Job Description

Going back to our roots as a radical campaigning organisation, the Vegetarian Society has opened a new role as Public Affairs Lead to engage with policymakers across the UK.

Since 1847, we have been inspiring people to adopt vegetarian and vegan diets for the benefit of animals, people and the planet and we remain a mission driven organisation focused on both behaviour and systems change. But our work is now more urgent than ever with impacts from our food system increasingly recognised as a leading cause of the global climate and biodiversity crisis.

As a result, we are now seeking to recruit a Public Affairs professional, who can take our key policy and campaign messages into the political arena, securing policy and legislative support for change.

Working closely with our Head of Policy and our Communication Team, you will lead on the development and implementation of a political engagement strategy in support of our work and form effective working relationships with key ministerial departments in Whitehall, including civil servants and advisors, together with cross-party politicians in Westminster and their staff teams to enable delivery of our policy goals.

We’ll also ask you to lead on our engagement with the national parliaments and assembles in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland plus local authority elected members as required.

The ideal candidate will already have experience in a public affairs role with a strong understanding of current affairs and the political arena in Westminster and Whitehall. You will be a self-starter with experience of working with politicians, advisors and civil servants in support of defined goals.

A consummate networker, you are confident hosting meetings and events with key decision makers. Your ability to self-organise and generate momentum is critical, adapting rapidly to changing demands and with a strong desire to create meaningful change in line with our mission.

The Vegetarian Society offers a range of employment benefits, including hybrid and remote working opportunities, flexible working hours, a healthcare cashback scheme, generous leave allowance, cycle to work scheme, sustainable travel policy, animal compassionate leave policy and an ethical pension scheme.

We are committed to putting equity, diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything we do and we actively encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities.

If you feel ready to take on the challenge, meet the criteria set out in the person specification and are confident in undertaking the role; we’d love to hear from you, and look forward to reading your application.

Application Instructions