Senior Public Affairs Officer

This is an exciting opportunity to join a team where you be planning and leading on public affairs activities in order to influence and secure outcomes in line with the strategic aims of BMA Northern Ireland. You will be part of a busy communications and public affairs team working across a wide range of interesting issues that impact doctors and medical students in Northern Ireland. 

The successful candidate will keep abreast of key political and health policy developments, and will proactively identify opportunities to engage with stakeholders to promote BMA policies and influencing priorities. This will include lobbying MLAs, MPs and other relevant stakeholders, eg Northern Ireland Government, councillors and political party members. 

To be successful as a Senior Public Affairs Officer you'll ideally have:

• Previous demonstrable professional experience of the direct lobbying of politicians / influencing
• Proven ability in developing and delivering effective public affairs campaigns and/or achieving clear policy influencing objectives
• In-depth knowledge of NI Assembly, and devolved legislative procedures as well as high awareness of policy-making processes and lobbying opportunities
• Excellent established contacts, especially with MLAs, party staff and MPs across all parties
• Excellent political awareness
• Good understanding of health-related issues and policy and trade union functions
• High level verbal and written communication skills for speaking to or providing briefings and other written material for members, secretariats and external audiences
• Ability to demonstrate tact and diplomacy in dealing with politicians and their support staff and also committee members and external stakeholders
• Excellent research and analytical skills (e.g. analysing parliamentary debates and policy documents)
• Ability to prioritise and manage own workload effectively including the organisation and planning of work
• Ability to adapt and be flexible to emerging situations
• Familiar with using Microsoft office suite
• Experience of using social media professionally

https://careers.bma.org.uk/jobs/job/Senior-Public-Affairs-Officer/804