Senior Policy Adviser

• Job_Description_-_Senior_Policy_Adviser

Job Title: Senior Policy Adviser x 4

Directorate: Policy, Research and Voter Engagement

Starting salary band: Band C: £40,031 - £42,033 per annum

• Band C: £40,031 - £42,033 per annum depending on skills, experience and qualification.

• Staff with the London Office as their work location will attract a London weighting allowance of £3,217 on top of their base salary.

Full time & Permanent: This role work on a Hybrid basis which requires a minimum of 2 days office attendance (40%).

Location: Preferred location is London as this is where majority of the team and stakeholders are based. We will consider applicants who can work from either Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast office locations, or full-time remote home working.

Working at the Electoral Commission

The Electoral Commission is the independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK. We work to promote public confidence in the democratic process and ensure its integrity.

We offer excellent terms and conditions, including flexible working hours and the opportunity to join the Civil Service pension arrangements, fantastic office space and endless opportunities for personal development and continuous learning.

The Role

We have four exciting new vacancies in our Policy team. This is a unique opportunity to join us at a pivotal time, as we respond to a range of policy challenges and major new elections legislation across the UK. You’ll be part of delivering our new corporate plan and shaping the future of elections and political regulation.

As Senior Policy Adviser, you will act as the primary point of contact in relation to key policy areas and provide expert policy advice to leadership on a range of matters. You’ll lead on a range of policy areas related to electoral administration and political finance across the UK and internationally.

Your responsibilities will include leading flexible, high-quality policy analysis; analysing and commenting on draft legislation; briefing policy makers in Government and key internal stakeholders on reform proposals; planning and managing the delivery of key policy projects, often involving multiple stakeholders and competing deadlines.

You will be involved in research projects, monitor and report on the impact of significant changes to elections in the UK and internationally, and develop specialist knowledge about election law and policy, and innovative thinking about regulatory challenges of new campaign techniques.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for someone with experience of leading policy development and a proactive, collaborative attitude.

You should be a self-starter with a positive outlook and strong organisational skills, comfortable working independently and at pace, with limited supervision. You will be confident leading on a range of different projects at the same time, under the guidance of your Policy Manager.

You will be proficient in analysing information, identifying trends, and presenting findings to influence decision makers, and have the ability to interpret complex legislation and translate it for others.

You should be able to communicate with a wide range of audiences and in a variety of formats – from meeting with government officials to writing blog posts for our website. You will bring your creativity, strong interpersonal skills and a commitment to evidence-based policy-making to our work.

Familiarity with UK political systems and structures including devolution in the UK, and an interest in democracy and the electoral process in the UK will be advantageous, but is not an essential requirement of this role.

To be successful in this role, you will need to have:

• Demonstrable experience of leading policy development, a strong commitment to evidence-based policy-making and an understanding of how to influence decision-makers effectively

• A proactive, self-starting approach – able to identify opportunities and challenges early, to take ownership of driving work forward, and to see projects through from conception to delivery

• The ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities at pace, using sound judgement to balance short-term tasks with longer-term goals

• Strong analytical and communication skills – able to synthesise complex information, confident tailoring messages for different audiences and formats, including formal briefings, blog posts, and stakeholder engagement

• A collaborative mindset, with the ability to build positive relationships across teams and work flexibly to support others

• An understanding of the political and legislative contexts across the UK, including devolution, and the ability to reflect this in policy work, alongside an interest in international democratic practice

• A commitment to continuous learning – for yourself and the team – and a willingness to contribute to wider team thinking and development

For a full list of competencies, please refer to the job description and person specification.

Other Benefits

The Electoral Commission contributes 28.97% of your basic salary towards you being a member of the Civil Service Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides and the conditions involved. 

The Electoral Commission offers a competitive mix of benefits including: 

• A culture of flexible working, such as flexi scheme, homeworking and compressed hours. 

• Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution of 28.97%. 

• A working from home allowance of £312 per annum is paid as a tax-free working from home allowance. 

• A minimum of 28 days of paid annual leave, plus eight bank holidays increasing up to a maximum of 30 days after four years. 

• An extensive range of learning and professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue. 

• Eye care vouchers, Ride 2 Work and an opportunity to sell up to five days annual leave at the end of the annual leave period. 

• A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend 40% of their time in the office. 

More information on how to apply

To remove bias from our recruitment, process the Electoral Commission operates anonymous recruitment. Please apply by supplying an anonymous CV, without reference to your name, age, ethnicity or other personal identifiable information. Failure to supply anonymous CV and cover letter will result in your application being rejected.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people who are passionate about democracy. The more diverse our workforce, the better we can adapt to and reflect the needs of society. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and as a staff member you will become part of an inclusive culture, where you will have the opportunity to achieve your full potential and enhance your career through learning and development.

Closing date is 27 July 2025 at 23:59.

Shortlisting will take place week commencing 28 July 2025

Interviews will be held in the week commencing 11 August 2025

If successful- 2nd stage interviews will be held within a week of the first interview

Applicants who are applying for the London based position will be expected to attend the interview in person at our offices in Bunhill Row, London. We may use video conferencing tools for the interviews of applicants based in any of the devolved office locations. We will confirm details with shortlisted candidates. Electoral Commission does not compensate candidates for the travel costs incurred due to interview attendance.

If you are interested in applying for this role, please download the job description before applying online.

If you have any further questions about the role, please don’t hesitate to contact the recruitment team on recruitment@electoralcommission.org.uk who will be happy to help.