Description

Are you a confident public affairs professional experienced in influencing policy-makers? Do you have a passion for improving living standards?

Then you might be just the right person to support our public affair functions at abrdn Financial Fairness Trust.

You’ll play a big part in helping to achieve the Trust’s goals by:

  • Supporting the public affairs function of the Trust;
  • Establishing strong relationships and spotting opportunities to influence;
  • Raising awareness and improving understanding of our work with a wide range of stakeholders.

We are looking for a public affairs professional with strong influencing skills and a background in a field or sector linked to the Trust’s areas of work to support the Head of Policy and Research.

You will have a strong interest in and understanding of the political landscape and of the workings of government. The role involves building relationships with and knowledge of key policy makers and issues we are working on to provide guidance and support to grantees.

You’ll work alongside a small team of seven who are based between London and Edinburgh and work in a hybrid manner. You should be someone who is highly motivated with a can-do attitude, and the ability to occasionally travel within the UK.

Please review the detailed job description for more information on our website.

What you’ll get

It’s crucial that everyone in the team is passionate about our mission, but not at the expense of our lives outside of work. We strive to ensure everyone in the team has a good work-life balance, valuing flexible working and being open to conversations about what you need. You’ll work with a friendly and knowledgeable team of staff and Trustees, and a supportive and experienced manager.

You can choose to work the 21 hours over three or four days from the start of employment, you need to live close enough to commute to London regularly, willing to travel to the Edinburgh office and other locations as required and you’ll receive a salary of £23,221 (£38,702 FTE) with a transparent pay scale in place. We know there’s more to life than just work, so you will have 40 days annual leave (pro rata including bank holidays), private medical care, income protection, life assurance and save for your future with 16% unmatched employer contribution to pension (plus an additional 2% match if you contribute). We have family-friendly policies and extra optional benefits to choose from too, such as discounted gym membership and good value travel insurance.

Interested in applying?

The role would particularly benefit an individual with public affairs experience particularly in the third sector or government who has worked on issues related to the Trust’s work and is looking to expand their skills and experience.

We’re committed to offering flexibility, so if you’re not sure if the role will work for your circumstances why not just ask us? And if there are reasonable changes we can make to our recruitment process to help you put your best self forward, we are happy to consider adjustments, as we know this can make a huge difference, especially for disabled people or people who are neurodiverse.

We are a proud Disability Confident Committed – Level One employer. If you have a disability and would like to submit your application under the Disability Confident Scheme, please notify us by completing the relevant section in our candidate questionnaire and one of the team will reach out to support you through the application process.

If you’re keen but still have a question or unsure if you meet the criteria, please don’t be afraid to ask – we would love to have a chat with you. Please email recruitment@financialfairness.org.uk and we will arrange a call with the line manager if needed.

Ready to apply?

Please follow the instructions on our website via the button below and complete the process by midnight on Monday 3rd February 2025. Interviews will take place on Thursday 13th February 2025 in person in our London office; there may be a second stage interview also.

We’re conscious it might look a little different – it’s part of the complexities of being under a larger organisation umbrella. If you have any problems navigating the system, please reach out to us on recruitment@financialfairness.org.uk.

The most important thing is to upload your CV and supporting letter which should demonstrate how you meet the role requirements and why you’re a good fit. Please note the supporting letter should be uploaded in the same space as your CV – there is the possibility to include multiple attachments there or you could combine them into one document before uploading.

About the Trust

We’re a small team with a big goal. We’re a funder who wants to tackle financial problems and improve living standards for people on low-to-middle incomes in the UK. We fund up to £3m a year of policy, campaigning and research projects through our strategic programme, aiming to create real and lasting change. Our grants are awarded to organisations such as think-tanks, charities and universities who want to boost the personal and household finances of people on low-to-middle incomes, addressing issues such as pensions, savings, social security, taxation, debt, the cost of living and so much more. We aim to be an open and engaged funder that offers more than money, using our team’s expertise to work in collaboration with those we fund.

Our relationship with abrdn plc

We are an independent charitable funder. Our funding comes from the unclaimed assets from Standard Life’s demutualisation in 2006, which we received in 2017. The company has since merged and rebranded as abrdn. In December 2021 we changed our name from Standard Life Foundation to abrdn Financial Fairness Trust. The company supports us through in-kind donations such as office space. Decisions about our strategy and what we fund are made by our independent board of trustees.