Executive Officer - Southern Policy Centre
An exciting and demanding opportunity to lead the development and expansion of the only independent think tank and policy forum for central southern England.
You will be responsible for taking a lead on our innovative research programme, as well as developing our relationship with key partners and maintaining general communications.
This role would suit a candidate who is not afraid to take the initiative, and is keen to enhance their career in public policy, research, and think tanks more generally. The job provides significant opportunities to progress to a more senior level.
The Southern Policy Centre is an independent think-tank and policy forum broadly serving central southern England from Dorset to West Sussex and from the Isle of Wight to Oxfordshire. Launched in November 2014, the SPC has achieved real impact and success in our priority areas of work.
- Salary: £23,500.
- Hours: 37.5 per week.
- Location: Southampton based with the flexibility to work from home when needed.
- Deadline: Saturday 2nd April
Our priorities are:
Public policy
The SPC’s initial focus has been on the development of devolution proposals to English local government. Our launch event was addressed by Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, and Lord Andrew Adonis. We worked with Business South and Ordnance Survey to produce a report on the initial proposals, and have advised the South East Strategic Leaders on the Cities and Devolution Bill and future fiscal devolution.
Other public policy work has included a report on social care provision commissioned by the BBC, which led BBC local programming for a day during the 2015 General Election.
Open Data
The SPC is committed to enabling public policy makers to make more effective use of open data and other data sources. We have been recognised by the Open Data Institute as a local node - ODI Hampshire. In this role we are working with local authorities, other public bodies and the open data community to improve the interface between data specialist and public policy makers.
We are funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and GuildHE to use local data to help design highly localised widening participation strategies. This work has been given added relevance by the Prime Minister’s new participation targets for disadvantaged students.
Innovative forms of public participation
The third strand of our work is to develop and promote new ways of involving the public in policy discussions. Our deliberative polling has been used by Southampton City Council to explore attitudes to children’s services and housing. We supported the ESRC funded Citizen’s Assembly South with Southampton University. We hosted a discussion between Danny Kruger and Arnie Graf on community organising and participation at Winchester University.
Our partners
We have worked with many leading public and business organisations in central southern England, including Oxford, Winchester, Southampton and Southampton Solent universities, the Solent and M3 LEPs, Hampshire County, Winchester and Southampton Councils (as well as the South East Strategic Leaders), Business South and many individual businesses.
The challenge
Although the Southern Policy Centre has an impressive track record for an organisation that has only had paid staff for 10 months, it remains a small organisation. We have one full-time staff post, supplemented from time to time by short-term researchers and specialist consultants. Staff are supported by voluntary members of our Advisory Board, chaired by Professor John Denham
Our first Executive Officer is leaving and we are recruiting for his replacement.
The successful applicant will be expected to deliver projects currently in hand and to raise funds to ensure the future development and sustainability of the organisation. We have a strong business plan and clear funding opportunities with public, private and voluntary sector organisations and can bring in expertise to assist the Executive Officer. Nonetheless this post will require an exceptional candidate who is well motivated, and well organised.
We are looking for a candidate who can demonstrate:
- research skills, and be capable of taking the lead in at least one of our three priority areas of work
- effective organisational and administrative skills
- sufficient competence to maintain our website and develop a social media presence
- a track record of fundraising
The successful candidate will have
- excellent communications skills: personal, in making formal presentations and in writing
- be self-motivated and capable of maintaining a high work rate when working individually
We would welcome job-share applications for this post.
Please send a CV and covering letter to John Denham on [email protected]
For an informal discussion about the role do phone John on 07973 273 595 by the 30th March