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Campaigns Officer

Employer
Versus Arthritis
Location
London
Salary
£28,500 - £30,500
Closing date
7 Oct 2018

View more

Function
Campaigning
Sector
Health & Medical
Hours
Full Time
Contract Type
Permanent

Job Details

Location: London, with occasional travel throughout UK
Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week
Salary: £28,500 – £30,500 pa + Benefits
Contract type: Permanent
Closing date: by Midnight on Sunday 7 October 2018

Download the job description and person specification via the link to our website.

Summary

We are looking for a passionate and strategic campaigns officer to join our ambitious Campaigns team. By creating engaging and accessible campaigns to influence key decision makers, you will help us push back the limits of arthritis for the 10 million people living with the condition.

About the role

For people with arthritis and related conditions simple activities can become a daily struggle. From going to work, and interacting with family, to socialising with friends, or popping to the shops, people with arthritis cannot take these moments for granted. Many spend years with severe pain and fatigue, and often experience anxiety or depression. Alongside the personla impact, musculoskeletal conditions have a huge impact on society.  They amount to the third largest area of NHS spending, and are the cause of one in fice working days lost in the UK.

At Versus Arthritis our dynamic Campaigns team sits in the Policy and Public Affairs department, together determining which issues to tackle the Government on. We then involve people with arthritis, creating engaging and accessible resources and activities to secure the attention of decision makers, and apply pressure to make positive change happen.

This role will be instrumental in making sure the stories of people with arthritis are communicated to decision makers, and that our campaigns apply pressure at the right time, to the right people, to make tangible change happen. We are thrilled to have launched Versus Arthritis, formed by the coming together of Arthritis Research UK and Arthritis Care. Campaigning is at the heart of the new organisation’s plans, and we want to bigger and bolder than ever.

The successful candidate will contribute to shaping our campaigning strategy and developing plans for how we increase our campaigning activity on a local and national level. This is an exceptional opportunity for someone who wants to transform lives and develop their campaigning skills.

Key requirements

You will bring:

  • Enthusiasm for the role and commitment to transforming the lives of people with arthritis.
  • Strong knowledge and experience of creating campaign activities and resources to influence change.
  • Proven experience of working with volunteers and involving them in your projects.
  • Ability to write content for a range of platforms and publications; translating complex ideas into simple and engaging messages.
  • Strong verbal communications skills, with the confidence to speak to people at all levels about our work, and the ability to adapt your style for a variety of audiences.
  • Excellent organisational skills, including experience of project managing, working independently, prioritising effectively and working to deadlines.
  • Experience of building good working relationships with a variety of colleagues and promoting the work of the campaigns team internally.
  • Experience of using contact databases, knowledge of policies and procedures concerning data governance and protection.
  • Good attention to detail; consistently producing accurate work and identifying errors.
  • A flexible approach, with the ability to adapt to the needs of the charity.

How to apply

To apply you MUST submit:

1.    a concise, up-to-date CV

2.    along with a supporting statement demonstrating how you meet the key requirements set out in the job description and person specification.

3.    Please include where you’ve seen this role advertised

Email any questions about the role and your completed application by midnight on Sunday 7 October via the link on our wesbite.

Interviews

First interviews expected: Thursday 18 and Friday 19 October in Farringdon, London
Second interviews expected: Friday 26 October in Farringdon, London

About us

Arthritis causes pain, fatigue and isolation for 10 million people in the UK every single day. It can impact on the ability to work, our relationships and take away our independence. We don’t accept this.

We are Versus Arthritis. We are volunteers, healthcare professionals, researchers and friends, all doing everything we can to push back against arthritis. We’re reaching out to everybody with the information and support they need, funding vital research and changing the way society sees arthritis. Together we’ll keep running, researching, influencing, volunteering, advising, chatting, baking, listening.  We won’t stop until no-one has to tolerate living with the pain, fatigue and isolation of arthritis. 

Join us and use your skills, knowledge, passion and energy to help us defy arthritis.

Read more about what we do, working for us and what we offer on our website.

Promoting Equality in the workplace

Versus Arthritis is a Registered Charity No: 207711 and in Scotland No. SC041156

Company

In 2017, Arthritis Care and Arthritis Research UK joined forces so that we could achieve more for people with arthritis. In September 2018, we became Versus Arthritis.

This is an exciting and special time in our story. As Versus Arthritis, we'll take the best from both our legacy organisations to create a movement standing with and for people with arthritis.
Here are a few key events that led us here.

1930s–1950s

In 1936, Arthritis Research UK began life as the Empire Rheumatism Council, set up by Dr Will Copeman and other like-minded doctors who were committed to stopping the pain of arthritis.

In 1947, Arthur Mainwaring-Bowen set up an organisation for people with arthritis and rheumatism which was registered as the British Rheumatic Association (BRA) in 1949. This organisation became later known as Arthritis Care.

In the 50s, Arthritis Research UK began to train doctors and medical students and educate the public about the impact of arthritis. They also produced their first information booklets on rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Arthritis Care raised £1,135 in its first appeal for funds and as a result opened the first of many houses to accommodate people who needed care.

1960s–1980s

Research funded by Arthritis Research UK began to show that arthritis is neither simply a wear-and-tear condition nor an inevitable part of ageing.

Arthritis Care invested in more accommodation for people with arthritis, opening six warden-attended flats: the New Mayfair, Carlisle House and Burnlea Hotel. In 1985, Terry Wogan hosted the reception of the first Arthritis Care week.
In 1989, Arthritis Care opened its helpline and first shop was launched.

1990s–2000s

In the 1990s, research led by professors Sir Marc Feldmann and Sir Ravinder (Tiny) Maini at Arthritis Research UK’s Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology was responsible for the biggest breakthrough yet in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. A key molecule that causes inflammation and joint damage – known as tumour necrosis factor or TNF – was uncovered.

This led to the development of a new class of drugs known as biological therapies, which have transformed treatment and lives of people with rheumatoid arthritis and other types of inflammatory arthritis over the past 20 years.

During this time, Arthritis Care developed over 500 branches across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. They launched a three-year programme of self-management courses, the UK's first parent support group conference and the UK's first conference for young people with arthritis.

The Duke of Westminster also awarded Arthritis Care volunteers for outstanding services for people with arthritis and launched the Going for Gold appeal, aiming to raise £5 million over three years for 10 initiatives improving quality of life.

Later on, the Arthritis Care roadshow visited 43 sites across the UK with 13,000 visitors and 1,000 volunteers. The Osteoarthritis Nation report was also launched. This study revealed that four out of five people with osteoarthritis live in constant pain.

Arthritis Care also launched their online community. This peer-to-peer online support service now has thousands of people with arthritis speaking and listening to each other and sharing their experiences about living with arthritis. 

In November 2017, Arthritis Research UK and Arthritis Care joined forces and merged as one organisation.

Now

We're Versus Arthritis. We’ve come together, taking the best of both organisations and our rich histories of working with and for people with arthritis to do even more.

We’re 10 million people living with arthritis. We’re fundraisers, supporters, bakers, health professionals, volunteers, campaigners and researchers. Together, we’re demanding that the pain and isolation of arthritis is no longer tolerated. We’re pushing to defy arthritis. We are Versus Arthritis. 

Join us and use your skills, knowledge, passion and energy to help us defy arthritis.

 

 

Company info
Website
Telephone
03007900400
Location
Copeman House
St. Mary’s Court
St. Mary’s Gate
Chesterfield
Derbyshire
S41 7TD
GB

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