Senior Associate - External Affairs
Job reference: FC00041
Background
The Consumer Financial Education Body (CFEB) is an independent body, created in April 2010 by the Financial Services Act 2010. We are responsible for helping consumers understand financial matters and manage their finances better. We do this by providing impartial information, education and advice through a national financial advice service.
We provide free, impartial advice online and over the phone. We also offer face-to-face appointments in a number of priority areas across the UK, and from Spring 2011 these will be available nationwide. Alongside this, we run strategic programmes that are targeted at helping people through critical stages and events in their lives. To reach people at the right time in the right place, we deliver these programmes in partnership with industry, consumer groups, professional bodies, voluntary organisations, government and the media.
The External Affairs & Consumer Policy Team plays a high profile role in helping consumers achieve a fair deal. It manages CFEB’s relationships with key stakeholders, such as government, the financial services industry, think tanks, consumer groups, trade associations, and other funders. It also manages CFEB’s relationships with the FSA and other financial regulators, ensuring that the public’s understanding of financial affairs is taken into account when putting forward new consumer protection legislation. Martin Coppack is the manager of the team.
CFEB has an extremely diverse, complex and fast evolving set of stakeholders, many of whom can have an impact (negative or positive) on our effectiveness and can influence our reputation. We cannot achieve our strategic objectives without harnessing our stakeholders’ involvement.
Opportunity
- Be part of our team! We have one External Affairs vacancy to join our team. We are looking for an individual with a range of experiences and skills to create a complementary, winning team.
- This role offers the opportunity to deliver a high-profile agenda and influence important external stakeholders. The successful candidate can expect to work on a wide range of projects, influencing the future shape and direction of CFEB. This is an exciting time to join our growing team and the successful candidate will have a real opportunity to make their mark.
- The candidate will be required to deliver our strategy, coaching and leading more junior members of the team when required. What is certain is that this person will need to have extensive external affairs experience, to hit the ground running as we build and secure our reputation with external stakeholders. Strategic experience of managing an external affairs programme for an organisation will be necessary.
What does the job involve?
Varying levels of responsibility to implement CFEB’s external affairs strategy and campaigns:
- Building a strategy to actively influence the national policymaking of CFEB’s key external stakeholders on issues directly relevant to the work of CFEB.
- Identifying CFEB’s main external stakeholders and ensuring that effective arrangements are in place and are implemented for managing our relationships with those stakeholders.
- Supporting the work of the Chair, Chief Executive and senior management team in promoting the work of CFEB and influencing the national policy-making and political processes.
- Writing concise briefing papers for the Chief Executive, Board and senior management team.
- Organisation-wide preparation and briefings on key issues.
- Creating and managing an external contact programme for the Chair and Chief Executive.
- Working closely with Consumer Policy team members to input on wider stakeholder engagement
- Managing internal stakeholders will also be an important element of this work.
What skills are required?
Essential
- Thorough understanding of how to influence a range of stakeholders which goes wider than government and Parliament, such as the financial services industry;
- Experience of creating an external affairs strategy and implementing it to provide tangible results;
- Good understanding of how Parliament and national Government works;
- Substantial experience of working within a corporate environment;
- Ability to influence whilst at the same time being diplomatic – working effectively with colleagues and stakeholders, at all levels;
- First class analytical skills;
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal;
- Energy and initiative to get things done quickly and efficiently;
- Ability, and enthusiasm, to maintain momentum on multiple and sometimes competing priorities and tasks;
- A track record of working well as a member of a team that is results driven;
- Ability to work independently with a positive, can-do attitude to problem solving;
- Ability to manage more junior team members if and when required.
Knowledge and/or experience in the following areas would be valuable
- Financial services and/or the consumer movement
- Corporate affairs
- Coaching and mentoring more junior staff
- Grant-giving/funding world experience
- Stakeholder management with wider stakeholders than parliamentary and financial services e.g. think tanks, pressure groups, trade bodies etc
What will I get from the role?
- A real opportunity to create and shape this area of work for a new organisation;
- An opportunity to work in a high profile, fast moving environment and to be directly responsible for delivering results that make a difference for consumers;
- A deeper knowledge of consumer protection and education in financial services, and how it impacts on consumers, consumer groups, government and other public sector bodies;
- The opportunity to work with a wide range of external stakeholders across government, the financial services industry and the third sector.
For further information please contact Yvonne Edwards, Secretary for Martin Coppack on 020 7943 0408
Additional information
As part of the application process, you should submit your CV and answers to the following application questions quoting the job reference number to [email protected]
Q1. Why do you believe that you are suitable for this role? Please ensure that you specifically relate your answer to the ESSENTIAL criteria listed in the job advert, covering your relevant skills, technical knowledge and capabilities. (no more than 300 words.)
Q2. Are you eligible to work in the UK?
We offer a competitive remuneration package, which is dependent on skills and experience, and consists of a base salary, pension, core and flexible benefits.
Salary range £45,000-55,000.
The closing date for applications is 12 November 2010.