Associate Director of Policy & Health Strategy (Maternity Cover)

Please note; this is a 12 month fixed term role as maternity cover.

We’re Parkinson’s UK, the charity that’s here to support every Parkinson’s journey. Every step of the way.

We don’t wait for change, we make it happen. Campaigning for better health and care. Funding research into groundbreaking new treatments. Running life-changing support services.

We’re a powerful community united by one mission: improving life with Parkinson’s.

We’ve made real progress in improving NHS services for people with Parkinson’s over the past 3 years. Our pump priming grant scheme, providing seed funding for nurse and allied health professional posts across the UK has enabled thousands of people with Parkinson’s to access the care they need. We’re especially proud that we’ve reduced the Parkinson’s nurse gap by 25%, through seed funding new posts and relentlessly pushing local NHS organisations to invest in Parkinson’s services. 

About the role 

We are looking for a leader who will lead, inspire and challenge the Policy and Health Strategy teams to push for significant improvements in services for people with Parkinson’s across the UK. You’ll work closely with people affected by Parkinson’s, health care professionals and others to influence decision makers across Whitehall, Westminster and local health systems. 

As an experienced health, research and public policy leader, you will lead our policy, campaigning and NHS improvement professionals, both within their teams and across the devolved nations teams to build Parkinson’s UK’s reputation as a trusted, expert and determined partner and advocate for people affected by Parkinson’s.

You’ll oversee an annual budget of around £4 million, and a team of 45 people.

What you’ll do:  

• Lead and inspire the policy and health strategy teams, developing our staff to their full potential.

• Carve out new areas of influence over decision makers, nationally and locally, to improve services for people with Parkinson’s.

• Create an environment in which the Parkinson’s UK Excellence Network flourishes, driving up standards of care for people with Parkinson’s. 

• Position Parkinson’s UK as sector leading with key decision makers in health and research, and embed the charity as a key partner in service improvement. 

• Build Parkinson’s UK’s reputation as a trusted source of insight and analysis around health and social care services, benefits and employment

What you’ll bring:

The ideal candidate will be an authentic and inspirational leader with an in-depth understanding of the health and social care landscape and be able to demonstrate:

• Substantial leadership experience in health and social care or public policy 

• Strategic thinking with proven experience of translating concepts into practice

• Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills, with the ability to position themselves as an opinion leader

• Substantial experience in developing professional networks and partnerships to support improvements

• Understanding of digital health innovation as a lever change

This is an exciting time for Parkinson’s UK and we would love you to join us!

Please apply by sending us your CV, together with a detailed supporting statement which will fully demonstrate how you meet all the criteria of the role, as stated in the "What you'll bring" section of the job description.

Interviews for this role will be held on 2 June at our London Offices.

The successful candidate will be required to: 

• Attend the UK London office 2 days per week

• Provide their own broadband service with a minimum download speed of 2Mb

• Have a confidential space in which to work