Are you passionate about driving change in government, promoting British Heart Foundation's (BHF) mission to fund life-saving science, and advocating for the millions of people living in the UK with a heart and circulatory disease?
If so, you may be the Policy Officer we need!
About the role
BHF's Policy and Public Affairs team exists to build support amongst decision makers so we can address key issues relevant to cardiovascular research, health and care, public health, and the wider charity environment.
As our Policy Officer for Health and Care you’ll research, develop and disseminate policy positions to support BHF’s strategic aim to achieve the best health outcomes for those living with cardiovascular disease.
Acquiring a solid understanding of topics relevant to our health policy portfolio in England, particularly those aspects most directly tied to improving the detection and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, you’ll be responsible for researching and drafting new policy positions, proactively identifying gaps and opportunities, and working closely with colleagues in Public Affairs and Communications to drive change based on policy positions.
Working arrangements
This is a hybrid role, where your work will be split between your home and at least one day per week, on average, in our London Office. This may vary from time to time, so you will need to work in a flexible way to unlock your best work for our cause.
About you
With experience working in policy development, health and care, or a related field, you’ll have knowledge of healthcare systems in England, health and care policy and/or experience of working in a research environment.
You’ll have the following skills and experience:
- A proactive approach to planning your own workload, ensuring effective time management and meet deadlines
- Excellent research and analysis skills
- A desire to work as part of a team and contribute to team activities
- Able to take a flexible approach to work within a matrixed team
- A willingness to learn and adapt to a fast-paced environment
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
- Effective interpersonal and negotiation skills
- Able to develop good working relationships with senior managers and colleagues
With an excellent technical grasp of policy portfolio, seeking to continually develop the portfolio further, you’ll have relevant stakeholder engagement experience and will be able to identify other partners within/outside the sector to engage with to drive policy change.
About us
Every single one of us is vulnerable to the heartbreak caused by heart and circulatory diseases – they are the world’s biggest killers. But the research we fund represents hope. And nothing matters more than finding cures and treatments that give us more time with the people we love.
We value and respect every individual’s unique contribution, celebrate diversity, and make inclusion part of what we do every day.
Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy, Igniting Change, along with our internal EDI group, Kaleidoscope, and a growing number of employee network groups (our Affinity Groups), help us create an environment where all our colleagues and volunteers can succeed.
What can we offer you
As an organisation we're open to flexible working arrangements. In return we offer a generous holiday allowance, an excellent working environment and a welcoming supportive group of colleagues.
To find out more about benefits available at BHF please download our benefits document at the bottom of this page.
Interview process
The interview process will be held in person, at our London offices, w/c 26th January 2026 and will involve a pre-prepared task, details for which will be provided when interviews are arranged.
How to apply
It’s quick and easy to apply for a role at the BHF. Just click on the apply button below. All you’ll need is an up-to-date CV and a supporting statement, outlining your interest in the role and how you meet the role’s criteria.
As part of our commitment to be an inclusive employer and ensure fairness and consistency in selecting the best candidate for this role, BHF will use anonymous CV software as part of the application journey.
Should you need any adjustments to the recruitment process, at either application or interview, please
contact us.