Senior Policy Officer - Wales | Full Time, Fixed Term Contract

Location (UK): Office Hybrid* - Cardiff
Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week
Salary: £40,295 per annum (rest of UK)
Benefits: Read more about the excellent benefits we offer
Contract type: Fixed-term, end date 31/03/27
Travel: Travel in and around Wales, with a willingness to travel to Versus Arthritis offices on occasions (London, Belfast, Glasgow.)
Closing date: 23:59 hours, Monday 13 October 2025

Join us and use your skills, knowledge, passion and energy to help us achieve a future free from arthritis.

We are the leading influencer for change in Wales and are seeking an experienced Senior Policy Officer to join our dynamic Partnerships and Influencing team in Wales. You will be part of a passionate team dedicated to bringing about lasting change for people with arthritis and musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, identifying creative policy solutions, influencing decision-makers and campaigning alongside people with arthritis.

With the establishment of the MSK Strategic Clinical Network in Wales, along with a policy framework setting MSK as a government priority, this is an exciting time to join Cymru Versus Arthritis. We are optimistic about the future but there is still more to do.

About the role

As part of our influencing team, you will play a critical role in shaping and influence policy thinking, managing time-sensitive projects across our policy priority areas, and building relationships with stakeholders and decision-makers across Wales.

You will gather, analyse, and share information about external policy developments and their implications for people with arthritis, developing policy positions, producing evidence-based briefings and reports and contributing to consultation responses.

As well as working closely with nation influencing colleagues and teams across the Services & Devolved Nations Directorate, you will work closely with the UK Advocacy & Health Intelligence team, Research Directorate and strategic communications teams, including representing us on cross-sector policy groups and participating in events and conferences.

We’ll give you autonomy, variety and challenge with opportunities to lead projects, to work together with inspirational campaigners and people with arthritis, as well as collaborate with senior Welsh Government and NHS Wales stakeholders. We’re a supportive team who will value your well-being and professional development.

About you

If your knowledge, skills and experience include the following then we’d love to hear from you:

You will have ready-made resourcefulness, be a creative thinker, with strong analytical, written and verbal communications skills. An enthusiastic, adaptive and flexible approach is important, together with an ability to work with autonomy and across teams as well as:

Experience of influencing and external policy and decision making within Wales.
Understanding of current healthcare policy issues relevant to people with long-term conditions or disability.
Experience of drafting policy papers and briefings, and the ability to understand and articulate academic research and policy papers.
We value the importance of the Welsh language in our work and the ability to speak Welsh or the commitment to learn Welsh is encouraged.

*As a hybrid worker the expectation is that you will spend around 40% of your working time in our office spaces or working in community settings. As an inclusive employer we will consider home-based working for anyone where office-based hybrid working would be a barrier to being able to work for us, for example for someone living with a long-term health condition or disability.

Download the job description and person specification for the Senior Policy Officer - Wales role (Word 65KB).

Benefits

Your excellent benefits include:

Flexible hours, environments and working practices to promote a healthy work/life balance.
Health and wellbeing support – including the Employee Assistance Programme (free confidential 24/7 support with mental health, legal and financial queries).
Simplyhealth cash plan.
Supportive and inclusive culture, with a wide range of employee networks and support groups available to join.
Learning and personal development opportunities.
Competitive annual leave, with the option to buy/sell up to five days per year.
Generous pension plan, with employer contribution of up to 10%.
Life Assurance plan (4 x salary).

How to apply

You must be based, and hold the right to work, in the UK to apply for this position.

To apply you MUST submit:

a concise, up-to-date CV
along with a completed Application form (Word 44KB) demonstrating how you meet the key requirements set out in the job description and person specification for the Senior Policy Officer - Wales role (Word 65KB. All sections must be completed.

Email both documents as Word or PDF attachments by 23:59 hours, Monday 13 October 2025 to recruitment@versusarthritis.org. If you have a health condition that prevents you from following the steps above, please email us regarding alternative ways to apply. 

Application deadline and shortlisting 

We advise candidates to apply early as we reserve the right to close applications ahead of this date.  
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

We do not wish to receive contact from agencies or media sales. 

Please note that we do not use Artificial Intelligence (AI) during our recruitment and selection processes, and we would respectfully ask that you also refrain from using AI during the selection process. Whilst we do recognise that AI may be a beneficial tool for some when aiding research and preparation for an application or interview, we want to maintain a fair, inclusive and positive recruitment experience at Versus Arthritis where candidates can feel supported to demonstrate their experience, knowledge, and skills without the use of AI generated answers.

Interview

Interviews expected: Thursday 23 October 2025 at Cymru Versus Arthritis Office, Cardiff.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee you will be offered an interview if you disclose a disability and demonstrate sufficient evidence within your application that you meet the essential criteria for this role. We will also make any reasonable adjustments you may require for your interview.

About us

We have made a commitment in our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy to increase the diversity of our charity and we welcome candidates from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. We want our employees, volunteers and trustees to represent the broad diversity of the communities of which we are a part.

There are over 10 million people living with arthritis. That’s one in six, with over half of those living in pain every single day. The impact is huge as the condition slowly intrudes on everyday life – affecting the ability to work, care for a family, to move free from pain and to live independently. Yet arthritis is often dismissed as an inevitable part of ageing or shrugged off as ‘just a bit of arthritis’. We don’t think that this is OK. Versus Arthritis is here to change that.

Versus Arthritis is committed to keeping children, young people and vulnerable adults safe from harm. During the recruitment process we will undertake safer recruitment practices and relevant checks to ensure applicants are suitable to work with children, young people and vulnerable adults.