Policy Manager, the Communication Trust

Dear Candidate,

Policy Manager, The Communication Trust

Fixed termcontract to March 2017 (possible extension subject to funding)

Full-time (35 Hours per week)

£32,366per annum (inclusive of London weighting allowanceof £3,334 per annum)

Thank you for your interest in applying for the above new role, please find the following:

• Information about The Communication Trust
• Job Description & Person Specification
• Terms and Conditions of Employment
• Application Form

Apply by downloading an application pack from Please send your completed application form to by 5pm, Wednesday 20th July 2016.

Please ensure that you have addressed all the skills listed in the person specification.

Interviews will be held at our Central Office in London on Tuesday 26th July 2016.

Please contact Emma Hickley if you would like to arrange an informal discussion about this post. Please contact Hannah Clark in the HR Team if you have any questions about the application process.

Thank you for your interest and we look forward to receiving your application.

Yours faithfully,

The Communication Trust

I CAN and The Communication Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We carry out appropriate vetting and verifications on all staff prior to employment.

The Communication Trust

The Communication Trust is a coalition of over50 not-for-profit organisations and is hosted by ICAN, the children’s communication charity.

Working together we support everyone who works with children and young people in England to support their speech, language and communication.

Our work focuses on supporting children and young people who struggle to communicate because they have speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) as well as supporting all children and young people to communicate to the best of their ability.

We do this because our ability to communicate affects us in every aspect of our lives. Many children could be helped to communicate better and some children need really focused support to reach their full potential.No child or young person should be denied that opportunity.

To read our strategy for 2013-2017 please click here.
The Trust’s work is supported by the Department for Education and other funders. More information can be found at

Who we work with
The Trust was founded by Afasic, BT, the Council for Disabled Children and I CAN. They recognised that in order to make a lasting impact for children and young people, particularly those with SLCN, we need to work collaboratively and collectively.

Since 2007 we have brought together over 50 organisations, combining the efforts of the not-for profit sector and working constructively with Government and civil society to ensure positive outcomes for children and young people.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title:Policy Manager - The Communication Trust

Grade:B4

Reports To:Head of Operations

Contract Type:Temporary to March 2017 (possible extension subject to funding)

Job Summary

The Communication Trust has an excellent track record of working across our consortium to lead effective policy making and influencing. We work across the areas of early years, schools, FE and Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), and had particular success during the passage of the Children and Families Bill. With our consortium we are currently focusing on early years’ policy including support and services for under 5s and the quality of the workforce and are also delivering an important project which will provide a report setting out the speech, language and communication landscape and context in 2016. We also play an active role in relation to the development of SEND policy and the ongoing assessment of the implementation of the reforms and provide the secretariat to The Communication, a cross Departmental co production facility.

We are looking for an individual with experience of policy making and parliamentary process. You will need to be able to keep abreast of key developments and work in partnership to create practical solutions. This is an excellent role for a self starter who can tightly manage projects and work as part of the wider Trust team which consists of Professional Advisors and operational staff. The Policy Manager will work closely with the Trust Director on several key areas and will have an important relationship with our Consortium members.

Specific Responsibilities – policy and public affairs

To contribute to the development of the Trust’s policy including through:

1. Inputting to the development of the Trust’s public policy and taking responsibility for key projects identified in the operational plan.

1. Being the key point of contact for queries from Trust team, Consortium, wider stakeholders and the public on relevant policy issues.

1. Writing and contributing to policy briefings for MPs, Peers and wider policy stakeholders.

1. Providing the key project management oversight and Trust contact for the commissioned Speech and Language landscape report due to be published in March 2017 and for The Communication Council.
2. Manage the Trust’s policy consultation response process. This includes working as part of a team to draft responses, gathering and incorporating feedback from our Consortium members and monitoring the outcome of submitted responses.

1. Manage relationship with external political consultants commissioned by The Trust.

1. Analysing policy documents and flag areas of interest to the Trust team and Consortium.

Specific Responsibilities – Project & Budget Management

8.Project manage all streams of work including project initiation meetings and the development of project plans to ensure projects are delivered on time and on budget to the agreed quality.

1. Ensure projects are progressing to agreed timetable, milestones, outputs and outcomes, reporting any exceptions promptly.

1. Provide regular and relevant reporting information to the Head of Operations for reporting to the programme board and funders.

1. Monitor allocated budget for expenditure, forecasting and reporting to Head of Operations.

Managing Project Stakeholders & Staff

1. Responsible for coordinating and agreeing the work of internal and external stakeholders to implement project plans and securing appropriate release of their time. Utilising specialist expertise from within and outside The Communication Trust as appropriate.
   
2. Leading and organising stakeholder meetings and progress reviews as appropriate.

1. Effectively and sensitively manage relationships with senior level policy stakeholders.

Personal Development

1. Undertake relevant training and development, as required.
   
2. Participate and contribute to one’s own performance appraisal and supervision sessions.
   

General Requirements

1. Attend and contribute to appropriate staff meetings and training.
   
2. Adhere to all relevant health and safety protocols as they apply in the course of the work.
   
3. Ensure that all policies and procedures relating to the protection of children and in any services visited or worked within are followed at all times.
   
4. Avoid any behaviour that discriminates against your fellow colleagues or potential employees.
   
5. Safeguard at all times confidentiality of information relating to children, staff and the partners’ work.

The list of duties and responsibilities is by no means exhaustive and the post holder may be required to undertake other relevant and appropriate duties as required and is subject to regular review and appropriate modification.

Person Specification – Policy Manager, The Communication Trust

CRITERIA / ESSENTIAL / DESIRABLE
EXPERIENCE / Experience of policy work and developing proposals based on multiple sources of information
Understanding of the parliamentary process and experience working with MPs, officials and policy makers
Experience of working in partnership to devise policy solutions and ability to support the development of coalitions and build consensus
Experience of managing multiple projects and tight deadlines
Proven track record of delivering successful projects to time and budget
Experience of working as part of a small team in a fast paced environment / Experience of contributing to the development of an influencing strategy
Evidence of developing new policy solutions which were taken on board and influenced practice
SKILLS / Excellent interpersonal skills- able to manage multiple stakeholders with different perspectives and and excellent team work skills
Excellent presentation skills
Excellent time management skills, able to juggle competing priorities and deliver high quality outputs
Excellent written skills, able to present complex information in a clear and persuasive way
Able to contribute to meetings with high level participants
Able to report financial and project information to multiple stakeholders
Independent thinking and solution focused approach to working
KNOWLEDGE / Understanding of a minimum of one of the following policy areas: early years, schools, further education and SEN/ SLCN
Understanding of the voluntary sector; relationships within voluntary sector and relationships between voluntary, private and public sectors
OTHERS / Commitment to safe guarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people
Able to be flexible (within reasonable limits) over the timing and location of working hours

Summary of Terms and Conditions

Job Title: / Policy Manager
Contract: / Temporary to March 2017
Start Date: / As soon as possible
Location: / The Communication Trust, 31 Angel Gate, Goswell Road, London, EC1V 2PT.
Salary: / 32,366 per annum (inclusive of London weighting allowance of £3,334 per annum) paid pro rata for the duration of this contract.
Hours: / 35 hours per week with one unpaid hour for lunch each day, occasional out of hours working, overnight stays and some travel for which notice will be given.
Annual Leave / 25 days per annum plus bank holidays and Christmas closure
Probation: / There is a standard probationary period of 6 months.
Pension: / After 3 months, staff employed on a continuing contract, or temporary contract of minimum 6 months, are entitled to join the I CAN group pension scheme with Aviva. Employer contribution 4.5%, minimum employee contribution 3%.
Childcare Voucher Scheme: / I CAN operates a childcare voucher scheme which allows staff to save on childcare costs.
Season Ticket Loan / Following the probation period, I CAN offers an interest free loan to purchase an annual season ticket from the relevant rail company or London Underground Ltd.
CycleLoan / We offer an interest free loan to purchase a bike for travel to & from work, after passing the probationary period.
Employee Assistance Scheme / I CAN operates an EAP which enables staff and their immediate families to access free, confidential independent support, 24 hrs/365 days a year on a wide range of work/personal issues e.g. stress, bereavement, financial issues etc.
Application for Employment Form
Please return your completed application form to:
I CAN Human Resources Team, 31 Angel Gate, Goswell Road, London, EC1V 2PT OR Email:,uk

Please complete this form in full supplemented by additional sheets if necessary. CVs WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED

All personal data supplied to us on this form, which is subsequently processed is subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Position applied for: Policy Manager, The Communication Trust / Closing Date:5pm, 20 July 2016 / Vacancy Ref No.: 1523
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Personal details

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Referees

Please give the names and addresses of two referees, one of whom should be your current or most recent employer. Students should give the names of a lecturer/tutor/supervisor as appropriate. If you are applying for a post involving direct contact with children, at least one referee must be able to comment on your child contact experience. Your consent for I CAN to contact your referees is given by signature of this form. We will normally request references before interview; if you do not wish us to contact them without your consent, please put a cross (X) next to their name.

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Additional Information

Please give below any further information that is relevant to your application, e.g. your application is for a job share; periods of time when you would be unavailable for interview; any special requirements should you be invited for interview.

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If “Yes”, please state the permission you have to work in the UK (e.g. visa type and visa expiry date)

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Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

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*The amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013) provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are 'protected' and are not subject to disclosure to employers, and cannot be taken into account. Guidance on DBS eligibility and filtering of cautions and convictions can be found at:

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Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form – Recruitment

Please do not write your name on this form.

Thank you for taking the time out to fill in this form. We are asking these questions to understand better the composition of our workforce by gender, ethnic origin, age, sexual orientation and faith. This information will help us guide our recruitment strategies.

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Please state which post you are applying for / Policy Manager, The Communication Trust
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*The categories used are those given by the Commission for Racial Equality.

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