JOB TITLE: Policy Manager

REPORTS TO: Head of Policy & Education

LOCATION: Breakthrough Head Office, Holborn

BACKGROUND

The Policy, Education and Influencing Department

The Policy, Education and Influencing Department is responsible for leading and delivering
Breakthrough’s key influencing, campaigning, education and policy programmes as well as
managing and developing the Campaigns and Advocacy Network (Breakthrough CAN)
representing the views of a significant stakeholder group, which underpins all our activities.

This developing department is a hive of reactive, as well as planned activity, where projects
stretch across teams to create an informed and powerful voice on breast cancer. It is made up of
two teams; Policy & Education and Health Services Improvement and Influencing.

Your Team

The Policy and Education team strives to develop a timely, accurate and expert evidence base,
which underpins all of Breakthrough’s work, helps to secure our reputation for high quality and
reliability and earns the organisation the respect and admiration of other voluntary agencies and
key stakeholders including the Department of Health. The team is also responsible for
Breakthrough’s health promotion projects and breast cancer information which are designed to
promote awareness, knowledge and understanding of breast cancer.

You will also work closely with the Health Services Improvement & Influencing team which
influences change by employing dynamic and innovative strategies which maximise the
engagement and participation of key stakeholders and advocates. The team ensures that by
effective engagement with healthcare professionals at all levels of the health service,
Breakthrough is able to influence quality improvements in access, delivery and experience of
services of benefit to people affected by breast cancer. The team is responsible for driving
forward Breakthrough’s integrated campaigning across the UK at all levels of influence utilising
the 1,200 plus members of the Campaigns & Advocacy Network (Breakthrough CAN) and our
contacts with key influencers including parliamentarians, both locally and nationally.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

• To manage and coordinate the development of evidence-based policies and
communications on key breast cancer issues to underpin Breakthrough’s work to influence
public policy and practice.
• To drive forward innovative policy research projects and horizon scan for relevant
opportunities to support Breakthrough in maintaining and extending influence in this area.
• Act as a source of expertise on breast cancer services and treatments across
Breakthrough, including the Policy, Education & Influencing Department, Marketing and
Communications department (including acting as a media spokesperson) and Fundraising
teams.

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 • To provide effective line management and actively think and work cross-departmentally,
building cohesion between policy, education and health service improvement activities,
including those applicable to Scotland

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILTY

• Manage and coordinate the development of Breakthrough’s evidence-based policy
positions on issues associated with breast cancer.
• Working closely with the Involvement Manager, ensure the views and interests of people
affected by breast cancer are fully represented in Breakthrough’s policy work.
• Working closely with the Health Services Improvement & Influencing team, play a key role
in identifying, planning and providing policy positions for campaigns designed to ultimately
achieve improvements in breast cancer services.
• Manage, identify and drive forward innovative policy research projects to build up
Breakthrough’s evidence base on key issues.
• Act as a source of expertise on issues associated with breast cancer both within
Breakthrough (i.e. to support the work of other teams and by providing high level expert
advice to senior colleagues, including the Senior Management team and Chief Executive)
and when representing Breakthrough to external audiences (i.e. in the media or
representing patient views on government advisory bodies). Provide analyses of the
evidence base and policy advice or recommendations to teams across Breakthrough, for
example Fundraising teams.
• Manage the Senior Policy & Information Officer including recruitment, development and
motivation. Set clear objectives in line with the Policy, Education & Influencing department
operational plan.
• Regularly horizon scan for and identify opportunities for Breakthrough to influence public
policy and practice relating to breast cancer services and treatments.
• Manage and provide timely and expert analysis, and as appropriate responses to, external
policy papers, consultation papers, policy statements etc. (e.g. external consultations,
Government White Papers, reports from think tanks, major policy speeches).
• Support Breakthrough’s information and education work by providing expert, accurate
advice, evidence base and content for Breakthrough’s communications, information
products and information queries.
• Where required, provide advice and expertise for Breakthrough’s education work, on
areas such as methodology, evaluation, communication and relevant national initiatives.
• Support Breakthrough’s media work by providing expert, accurate advice, evidence base
and content for comments, letters, articles and other pieces. Act as a media
spokesperson for the organisation (after appropriate training has been provided and level
of knowledge on Breakthrough’s work has been gained).
• Develop and maintain networks of professional advisors to support Breakthrough’s policy
work.
• Demonstrate leadership and Breakthrough’s values in the management of line reports,
contribution to the work of the department and Breakthrough as a whole.
• Act as an ambassador at external meetings and conferences, develop contacts / build
relationships and spot opportunities to influence. Represent Breakthrough’s stakeholders
by sitting on and contributing to forums, advisory group or work streams of relevant
national initiatives when invited.
• Contribute to the development of operational plans and objectives for the Policy &
Education team, including preparing budgets where required.
• To carry out other duties commensurate with the position.

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DIMENSIONS

Number of Staff:

• Department Total: 20
• Team Total: 8
• Direct Reports: (1)
o Senior Policy & Information Officer

KEY INTERFACES
Internal:

• All members of Policy, Education & Influencing Department.

• Members of other teams particularly Communications, Fundraising and Research
Management.
• Chief Executive as appropriate.

External:

• Senior scientists, clinicians, government officials, senior policy-makers in wide variety of

external organisations (including Department of Health)
• People affected by breast cancer
• Numerous other charitable organisations and patient and non-patient led groups relevant to
the development of Breakthrough’s policy work.
• Media representatives

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES

Essential:
• Advanced postgraduate degree (Ph.D.) in relevant scientific or medical discipline.
• Good knowledge of research principles and understanding of the systems by which
information about research and policy can be obtained.
• Good understanding of how external agents (e.g. government, media, public opinion)
shape public policy.
• Proven experience of developing public policy recommendations based on scientific and
clinical evidence.
• Demonstrable experience of managing staff including setting SMART objectives and
undertaking annual appraisals.
• Some experience of preparing operational plans within the context of an organisational
strategic plan.
• Proven experience of working effectively and on a cross-functional basis at meetings and
events with internal and external stakeholders, including volunteers.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) including the ability to translate
complex/scientific information into language suitable/accessible for non scientific
audiences e.g. public policy-makers, the media, the public and people affected by breast
cancer
• Excellent critical appraisal skills
• Ability to think and work cross-departmentally, building cohesion between policy,
education and health service improvement activities, including those applicable to
Scotland

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 • Project management skills which satisfy the need to create and implement sound plans,
achieve key milestones and evaluate the impact of our work on breast cancer services
and treatments
• Demonstrable experience of networking / developing professional contacts
• Excellent computer skills - proficiency in Word, Outlook, Explorer, Excel and Access.
• The skills to be an effective participant in the manager’s forum. Taking forward processes
and solutions within the department in a consistent and synchronised manner, working
with the other managers
• Recognising and maximising new opportunities for Breakthrough to make a positive
impact on breast cancer services through our policy, education and influencing work.
• Able to represent and explain the benefits and value of Breakthrough’s policy, education
and influencing work both internally and externally, in a convincing manner.

Desirable:

• Good understanding of the principles of patient and public involvement (in health policy
making).

PERSONAL QUALITIES AND ATTRIBUTES

• A responsible attitude to team development, which maintains the correct balance between
achieving one’s own deliverables (being hands-on) and delegation to and encouragement of
team members
• Ability to work independently or as part of a team
• Ability to work on own initiative and to deadlines
• Ability to prioritise own workload
• Ability to lead and manage specific projects
• Commitment to voluntary sector values and methods

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Salary range: £35000 - £39000 per annum

Term of appointment: 6 month fixed term contract

Hours of work: 35 hours per week. We also operate a TOIL scheme.

Pension: Contributory group personal pension scheme

Annual Leave: 25 days per year plus 3 days between Christmas and New Year in
addition to bank and public holidays

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