Finding Policy Work
This document is based on work undertaken at the University of Edinburgh Careers Service. Many of
the specific opportunities refer to organisations in Scotland in general, and Edinburgh in particular.
However, similar, and possibly a wider spectrum, of opportunities will exist in other areas of the UK
and abroad.
Overview of organisations involved in the policy process
and how they fit together.
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Parliaments introduce the new policy framework for the forthcoming parliamentary session.
Civil servants in Government departments draft policy, and consult, and are lobbied by,
interested parties.
Political parties put together their policy based on ideology and pressure of interested
groups.
Think-tanks also do research and policy work to inform thinking of Government.
Political strategy consultants help different bodies to make their voice heard in the political
process.
Public affairs consultants make sure that anything which affects their clients coming out of
Government is brought to their notice and acted upon.
Public policy consultants help to design, implement and evaluate policy.
Pressure groups, including the voluntary and charity sector, unions, membership/employer
organisations including the CBI and COSLA etc devise policy for their own organisations and
monitor and lobby governments to ensure their voice is heard.
News agencies monitor what is coming out of Parliaments and Government and media and
keep clients informed.
There are roles for graduates in all the above areas. Routes into policy work include:
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Fast-track graduate routes into policy work in local and national government.
Routes into other areas tend to be via voluntary work, leading to paid work in
research/information positions etc, leading to policy positions.
It is also possible to gain direct entry to local and national government work at a lower level
and work your way up to policy positions.
Policy Opportunities
Below are listed some of the organisations which work in different areas of policy work. Also listed are
useful sources of vacancies for the different areas and policy workers, and adverts for local and
central government policy positions.
Central Government
There are a variety of routes into working in policy in Central Government. These include the Fast
Stream entry route, operations level entry and getting in via temporary work, often through an agency,
to gain experience to enable you to apply effectively for higher level-positions. It is also possible to
approach departments you are interested in directly with a well-targeted CV and cover letter. The Civil
Service https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/ and Scottish Government http://www.work-forscotland.org/ websites give more information about the work of different departments.
Local Government
There are several routes to jobs in the policy area of local government. In England and Wales a
number of Councils (around 80) are part of a national graduate development programme
http://www.ngdp.org.uk. Other opportunities for graduates in local government throughout the whole
of the UK can be found by looking at Council vacancies on their websites, and job sections of local
and national press. Contacting Councils directly is a useful approach as graduate schemes are not
always explicitly advertised. If policy areas of work are of specific interest, it is most useful to contact
the department containing corporate services/ management/ strategy areas, or the Human Resources
section.
Think Tanks
There are very few think tanks in Scotland. One think tank based in Edinburgh is the Scottish Council
Foundation. Most are based in London. Other organisations which may also be involved in policy
research are often attached to university departments, and may employ research assistants. To gain
work in a think tank as a new graduate it is usually necessary to undertake an unpaid internship with a
think tank, or volunteer with a political party. Gaining administrative experience is also useful. For
further information see http://www.strath.ac.uk/careers/occresources/socialresearch/
Some internships are advertised at the Policy Library website http://www.policylibrary.com/. However,
many are obtained via speculative application to a think tank in sympathy with your interests and
values. At a higher level, people in a think tank tend to come into and out of them from other areas of
work, if a think tank is looking at something they are interested in and knowledgeable about e.g. from
the Scottish Government, campaigning and voluntary organisations, academia etc.
Pressure Groups:
Voluntary/Charity Sector
Policy jobs in the voluntary sector in Scotland are mainly located in the central belt and the majority
are based in Edinburgh because of easier access to Parliament. Policy work is a growth area in
Edinburgh because of the Scottish Parliament. It is useful to read:
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the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) website www.scvo.org.uk/
adverts in Big Issue and Third Force News
Goodmoves voluntary sector recruitment website www.goodmoves.org.uk.
Unions
Active involvement in union activities as a student and in the workplace is good grounding for applying
for work in policy in a union. Unions advertise vacancies in the following publications:
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Scotsman/Herald/broadsheets
Union websites – you can find a full list at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/publiclist-of-active-trade-unions-official-list-and-schedule/trade-unions-the-current-list-and-schedule
TUC website www.tuc.org.uk
Political parties
Adverts for research/policy jobs are likely to appear in the following:
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Good Moves website (Voluntary/Charity sector policy jobs) www.goodmoves.org.uk
Big Issue
political party websites.
They tend not to use the broadsheets for advertising for research assistants because of the cost. It is
also useful to try a speculative approach. Parties keep CVs and follow them up if relevant positions
come up.
Employer/Membership organisations
These bodies represent their members and act as a voice when promoting a positive agenda and
influencing policy by working with Government. Policy officers employed by these organisations have
a range of backgrounds. Some organisations may require a background working in the area, for
example the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) usually employs people who have
worked in housing or a related area. Other organisations, for example COSLA (Convention of Scottish
Local Authorities), may accept a wider range of experience in the public or voluntary sectors, possibly
working in a more hands-on role. A postgraduate qualification in not a pre-requisite to work as a policy
officer in this area.
Consultancy
Public Policy Consultancy
Organisations working in public policy consultancy in Scotland:
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big consultancies with a public sector division - e.g. KPMG
sole-traders – people with particular experience who have gone freelance at a certain point in
their career.
www.rocketsciencelab.co.uk Rocket Science provides specialist support to policy makers
and practitioners in a range of fields. Areas of expertise include work and welfare, learning
and skills, regeneration, community engagement, economic development and youth issues.
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www.blakestevenson.co.uk Research and consultancy in social and economic development
including: social inclusion; access to opportunities; life long learning; work and life balance
and more. Based in Edinburgh and Glasgow
www.tribalgroup.co.uk Works with over 2,500 public sector organisations, providing a range
of management consulting and professional support services.
www.sqw.co.uk - an economic development and management consultancy. They have 5
offices in the UK, including one in Edinburgh.
Political Strategy Consultancy
Political strategy consultants often advertise via university careers services for research assistants (It
is free and does not swamp them with applications, as an advert in the broadsheets would). Larger
agencies advertise on their websites. The media are only used to advertise for more senior positions.
Speculative CVs kept are on file in case suitable positions arise. (CVs need to be very targeted to
make impact).
Political strategy consultants in Scotland
Check the membership list of the Association of Professional Political Consultants, some of whom
work in Scotland - http://www.appc.org.uk/. These include Grayling, Citigate, Weber Shandwick,
Fleishman Hillard, APCO, Greenhaus (the only one that is solely Scottish-based). There are also PR
companies that do this work, but they tend to have a different approach. However, experience in a PR
agency can be a good starting point for moving across into political consultancy.
Working for a news agency (eg The Scottish News Agency in Dundee http://scottishnews.com/index)
can be good grounding in the research side of the work, and a good test of whether you will enjoy the
research and monitoring side of political strategy work.
Conclusion
Outlined above are some of the areas in which it is possible to find policy work. If you are interested in
pursuing a career in this area, you will need to think carefully about which area of policy work will
most suit your own particular blend of skills, attributes, interests and motivators.
You are very likely to need some voluntary experience to get you started in this area, so get involved
in relevant clubs, societies and committees at university and in the community and gain experience.
Find out more about what work in the different areas of policy involves through reading the
information in the Occupational Information section of Strathclyde Careers Service’s Resource
Centre, particularly the sections on policy and administration, promotion and PR, trade union work,
and social research.
In addition, the occupational/sector web links on the University of Edinburgh Careers Service website
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/careers/explore/occupations
and the University of
Strathclyde Careers Service website www.strath.ac.uk/careers/occresources are well worth exploring
for information, databases of organisations to approach speculatively, and links to sites advertising
vacancies.
If you need further help with any aspect of planning for a career in policy work, book an appointment
to discuss and develop your ideas with a careers adviser.
JK 21/8/15
Based on a document from Edinburgh University Careers Service