from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic backgrounds
• Experience of project delivery and managing organisational relationships
• Knowledge of racial inequality, particularly in health and care
• Experience of using a range of research methods
• Good organisational skills, particularly in managing a range of projects
• Accuracy and clarity in all written and other communication
• Ability to organise workload to ensure work is delivered on time
• Use own initiative to find effective solutions
• Understanding of the voluntary/charitable sector in the UK
• Ability to develop and maintain good working relationships with colleagues and outside agencies
• Up to date skills in social media as well as use of the internet as a source of information
• Up-to-date knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel
• Educated to degree level or equivalent

This post is available for 12 months in the first instance and may be subject to extension. The salary is £31,723 per annum, plus contribution to workplace pension. The post location is our London Office. Staff are expected to work a minimum of 3 days per week in the office. There is a probationary period of one month, during which time the notice period will be one week for both parties. Full time staff are entitled to 25 days holiday leave per annum. The timing of holidays must fit in with the needs of the Foundation and must be agreed in advance. In addition to annual holidays there is paid time off for Bank holidays. The normal working week is 35 hours for full time posts, seven hours per day, Monday to Friday. Standard office hours are 9.00 a.m.-5.00 p.m. The post will be based in the London office at Unit 17 Deane House Studios, 27 Greenwood Place, London NW5 1LB.

Application should be via submission of application form and supporting statement on our portal accessed via our website. Please note that we are only able to appoint people who are eligible to work in the UK.