The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) is the professional body responsible for the speciality in the UK. We have a membership of over 24,000 Fellows and Members and ensure the quality of patient care by safeguarding standards in the three specialties of anaesthesia, intensive care and pain medicine.

The RCoA also leads the Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC), a cross-organisational, multidisciplinary initiative to transform the surgical pathway from the moment surgery is contemplated through to full recovery.

We are searching for a well-organised and hardworking individual to join us as Policy and Public Affairs Assistant. The role will support our policy development, political influencing, and stakeholder engagement work. The role sits in the RCoA’s Policy and Public Affairs Team and reports to and supports the Head of Policy and Public Affairs and the Policy Officer.

Internally, you may work alongside other teams in the organisation. Externally, you will liaise with a wide range of stakeholders, such as other Royal Colleges, national and local NHS bodies, MPs, and Ministers and Civil Servants in relevant Government departments.

Currently, we have two key areas of focus. Firstly, a workforce project, ‘Anaesthesia Fit for the Future’. This sets out to show the Government how many anaesthetists the NHS needs, what the makeup of ‘team anaesthesia’ looks like, and what support the team needs to deliver the best possible patient care. Secondly, work around ‘perioperative care’ – which aims to optimise the surgical pathway to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and most importantly improve patient outcomes. You will support and assist the team across both of these areas.

This post would be ideal for someone starting their career in policy, public affairs, political influencing or campaigns.