Assistant Director - UK Advocacy and Health Intelligence

Location (UK): Office Hybrid* in London
Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week
Salary: £83,841 per annum
Benefits: Read more about the excellent benefits we offer
Contract type: 3 Years, Fixed Term
Travel: Regular travel across the UK (including Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales)
Closing date: 23:59 hours, Monday 13 January 2025

Join us and use your skills, knowledge, passion and energy to help us achieve a future free from arthritis.

At Versus Arthritis, we won’t rest until everyone with arthritis has access to the treatment and care they need to live the life they choose with real hope of a cure in the future.

To turbo charge our progress towards achieving our goals we’ve created a new UK Advocacy (policy, public affairs and campaigns) and Health Intelligence department, within the Chief Executive Office who will pro-actively drive positive change with and for people living with arthritis.

About the role

We are now looking for an Assistant Director, who will work closely with and report to our Chief Executive Officer, to lead this new department. You will lead a growing department of 18 people and have matrix management of our nations policy and public affairs teams. Together you will deliver UK wide Advocacy and Health Intelligence strategies and ensure we make a step change in our influence.

About you

If your knowledge, skills and experience include the following then we’d love to hear from you:

a highly experienced advocate with exceptional policy and influencing skills.
a strong understanding of how to use data and health intelligence to drive system change in health or a closely related area.
a track record of working at senior level in a role which requires an organisation-wide, cross-functional strategic perspective on issues, challenges and opportunities.
excellent communication, networking and influencing skills, with the ability to build purposeful relationships at a very senior level.

People living with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions have been overlooked for far too long, if you think you can help us change that, we’d love to hear from you.

*As a hybrid worker the expectation is that you will spend around 40% of your working time in our office spaces or working in community settings. As an inclusive employer we will consider home-based working for anyone where office-based hybrid working would be a barrier to being able to work for us, for example for someone living with a long-term health condition or disability.

Download the job description and person specification for the Assistant Director - UK Advocacy and Health Intelligence role (Word 60KB).

Benefits

Your excellent benefits include:

Flexible hours, environments and working practices to promote a healthy work/life balance.
Health and wellbeing support – including the Employee Assistance Programme (free confidential 24/7 support with mental health, legal and financial queries).
Simplyhealth cash plan.
Supportive and inclusive culture, with a wide range of employee networks and support groups available to join.
Learning and personal development opportunities.
Competitive annual leave, with the option to buy/sell up to five days per year.
Generous pension plan, with employer contribution of up to 10%.
Life Assurance plan (4 x salary).

How to apply

You must be based, and hold the right to work, in the UK to apply for this position.

To apply you MUST submit:

a concise, up-to-date CV
along with a completed Application form (Word 41.2KB) demonstrating how you meet the key requirements set out in the job description and person specification for the Assistant Director - UK Advocacy and Health Intelligence role (Word 60KB). All sections must be completed.

Email both documents as Word or PDF attachments by 23:59 hours, Monday 13 January 2025 to recruitment@versusarthritis.org.

If you have a health condition that prevents you from following the steps above, please email us regarding alternative ways to apply. 

Application deadline and shortlisting 

We advise candidates to apply early as we reserve the right to close applications ahead of this date.  
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

We do not wish to receive contact from agencies or media sales. 

Interview

Interview date to be confirmed. Interviews to be held at Versus Arthritis London Office.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we guarantee you will be offered an interview if you disclose a disability and demonstrate sufficient evidence within your application that you meet the essential criteria for this role. We will also make any reasonable adjustments you may require for your interview.

About us

We have made a commitment in our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy to increase the diversity of our charity and we welcome candidates from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. We want our employees, volunteers and trustees to represent the broad diversity of the communities of which we are a part.

There are over 10 million people living with arthritis. That’s one in six, with over half of those living in pain every single day. The impact is huge as the condition slowly intrudes on everyday life – affecting the ability to work, care for a family, to move free from pain and to live independently. Yet arthritis is often dismissed as an inevitable part of ageing or shrugged off as ‘just a bit of arthritis’. We don’t think that this is OK. Versus Arthritis is here to change that.

Versus Arthritis is committed to keeping children, young people and vulnerable adults safe from harm. During the recruitment process we will undertake safer recruitment practices and relevant checks to ensure applicants are suitable to work with children, young people and vulnerable adults.