Policy and Engagement Manager

Policy and Engagement Manager (1905)

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• Salary: £46,402 per annum

• Poscity: Sidmouth

• Poscountry: United Kingdom

• Area: Policy and Profile

• Vacancy Type: Permanent

• Full or Part Time?: Full Time

The Donkey Sanctuary is an international animal welfare organisation, offering care and protection to donkeys worldwide. Our vision is a world where every donkey has a good quality of life, and our mission is to improve the lives of donkeys every day. We will achieve this by transforming the lives of donkeys in need worldwide by fostering greater understanding, collaboration and support, and by promoting lasting, mutually life-enhancing relationships.

We are tackling the greatest threats working donkeys face locally and around the world, from the donkey skin trade to challenges working animals face in disasters. We have an excellent opportunity for a creative and detail-oriented individual with excellent communication and collaborative skills to join our collaborative global department focused on influencing change, using campaigning and public affairs tactics. As Policy and Engagement Manager, you will work in partnership with department leadership to manage our positioning and evidence base for ambitious global influencing strategy and plans, and will share the load on external representation, from local to UN level. This vital role will help us advance credible connections with the sustainable development, wildlife crime, One Health and One Welfare agendas, where this can leverage outcomes and exciting point in our strategy.

About You

• Substantial experience of working in a technical (animal welfare or health) global influencing role, with a focus on driving evidence based global positions.
• Demonstrable experience in the development and delivery of policy positions, research and stakeholder mapping.
• Proven experience of developing policy or collaborative / coalition based initiatives from evidence-based research, coupled with the ability to communicate the findings to a range of audiences.
• Good knowledge of the major stakeholders the charity must work and engage with, including UK Government, UN, AU-IBAR, WOAH, the World Bank and The EU.
• Strong written communication skills and research capabilities, and an ability to translate complex information into easy to understand messages.
• Extensive report writing experience, having written or led high level global reports and briefings and evaluating evidence of their impact.
• Excellent organisation skills, able to multi-task and demonstrate working with a number conflicting demands to meet multiple deadlines.

About The Role

Your principal duties and responsibilities will include:

• Developing UK, EU and global political engagement for organisation including developing an internal working network.
• Strategically supporting designated cross-organisation influencing campaigns and projects.
• Supporting our international programme partnership influencing goals, developing toolkits and supporting capacity to increase our reach.
• Managing a small team – developing its vision and objectives, maintaining and empowering an inclusive work environment, setting clear objectives to meet organisational goals.
• Developing and maintaining a multi-organisation alliance that engages stakeholders from multiple disciplines, including academic and governmental, for the benefit of the charity causes and managing the coordination of this work.
• Undertaking research and writing policy position papers, reports, briefs, factsheets, external blogs/publications and policy responses.
• Ensuring that The Donkey Sanctuary has a strong voice in the policy making process at national level through the formulation of high quality, well informed policy positions and outputs on issues of relevance to stakeholders.

What We Offer In Return

This is a full-time, permanent contract starting as soon as possible, working 35 hours per week, 08.30-16.30, Monday-Friday. This role is nominally based on our site based in Sidmouth, Devon – an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – and we offer hybrid working. But we are keen to make the role work for you, and so will consider fully remote / home working and flexible working patterns, where required. Due to the seniority and nature of the role, flexibility will be required for working outside of core hours, and for occasional UK and international travel.

Benefits

• Competitive pension.
• Life assurance.
• 31 days holiday (including Bank holidays), rising to 34 with each full year of service.
• Wellbeing team.
• Recorded Pilates and Yoga classes.
• Long service awards.
• Healthshield plan –
• Reimbursement of some medical expenses up to the specified limits per membership.
• Offers, discounts and cashback on shopping, travel and entertainment from participating outlets.
• Access to a 24/7 GP and counselling service.
• Free parking.
• Subsidised restaurant and shop.

Closing date for completed applications:

Sunday 13 April 2025.

Initial interviews will be held via Microsoft Teams on:

Tuesday 6 May 2025. Applicants successful at this stage will progress to final interviews, via Microsoft Teams, on Wednesday 14th May 2025.

The Donkey Sanctuary is a Disability Confident Employer.

The Donkey Sanctuary is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable people (children and adults), and expects all staff and volunteers to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to safer recruitment processes, including an application for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check where required for the post.

Please note: The Guaranteed interview scheme is only applicable to candidates who consider themselves to have a disability applying for roles based within the United Kingdom.

NOTE TO APPLICANTS: We look forward to receiving your application, but we do ask you to complete this in your own words, and not to employ an Artificial Intelligence (AI) writing tool or assistant. Applications that are considered not to be an applicant’s own work may not be shortlisted for interview.