Policy Advisor in London

Permanent, Full Time (35 hours per week)

About the role

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) is working to speed up and support the transition to a more equitable and just future, free from poverty, in which people and planet can flourish. Inspired by the work of our founder over a century ago, today we are an independent, social change organisation, with an endowment, working across all nations of the UK. We are recruiting a Policy Advisor to work with our teams in the design, development and delivery of programmes that generate influential arguments, policies and ideas addressing the social and economic challenges underpinning poverty and economic insecurity in the UK today.

As a Policy Adviser, you will be responsible for supporting the delivery of projects that generate arguments, policies and ideas to address the social and economic challenges and chart a course to a different and better future. You will seek out and connect with people or organisations developing new ideas and strategies that can contribute to our mission; and contribute ideas for how JRF should use its platform and resources to support their development. The initial focus of this role is on work and care policy, though this may be subject to change over time.

About you

Candidates will bring experience of working on policy issues and engaging with a range of stakeholders. You will have a good understanding of how policy making works across the UK and an awareness of politics and how to make policy change. Knowledge and experience working on either of work or care policy is an advantage but is not essential. With experience of contributing positively and effectively in a team environment, you will be able to engage with policy dilemmas, drawing on key literature and research evidence with the ability to seek out ideas, examples, people and perspectives beyond JRF that could enrich our work and contribute to our mission. You will thrive working collaboratively with a diverse range of people, be a strong communicator (via writing and speaking) and be able to persuade effectively and engage with a range of stakeholders.

How to apply

If you share our passion and this role sounds like you, then we are looking forward to hearing from you. Please submit your CV and supporting information via our online application platform. Candidates are welcome to use AI tools in support of their applications, but anything included must be truthful, accurate, and drawn from your own experience. Be wary of relying on AI too heavily, as it produces generic answers that tend to be marked down. We're most interested in candidates' original perspectives, expressed in their own words.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 26th August 2026. Interviews will take place on the week commencing 28th September 2026. A webinar setting out more information on the role and allowing the chance for questions will take place on Tuesday 18th August at 13.30. You can find a link to sign up and submit questions in advance here. We reserve the right to bring the closing date forward should enough quality applications be received prior to the current closing date.

Additional Information

Applications are welcome from all, regardless of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief, race, sex, sexual orientation, trans status or socioeconomic background. We positively encourage applications from people from marginalised backgrounds, including but not limited to those with experience of living in poverty. We are committed to being an anti-racist organisation and operate an anonymised recruitment process so that bias is eliminated from the shortlisting process.

In support of our approach to flexible working, we are happy to receive applications from those seeking full-time employment, as well as those who may want to share the role on a part-time basis. When making your application, please state whether you want to be considered for either full or part-time work and, if part-time, the number of hours per week you would be looking for.

At JRF we are at our best when we are continually building on trust, showing we care and making a difference and hope others will do the same. So, for those roles which allow it, we are developing a more blended approach to how and where you work. This means you can expect to work flexibly between the office and home (with an expectation of two days a week in your home office).

We are a Disability Confident Employer. This means that we are committed to the recruitment, progression and retention of disabled individuals. We shall also offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for the job. If you have a disability, please tell us if you would like to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme. If you have any additional needs and need reasonable adjustments to be made to the interview process, please let us know.