Public Affairs Officer

Citizens Advice; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Citizens Advice is seeking a passionate Public Affairs Officer to help influence decision-making and effect policy change. Join us in our mission to provide practical advice and drive real change in society, all while promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Support for career development

Qualifications

• Experience on public affairs projects with demonstrable policy change.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Understanding of political opportunities and risks.

Responsibilities

• Influence decision-makers and shape national conversations.
• Support strategy and build relationships with MPs and regulators.
• Campaign on social justice issues affecting society.

Skills

Public affairs project management

Stakeholder management

Political insight

Social justice advocacy

Job description

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Location: Blended between office and home (England and Wales). Time in office negotiable.

Citizens Advice is a charity working for the whole of society — whoever you are, whatever your problem. We provide practical advice people can really trust, when they really need it, supported by volunteers who are at the heart of the communities they serve.

Make Change Happen: Join Us as a Public Affairs Officer

At Citizens Advice, we campaign on issues that affect us all, using frontline insight to push for a fairer society. We see first-hand how broken policies impact people, and we know what needs to change.

We're looking for a passionate and politically savvy Public Affairs Officer to help us influence decision-makers and shape national conversations. You’ll work across key policy areas, support our influencing strategy, and build strong relationships with MPs, government bodies, and regulators.

This is your chance to be part of a movement driving real change at a crucial moment of political opportunity. If you're collaborative, strategic, and care about social justice, we want to hear from you.

Apply now with your CV and cover letter outlining the below essential criteria and help us turn insight into impact.

• A commitment to the goals of Citizens Advice, and a passion for promoting social justice.
• A proven track record working on public affairs projects — either in-house, in Parliament, or for an agency — which have delivered significant and demonstrable policy change.
• Proven ability supporting project teams and working on several projects simultaneously, as well as responding to ad-hoc requests and delivering to deadlines.
• Experience using best practice public affairs systems to monitor and communicate political opportunities and risks, and to map and coordinate stakeholder management effectively and strategically.

Do you want to work for an organisation that makes a difference every single day to people from all walks of life? The people that turn to Citizens Advice need help overcoming obstacles in their lives, from debt to evictions to trouble at work, and you can be key to them getting the support they need in the quickest, easiest, and most effective way.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) are of strategic importance within the organisation and are recognized as integral to all we do as a service.

Central to pursuing our EDI mission is building diverse and inclusive teams in which everyone has a sense of belonging. We believe inclusion is a social justice issue — a principle that underpins all our EDI work. We particularly welcome applications from people we would like to see better represented in our organisation and sector — people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and disabled people. We follow the social model of disability and will offer an interview to disabled candidates who indicate they wish their application to be considered under our Disability Confident Interview Commitment, provided they meet our selection criteria. Some roles attract a high volume of applications, and in some circumstances, we may limit the number of interviews offered to disabled and non-disabled candidates. We will provide reasonable adjustments as needed.

We’re a flexible employer, so this role may suit anyone who’d prefer a flexible arrangement to help their work/life balance. Many of our colleagues spend most of their time working remotely. While we prefer a blended approach between a local office (if one is near you) and home, we’re open to being flexible on location. Occasionally, a role may require you to be based in a certain location; if so, it will be detailed in the advert or job description. This can be discussed in more detail during your interview.

The National Citizens Advice operates from offices in England and Wales, with four regional offices based in Cardiff, London, Birmingham, and Leeds. All successful applicants must be based within England or Wales.

Please be aware that Citizens Advice is not a sponsoring organization. Therefore, the successful applicant must already possess the right to work in the UK or be able to secure it independently.

We have been awarded the top charity in Third Sector's employer index, recognizing Citizens Advice as an organization that prioritizes both the people we serve and the wellbeing of our employees.

Citizens Advice seeks to redeploy internal staff at risk or under notice of redundancy and will prioritize them in the recruitment process where necessary. If you are confirmed as at risk or under notice of redundancy, please indicate this in your application.

Please note that in the event of high application volume, we reserve the right to close the application early.

This vacancy closes at 23:59 on the closing date.

For more information about our organization, values, and benefits, please see the following link — Information, values, and benefits

Need help with your application? See our useful guides on the following page — Guidance notes for applicants