Policy Officer

The Academy of Medical Sciences London United Kingdom Medical Science Policy
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Company Description

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 over 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 17 Fellows, including six Honorary Officers who provide strategic advice and oversight. Professor Sir Robert Lechler FMedSci 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 served by a team of 43 staff.

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.

Position

Salary: £27,377 - £29,878 p.a.​

Role Duration: 12 months

As a key member of the Academy’s close-knit policy team, the policy officer will primarily support a number of projects that contribute to delivering our strategic challenge ‘To harness our expertise and convening power to tackle the biggest scientific and health challenges and opportunities facing our society’. A significant part of the role will be to support the policy strand of our ambitious public engagement programme focusing on death, dying and our aging population.[1] An important milestone will be a major workshop in late 2019/early 2020 to consider the policy implications of this engagement activity. The successful candidate will work closely with the Academy’s Communications staff who are leading this project.

[1] https://acmedsci.ac.uk/more/news/the-departure-lounge-understanding-death-and-dying

Requirements

Key tasks and responsibilities
1. Supporting the Policy Manager, or other staff, to deliver major policy projects (mainly working groups and symposia). Leading or supporting the scoping, report preparation, dissemination and follow-up of policy projects. This will involve organising meetings, teleconferences, workshops and seminars and preparing the necessary supporting materials. It will also involve researching, drafting and editing the final outputs of major policy projects. These activities will require: close working with working groups and steering groups of Fellows and other experts and stakeholders to identify and analyse key policy issues; gathering data and expert opinion; constructing impactful conclusions and recommendations; and developing dissemination and follow-up plans.

2. Helping the Policy Manager to ensure that our major projects are informed by, and inform, the Academy's other activities.

3. Maintaining an excellent understanding of the policy landscape by monitoring developments and key policy issues. Identifying and researching potential new areas of policy work.

4. Drafting papers for meetings of the Council and Honorary Officers of the Academy.

5. Supporting the Academy’s President and other Honorary Officers; Fellows; and senior staff in their meetings with key decision makers through the production of briefings and meeting notes.

6. Collaborating with organisations from academia, industry, healthcare and the charity sector.

7. Maintaining and developing an effective network of contacts across the sector (including our Fellows) to inform the Academy’s major policy projects, and to increase the impact of our work.

8. Representing the Academy at external meetings.

9. Contributing to the evaluation of the policy team’s activities and the development of new ways of working - particularly with respect to major projects.

10. Occasionally managing budget lines.

11. Occasionally supervising interns.

12. 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 new media.

13. Occasionally assisting with projects associated with the Academy’s other policy activities.

Other information

Annual leave
29 days per annum, including Christmas closure dates, plus 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
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

Family friendly benefits
A range of enhanced benefits

The deadline for all applications is midnight on 31 March 2019

Interviews will take place on 8 April 2019​