Senior political adviser

You can download an application pack for this role here.

Closing date and time: 9am on Monday 3 November

Interview date: Tuesday 11 November

We are looking for a new senior political adviser who will help build on our relationships and networks across Westminster, to deliver ambitious political leadership on a range of issues. The post holder will be responsible for leading advocacy interventions and providing political support to our policy experts, primarily in the natural environment theme, with a direct focus on nature, land use, food and farming.

As a senior political adviser within the politics team, you will also be involved with, and lead on, major projects or themes of work across the political leadership theme (for example, the Environment APPG), managing and developing key external relationships and supporting the Director of politics and Director of strategic partnerships as they lead the politics team.

You will need to be an exceptional communicator, adept at bringing people together around a shared vision and have the interpersonal skills to inspire and work across Green Alliance and liaise with our extensive network of partners.

The role entails identifying and leading on opportunities for the UK government to achieve environmental progress and implementing advocacy strategies to secure it. You will have direct access to senior policy makers and environmental leaders, so will need to articulate recommendations succinctly and persuasively.

The role requires excellent understanding of UK political processes (especially in Westminster, parliament and Whitehall) and experience of using it to influence policy effectively. Experience of operating within the system or of working directly with politicians and the media to achieve policy change would be a distinct advantage. An understanding of environmental policy would be beneficial but is not vital.

You will be a highly organised, capable multi-tasker with experience managing projects and able to think on your feet, while managing multiple relationships and advocating plans concurrently.

Position in the Organisation

The senior political adviser will report to the Director of strategic partnerships and will work closely with Green Alliance’s policy and communications teams. You will be required to brief and advise the senior management team regularly and will be involved in task managing politics and policy advisers and analysts, with scope for direct line management responsibilities in the future.

Key tasks and responsibilities

• Lead and support the delivery of Green Alliance projects to influence environmental policy.

• Track issues and analyse their relevance to the organisation’s objectives, and the UK’s environmental agenda, with a particular focus on our efforts to rebuild the cross-party consensus on the environment.

• Contribute to the implementation of Green Alliance’s political strategy and deputise for senior political staff, where necessary.

• Represent Green Alliance at external events, including speaking on panels and webinars, and attending events and conferences.

• Develop and sustain Green Alliance’s relationships with decision makers in Westminster and Whitehall and use them to enhance the impact of our work.

• Where relevant, develop and maintain relationships across the environmental sector to maximise impact of our strategic priorities.

• Strengthen and expand Green Alliance’s relationships with political journalists in the Westminster lobby and enhance their understanding of environmental issues and the politics around the net zero goal and nature.

• Write (or ghost write) briefings, articles and content on behalf of Green Alliance, and our partners and allies, to effect meaningful policy change in Westminster.

• Build relationships with MPs’ and peers’ offices to table Written and Oral Questions, provide briefings for debates and evidence sessions, and more, as well as strengthen relations with relevant select committee staff.

• Manage projects efficiently, within budget and to deadlines, including the task management of other team members.

• Initiate new projects and strategically develop existing ones to maximise our impact.

• Lead funding bids for new projects, including setting budgets and work plans, liaising with the Director of politics and Director of strategic partnerships.

• Be an active member of the Green Alliance staff team, contributing to a supportive and inclusive work culture.

• Work effectively as part of a team and work independently with initiative and drive.

• As required, manage consultants or freelancers.

• Any other task which may reasonably be requested to be undertaken within the scope of this post.

Person specification

Essential:

Excellent understanding of the UK’s political landscape and processes, e.g. parliamentary questions, amending legislation, select committee processes, etc.

Detailed understanding of UK and global climate and nature policy.

Experience of working with a broad range of stakeholders, convening and collaborating while managing competing priorities and beliefs.

Strong ability to manage projects, delivering outcomes to time and budget.

A passion for achieving change and experience of successfully influencing policy processes through advocacy and campaigning.

Ability to manage people, including direct reports, consultants or freelancers and to task manage those contributing to projects.

Experience of leading programme delivery, co-ordination and administration.

Experience of writing press releases, quotes and media engagement to secure coverage.

Direct experience of working with and influencing politicians and political advisers, or senior decision makers, in a political context.

Ability to collaborate effectively as part of a team, and to work on your own when needed.

Motivation to work in a purpose-driven organisation, working towards a world where people and the environment thrive together.

Desirable:

Knowledge of DEFRA related policies (particularly around food, farming, nature and land use).

Experience building relationships and networks with a wide variety of stakeholders.

Commitment to, and familiarity with the complexities of cross sector collaboration.

In your application we’ll ask you to provide evidence for how you meet the key criteria for the role, which are the ones in bold above. We will assess all aspects of the person specification across the different parts of the recruitment process. If you feel you meet the essential criteria, but not any or all of the desirable criteria, then please still consider applying.

How to apply

For your application, we would like you to answer four questions that address the key criteria highlighted in the person specification. We will also ask you to upload a CV with details of your education and work experience. We recommend that you prepare your responses to the questions before starting the application process as you will be unable to save your application and return to it later.

Application questions

1.  Why do you want to work for Green Alliance? Summarise the skills and experience you would bring to the role.

2.  Describe a time when you engaged with a UK political or parliamentary process. What was your role, how did you apply your understanding of both the political landscape and the policy area, and what was the outcome?

3.  Tell us about a time you brought together stakeholders with differing priorities or views to collaborate on a shared objective. How did you manage the tensions, and what was the result?

4.  Tell us about an example of a project you managed. How did you ensure it was delivered on time and within budget, and what strategies did you use to overcome any major challenges?

We recommend that each answer is no longer than 300 words. Where you can, give examples of the experience, knowledge and skills you have gained through employment, study or voluntary activities.

To apply:

• Prepare your answers to the four questions above.
• Click on "Apply for this job". You will be asked to confirm that you are legally authorised to work in the UK.

• Cut and paste your answers to the four application questions online. Upload your CV.

• Review and submit your application. You will receive a confirmation email to acknowledge your application.

Approach to AI

We recognise that some applicants may choose to use AI tools as they prepare their applications. We strongly encourage you to ensure that your application is personalised and reflects your own experience, insights and voice. AI should not replace your own input or authenticity. We want to hear your perspective, not a generic response and reserve the right to reject applications that closely resemble AI generated answers to our application questions.

We are genuinely interested in learning about you, your motivation, your experiences and what makes you a great fit for the role. Your application will be reviewed by one of our team members and we look forward to reading it.

Right to work

All applicants must have the right to work in the UK. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer visa sponsorship, so you will be required to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK during the recruitment process. We are unable to sponsor the renewal of work visas for people who have short-term permission to work in the UK.

Terms and conditions

Terms: This post is advertised as a full time permanent contract. We are happy to consider flexible working arrangements.

Salary band: £41,342 to £44,365

Starting salary: Will be commensurate with experience but we would expect the starting salary offered to be at the lower end of the band to allow for progression.

Location: Green Alliance's office is in central London and is fully accessible. We support hybrid working; our staff are usually in the office for two days a week. We will provide IT hardware and other equipment needed for working from home; you will need to provide good internet access.

Hours: 35 hours per week with some flexibility; the post holder would be expected to work occasional evenings for time off in lieu.

Holiday: 25 days per year in addition to statutory holidays and the period between Christmas and New Year.

Pension: Green Alliance provides an auto-enrolment pension with Aviva. All employees receive a pension contribution up to 7.5 per cent of gross salary which may be paid into this scheme or another of their choice.

For other staff benefits, please see the Employee benefits and staff wellbeing page on this site.

Next steps

Here is what you can expect after the closing date for applications:

Application review

All applications will be anonymised and assessed by our team against the key selection criteria. This ensures we review candidates based solely on relevant skills, knowledge, and experience.

We will contact you to arrange an interview if your application is moved forward to the next stage. We expect to do this by the end of the week beginning 3 November. We aim to keep candidates informed at each stage of the process and you will hear from us if your application has been unsuccessful.

Interviews

Interviews will be held on Tuesday 11 November, in person at our office in Millbank Tower, Westminster, London. Candidates will be asked to complete a task as part of the interview. Interview travel expenses will be reimbursed. Candidates who are unable to attend in person will be offered an online interview.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to making this process inclusive and accessible. Please let us know if you require any adjustments or support to participate fully by emailing Iruka, our HR officer, on iegenti@green-alliance.org.uk.