Public Affairs Manager 

Fixed-Term Contract for approximately 11 months, commencing March 2025

Interviews: There will be a two-stage process comprising of a telephone interview and an in-person interview week commencing 9 December.  

Deadline: Monday 2 December 2024

The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is a globally leading multidisciplinary research institute of over 900 staff investigating the spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders causing dementia, driving a step change in our understanding of neurodegeneration, and accelerating the discovery, development and delivery of interventions that will help diagnose, treat, and ultimately prevent dementia.

About You

We are looking for an energetic, proactive and skilled public affairs and communications professional to continue to help raise the political profile of the UK DRI through the delivery of an effective public affairs strategy.

You will support the delivery of the UK DRI’s internal and external communications strategy by devising and delivering effective plans to engage with and inform politicians, civil servants and other key decision makers.

To succeed in this role, it’s essential that you have excellent knowledge and understanding of Westminster, Whitehall and the devolved legislatures together with a good understanding of health and science policy, including the science funding ecosystem. You’ll expertly distil complex information into digestible briefings for our organisation and senior teams.

An adept and persuasive communicator, you’ll be able to build our communications and public affairs campaigns and trusted relationships both internally and externally, including with Ministers. You’ll manage a Senior Public Affairs Officer and work collaboratively with our wider communications team, key funders and partner organisations, ensuring that the UK DRI public affairs and communications activities are aligned, and coordinating joint working and initiatives where appropriate.

This role would suit an experienced public affairs advisor who has experience of working in and leading a small team, who is happy to get involved in key projects for a purposeful organisation.

What we offer

As well as a competitive base salary and the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer great benefits, including:

• 27 days holiday + UK Bank Holidays

• Up to 6 business closure days

• Option to purchase 5 days’ annual leave

• Single medical cover

• Group Life Assurance 4x base salary

• Group Income Protection and Critical illness cover

• Season ticket loan

• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay

• Employee assistance programme

• Comprehensive programme of voluntary benefits

The UK DRI currently operates hybrid working.

About the UK DRI

Today, over 1M people in the UK are living with dementia and related neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and motor neuron disease (MND). The impact of these incurable and progressive conditions on individuals and their families is devastating. Societal costs are staggering and growing as the population ages.

Due to major advances in our understanding of the biology of these disorders the field is at an inflection point with the next decade promising to deliver transformative breakthroughs in therapies and a new era of predictive, preventative, and precision medicine. The UK is well placed to play a leading role in this revolution due to its strengths in science required for discovery and delivery, led by the UK DRI working with our world-class university-based centres. To find out more about the UK's leading biomedical  research institute dedicated to neurodegenerative diseases, visit. UK Dementia Research Institute.

To apply

Please submit your CV and covering letter detailing why you wish to join the UK DRI and your experience for this role.

No agencies please.

By applying to this role, you understand and agree that your information will be shared within the UK DRI People & Culture team and/or any team members who will be part of the hiring process.

UK DRI is committed to equal opportunities.

The UK DRI embraces diversity, inclusion and accessibility for all of our people. We are committed to building a diverse organisation that represents the communities we serve and ensuring inclusion in everything we do. This means ensuring our recruitment processes are barrier-free and as inclusive as possible to everyone. We will make adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition.