We’re hiring! Join our public affairs and influencing team

Community Pharmacy England is looking for a Public Affairs Manager to help as it works to influence primary care and wider healthcare policies.

Community Pharmacy England represents the 10,400+ NHS community pharmacies in England. These pharmacies are at the heart of primary care, ensuring that millions of people receive vital prescription medicines safely and efficiently and offering healthcare advice and support to the public. In recent years pharmacies have delivered a range of public health and clinical services including vaccinations, Pharmacy First, and advice on using medicines. But the network of community pharmacies is under enormous pressure, with a £2 billion funding gap combined with serious operational pressures.

Community Pharmacy England’s focus is on securing a sustainable future for community pharmacies: negotiating the contractual framework with the NHS and Government, and providing leadership, representation and support for pharmacies. Strategic influencing is at the heart of this work and we deliver a wide public affairs work programme to support this. This will continue to be critical as community pharmacies battle sustained pressures, despite their excellent performance and ambitious aspirations for the future.

We are looking for a Public Affairs Manager to join our small, busy team and help to take this work forwards, initially on a maternity cover basis. This will be a varied role, covering the full breadth of public affairs and advocacy work and with responsibility for a busy events schedule.

The ideal candidate will already have a great contacts-book across Westminster as well as a proven track-record in successfully raising profile and influencing Government policy. We are looking for someone who is comfortable dealing with senior stakeholders and advising on policy objectives as well as devising plans to bring about change. An assured self-starter, you’ll be excited to roll your sleeves up as part of small and busy team working within a complex matrix of sector stakeholders. You’ll be highly competent at drafting persuasive briefings for MPs and other audiences, as well as acting as an external spokesperson. An understanding of healthcare commissioning in England would be a great advantage.

This is a six to eight-month maternity cover contract initially (length dependent on start date – ends March 31st 2027). There is a possibility of extension – which may be part or full-time – from April 2027, dependent on wider organisational budgeting decisions.

Job Pack: Public Affairs Manager

For any informal enquiries please email shine.brownsell@cpe.org.uk

To apply, please send a CV and covering letter to shine.brownsell@cpe.org.uk by COP Monday July 20th 2025, but please note that we may interview candidates before that deadline.