Policy Manager

The Howard League for Penal Reform is the world’s oldest prison reform charity. Our overriding ambition is to move the dial on punishment towards building a more humane and effective response to crime, that provides justice to all and helps to reduce reoffending.

Our successful campaigns have led to the abolition of capital punishment, an end to the ban on sending books to prisoners and a massive reduction in arrests of children. We provide specialist legal advice and representation to children and young people in the criminal justice system, through the only dedicated advice line for children and young people in custody in England and Wales.

We are a membership organisation that combines our litigation with campaigning and policy work.  The charity’s current strategic priorities include addressing challenges in sentencing, preventing the overuse of remand, finding a resolution to the ongoing incarceration and recall of people on IPP sentences, confronting the injustices wrought by ‘secondary liability’ in joint enterprise murder cases, and making the case for prison reform.

Our campaigns team focuses on using public affairs, lobbying and media work to advance change.

We are recruiting for a new senior policy role, which will involve developing and executing a strategy to influence penal policy and practice, with a focus on adult males, alongside some targeted public affairs work in the area of IPP reform. The successful candidate would also line manage at least one member of staff in a developing team.

The Howard League recognises the importance of building an inclusive, diverse workforce. We welcome applications from marginalised groups and from candidates with personal experience of the criminal justice system.

Even if you do not meet all the selection criteria, if you think you could be a good fit for this job, we would like to hear from you.

Job description

Key responsibilities

• Developing and executing strategy to influence penal policy and practice, working with key members of staff from across the organisation to identify issues and secure change.
• Lobbying and influencing a range of stakeholders, developing and nurturing strong relationships with relevant agencies and opinion formers.
• Speaking on behalf of the Howard League at a senior level at a range of conferences and events.
• To write reports, consultation responses and parliamentary briefings with clear objectives for change, in line with the organisation’s strategic priorities.
• Line managing at least one member of staff in the policy team.
• Maintaining professional knowledge and skills to keep pace in dynamic environments and share skills as appropriate with colleagues.
• Working as part of the whole office team.

Selection criteria

We would expect our successful candidate to meet at least one or more of the desirable criteria:

Technical expertise and qualifications

Desirable: A university degree or equivalent studies in a relevant field (such as law, criminology, sociology etc).

Experience

Essential: Experience of managing staff.
Essential: Experience of policy development.
Desirable: Experience of working on legislation and drafting amendments.
Desirable: Experience of working in a public affairs environment.
Desirable: Experience of participatory projects involving lived experience.
Desirable: Experience of campaigning.

Knowledge and skills

Essential: A commitment to, and understanding of, the Howard League’s strategic objectives.
Essential: A commitment to social justice, human rights and prison reform.
Essential: A commitment to the Howard League’s values of collaboration, excellence, integrity, learning, accountability and courage.
Essential: Excellent verbal and written communication skills and a proven track record of writing and producing materials to publication standard.
Essential: Ability to take initiative, think creatively and problem-solve.
Essential: Excellent organisational skills, the ability to keep to a clear timetable and achieve agreed targets with a short turnaround.
Essential: A good team player, with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build productive working relationships with colleagues.
Essential: Ability to think creatively and conceive innovative solutions and ideas.
Essential: Computer literacy, with experience in using a range of office software.
Desirable: Knowledge of criminal justice issues and the penal system, including of the IPP sentence.

Application process

To apply, please complete the application form. If for any reason you cannot use the application form, please provide an up-to-date CV and supporting statement. The supporting statement should address your skills and experience in relation to each of the essential and desirable selection criteria. CVs without a supporting statement will not be considered.

The deadline for applications is Monday 13 July 2026.

First-round interviews will be held in the week beginning 27 July 2026. The interview panel will comprise two to three people, who will each ask questions to enable you to demonstrate how you meet the essential and desirable requirements of the role.

All candidates are asked a uniform set of questions and may also be asked follow-up questions to clarify or expand on individual answers. At the end of the interview, candidates will have an opportunity to ask any questions about the job that they may have.

Candidates may be required to complete a test as part of the interview process and a second round of interviews may be conducted, depending on the outcome of the first.

If you require any reasonable adjustments to any part of the recruitment process, please contact us at [email protected] to discuss this further.

Applicants who have not been shortlisted will be notified by email. Unfortunately, due to our limited resources, we are unable to provide feedback on applications.

Applicants must have the current right to work in the UK, which will be checked prior to interview.

If you would like to have an informal discussion about the role, please contact our Director of Campaigns, Andrew Neilson.

Application form