The Academy’s core mission is to advance biomedical and health research and its translation into benefits for society. We are working to secure a future in which:
• UK and global health is improved by the best research
• The UK leads the world in biomedical and health research, and is renowned for the quality of its research outputs, talent and collaborations.
• Independent, high quality medical science advice informs the decisions that affect society.
• More people have a say in the future of health and research.

The Academy’s 1200 Fellows have been elected on the basis of outstanding contributions to a range of scientific fields, and are drawn from universities, hospitals, general practice, industry and the public service. Our Fellows are central to all we do. It is their talent and expertise that ensures we can bring authoritative opinion and practical guidance to complex issues in medical science and healthcare.

Established in 1998 as an expert body to deal with issues at the interface of medical science and healthcare, the Academy is part of the national academies group, alongside the Royal Society, British Academy, and the Royal Academy of Engineering. We are governed by a Council of 21 Fellows, including 6 Honorary Officers who provide strategic advice and oversight. Professor Dame Anne Johnson PMedSci is the current President.

The Academy is:
• An elected Fellowship of the UK’s best biomedical and health researchers
• An independent source of evidence-based and expert advice
• Connected to, and respected by, decision makers
• Focused on realising cross-disciplinary opportunities across academia, industry and healthcare.
• Committed to improving and celebrating diversity - in all its forms - in the biomedical and health research community
• Global in outlook, reach and influence
• Catalytic, inclusive and accessible in our approach
• Responsive to change and innovative in our solutions
• Adept at maximising our impact through partnership working

We seek to advance UK and global biomedical and health research through five strategic challenges (as set out in our 2017-22 strategy):
1. To harness our expertise and convening power to tackle the biggest scientific and health challenges and opportunities facing our society.
2. To lead innovation in the development of research talent through funding and careers support.
3. To achieve influence and impact beyond the UK to improve health and well-being.
4. To become the exemplar of a ‘modern scientific academy’ – diverse, trusted, dynamic, relevant and accessible.
5. To enhance the Academy’s delivery capability, making sure we have the Fellows, staff, partners, resources and influence to make an even greater contribution to the UK and beyond.

The Fellowship is supported by a team of approximately 50 staff. Recently we identified the following values as most important to the Academy staff:
• Collaboration
• Striving for excellence
• Integrity
• Evidence based
• Inclusive

We also highlighted the following behaviours as vital to the way have been working during the pandemic - agility, kindness and resilience.

Policy at the Academy

The Academy’s policy work addresses issues of medical science, healthcare and workforce including sustaining the pipeline of researchers equipped to deliver innovation and excellence. Areas of policy work originate from within the Academy Council and wider Fellowship, as well as in response to issues raised by Government, Parliament and other relevant bodies, including stakeholders such as industry, medical research charities, medical royal colleges and regulators.

The Academy’s policy work cuts across both our medical science policy team and biomedical grants, mentoring and careers policy team.
• The medical science policy team’s remit includes ensuring that the UK has a strong research base in academia, industry and the NHS and that the outcomes of research can be translated into health and wealth benefits. It is also responsible for our international activities, which include our work with international partners globally and our capacity building initiatives.
• The biomedical grants, mentoring and careers policy team’s work focuses on the training and career pathways for researchers across the spectrum of the medical sciences. Our policy work not only influences UK capacity and resource, but also informs our schemes and activities to support young researchers.

Policy is developed in consultation with Academy Fellows, in addition to external experts and stakeholders as appropriate. Projects often involve collaboration with other UK and international bodies (e.g. charities, research funders, industry), and can take many forms: major reports, shorter position papers, consultation responses, seminars and workshops, correspondence, representation on Government and external panels, evidence to Parliamentary committees, private meetings and roundtables with key decision makers. Wide consultation, comprehensive analysis of the evidence and robust peer review ensure the independence and authority of the Academy’s policy work.

International at the Academy

This is an exciting time to join the Academy as it evolves its global role in health and research. Over the last 5 years the Academy’s international activities have become a strategically significant strand of the Academy’s work and we are currently consulting Fellows and other key stakeholders on a new international strategy. This will focus on working through partnerships and networks to jointly improve health and well-being globally and will embed a global perspective across the Academy. This will feed into a new 10 year organisational strategy.

Currently the majority of the Academy’s international work – which span our policy, international relationships and grants activities - are divided between two teams. Staff in the grants team deliver a range of globally focused grants and fellowship schemes. The international team in medical science policy, where this role is based, focus on influencing policy (both in the UK and globally) and stakeholder engagement, particularly with our sister Academies across the world. Both teams work closely together and contribute to our work to influence the UK’s policies with respect to key countries and groupings such as the EU; Lower and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) and countries of scientific strength.

Federation of European Academies of Medicine

The Academy has played a pivotal role in The Federation of European Academies of Medicine (FEAM) since its formation. FEAM’s mission is to promote cooperation between national Academies of Medicine and Medical Sections of Academies of Sciences in Europe; to provide them with a platform to formulate their collective voice on matters concerning human and animal medicine, biomedical research, education, and health with a European dimension; and to extend to the European authorities the advisory role that they exercise in their own countries on those matters.

They underpin European biomedical policy with the best scientific advice drawn from across Europe, through the FEAM network of Academies representing over 5000 high level scientists from the whole biomedical spectrum. They aim to improve the health, safety and wealth of European citizens through research by promoting a nurturing, creative and sustainable environment for medical research and training in Europe.

You can read more about FEAM’s activities here: www.www.feam.eu/

Salary: circa £37,804- £42,368p.a.. + Benefits

Role duration: Fixed term- 12 months, Full time

As a key member of the Academy’s close-knit policy team, the International Policy Manager will lead on our international policy activities within the EU, and with countries of scientific strength. Activities may include longer-term policy projects, and a range of scientific symposia, workshops, and lectures, to support our strategic objective to ‘achieve influence and impact beyond the UK to improve health and well-being’. These activities will often be in partnership. We currently have one year’s external funding for our European engagement work but will be exploring opportunities for renewing this funding. On occasions, the post holder may be called to support policy activities that deliver other aspects of our strategic objectives.

We are looking to appoint as soon as possible and will consider secondments.

Key tasks and responsibilities

1. Delivering the Academy’s EU and countries of scientific strength international policy portfolio, including specific projects to inform and influence policy and stakeholders in these countries. Key to this role is: engagement with our Fellowship and funded researchers; collaboration with organisations in the EU, notably the Federation of European Academies of Medicine (FEAM) with whom the Academy has a close working relationship; and development of connections with other countries of scientific strength.
2. The primary responsibilities of the post-holder will be to lead and support EU and international policy activities that include:
• Supporting the delivery of policy projects through the Federation of European Academies of Medicine (FEAM).
• Organising bilateral workshops, meetings and roundtables with partners in EU countries and countries of scientific strength.
• Developing briefing papers, position statements and consultation responses on EU matters (including joint publications with other organisations).
• Supporting the Academy’s Vice President International in their EU and wider international activities.
• Inform discussions about: the Academy’s policy objectives with respect to the EU and countries of scientific strength and how to deliver them; and the areas where we should seek to influence UK policy on these issues.
3. The postholder will help to ensure that the positions that we take with international partners are informed by, and inform, our other policy activities.
4. Outside of the international portfolio the postholder may contribute to a range of other policy activities including: scoping, major working groups, policy events, position papers, consultation responses, correspondence and briefings.
5. Maintaining an excellent understanding of the international policy landscape by monitoring developments and key policy issues, and escalating to other key staff where relevant. Identifying and researching potential new areas of policy work.
6. Developing and maintaining a network of contacts (including Fellows) to inform the Academy’s wider work programme and increase the impact of our work.
7. Drafting papers for meetings of the Council and Honorary Officers of the Academy.
8. Supporting the Academy’s President, Honorary Officers, Fellows and senior staff by identifying key contacts for meetings the production of briefings and meeting notes.
9. Representing the Academy at external meetings and deputising for the Head of International when appropriate.
10. Managing policy project budgets. Working with the Academy’s finance team to ensure monitoring and reporting of budgets meets the requirements of funders.
11. Supervising or project managing interns.
12. Contributing to the evaluation of the policy team’s activities and the development of new ways of working.
13. Maintaining relevant areas of the website; liaising with Communications staff to ensure internal and external engagement with the Academy’s policy work including through the use of digital media.

Location

During the pandemic we are working remotely.
Normal location is: 41 Portland Place, London, W1B 1QH

Annual leave
26 days per annum, plus Christmas closure dates and bank holidays

Pension
The Academy contributes 7.5% of gross salary to a Legal & General scheme, with an employee contribution of 3%.

Life assurance
3 x annual gross salary

Staff lunch
Under normal circumstances a free hot lunch available to staff on site Monday – Thursday.

Season ticket travel loan interest free
Available to all staff after completion of probationary period

Agile working

The Academy has a set of Agile working principles, which allow some flexibility to the time and location of work.

Family friendly benefits
A range of enhanced benefits

The closing date for applications is 5pm on 10 May 2021
Interviews will take place week begining 17 May 2021