Policy Officer

Salary
Graduate: £12,000 - £20,000
Team Leader: £23,000-£32,000
Director: £35,000 - £80,000

Main Employers

• Government departments and local government
• NGOs
• Environment Agency (EA)
• SEPA
• Environmental sector utilities
• Consultancies
• Professional bodies

Job Profile
Environmental policy officers work in water, waste and nature conservation. They are pioneers in the development of regulations by which businesses must abide, often working as a chief negotiator to create fair and acceptable standards. They gather and objectively weigh input from many sources, including scientists, statisticians, environmentalists, engineers, and businesses themselves. Policy officers often work within government agencies and liaise with stakeholders, civil servants and government analysts. They can spend some of their time lobbying governments.

Role and Responsibilities
Jobs will vary according to each employer; however you could expect to be involved in:

• Tracking environmental legislation and policy developments and identifying opportunities for scientific input
• Writing policy position statements
• Coordinating policy on environmental legislation at the national, EU and UN level
• Working on a wide range of research projects by employing a range of different methodologies 
• Commissioning and project-managing research projects
• Responding to enquiries from colleagues, government departments, academics, local councils, regional development agencies and members of the public

Qualifications
Relevant further education subjects include: Biology; Business Studies; Economics; Environmental Policy; Environmental Studies; Geography; Operational Research; Political Science; Psychology; Sociology

Many graduates hold a second degree. Work experience which required the ability to research, read and digest technical material, together with good report writing skills and some exposure to legislation and management plans should ensure you have the core skills required.

Career Development
As with many positions in the ‘not-for-profit’ sector, salaries vary widely, with some organisations offering low salaries and relying on staff enthusiasm and commitment to make up for this. Government and senior policy positions attract much higher salaries, but higher level positions are often filled by people with long track records in specific sectors. Team leader positions, coordinating policy teams and central strategy, can be well paid.

Senior policy positions can be a good route to senior management, as policy people normally have experience and involvement in key strategic issues affecting all aspects of a company or organisation’s business performance. In addition, communication and diplomacy skills are often a requirement of the post. 

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