IHE are looking for an experienced HE policy professional who’s keen to get involved in a huge breadth of policy areas at a senior level
Who are we?
Independent Higher Education is the UK membership organisation and national representative body for independent providers of higher education, professional training and pathways. Our members include some of the best education providers from the creative industries and professional world as well as highly specialist institutions. We work to support them through lobbying for reform at government level, and raising standards across the sector through sharing good practice, running relevant events, and through our in house expertise.
We offer a 10% employer contribution into your pension and our offices in Russell Square have a café onsite. As an employer, it’s important to us that working for us works for you. We are open to working flexibly, whether that means from home, as part of a job share or with flexible start and finish times. However, this is a demanding role, often with very tight deadlines, and you will need to be available for occasional early meetings and evenings functions. We are an office politics free zone so there are huge opportunities to get your ideas heard and scope to develop and learn about all of our activities.
The role
We are looking for someone to help us drive IHE’s policy work. You will be involved at every level, and on every policy area, attending high level meetings and a wide range of key movers and shakers in the national HE policy world. You can expect to meet with MPs and government ministers, senior civil servants at the DfE and OfS as well as senior staff other sector bodies including QAA, HESA, AoC, UUK, Jisc and the British Council.
You will also support our members on regulatory matters through one to one guidance, organising and delivering networks, events and webinars, and writing newsletters and updates on developments that they should be aware of. You’ll build excellent relationships with members’ principals and use feedback from members to inform your policy writing and positioning.
This role is a fantastic opportunity for you to explore new areas of policy as well as gain in-depth knowledge in key areas you may not be exposed to working at other HE sector bodies or in institutions themselves.
Who are you?
You will need in-depth understanding of HE policy at a national level (but we will bring you up to speed on areas you are less expert on!). You’ll be excellent at writing for varied audiences as this role demands everything from formal government consultation responses to blogs and updates to members. You will be personable and able to build friendly professional relationships with senior staff such as principals of institutions, and senior government figures. There’s plenty to do so you will need to show you can manage and prioritise your work to meet tight deadlines and be flexible and agile as priorities change.
How to apply
To apply, please send the following to apply@independenthe.com:
- Your CV
- A covering letter about how your skills and enthusiasms match up to this role
- Two examples of your writing that you think demonstrate your ability to adapt your tone and writing style for different contexts
A full job description is available to download on our website
There’s no closing date because we will review applications as they come in so apply soon to avoid disappointment! The next stage will be a quick chat on the phone followed by an interview at our office.
Please note that we will not consider any applications without a covering letter or the writing examples.