Head of Policy

Role Overview

AFF is looking for a Head of Policy, working within the AFF Senior Leadership Team, to play a key role in ensuring that the issues and evidence from soldiers and their families about family life in the Army are heard by policy makers, and that AFF continues to be a trusted voice and source of guidance for Army families.

Key Responsibilities

The role will set the direction on the key issues on which AFF needs to represent Army families and will co‑ordinate AFF's engagement with decision makers. It will lead on setting the policy priorities within AFF and on driving positive change for Army personnel and their families in defence and wider government.

The Head of Policy leads and manages the AFF Policy team so they are able to support Army families across a range of issues, working closely with the Communications, Evidence and Engagement teams to respond swiftly and appropriately to emerging issues, build evidence‑based policy programmes and demonstrate our impact to the families we work for and the wider defence community.

This is a full‑time role, at 37.5 hours per week. AFF offers all staff the opportunity to work flexibly and is open to discussions regarding working patterns for this role, provided that working hours are within 0800‑1800, Mon‑Fri and can support line management responsibilities. This is a key outward‑facing role and a regular presence in London and Andover will be required.

You will have a keen interest in the quality of life of Army family members, professional knowledge of how Defence and wider government policies affect family life, and a drive for delivering positive change based on demonstrable evidence of need. You will have the skills to identify and work effectively with key decision makers.

Requirements / Qualifications

You will have significant policy experience, preferably within a public policy environment.

You will be able to work at pace, with a wide range of stakeholders, and effectively summarise and communicate complex issues. You will have excellent communication skills, both in writing and speaking, and be able to represent the organisation professionally with a sensitive understanding of your audience. You will be a confident and credible voice for Army families in a wide range of environments.

You will have experience of managing a team and of developing strong working relationships with colleagues across a wider organisation. You will want to continually develop yourself and your team to ensure the continued growth of cross‑discipline capability within the team.

You will be able to set direction, manage deadlines and deliver consistently high‑quality output. You will be able to flex priorities as required and support the team effectively through a hands‑on approach to delivering output. You will have strong drafting skills and personal presentation skills in formal and informal settings, with experience producing high‑quality outputs such as policy reports, responses to calls for evidence, briefing packs and presentations.

Benefits and Compensation

The annual starting salary is £48,000‑52,000 per year, depending on experience. AFF offers a generous leave package of 30 days' annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays and a day off on your birthday. We also offer non‑contributory Employee Assistance and Medicash schemes, a pension salary sacrifice scheme.