Public Affairs Officer

Public Affairs Officer

Salary: £35,850 per annum

Hours: Full-time (35 hours)

Contract: Permanent

Benefits:

• 27 days’ annual leave + statutory holidays + three closures days over the Christmas period.


• Flexible working for all staff, including working from home/hybrid working, and flexitime/TOIL scheme.


• Attractive family-friendly policies.


• Private healthcare cover.


• Season ticket loans.


• Employee awards, and training and development opportunities.

Please note, the successful candidate will be expected to carry out two days of in-person working per week on average, which will include attendance at your office location.

An exciting opportunity has arisen at the National Housing Federation (NHF) for a Public Affairs Officer. The NHF is the voice of housing associations in England. We are the trade body to almost 600 housing associations, who have grown from philanthropic roots to provide 2.6 million homes to around six million people. You can find further information about the NHF on our website.

Our vision is for a country where everyone can live in a good-quality home they can afford. We work with our members to make this vision a reality, delivering ambitious programmes that lead to lasting, positive change.

We work at the forefront of the political debate – not only on housing, but also on a wide range of other policy issues, including welfare, homelessness and climate change. Our work affects the lives of millions of people and diverse communities across the country.

As a Public Affairs Officer, you will take the lead on your own policy areas, developing and delivering influencing strategies that have real impact. You will work closely with colleagues across the organisation, as well as with our members and key external stakeholders, to ensure social housing is clearly understood and prioritised by decision-makers.

At a time of significant political change in Westminster, this role is critical. You will help ensure that social housing retains its political salience and that housing associations are recognised as an essential part of the solution to the housing emergency.

This is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious public affairs professional who wants to work on issues of national importance and make a meaningful contribution to improving people’s lives.

Please select the Apply button and download the full job profile and person specification for this role.

Key elements of the role:

• Developing and leading public affairs strategies to influence the main political parties on topics that matter to our members.


• Building effective relationships with parliamentarians, ministers, shadow ministers, researchers and political advisers.


• Collaborating with colleagues through project groups and providing expert public affairs advice on a range of policy issues.


• Monitoring Parliament and key political developments to ensure NHF staff and our members are informed on key issues.


• Drafting high-quality briefings, letters and other documents for national politicians.


• Making the case for the NHF’s influence in face-to-face meetings with key political stakeholders and presenting to internal and member groups.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:

• A proven ability to develop and implement effective influencing strategies.


• Experience of building and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders.


• A commitment to working collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation.


• Exceptional written and oral communication skills.


• A good understanding of the political environment and climate in the UK.

The NHF has published its equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, which was co-created with staff and is available on our website. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace, and we value the contribution each individual makes to our work.

Disability confident employer

We are a disability confident employer and, if you are a disabled person who meets the skills and experience we consider essential for the role, we will offer you an interview.

Please note: there may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job. In certain recruitment situations, such as high volumes of applications, we may be required to limit the overall number of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people.

In these circumstances, the NHF will select the disabled candidates who best meet the minimum criteria for the job rather than all of those who meet the minimum criteria, as we would do for non-disabled applicants. This is in line with the Disability Confident guidelines.

We are happy to consider reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process if you have a disability or have a condition that you feel may affect your performance during the recruitment process. Please email the People team with your request or to arrange a time to discuss in more detail.

Completing our Application Form

To apply for this role, please complete our online application form. The application form includes your employment and education history, plus you will be asked to answer questions in relation to your knowledge, skills and experience, why you are applying for the role and questions in relation to our values. The application form is anonymous and will not require you to upload a CV or cover letter. This will help us to shortlist candidates for interviews based solely on their knowledge, skills and experience.

Right to work in the UK/UK VISA sponsorship

You must have the right to work in the UK, and it is important to note that the NHF does not sponsor individuals to work in the UK.

Closing date for applications: 2 June 2026

Interview dates: June 2026

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