Policy Impact Officer

Work Arrangement: Full Time (Hybrid)

Contract Type: Fixed-term

Salary per annum (£): £38,784 to 43,482

Closing Date: 28/06/2026

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world class university.

Overview

We are seeking three individuals with experience of working in policy in a range of external environments, which might include international, national and/or local government, health, regulation etc. They will work with our academics to generate real world policy impact from the findings of our research, which will be assessed by the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2029 exercise. With a background in policy engagement, you will identify a range of opportunities to connect research with policy makers to support evidence based policymaking. This could include organising seminars with academics and policy teams or working with academics to respond to government consultations or parliamentary inquiries. Being able to monitor, track and evidence how academic research has been used by policy makers to bring about change will also be included in the role.

Working under the guidance of Faculty Impact Managers and liaising with internal stakeholders, your work will support academics who are developing impact case studies with a policy dimension. These case studies form part of the university's submission to the REF 2029 exercise, which measures the quality of academic research and its real world impacts.

Along with experience in policy work and an understanding of how to identify relevant policy opportunities, you will also be confident in your ability to advise senior academics on how they can best maximise research policy impact.

You will have effective persuasion and diplomacy skills, coupled with the ability to develop and maintain strong working relationships and networks. You will enjoy developing creative approaches to problem solving and navigating the complexities of policy engagement, including working at pace to short or changing timescales. You will be able to clearly articulate complex ideas to non expert audiences.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Provide focused support around policy engagement and wider knowledge exchange activities for REF impact case studies, providing bespoke advice and guidance to academics
• Work with the REF impact case study leads in the planning, gathering, and evaluation of policy impact evidence and support academics on policy engagement activities accordingly
• Identify and develop effective ways to work in partnership with policy makers to help create the conditions for research impact, advising and supporting academics accordingly
• Work with the Knowledge Exchange Policy Engagement team to inform the development of training sessions to enable REF impact case study leads to communicate effectively with policymakers
• Monitor policy engagement opportunities and updates issued by the Knowledge Exchange Policy Officer
• Support academics to develop policy briefings and other related content
• Work with REF impact case study leads and Faculty REF Impact Manager to identify opportunities for internal funding allocation for case study activity
• Work closely with the Faculty REF Impact Manager and liaise with relevant internal stakeholders to align activities with other support offered to the REF impact leads
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and are respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Criteria

• Undergraduate degree in a social science, science or health related subject (or equivalent experience)
• Experience and understanding of policy work at a local, national or international level
• Understanding of the challenges and opportunities in policy engagement work and experience of advising senior stakeholders
• Understanding of how to monitor and gather evidence of policy impact
• Clear and concise written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain complex ideas to non specialist audiences
• Effective negotiation, persuasion and diplomacy skills
• Evidence of developing and maintaining strong working relationships and a network of contacts internally and with external partners
• Evidence of developing creative approaches to problem solving
• Understanding of the HE landscape and REF 2029 in particular
• Experience of a range of project management approaches

Next steps in the recruitment process

The selection process will consist of an interview and assessment. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage on the week commencing 13th July. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact Jennifer Watson, KE Policy Engagement Lead: on

Benefits

Benefits include a competitive salary of £38,784 to £43,482, at least 41 days annual leave (pro rata) with the option to purchase additional days, a generous pension scheme, flexible and hybrid working options, comprehensive family friendly policies (including paid time off for parenting, caregiving, menopause support, and fertility treatment support), and various employee discount programmes.