Policy Adviser, Infrastructure (Transport)

Role Summary

Based at our Cannon Place office, the CBI infrastructure team works with businesses and government to help change policy to enable the delivery of critical infrastructure – including transport, energy and housing – which underpins the UK economy and supports a more prosperous society.

Reporting to the Head of Infrastructure, the jobholder will be responsible for the CBI’s work on transport policy including:

• Consulting with CBI members to develop policy positions that represent the business view on a wide range of transport issues from airport expansion to transport devolution
• Co-ordinating with colleagues in the infrastructure team to ensure consistency and coherence in our messages to government and businesses
• Working with civil servants to shape transport policy to support the objectives of UK businesses
• Developing a compelling offer on transport to encourage more businesses to join the CBI
• Providing CBI members with political and policy insight and intelligence so they can make more informed commercial decisions

At a time of unprecedented political and economic change, the role offers a unique opportunity to lead on a crucial topic for British industry at the UK’s largest business representative organisation.

Key Responsibilities

Developing the CBI’s transport policy positions, both new and existing, including:

• Demonstrating a strong grasp of the contextual policy issues affecting transport, including fiscal policy, regional growth and industrial strategy.
• Working with CBI members to continually develop policy positions, including managing competing business and commercial interests to produce policy positions with broad support
• Working on discrete projects (e.g. policy briefs, reports, consultation responses), using project management skills to track progress, manage risk and measure success
• Working with colleagues in the CBI’s regional offices to extend the CBI’s infrastructure work regionally
• Drafting and presenting papers for the CEO-level Infrastructure Board and the Transport Policy Working Group.
• Drafting internal briefings for senior meetings, demonstrating awareness of political context

Building strong internal and external relationships, including:

• Acting as a first point of contact within the CBI for members, staff, and other stakeholders on transport policy, including advising your line manager and director
• Meeting regularly with officials in key government departments, including the Department for Transport, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and HM Treasury
• Proactively working with colleagues across the directorate and other teams to fully exploit synergies with other policy areas, as well as commercial, membership and media opportunities

Knowledge & Experience

What an individual must know or understand to be able to fulfil the role’s requirements

• Knowledge of the policymaking process in UK government
• Demonstrable interest in politics and public policy
• Good understanding of and enthusiasm for infrastructure issues. Past experience working on transport/infrastructure policy issues is a bonus
• Familiarity with the workings of business and commercial pressures

Role specific skills

The practical actions required to be able to fulfil the role’s requirements

• Strong research and analytical skills – including quickly picking up new issues and concepts, crafting solutions and advising senior colleagues.
• Excellent oral and written communication – including the ability to communicate to a wide range of stakeholders and audiences.
• Influencing skills – including the ability to persuade policy makers of the benefits of working together with business to achieve joint aims.
• Good stakeholder management and interpersonal skills – including the ability to manage relationships with external stakeholders to maintain member satisfaction, and internal stakeholders to effectively co-ordinate the CBI’s wide range of Brexit work.
• Organisational skills - including overseeing complicated projects with multiple moving parts in a shifting external environment.
• High personal efficiency/productivity and flexibility, with the ability to work well in a team – including the ability to work in a fast-paced, pressured environment.

Behaviours

The behaviours and characteristics required to be able to fulfil the role’s requirements

• Collaborative – Listening, seeking views and sharing information; constructively challenging when appropriate
• Taking ownership – Ensuring delivery and holding others to account; can influence, irrespective of hierarchy
• Agile – Proactive and responsive to provide a strong member service; responding positively to shifting priorities
• Commercial – Awareness of the wider business environment
• Innovative – Exploring, sharing and integrating best practice; generating new ideas and challenging a mind-set of “what we’ve always done”
• Analytical – gathering information and using logic to analyse, problem solve, evaluate risk and make decisions

Diversity and Inclusion  

At the CBI, we are committed to attracting diverse talent that represents the society we live in. 

We encourage applications from all regardless of age, sexuality, socio-economic background, disability, ethnicity, gender, religion, or beliefs. We are committed to building a culture of belonging and inclusion and this is reflected in our policies, practices, and internal employee-led networks and supported by our executive leadership team. 

We are a family friendly organisation, and we encourage flexible working as we want our employees to achieve a healthy work-life balance. Currently our employees are working flexibly (formally and informally) and remotely due to COVID-19, but we offer the opportunity to work in our offices in line with government guidance if somebody should need to.

Our employee-led networks are: BAME, LGBT, Women’s and Working Families and we have qualified Mental Health First Aiders who support our employees in having good mental health.