Senior Economic Policy Executive

Food and Drink Federation (FDF)
London - United Kingdom
S: Up to £35k

Our Organisation
 
We're the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) - the voice of the UK food and drink industry: the largest manufacturing sector in the country. We help our members operate in a highly regulated marketplace to maximise their competitiveness and profitability. Our job is to communicate our industry's values and concerns to Government, regulators, consumers and the media. We also work in partnership with key players in the food supply chain to ensure our food is safe, affordable and nutritious.

The Role
This is an exciting opportunity to join the busy Industry Growth team at the Food and Drink Federation, the representative body of the UK's largest and most vibrant manufacturing sector.

With various challenges and opportunities facing the industry, from COVID-19, the National Food Strategy, to the UK's new trading relationship with the EU, we are advertising a new role with a dual focus on leading the team's export and economic policy priorities and delivering research to support wider policy goals and highlight the economic importance of the UK's food and drink sector.

This position will play a key role in leading our efforts to secure additional support for UK exporters to help our industry drive the Government's Global Britain strategy while underpinning the FDF's credibility as a respected economic commentator. The role involves working with FDF's policy and media experts, member companies, Government departments, the media and a wide range of stakeholders, helping to communicate the industry's economic importance and ensuring FDF's policy arguments are evidence-based. As Senior Economic Policy Executive, you will:

• Monitor regulatory and policy developments that concern exports and supply chain commercial relationships in the UK food and drink manufacturing industry and ensure that members and staff are kept informed by producing concise, informative and insightful briefings and news articles.
• Formulate FDF policy in relevant areas on the back of effective member consultations. Communicate FDF policy internally and externally. This will include producing consultation responses; position papers; presentations; newsletter articles; media responses; and briefings for members and colleagues.
• Develop plans for FDF's work with the Government and key stakeholders to inform the design and delivery of industry's export support proposals and represent the interests of FDF members on relevant policy issues at meetings with key stakeholders including Defra, DIT and BEIS.
• Manage the production of practical guidance, advice and market research on exports, working with FDF's Economic and Trade Analyst on FDF's quarterly Exports Snapshot publications.
• Effectively lead FDF's support of the Food and Drink Sector Council Exports workstream to deliver the Council's strategic aims and objectives.
• Work closely with FDF's Membership and Commercial team, FDF's Professional Affiliates and other relevant stakeholders to produce an annual economic report and quarterly export performance reports to support FDF's commercial agenda and raise the importance of the industry.
• Monitor the latest official data releases and update data trackers (on prices, output, wages etc.), presenting the results to the Industry Growth team colleagues. Work closely with FDF's media team to highlight the performance of the industry through social media platforms.
• Source official economic data, keep FDF databases up-to-date, conduct research and analysis to support FDF's overarching vision and the delivery of the Industry Growth Committee business plan and work programme.
• Support colleagues across various FDF teams, including FDF Scotland and FDF Cymru, by undertaking ad hoc research and member/industry surveys related to the economics of the industry, COVID-19 recovery, exports, trade, the National Food Strategy and EU Exit.

The Team

FDF's Industry Growth team is responsible for policy and market developments that impact UK food and drink manufacturers' ability to invest, grow and do business. The team covers a range of economic issues including: trade and workforce implications of the UK leaving the European Union; skills and employment; exporting; and working with supply chains.

Requirements

• Government affairs professional with graduate degree in politics, international relations, economics or other relevant disciplines.
• Professional experience in UK and EU public affairs, policy development and issue management, gained in a corporate, political, trade association, consultancy environment or government department.
• Knowledge of political processes and a firm grasp of key public policy issues affecting the food and drink manufacturing sector particularly in relation to exports and supply chain commercial relationships.
• Strong analytical, organisational, project management, presentational and written skills (incl. statistical and word processing packages) with the ability to credibly represent FDF in committees and stakeholder discussions, and communicate effectively to diverse audiences.
• Ability to learn quickly and solve problems using technical expertise, analysis and evaluative judgment to provide specialist advice to FDF colleagues, members and stakeholders.
• Strong time management skills with the ability to work across a variety of different policy areas and teams within FDF, managing conflicting deadlines.
• Highly motivated team player with a hands-on attitude, ability to plan and effectively lead projects, industry positions and their communication.
• Excellent networking skills with the ability to build and retain relationships across industry and develop opportunities to collaborate with key external stakeholders.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word.
• Excellent written and spoken English.

Our Benefits

FDF is a great place to work where we take wellbeing seriously and have a great benefits package to match, offering a pension scheme, life insurance, 25 days holiday, private healthcare, leisure travel insurance, gym subsidy, interest-free season ticket loan and cycle-to-work scheme.

Our Workplace

We're based in the heart of central London in a modern, bright open-plan office. We have a friendly work culture with great break-out spaces, quiet booths and opportunities for flexible-working. Our 'Feel Good for Life' team regularly organises events and activities to promote positive health and wellbeing.

How to Apply

We'd love to hear from you, if you think your experience and skillset are suited to the role. Please send us your CV, covering letter and salary expectations, illustrating why you'd be a great candidate by clicking Apple below

To view more about working for FDF visit http://www.fdf.org.uk/fdfjobs.aspx#item3

To view our recruitment privacy notice, visit: https://www.fdf.org.uk/recruitment-privacy-notice.aspx

Closing Date: 19 March 2021; 5:30pm

FDF operates as an equal opportunities employer and we welcome all applications regardless of gender, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, religion/beliefs, disability and age.

Job summary