Policy and Advocacy Manager

Job Description

Job Title:                                     Policy and Advocacy Manager

Responsible To:                          Board of Trustees (BoT)

Line Manager:                             Director

Salary:                                         £28,203 - £29,854

Location:                                      Belfast and Foyle

Hours:                                          35 Hours per week

Contract:                                      3 Year Full Time post

Holidays:                                      25 Days P. A. plus statutory holidays.

Overall Objectives of the Post

• Manage the development and delivery of The Rainbow Project’s policy and advocacy work. This will include helping to develop The Rainbow Projects strategic policy priorities; ensuring the development of an empirically sound evidence base including research; monitoring the success of lobbying; improving and developing the delivery of advocacy services across Northern Ireland; as well as initiate funding bids and service level contracts to ensure longer term sustainability.
   
• Manage the organisation’s Policy and Advocacy Team and assist LGB&/T people, as well as those who are unsure of their sexual orientation or gender identity, in the process of accessing The Rainbow Project’s advocacy services.

MAIN DUTIES

The main duties of this post are broken down by competency areas as below.

Service delivery

Day-to-day management of projects and budgets, chair and co-ordinate thematic groups within the staff team in meeting service level agreements, project targets and key performance indicators;  agreeing policy positions;  and identifying priorities for TRP and ensure complaints and adverse incidents are dealt with, keeping the Director informed

• Ensure the provision of a professional and appropriate advocacy service for LGB&/T people in Northern Ireland.
• Ensure the development and the continuous review of an empirically sound evidence base relating to the needs or LGB&/T people in Northern Ireland.
• Ensure availability to respond positively to all enquiries from colleagues, clients, partners, and referrers.
• Establish and maintain relationships with a range of appropriate venues and organisations from statutory, community/voluntary, and commercial sectors - review these and regularly provide updates to your organisational colleagues.

• Contribute to The Rainbow Project’s comprehensive capacity to deliver excellent results on time and within budget in order to meet service level agreements.
• Prepare for and take an active role in coordinating the Policy and Advocacy Team and participating fully in monthly line management, supervision, team meetings, and staff training days, including the occasional residential.
• Take a lead role with The Rainbow Project’s Policy and Advocacy Team through induction and training, ensuring your team are kept abreast of policy and practice developments, regularly using role play and team discussion to test understanding and identify areas for improvement.
• Ensure all complaints and adverse incidents are dealt with in a timely, consistent manner in keeping with the organisation’s Adverse Incident Policy, keeping the Director informed in every instance.
• Effectively access support and consultation structures for issues relating to child and vulnerable adult protection.  Utilise line management and peer support systems for effective information sharing, mutual accountability and quality assurance.
• Establish excellent working relationships with all staff and organisational stakeholders through induction, training, team building and line management.

Accountability

Monitor and manage service level agreements and project targets, ensure timely returns to funders, ensure compliance with relevant professional standards and develop internal policies

• Assist and support members of the Policy and Advocacy team to reach and maintain individual performance targets in line with The Rainbow Projects service level agreements and funding commitments.
• Ensure prompt and efficient recording of referral, assessment and ongoing client information on appropriate proformas, relevant databases, including risk and needs assessment records and evaluation tools.
• Ensure prompt and efficient recording and timely return of travel claims, invoices, time sheets, statistical data, line management activity reports, project monitoring and evaluation reports including ad hoc written reports as requested.
• Contribute significantly to The Rainbow Project’s policy development, ensuring an intimate understanding and working knowledge of The Rainbow Project’s Policy and Advocacy work and its policy and procedures.
• Provide regular written reports on project development, including statistics and financial issues.  Report on child protection and other issues when required.

Stakeholder engagement

Develop and maintain TRP’s role within the range of local and central government strategies and maintain relationships with funders and potential funders

• In collaboration with the Director, develop and maintain The Rainbow Project’s role within the range of local and central government strategies inspiring confidence from colleagues and service partners by your responsive, diligent and knowledgeable contribution.
• Represent The Rainbow Project to all local partners ensuring maximum access to our evidence base and advocacy services, developing excellent working relationships with referral agents and stakeholders in the lives of people of all ages, within the statutory, voluntary and community sectors, and particularly with relevant organisations and professionals.
• Together with members of the Policy and Advocacy Team effectively promote The Rainbow Project through presentations and meetings with interested parties at all suitable opportunities.
• Support your team to forge and maintain robust working relationships with all referral agents.  Ensure your team are familiar and coordinate with local statutory, community and voluntary sector resources relevant to service users, enabling appropriate signposting and direct referral to other follow-on services and referral pathways.
• Represent The Rainbow Project on relevant forums, networks, meetings and conferences, and present an analysis of the key themes and resources identified at such forums to organisational colleagues, ensuring the agency maintains a responsive, informed and updated profile.
• Liaise with funders and relevant stakeholder organisations in order to promote and develop long term financial sustainability of The Rainbow Project’s policy work and advocacy services.

Strategy

Assist the Director in implementing the strategic direction of TRP, develop new projects in fulfilment of TRP’s strategic aims, attend regular senior management meetings

• Identify income and funding opportunities;
• Monitor and report upon opportunities for policy or advocacy enhancement or expansion - to include developing funding applications.
• Contribute to the design and delivery of innovative training packages to meet the needs of in-house and external target groups.
• Translate the strategic priorities of The Rainbow Project into operational priorities;
• Demonstrate a consistent capacity to understand and contribute to the strategic development of The Rainbow Project, including the occasional demand for extended periods of rapid response to critical incidents and organisational project growth.

People management

Line management of staff including recruitment and development

• Recruit, develop and lead the Policy and Advocacy Team, in order to provide a range policy priorities and advocacy services to The Rainbow Project, targeted to meet the needs of LGB&/T people, as well as those who are unsure of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Rainbow Project requires all posts within the organisation to carry a degree of flexibility in their execution of duties in order to assist the development of the organisation.  All responsibilities associated with contracted personnel will be carried out in line with the aims and objectives of the organisation and policies set out by the Board of Trustees.  The above job description should not be viewed as an exhaustive list as other tasks may need to be undertaken as directed by the Line manager.

Employees will be expected to be flexible in their approach to working hours, as evening and weekend work may be necessary.

Person Specification

Experience and Knowledge

• Have a minimum of one years’ experience in line managing staff;
• Have a minimum of one years’ experience in managing projects including budget management;
• Experience of developing successful funding bids and/ tenders;
• Have demonstrable experience working with and influencing senior policy makers, policy implementers and service providers;
• Have a track record in achieving change in policy and practice;
• Have skills and experience in building alliances and working effectively in consortiums to achieve change;
• Have experience in strategic planning, work planning and project management; and
• Have an understanding of key issues relating to homophobia, transphobia, biphobia and hetero-sexism.

Personal Competencies

• Be a highly motivated, ambitious, proactive and innovative person who enjoys taking on big challenges;
• Be strategic and pragmatic, with an ability to effectively influence policy change;
• Be comfortable working outside a traditional business setting and routine;
• Be orientated towards continually learning, developing, adapting and improving;
• Have strong communication skills, oral, written and presentational, with experience of communicating at senior levels; and
• Have a commitment to equality, social inclusion and advocacy.

DESIRABLE CRITERIA

• Experience in developing and writing research reports;
• Previous experience of working with same-sex attracted people and/or trans or non-binary people
• Experience of working with the media including drafting press releases and being interviewed by journalists; and
• Experience in developing, delivering and evaluating educational, development or training programmes;

PLEASE NOTE

• The successful candidate will be subject to a satisfactory reference and ACCESS NI checks;
• The Rainbow Project reserves the right not to make an appointment for this post if it is felt that none of the candidates interviewed meet the required standard.
• Closing date is 18th January 2019 with interview due to be held on 24th January 2019.
• We particularly encourage applications from people from a protestant community background, women (including those not assigned female at birth) and non-binary people.