Policy and External Affairs Assistant
£32,477 per annum plus excellent benefits
London WC1 and home-based
35 hours per week, full-time
Permanent
Interviews in w/c 01 September 2026
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) is seeking an organised and proactive Policy and External Affairs Assistant to support the delivery of our influential policy, public affairs and external engagement work across the UK.
This is an exciting opportunity to join the College’s Policy and External Affairs Department, providing vital administrative and project support across three key teams: Health Policy, Policy and Public Affairs (Devolved Nations), and Media and Public Affairs. Working at the heart of the College’s policy and advocacy activity, you will help ensure that the voices of paediatricians and children’s health professionals are heard and reflected in national policy development.
Reporting to the Policy Manager, you will play a central role in supporting committees, coordinating member engagement activities, managing communications and assisting with policy projects. You will work closely with senior officers, committee chairs, members and colleagues across the College to help deliver high-quality policy and public affairs activity that supports better health outcomes for children and young people.
Key responsibilities include:
- Supporting the administration of policy and public affairs committees, including preparing agendas, papers, minutes and action logs
- Providing guidance and administrative support to committee Chairs, Officers and members
- Responding to member enquiries and correspondence through desk-based research and liaison with policy colleagues and subject experts
- Supporting policy projects, task and finish groups, events and stakeholder engagement activities
- Coordinating and administering the Policy and External Affairs member insights network, including communications, database management and event support
- Assisting with the development, review and maintenance of College policy position statements and consultation responses
- Supporting the drafting and publication of policy updates, reports and briefing materials
- Preparing reports for committees and Executive Committee meetings
- Supporting College Officers and senior stakeholders with administrative and project-related activities
- Coordinating eBulletins, member communications and digital content across multiple channels
- Managing and updating policy and public affairs content on the RCPCH website
Essential skills and experience include:
- Degree-level qualification or equivalent relevant professional experience
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including strong report-writing abilities
- Strong research skills with the ability to analyse, summarise and present complex information clearly
- Experience working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders and teams
- Excellent organisational skills with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities
- Ability to maintain high levels of accuracy when handling information, data and documentation
- Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Teams
- Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to build positive working relationships and communicate effectively at all levels
- Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion and professionalism
- Strong administrative skills and a proactive, solutions-focused approach to work
Desirable:
- Experience working within child health, healthcare, membership organisations or professional bodies
- Formal project management training or experience supporting projects
- Experience using customer relationship management (CRM) databases and/or finance systems
The RCPCH has more than 25,000 members and fellows worldwide and employs around 200 staff. Most staff are based in our London office in Holborn, with teams also working across the devolved nations.
Our values — Include, Influence, Innovate and Inspire — guide how we work together. We are committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and welcome applications from candidates with protected characteristics. We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates and disabled candidates who are under-represented at this level of the organisation.
The College operates a flexible and modern hybrid working policy, with colleagues spending 40% of their working time in the office over a four-week cycle and the remainder working from home.
The RCPCH is committed to safeguarding the children, young people and adults it has contact with. All staff are expected to share this commitment. Employment is subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if sufficient applications are received. If you are interested, please submit your application as soon as possible.
Application Procedure
If you are interested in this opportunity, please click the apply button below. You will need to register on the applicant portal and complete the application form including your CV and supporting statement.
The supporting statement should set out how your qualifications, experience and training meet each of the selection criteria. The supporting statement is an essential part of the selection process and thus a failure to provide this information will mean that the application will not be considered. An answer to any of the criteria such as "Please see attached CV" will not be considered acceptable.
If you have questions about the role or would like to apply using a different format, please email [email protected]
