Reporting lines: Reports to Operations Director

Hours: Monday – Friday (9am – 5pm)

Location: Old Street, London (Remote working during Covid-19 pandemic)

Right to work: You must have the right to work and reside within the UK. In accordance with its statutory duty, BESA will ask for evidence of candidates’ right to work should they be shortlisted for interview. 

About BESA:

The British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) is the trade association to the UK’s 400 leading educational suppliers, representing an array of members from education technology (EdTech) companies through to print publishers and school furniture manufacturers.

We work across government and Whitehall to represent our members’ views before national stakeholders, and support policy delivery where appropriate. Examples of our engagement here include working with the Department for Education’s EdTech Leadership Group to support remote education planning, as well as advising the Department for International Trade on export terms to support educational suppliers in post-Brexit trade deals. We also provide the secretariat for the newly formed All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Education Technology (EdTech), as chaired by Damian Hinds MP, as well as the APPG on Education.

With UK education exports having hit a record £845 million in 2019, BESA also works with international government agencies and stakeholders to build relationships between UK suppliers and their international counterparts. Over the past 12 months, our senior leadership has met with representatives of 36 governments.

As a membership organisation, a key part of BESA’s role is listening to and gathering the views of our members, as well as advising them as to policy, regulatory and legal changes that stand to affect them. Our member communications include policy briefings, expert seminars, consultation responses and regular meetings of our six Special Interest Groups (SIG), the latter providing a key input into our policy formulation.

In executing the above duties, we are guided by the decisions of the BESA Executive Council, which defines BESA’s strategic priorities for each financial year.      

The role:

We are seeking a policy professional to join our small but effective team as a Policy Analyst. You will serve as the go to source of expertise on education policy both within the organisation and externally, working with BESA’s Director General, Caroline Wright, to develop and deliver policy objectives. You will combine communicative flair with the ability to communicate complex issues in a clear and engaging fashion to both external stakeholders, and our members.

As the project manager responsible for BESA’s engagement with the APPG on EdTech, you will also demonstrate excellent project and programme management skills, and the ability to build relationships across the education industry 

You will need to demonstrate, excellent written and analytical skills, an ability to digest content quickly, and excellent interpersonal skills. Prior knowledge of, or experience in, education policy would stand you in good stead as would experience of a public affairs, membership-facing or legal/regulatory role.

BESA is a small team and you will sometimes be asked to contribute to other team members’ work during crunch periods.

Detailed duties and responsibilities:

• Providing expert policy input to inform BESA’s lobbying and communications campaigns. This will involve daily monitoring of Parliament, Government Departments and Devolved Administrations. It will also require engagement with, and up to date knowledge of, the work of educational research bodies, national regulators such as the Information Commissioner’s Office, and developments in international jurisdictions. The successful candidate will be able to relate the significance of these developments for educational suppliers;
• Researching and drafting briefing papers for Directors, MPs & civil servants, BESA members and the BESA team. The successful candidate will also be happy writing for a range of audiences and publications, and display strong public speaking skills;
• Project management of BESA’s work with the APPG for Education Technology. The successful candidate will be expected to liaise with MPs and education stakeholders to define the group’s agenda, research and draft its publications, and arrange its meetings;
• Drafting key pieces of external communications, including Directors’ speeches, responses to Government consultations, and letters addressed to ministerial departments;
• Management of key stakeholder relationships, including providing prompt support to members’ queries and sustaining BESA’s collaboration with a number of partner institutions;
• Working closely with our Board (the BESA Executive Council) to agree BESA’s strategy; and representing BESA at national and international events;
• Where required, assisting with BESA’s social media messaging and marketing operations;

The candidates should fulfil the following criteria:

• Two to three years of relevant experience in a public affairs, policy or research position;
• A relevant degree in political sciences, law, education, or relevant experience in such fields;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
• Attention to detail and accuracy across all areas of work;
• A working understanding of Parliamentary structures, committees and processes;
• Good news sense and awareness of wider political context;
• A willingness to learn;

Working relationships:

This role requires working with other departments within the association, such as events, marketing and finance.

Reporting lines:

Reporting to the Operations Director.

The package:

Competitive salary.

Pension scheme.

25 days holiday plus bank holidays.

How to apply?

Please send a CV and short letter outlining your interest in, and suitability for, the role to BESA’s Operations Director, Julia Garvey (julia@besa.org.uk) by 5pm 20 November 2020. We will consider applications on a rolling basis, and reserve the right to make an appointment prior to the closing date for applications should a suitable candidate be found. Generic applications will be rejected.

Preferred start date: December 2020/January 2021, although notice periods are fully taken into account.

Please note: The role has a three-month probationary period.