Policy Specialist

Royal Mencap Society; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading charity organization is seeking a Policy Specialist to advocate for children and young people with learning disabilities. This full-time role involves translating complex policy issues into clear recommendations and working with various stakeholders. Flexibility in work location is provided with some travel to London required. The ideal candidate has a strong policy background and a passion for driving change in the SEND sector. Competitive benefits and holiday packages are offered.

Benefits

32 days of paid holiday

Discounts at leading high-street retailers

Access to health cash plans

Interest-free loans

Qualifications

• Experience building positive relationships and working collaboratively.
• Ability to positively challenge, negotiate, and compromise under pressure.
• Experience tailoring messaging to varying audiences.

Responsibilities

• Translate complex work into clear policy briefings and reports.
• Develop Mencap’s ‘Policy Shapers’ work reflecting community experiences.
• Represent Mencap at meetings with MPs and sector partners.

Skills

Experience of working on public policy issues

Strong communication skills

Ability to work on own initiative

Analytical skills

Knowledge of issues facing children with learning disabilities

Passion for social change

Job description

Department:

Communications, Campaigns, Advocacy & Activism

Position:

Paid

Town/City:

London

Salary Details:

Advertising End Date:

04 Jan 2026

Internal Advertising End Date:

04 Jan 2026

Vacancy Type:

Permanent

Job Advert

Are you interested in improving the lives of children and young people with a learning disability? Can you turn complex ideas into evidence-based policy? Are you a skilled communicator able to influencedecision-makers? If so, we would love to hear from you!

We are currently looking for a Policy Specialist to join Mencap. This position sits within the Policy and Public Affairs teams of Mencap’s Campaigns, Advocacy and Activism Directorate (CAA). You will work closely with our influencing, information and advice, campaigning, and research work, as well as sector partners like the Disabled Children's Partnership.

This is an exciting new role to deliver policy change and enhance the rights of children and young people with a learning disability. At a key time to influence Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) education reform, we are seeking a policy specialist to shape policy work that reflects the needs and experiences of children, young people, and their families. Working within the policy team, you will be responsible for developing evidence-based policy work and influencing decision-makers.

This is a full time position (37.5 hours per week). We are flexible with your work location, but there may be some occasional travel needed to our London office or Westminster.

You will:

• Translate complex work into clear and persuasive policy briefings, consultation responses and reports.
• Work within wider coalitions of charities, building collaborative relationships and ensuring that the needs and priorities of our community are addressed.
• Develop and expand Mencap’s ‘Policy Shapers’ work, ensuring our work reflects the experiences of children and young people with a learning disability and their families.
• Support our information and advice team, briefing them on important developments, inputting into casework discussions relevant to your areas of work, and supporting the creation of public information resources.
• Represent Mencap at meetings and events, with MPs, civil servants, and sector partners.
• Identify and analyse relevant research to develop evidence-based policy recommendations.

You will bring to this role:

• Experience of working on public policy issues.
• Strong communication skills: experience tailoring your messaging to a variety of different audiences and representing an organisation.
• Experience building positive relationships and working collaboratively to achieve outcomes; able to positively challenge, negotiate and compromise.
• The ability to work on your own initiative while contributing to team priorities and sustain enthusiasm under pressure.
• Experience analysing evidence to develop recommendations.
• Knowledge the issues facing children and young people with a learning disability and/or the SEND system, as well as the wider parliamentary system.
• Passion about making the world a better place for people with a learning disability.

If you're passionate about driving meaningful change for children and young people with a learning disability and you're ready to use your policy expertise to make a real impact, please apply now with an up-to-date CV. This advert has been extended and will now close on Sunday, 4th January, 2026. Interviews are scheduled to take place via Microsoft Teams during the week commencing 12th January 2026.

Here at Mencap, we offer an impressive range of benefits designed to support and reward our employees to ensure that our teams feel valued and appreciated.

Our benefits package offers32 days of paid holiday(including bank holidays, pro rata), along with a range of perks such as discounts at leading high-street retailers, access to health cash plans, interest-free loans, and many more exciting offerings.

For more details on what we have to offer, please see the attached document outlining all the fantastic benefits available to you as a member of our team!

About Mencap

Our vision is for the UK to be the best place in the world for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives.

We're here to support people with a learning disability, their families and their carers. We fight for a kinder, fairer and more inclusive society for people with a learning disability to live in.

At Mencap, everyone works with people with a learning disability either providing support or advice, or alongside one another as colleagues.

Belonging at Mencap is for everyone, every day, everywhere.

· Everyoneis expected to treat people well and make Mencap an inclusive organisation.

·Every daywe grow and learn. It’s okay to make mistakes but we learn from them and make changes

·Everywherepeople will feel respected, valued, and safe to be themselves.

We have Belonging network groups that meet online and are open to all colleagues. The groups include people who identify as Black and Asian, LGBTQIA+, disabled or with a long- term health condition, women, parents and carers, and their allies.

We want to encourage everyone to apply to work at Mencap and we offer a variety of different contract types and working patterns. We’re not looking for specific experience. It is your personality and values that will make you a great colleague. We will train and develop you to succeed in the role you’re applying for.

Communications, Campaigns, Advocacy & Activism

Communications, Campaigns, Advocacy & Activism