Public Affairs Officer

Would you like to play a key part in influencing national decision-makers across Wales, England and Northern Ireland to drive major, positive change in the dementia policy space? Then this could be the role for you.

Sitting within Alzheimer’s Society’s Public Affairs team, as our new Public Affairs Officer you would be instrumental in delivering innovative, engaging, collaborative and evidence-based influencing work. You’d be ensuring that political and health system stakeholders are acting on the biggest issues affecting people living with dementia, working closely with other teams to drive work that is integrated locally and nationally.

While this role is predominantly focused on delivering public affairs activity in Wales, you’ll also be part of a fluid and flexible team that operates across boundaries and supports with our political work in England and Northern Ireland.

This is an exciting time for dementia policy in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We have the chance to ensure that governments are prioritising dementia and the needs of all those affected by the condition. Our Public Affairs Officer will be at the forefront of taking on this vitally important challenge.

About the role

Every day, people affected by dementia tell us what matters most to them. We listen, learn, and use what they share, alongside evidence and research, to influence real change.

What would it take to make sure those voices are truly heard by the people making decisions?

As our Public Affairs Officer, you will help make sure those voices are heard by the people making decisions. Working across Wales and as part of a three nations team, you will build relationships with politicians, decision-makers and health leaders to help improve support and services for people affected by dementia.

In this role, you will:

• Lead or support political engagement across Wales and potentially other UK nations, drawing on your knowledge of parliamentary structures and influencing routes to help drive change.
• Coordinate and oversee political monitoring and stakeholder engagement activity.
• Plan and deliver engaging public affairs (or similar) events, including parliamentary receptions, breakfast meetings, roundtables and party conference activity.
• Turn evidence-based policy positions into clear and effective influencing strategies that deliver meaningful impact.
• Develop delivery plans focused on achieving outcomes, evaluating progress and using learning to inform future activity.
• Create clear, accessible content to inform and engage stakeholders, using effective presentation and communication skills.

About you

You care about improving the lives of people affected by dementia. You are curious, proactive and enjoy working with others to make things happen.

What motivates you to turn complex issues into clear action that leads to change?

You may already have experience in public affairs, policy, advocacy or a related field. Or your experience may come from a different route, such as community work, lived experience, or another role where you have influenced change.

You will bring:

• Good knowledge of the political and health systems, and how to influence national decision-makers.
• A clear understanding of the external political environment, with experience in political or similar stakeholder management at a national level.
• Experience proactively engaging with national politicians and decision-makers, acting as the first point of contact for their teams.
• Confidence and credibility when working with internal and external stakeholders, with the ability to influence across geographical and organisational boundaries.
• The ability to work effectively in fast-paced, multi-dimensional environments, adapting to change and ambiguity.
• Well-developed analytical, written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex data into accessible, meaningful content and recommendations.
• Experience working across multiple UK nations in complex influencing environments.
• A commitment to involving people with lived experience, such as people with dementia or long-term health conditions, in your work.

We welcome people from all backgrounds and experiences. You do not need to meet every requirement to apply. If this role excites you and you want to make a difference, we would love to hear from you.

Welsh language is not essential for this role, but we welcome applications from Welsh language speakers.

Interviews are provisionally scheduled to take place on the week commencing 30th November via MS Teams.

Dementia is the UK's biggest killer. One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime.

At Alzheimer's Society, we're the UK's leading dementia charity and the only one to tackle all aspects of dementia by giving help and hope to people living with dementia today and in the future. We give vital support to people facing the most frightening times of their lives, while also funding groundbreaking research and campaigning to make dementia the priority it should be.

Together with our supporters, we're working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives.

Our values make sure that our focus is clear for the challenges and opportunities ahead and remind us of what we all stand for.

Our commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We need to ensure the voices around our table better reflect and understand the communities we exist to serve. We strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as Black, Asian or from another minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Alzheimer's Society.  

We want everyone we work with, as a colleague, volunteer, supporter, or someone we support, to feel included and that they belong at Alzheimer's Society. 

Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy here along with our internal employee forum and Employee Lived Experience network groups help us promote inclusion and belonging, becoming an engaged and inclusive organisation for all our people. 

Our hiring process

During your recruitment process we want to make sure that you bring your whole self and can be at your best. We are working hard to ensure our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible, so please do inform us of your experience and anything you think we could do better by completing our candidate survey when you apply.  Please also contact Alzheimer's Society Talent Acquisition Team via [email protected] for application support or any adjustments you might need.

To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed. We recognise the benefits of AI, but if you're considering using it to submit your application, we encourage you to reflect on the value it truly adds. AI tools often lack the personal touch and authenticity that set candidates apart. We want to hear your unique perspective, experiences, and skills, so we encourage you to showcase them in your own voice.

We try to avoid closing roles early where possible, however if we receive a high volume of applications, we may close earlier than the advertised closing date. Should this occur, we will aim to provide you with at least 48 hours' notice.

We are committed to safer recruitment and ensuring the welfare of those we work with, due to the nature of some of our roles, we might need to carry out a Criminal Record Check at the relevant level. You can read more information via our Website.

Giving back to you

Our employees work hard every day to make a true difference in people's lives. We are proud to support them with a range of benefits, recognition and many options for working agilely, all contributing to a strong work life balance. We also have various learning programmes to support you in your development and help you grow to realise your potential and shape a career with Alzheimer's Society. 

You can also visit our Working for Us pages, which give you more information about what it's like to be an employee at the Society.

INDAZ