Programmes and Advocacy Lead

ROLE DESCRIPTION: Programmes and Advocacy Lead

Salary: £45-48k FTE, depending on experience

Days: Full-time or part-time, flexible working welcomed (including compressed/annualised hours, flexitime, remote working)

Location: Hybrid, London-based office

Reporting to: Director of Programmes

Term: Permanent

Start Date: ASAP

About Timewise

Work in the UK is changing fast, shaped by a workforce that is ageing and caring for others at both ends of life, facing higher levels of working age ill health and disability and impacted by AI and automation. Flexibility at work has grown but unevenly - millions of workers in frontline sectors still have little say over how, when or where they work. That gap means millions of people cannot fully participate in the workplace and our economy.

For two decades, Timewise has been at the forefront of changing work in Britain so that autonomy, security and control aren't privileges for the few, but the norm for everyone. We are sharpening our focus on the workers still left behind, through our unique blend of research, workplace practice, policy influencing and advocacy. We are seeking a highly motivated individual who shares our passion for social change and shaping the future of work to help build this agenda and make an impact on some of the most important issues of our time.

This role

This is an entrepreneurial role for someone who thrives in a fast-moving environment, can move between strategy and execution, and is energised by bringing ambitious and varied projects to life. You'll be working on issues that are live and contested – reducing insecurity at work for shift workers, the impact of new technology and AI on frontline jobs and the relationship between job quality and workers' health and wellbeing, including improving experiences young people have of work.

This is a rare chance to influence policy and practice from the shop floor to Whitehall, including to:

• Shape programmes of action research to influence behavioural change and workplace practice, including through direct engagement with employers, sector leaders and unions in frontline sectors.

• Influence policy and thought leadership, by contributing to Timewise's advocacy and relationships with regulators, unions, sector bodies and government, including the implementation of the Employment Rights Act.

• Build wider public awareness of frontline job quality and workers’ rights through campaigns, communications and convening.

Key Responsibilities

Policy, research and practice

• You will support on the design of some of our applied research and pilots and you will help shape the strategic direction of our innovation work and development.

• Keep up to date with key developments in policy, research and practice on job quality, job design and the labour market, including innovations in research and evaluation methods and tools.

• Ensure all outputs meet Timewise's standards of quality, rigour, and impact.

Programme oversight and project management

• Co-ordinate the successful management, delivery and dissemination of key programmes for Timewise – ensuring that work is delivered to time and quality expectations, within budget, and is impactful in line with our mission.

• Account manage several projects, partners and clients and oversee setting up new projects as they come on stream.

• Contribute to funder reporting for grant funded projects and relationship management, working with project leads.

• Oversee colleagues, consultants and associates on specific projects, with the potential in future for direct line management responsibilities as Timewise grows. In the immediate term, there is a need for excellent horizontal people management skills.

Advocacy and campaigns

• Design and manage expert convenings, roundtables, and closed-format discussions, including participant mapping, agenda development, and output capture.

• You will help to build our profile through blog writing and representing Timewise at meetings and events.

• Develop a range of materials to communicate projects to a range of audiences, working closely with our marketing and communications leads. This could include innovative social media content, audio visual projects, blogs and sector specific articles.

• Share on a frequent basis learnings and insights about policy, partnerships, programmes and practice with the wider Timewise team and community.

Development

• You will help to proactively design new programmes, solutions and research ideas that Timewise will proactively pursue, linked to our theory of change.

• You build and nurture relationships as well as creating new ones and will contribute to proposal and bid writing.

Requirements

We are interested in finding someone looking for their next step up: someone looking to grow, supported by a highly experienced and closely-involved team, with real scope to develop your skills in policy, research, advocacy and employer engagement.

You will want to make a difference to how we design work in the UK and will have excellent relational and storytelling skills to inspire others to act and work with us. You'll have some experience of project design and advocacy, perhaps honed from working within a think tank, social change organisation or public sector body. You will have the ability to take a project from concept to delivery to dissemination. You will also be used to working autonomously and taking accountability for the work you do. You will have both a willingness to be ‘hands-on’ as well as a strategic thinker.

You have:

• Expertise in delivering programmes within a comparable organisation or context aligned to labour market, employment and wider policy agendas

• Experience of research design, including approaches to designing projects that can influence change in public policy and/or employer practice.

• Ability to write concisely and professionally and to communicate ideas and impact

• An understanding of the wider policy landscape relevant to Timewise's work, and a passion for tackling workplace inequalities

• Ability to be credible at a senior level, and to build rapport quickly

• Excellent presentational and writing skills, with the ability to convey complex information persuasively, including through proposals, research papers, project reports and blogs

• Comfortable operating in a small, non-hierarchical team.

Desirable skills include:

• Experience in leading and managing projects, overseeing financial and funder reporting, preferably on either driving social change, tackling inequalities or working within the employment and skills system

• Experience in developing partnerships and income generation across charitable trusts and foundations, corporate partnerships and with and social and public sector partners

• Experience in stakeholder engagement, partnership working and gaining buy-in from others, ideally working within an organisation driving social innovation

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team, and we particularly welcome applications from candidates whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the communities whose interests we exist to represent. We offer a collaborative and stimulating environment with exposure to a wide range of stakeholders, opportunity for progression as experience grows and flexible working conditions with good work-life balance including a pension and 35 days annual leave. Please let us know if you require any adjustments to the application process.

Closing date: Monday 7th September 5pm