Public Affairs

**Senior Public Affairs and Research Officer**

**Job description - **Senior Public Affairs and Research Officer

**Reporting to - **Public Affairs, Policy and Campaigns Consultant

**Location - **Hybrid/London

**Contract**: Permanent

**Hours - **Full time (35 hours)

**Salary - **£31,000-£32,754 per annum**Main purpose of this role**

The Senior Public Affairs and Research Officer will drive policy change to increase surplus food redistribution by engaging with stakeholders across government, media, industry, and academia. They will support FareShare’s public affairs strategy by producing well-researched briefings, organizing impactful events, and fostering relationships with key partners.

**About FareShare**

FareShare is the UK’s national network of charitable food redistributors, comprising 18 independent organisations. Together, we take good-quality surplus food from across the food industry and distribute it to 8,500 frontline charities and community groups.

The food we redistribute is nutritious and good to eat. It reaches charities across the UK, including school breakfast clubs, older people’s lunch clubs, homeless shelters, and community cafes. We provide enough food weekly to create almost a million meals for vulnerable people.

Every year, more than three million tonnes of food go to waste in the UK, enough for 7 billion meals. Meanwhile, the cost of living crisis is driving millions into food insecurity.
We are fortunate to benefit from the support of major retailers, the media, ambassadors and a groundswell of public engagement. As a result, there has never been a more exciting time to join an organisation at the heart of public consciousness, and build on recent public affairs successes.

**FareShare’s vision**

Our vision is of a UK where ‘No good food goes to waste’.

Every year, food wasted in the UK adds millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. During a climate crisis, and with record levels of food insecurity, it doesn’t make sense to be throwing away perfectly good food.

FareShare believes that with long-term ambition and quick, decisive action, the UK’s food system can become a driver of positive social and environmental impact.

Our values run through everything we do and set out a clear framework for us to approach our work: passion, ambition, respect, collaboration, and focus.

**The role**

The role will sit within FareShare’s public affairs—part of the wider marcomms team—which is responsible for advocating for policies that create an economic and legislative environment that is beneficial for surplus food redistribution. This will help FareShare achieve its long-term goals of redistributing a higher proportion of the UK’s surplus food and benefiting more communities across the UK.

FareShare recently published its manifesto, ‘Where’s The Food? Strengthening Communities Through Surplus Food Redistribution.’ The manifesto sets out a path for government, businesses, and charities to work together to turn an environmental problem into a social good.

The Senior Public Affairs and Research Officer will be critical in advancing FareShare’s policy agenda, as outlined in the manifesto. Working closely with the Public Affairs, Policy and Campaigns Consultant, you will lead efforts to engage influential stakeholders, create compelling content, and coordinate high-impact events. This role offers a unique opportunity to influence national policy and contribute to meaningful change in the food redistribution sector.

**Key responsibilities**

**Stakeholder Engagement**:Build and manage relationships with diverse stakeholders, including government bodies, media, and academia, to advance FareShare’s policy objectives.

**Policy, Research, and Briefings**:Develop in-depth policy knowledge and produce well-researched briefings and reports articulating FareShare’s policy goals. Identify opportunities for FareShare to feed into Government consultations and Select Committees.

**Events**:Support the planning and execution of public affairs events, including parliamentary engagements and engagement with industry conferences.

**Person specification**

**About you**
- Deeply passionate about politics and driven to create progressive change through political advocacy.
- A strategic thinker with the ability to navigate complex political landscapes.
- An intellectually curious person with the ability to understand and communicate complicated topics, with an eye for detail and nuance.
- A skilled writer, who is adept at producing excellent briefings and other written communications.
- A self-starter, who can work independently and does not need constant oversight and management.
- A diligent person with good organisational skills.
- A motivated and persistent individual who is willing to invest the time, effort and energy that is required to succeed in bringing about positive change in the world of policy and politics.

**Experience**
- Y