Senior Policy Advisor

Expires

23rd September 2022

The British Academy – the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences – is seeking a Senior Policy Adviser to join a growing and high-performing policy team, focussed on higher education, skills, and research policy.

The role

The Senior Policy Adviser is a central role in our growing Higher Education and Skills Policy Team (currently six people, including two other Senior Policy Advisers). The Higher Education Team is a collaborative, productive and high-performing team, part of the Academy’s Policy Directorate alongside the Public Policy Team. We work to position the Academy as a thought leader on Higher Education and research policy, engaging in evidence-based policy to influence the health and vibrancy of our disciplines throughout the pipeline. This involves a combination of reactive responses to policy developments as they occur, and proactive planned projects designed to strengthen our evidence base, support the SHAPE discipline community, and stimulate debate.

The role of Senior Policy Adviser combines the strategic development and delivery of a range of policy projects within the Higher Education and Skills policy team, including the opportunity to design and deliver new ways of approaching our higher education, research, and skills policy activities. Programmes of work cover the breadth of higher education teaching and research policy related to the SHAPE disciplines (Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts for People and the Economy). This includes work to source, monitor and evaluate data on distinct disciplines, pipelines and provision to assess the health of SHAPE. These assessments underpin substantial policy programmes which inform ongoing policy debate about SHAPE teaching and research in the UK, including its societal and economic value (from local to international), R&D performance, and role in key government agendas.

With line management responsibility for a Policy Adviser, the Senior Policy Adviser will need to take a proactive and collaborative approach in developing and implementing creative ideas and concepts in policy research and evaluation. Joining an enthusiastic, close team of policy experts, the post holder is expected to work with the wider policy teams and across the Academy to tailor our higher education and skills policy work to the most pressing issues.

About the Academy

The British Academy is the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences, established by Royal Charter in 1902. We mobilise these disciplines to understand the world and shape a brighter future. Today’s complex challenges can only be resolved by deepening our insight into people, culture, and societies. With a Fellowship of around 1,400 leading national and international academics, the Academy invests in researchers and projects across the UK and overseas, engages the public with fresh thinking and debates, and brings together scholars, government, business, and civil society to influence policy.

The Academy currently has five directorates: Communications & Marketing, Development, Policy, Research, and Resources, plus a small Governance & Fellowship Team. We have increased staffing in the last 12 months and expect to continue to grow this year.

Working at the Academy

Our senior management team have worked with staff to foster a culture of collaboration, respect, and empathy, in which all contributions are recognised as we work towards our common goals. Our people strategy and working practices focus on building strengths and sharing insights, with learning & development, wellbeing, and equality, diversity & inclusion at the centre of how we operate as an organisation. Investing in our staff and encouraging a healthy work/life balance is central to our success, as we move forward and continue to grow.

Terms and conditions

The British Academy is based at 10-11, Carlton House Terrace, London SW1, a Grade 1 listed building. We offer a competitive benefits package including a 35-hour working week, with hours and location worked flexibly under our hybrid-working policy; 34 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays; and a defined benefit occupational pension.

For more information and to apply, please click here

Closing date: Noon, 23rd September 2022

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, in line with our commitment to create a diverse and inclusive working environment, promote equal opportunity, and address under-representation. We will make reasonable adjustments to support disabled job applicants and offer an interview to those meeting the minimum selection criteria.