Job Description

Policy and Research Advisor

Fixed Term Contract or Secondment for 12 months

Grade D - £45,091 – £53,460

Consultation grade - subject to formal evaluation under the Pay Equity Review

Working 36.5 hours per week

A 12-month fixed term contract or secondment opportunity has arisen within the Strategy, Insight and Governance directorate and in the Strategy and External Affairs division, to support and deliver policy and research activity.

What you’ll do

The role focuses on providing support, research, and policy advice on the policy, political, partnership and stakeholder landscape within which the council operates. The postholder will work across a complex programme, project managing and delivering various workstreams to provide a high-quality outputs. It will involve preparing reports and briefings, analysing information, research, policy development and assessment, improving the impact of external affairs activity, engaging with partners, and contributing to collaborative activity with teams within the council and externally.

We are looking for candidates with:

• Experience of working in a local government or related environment and awareness of the partnership landscape in which local authorities operate.
• Experience of quantitative and qualitative research, communicating insights and results of data analyses through written reports, dashboards and presentations.
• Experience of policy analysis and research on options across policy and public service areas and developing solutions within a council and with its partners.
• Experience of organising events such as roundtables, panels, and launch events
• Ability to use ICT and digital tools to a good standard e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook etc
• Ability to work independently using your own initiative, as part of a multi-disciplinary team and within a matrix management structure and with partners.
• Knowledge of how public sector organisations function, and the importance of statutory and non-statutory partnerships to local government, and the role of evidence, politics and public participation in policy development.
• Good diagnostic skills with the ability and evaluate multiple sources of evidence to create insight and recommend solutions with clear and creative thinking.
• Ability to manage and take responsibility for own workloads, handle multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines.
• Ability to communicate effectively at all levels, orally and in writing, and put across complex ideas to a range of audiences and advise and guide colleagues.
• Good interpersonal skills, knowledge of relationship management, policy and political awareness, and an aptitude to work across organisational boundaries.

Please upload your up-to-date CV via the attachments part of your application, this is required for shortlisting. Unfortunately, we cannot consider any applications without a CV attached

Birmingham City Council is an accredited Disability Confident Leader employer, and we are committed to employing, retaining and developing all of our people.

We want to ensure your recruitment journey with us is a positive and equitable one, so please let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments, additional support, accessibility needs, or if there is any way in which we can support you through your application.

For any informal enquires please contact the Resourcing Team <Resourcing@birmingham.gov.uk>

Proof of Right to work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements, before any employment offer can be confirmed.

Sponsorship is not available for this post. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK that does not require employer sponsorship for the duration of the appointment.

Birmingham City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our citizens and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. You can view our Corporate Safeguarding Policy | Birmingham City Council here.

and Person Specification

Policy & Research Advisor-Job Description.pdf