JOB DESCRIPTION
About us
The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) is the professional institution of choice for water and environmental professionals. We are a vibrant, creative and dynamic organisation with a membership of highly experienced environmental practitioners. We are seeking a motivated and committed candidate to support and develop the work of our expert panels and support the delivery of our policy and project outputs, including written materials and events content.
We are known for bringing an impartial and evidence-led approach to our policy analysis, thought leadership and development of practical tools and guidance to support good water and environmental management.
We engage government, parliament, the media and a wide range of practitioners in our work, sharing the expert knowledge of our members with these audiences. We facilitate knowledge exchange through forums and events of all sizes. We broker discussion between a wide range of stakeholders to develop consensus on solutions and the mechanisms to mainstream them. We need to grow our team to support this activity.
Our core values are the fundamental principles for how we work together and with our members and partners. We…
…are united by passion, caring for our planet and recognising it is the only home we have;
…take action with accountability, backing up what we say and do with evidence and transparency and acting honourably and professionally whatever we do;
…are inspired and inspire, taking inspiration from the good practice delivered by our members and committed to sharing it widely to inspire others;
…collaborate with conviction, always committed to working together with our teams, our members and wider organisations to achieve our vision and goals, and…
…celebrate success, championing the best solutions, showing the world what good looks like and making the case for pockets of excellence to be mainstreamed for the future. At the same time ensuring that valuable lessons are learned.
What we can offer
· Generous benefit package including life assurance, critical illness cover, income protection, private medical insurance, dental cover, cycle to work scheme, season ticket loan and pension scheme with up to 9% employer contribution
· An open culture and workplace with colleagues who share our values, enjoy their work and are motivated to do their utmost for the environment
· Training and learning opportunities and the support for you to flourish in your role
· We welcome a conversation about your flexible working requirements
About the role
As Policy Officer you will work closely with the Policy Manager, Director of Policy and Director of Innovation and Delivery and a wide range of our members through our specialist panels. These panels bring experts together to consider a range of contemporary environmental issues including climate change, natural capital and ecosystem services, flood risk management, water resources, wastewater and sewerage, and water quality.
You will support and develop these networks, coordinate the production of policy outputs such as consultation responses, briefings and position statements, and support the delivery of project work in the Policy to Practice team. At critical times of the year you will also support with the generation of content to support our flagship events such as our Flood and Coast conference.
We are looking for someone with an analytical mind, initiative, good organisational skills, a keen desire to immerse themselves in a range of different technical issues, as well as an ability to write well.
Key Responsibilities
· Support the work of colleagues in the Policy to Practice team to deliver CIWEM’s strategic aims and objectives.
· Provide secretariat support to CIWEM’s specialist panels, including organising meetings, preparing papers and producing minutes.
· Work with our communications team to promote the activities of our Panels and strengthen their membership to ensure diverse and experienced representation
· Help develop online communities supporting these Panels and other CIWEM activities as appropriate
· Support the Policy Manager and Director of Policy with the preparation of policy statements, briefing papers, consultation and parliamentary inquiry responses, to communicate the views of CIWEM to policymakers and key stakeholders.
· Support project delivery as required by Policy to Practice colleagues
· Assist in developing events based on Panel activities and policy outputs e.g. webinars, conferences or parliamentary launches
· Support our events team at critical points in the year to develop content for our flagship events.
· Support broader work of the External Affairs Group and wider CIWEM team when requested, proactively contributing to team meetings, project meetings and content-planning sessions
About You
· Highly motivated individual with a positive, can do attitude who enjoys taking ownership of new areas and initiatives
· A strong interest in water and environmental issues with the aptitude and willingness to learn and build a working knowledge of different technical subjects
· An analytical mind and an eye for detail; able to scrutinise policy-related documentation and gather evidence to support a position
Person Specification
Essentials
· Undergraduate degree or equivalent (preferably in an environmental or political related subject)
· Excellent IT skills; highly competent with Microsoft Office suite
· Excellent writing skills; the ability to record meetings accurately and to draft policy material and other content as appropriate, with support from experts and senior colleagues
· Strong organisational skills; able to prepare material for meetings in a timely way, work to deadlines reliably
· Strong interpersonal skills; able to build and maintain effective working relationships with a wide variety of people across the organisation, its membership and wider stakeholder community
· Keen interest in the UK policy and political landscape, current affairs and the workings of Whitehall, as well as internationally.
Desirables
· Experience working in a policy environment
· Experience of communicating technical information to a range of audiences
How to Apply
Please send an up-to-date CV and covering letter including a supporting statement of no more than two sides of A4 outlining your suitability for the role and how you fulfil the personal specification to heather.gardner@ciwem.org
Please apply early as we may bring the closing date forward should we receive a high volume of applications.
The Process
The recruitment process for this role will be two stages:
· 1st stage virtual conversation
· 2nd stage conversation at CIWEM’s office in Farringdon
· You may be asked to complete a work-based skills assessment or challenge.
The closing date for this role is Sunday 12th February 2023.
Working Location: CIWEM’s office is based at 106-109 Saffron Hill, Farringdon, London EC1N 8QS. This role will be flexible between the office and home working with some London and UK-travel expected.
The position is a full-time role and normal working hours are 9.00am to 5.00pm from Monday to Friday (inclusive), though we are open to discussing flexible working patterns. You may need occasional flexibility to meet the needs of the of the organisation outside core working hours.
You must have the right to live and work in the UK to be considered for this role.
All appointments are made subject to satisfactory references and proof of eligibility to work in the UK.
This role could suit people with a wide range of different experiences. If you are interested in applying but are not sure you have all the skills or experience we are looking for, please do so and give us the opportunity to consider you as a candidate.
Equal Opportunities
We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences and abilities. We actively encourage BAME, LGBTQ+ and disabled applicants and value the positive impact that difference has on our teams. We are committed to equality and diversity within our workforce and all opportunities provided.
