JOB TITLE: Influencing Manager

REPORTS TO: Head of Health Services Improvement and Influencing

LOCATION: Central London

BACKGROUND

The Policy, Education and Influencing Department

The Policy, Education and Influencing Department is responsible for leading and delivering
Breakthrough’s key influencing, campaigning, education and policy programmes as well as
managing and developing the Campaigns and Advocacy Network (Breakthrough CAN)
representing the views of a significant stakeholder group, which underpins all our activities.

This developing department is a hive of reactive, as well as planned activity, where projects
stretch across teams to create an informed and powerful voice on breast cancer. It is made up of
two teams; Policy & Education and Health Services Improvement and Influencing.

Your Team

The Health Services Improvement & Influencing team influences change by employing dynamic
and innovative strategies which maximise the engagement and participation of key stakeholders
and advocates. The team ensures that by effective engagement with healthcare professionals at
all levels of the health service, Breakthrough is able to influence quality improvements in access,
delivery and experience of services of benefit to people affected by breast cancer. The team is
responsible for driving forward Breakthrough’s integrated campaigning across the UK at all levels
of influence utilising the 1,200 plus members of the Campaigns & Advocacy Network
(Breakthrough CAN) and our contacts with key influencers including parliamentarians and
government bodies, both locally and nationally.

You will also work closely with the Policy and Education team which strives to develop a timely,
accurate and expert evidence base, which underpins all of Breakthrough’s work, helps to secure
our reputation for high quality and reliability and earns the organisation the respect and
admiration of other voluntary agencies and key stakeholders including the Department of Health.
The team is also responsible for Breakthrough’s health promotion projects and breast cancer
information which are designed to promote awareness, knowledge and understanding of breast
cancer.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

• To lead Breakthrough’s influencing activities with the aim of achieving real improvements in
breast cancer services in the UK. To build seamless, productive relationships for
Breakthrough across government and the health sector. To think strategically and prioritise
stakeholder engagement with politicians, policy makers, regulators, healthcare professionals
and relevant organisations and bodies.
• To identify and maximise opportunities, using innovative mechanisms within Parliament and
the health sector, to keep breast cancer high on the agenda and front of mind for policy

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 makers and health service providers. To create and promote new models of best practice for
breast cancer services.

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILTY

• Manage Breakthrough’s influencing team, including recruitment, development, motivation and
day to day running, ensuring all members can contribute to achieving team and organisational
objectives.

• Proactively seek out new avenues for Breakthrough to extend its influence and make a
greater impact on breast cancer services. Instinctively recognise the potential value of new
opportunities as they arise or are created. Develop new ideas for campaigns and other
influencing mechanisms.

• Take a holistic approach to influencing, which encompasses all avenues and levers for
change across the health sector, regulators, government bodies and Whitehall to implement a
seamless influencing strategy.

• Adhere to the newly developed ‘Project Management Guidance’ to draw up project and
operational plans and budgets for relevant influencing work and ensure cross-departmental
working within the Policy, Education & Influencing department.

• Manage the planning, implementation and evaluation of innovative short, medium and long-
term integrated influencing strategies designed to achieve improvements in breast cancer
services and treatments.

• Work closely and collaboratively with the Involvement & CAN Manager to ensure that people
affected by breast cancer are involved and represented throughout Breakthrough’s influencing
work.

• Work closely with colleagues in the Policy and Education team to ensure that Breakthrough’s
campaigning activity is founded upon and informed by a reliable evidence base. Ensure that
the implications of the evidence are well understood and correctly interpreted within the
influencing team in all external messaging.

• Provide well informed advice and briefings both within Breakthrough (to colleagues, the
Senior Management Team, Trustees etc) and when representing Breakthrough to external
audiences (e.g. to NHS leaders; key healthcare professionals or Government ministers) on
health or political issues of relevance to Breakthrough’s work.

• Apply insightful experience gained within the NHS with Breakthrough’s strategic outcomes to
develop effective new partnerships and ways of working, which act as a conduit for new
health services improvements.

• As part of a seamless influencing strategy, maximise the benefits to Breakthrough’s

campaigning aims from key political events and activities, including the servicing of the All
Party Parliamentary Group on Breast Cancer and Breakthrough’s presence and activities at
political party conferences. Work closely with the Involvement and CAN Manager to help
deliver the Westminster Fly-in and other advocacy events by attracting political and
government audiences.

• Be prepared to deputise for the Head of team when requested. Attend cross-departmental
meetings, key external events, taking decisions as required.

• Demonstrate leadership and Breakthrough’s values in the management of the influencing

team, contributing to the work of the department and Breakthrough as a whole.

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• Work closely with colleagues from the Communications department, involving them at an
early stage in each project, to ensure that all external communications are aligned, achieve
optimum impact and reflect Breakthrough’s brand values.

DIMENSIONS

Number of Staff:

Policy, Education & Influencing department total: 20

Influencing team total: 4

• Direct Reports: 3
o Senior Health Services Improvement Officer
o Health Services Improvement Officer
o Senior Parliamentary Influencing Officer

KEY INTERFACES

Internal:
• Head of Health Services Improvement and other members of the team – daily contact
• All within Policy, Education and Influencing department – daily information exchange,
involvement in key project groups, department meetings etc
• Communications Team
• Brand Development Team
• Chief Executive and other members of SMT as appropriate
• Director of Policy, Education and Influencing

External:
• Department of Health, Secretary of State and key ministers
• Opposition party shadow health secretary and health leads
• NHS Cancer Action Team and NHS Management Team
• NHS leadership including SHA/PCT chief executives, directors
• NHS managers, co-ordinators and operational staff
• Healthcare professionals; royal colleges and professional associations
• Key external opinion formers (e.g. think tanks, non-departmental public bodies and
government agencies)
• Members of Breakthrough’s various advisory groups:
o Clinical Experts Reference Group
o Influencing and Advisory Panel
o Campaigns Forum
• Representatives from other campaigning & healthcare charities and stakeholder
organisations
• External agencies and suppliers
• People affected by breast cancer, including members of the public and CAN members
• Government ministers, special advisers, policy makers and party staff.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES

Essential

• An individual able to think seamlessly across the range of influencing levers, whether
political, healthcare, regulatory or other means

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 • Insider knowledge of Westminster & Whitehall processes and experience of working with
senior political and government figures, for example civil service policy or delivery role
with frequent Ministerial and Parliamentary contact
• Substantial experience of working within a public affairs, parliamentary or campaigning
environment
• Has high level contacts and networks and reputation within NHS, Department of Health
and with bodies such as the NHS Confederation
• Inside knowledge of NHS (and relevant legislation, guidelines and protocols) including
track record of work with, and successful influencing of mechanisms such as PCTs, health
boards and trusts, specialist commissioners, cancer networks, peer review and patient
involvement and other levers for change such as the inspectorate and regulatory
authorities
• Able to predict and respond rapidly to political, economic or NHS change and
reorganisation and advise Breakthrough on implications and impact
• Demonstrable experience of developing and managing national campaigns, involving
pragmatic thinking and creativity.
• Demonstrable experience of organising events, including political, health and influencing
events
• Experienced in designing, implementing and ensuring take up of service quality
improvement tools
• Excellent time management skills – the ability to work on own initiative and to demanding
deadlines while prioritising workload
• Ability to think and work cross-departmentally, building cohesion between policy,
education and health service improvement activities, including those applicable to
Scotland.
• Demonstrates evidence based reasoning, which places emphasis upon known facts,
statistics and research findings and their implications.
• Project and budget management skills which satisfy the need to create and implement
sound plans, achieve key milestones and evaluate the impact of our work on breast
cancer services and treatments.
• A responsible attitude to team development, which maintains the correct balance between
achieving one’s own deliverables (being hands-on) and delegation to and encouragement
of team members
• The skills to be an effective participant in the Manager’s Forum. Taking forward processes
and solutions within the department in a consistent and synchronised manner, working
with the other managers.
• Recognising and maximising new opportunities for Breakthrough to make a positive
impact on breast cancer services through our policy, education and influencing work.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) including the ability to translate
complex information into language suitable for our key audiences e.g. public policy-
makers, the media, the public and people affected by breast cancer.
• Excellent IT skills and experience of using all main office programmes including Word,
Outlook, Access and PowerPoint.

Desirable

• Experience of working with All Party Groups or similar government committees e.g. select
committees
• Civil service policy, strategy or delivery role or other government body experience
• Demonstrable experience of patient and public involvement and disseminating patient
views to healthcare professionals and the NHS
• Understanding of levers of service improvement including, practice-based commissioning
and world-class commissioning
• Experience of dealing with senior level external contacts e.g. NHS Trust Chief Executives,
Consultant Surgeons, Ministers etc.

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 • Significant understanding of the issues affecting people with breast cancer

PERSONAL QUALITIES AND ATTRIBUTES

• Energetic, hard working, persistent and reliable with willingness and ability to follow up as
well as to initiate
• Able to represent and explain the benefits and value of Breakthrough’s policy, education
and influencing work both internally and externally, in a convincing manner.
• Confident networker – able to identify and maintain relationships with a range of key
external contacts
• Good communication skills - articulate and persuasive – able to put forward constructive
arguments for ideas / campaigns and get buy-in from colleagues
• A self-starter – the ability to work on own initiative and to demanding deadlines while
prioritising workload
• Flexibility and a willingness to adapt to changing working practice
• Varies communications content, medium and delivery style based on audience; knows
what to include, emphasise and exclude.
• Anticipates problems and identifies solutions
• Confidence in working with senior colleagues (including the Chief Executive)
• Confident in operating on own initiative as well as being an effective team player
• Demonstrates commitment to equality and diversity and treats colleagues with
respect and dignity. Demonstrates an understanding of the impact of own behaviour or
action on others.
• First class timekeeper with respect for others’ time, resources and commitment
• Committed to proactive consultation and collaboration with colleagues, both
internally and externally.
• Able to act as an effective representative for Breakthrough at appropriate external
events as required with good diplomatic skills, personality and personal presentation
• Ability to work under pressure and to deadlines, whilst keeping paying due
attention to detail

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Salary range: £36000 - £40000 per annum

Term of appointment: Permanent

Hours of work: 35 hours per week. We also operate a TOIL scheme.

Pension: Contributory group personal pension scheme

Annual Leave: 25 days per year plus 3 days between Christmas and New Year in
addition to bank and public holidays

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