Office for Veterans’ Affairs – Northern Ireland Coordination Manager (SEO)

Belfast

How would you like to be a part of a new and growing team at the forefront of making the UK the best place in the world to be a veteran? This is an exciting opportunity to join the OVA as it increases its outreach and engagement activities.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a talented and passionate individual to coordinate veteran support and manage high profile engagement across Northern Ireland. Working with a range of senior stakeholders, including national and devolved government, local authorities, academics, charities and the private sector, you will help ensure that veterans and their families in Northern Ireland can access high quality services that meet their needs. Our ambitious agenda will help bring the very best out of you and enable you to demonstrate your capabilities in a complex and fast paced environment.

You will be a pivotal member of a small team, working collaboratively to realise the Strategy for our Veterans in Northern Ireland. You can expect to manage your own project(s) that support departmental change initiatives and to manage senior stakeholder relationships internally and externally. This is a varied role, which will involve working sensitively and with a degree of autonomy.

There will be a requirement for travel throughout Northern Ireland.

Establish a visible, engaged and collaborative OVA presence in Northern Ireland, raising the profile of the department locally, promoting awareness of veteran
initiatives and services, and attending relevant local fora and events.
● Build, manage and maintain high profile relationships with the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive, other regional and local bodies, and academia to
improve understanding of the local veteran community and their needs, and promote their value to society.
● Develop links with veterans and veteran groups, helping to build an authentic evidence base that supports wider OVA activity, especially in respect of policy
development.
● Support the coordination of statutory and non-statutory support services across Northern Ireland, ensuring high quality services are available, accessible and meet
veterans’ needs.
● Support the coordination of the work of Veterans Champions in local authorities across Northern Ireland, providing opportunities to share intelligence and best
practice.
● Devise and implement local plans that deliver high quality local solutions aligned with the Veterans Strategy Action Plan and Ministerial interests and priorities.
● Develop and deliver regular engagement products, such as network events and newsletters, and support sector specific events.
● Monitor, analyse and report on local policy developments, initiatives and welfare trends, working closely with OVA colleagues, as well as officials in other
government departments.
● Collaborate closely and routinely with OVA policy, strategy, research, data and communications colleagues to ensure the needs of veterans resident in Northern
Ireland and any differences in services are appropriately reflected in national initiatives; and that Northern Ireland specific policies and communication campaigns are developed and supported, as appropriate.
● Prepare briefings for senior OVA officials and the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs on matters concerning veterans in Northern Ireland, and support Ministerial visits.
● Act as the OVA lead on legacy related issues, including being the point of contact for the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery
(ICRIR).

Essential Criteria:

● Experience of working in an extensive and varied stakeholder environment.
● Excellent strategic and political awareness, with an ability to make sound decisions in a complex and sensitive operating environment.
● Excellent communication, collaboration and influencing skills, both written and verbal.
● Strong strategic thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills
● Ability to build positive and credible relationships across a range of stakeholders both in Government and with external partners.
● Good organisational skills with a demonstrable ability to work independently and manage multiple competing priorities at pace.
● Experience working with national and/or devolved government.

Desirable Criteria:

● Experience working with the Armed Forces community.
● Experience in policy and strategy development across government Personal Attributes & Skills.
● You will be a self-starter with excellent interpersonal skills who is confident in engaging and working with external stakeholders to build effective and trusted
relationships.
● A strategic thinker, you will enjoy problem solving and you will compile, assimilate, distil, interpret and present evidence and options, drawing upon experts as
appropriate.
● You will be a strong communicator, both written and orally, and be confident writing for a variety of audiences, including preparing briefs for colleagues, seniors and
Ministers.
● You will present to a high standard and be able to summarise key messages for different audiences.
● You will have a strong interest in and focus on continuous learning and be open to innovation and keeping your knowledge and skills current.
● You will be personally resilient, flexible and a good team player, bringing people together to form a motivated network that enables positive policy outcomes.

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing

Find out more here.