Head of Policy (Fashion and Textiles)

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The opportunity

This is a brand-new role within UAL’s expanding policy and advocacy team. This is an exciting opportunity to work with the Associate Director, Policy and Advocacy and experts across UAL to shape the direction of UAL’s policy and public affairs strategy in the fashion and textiles space.

The growing Policy and Advocacy team at the University has ambitions to position UAL as the leading institution on creative arts and design education policy, as well as a thought leader on issues affecting the creative industries more broadly.

You will be working with experts throughout UAL who are already actively engaged with public policy as well as building and maintaining partnerships with political stakeholders and decision-makers at local to international levels.

You will build on and develop UAL as a leading voice on the issues of importance around fashion and textiles policy, as well as the creative sector more broadly, making and evidencing the case for why the world needs creativity. You will play an instrumental role in fine tuning the way in which we communicate our vision to policy makers at all levels, as well as to leading experts and opinion formers.

You will work closely with other Heads of Policy in the expanding Policy and Advocacy Team as well as leading and supporting departments around UAL in delivering integrated campaigns which represent and promote the university. 

The post sits within the University’s recently formed Social Purpose Group. The group brings together communications, the new Social Purpose Lab, fundraising and UAL’s recently launched Storytelling Institute. Together, the group will enable UAL to change and shape the world for the better. 

About you

Your profile will include:

• Excellent understanding of the UK political system and public policy environment in related fields. Close interest and understanding of fashion and textiles industry and policy, as well as understanding of higher education and the creative economy.
• Excellent political judgement, including issues management. 
• Experience in public policy campaigns and institutional strategy, probably gained in-house ideally in fashion and textiles. 
• Experience of supporting senior decision-makers, including generating high-quality responses to government consultations, reports and designing successful meetings.
• Excellent influencer, with demonstrable ability to build a broad national and local network in related policy fields.

If you have any queries about this role or need any reasonable adjustments for your application, please contact Zele Akhilele, Resourcing Adviser via email at Socialpurposestaffrecruitment@arts.ac.uk.

We are UAL

University of the Arts London (UAL) offers an extensive range of courses in art, design, fashion, communication and performing arts. We are a collegiate University spread across London with six Colleges, four Institutes and five Research Centres. UAL also has two subsidiary companies, delivering specialist activities – UAL Short Courses Ltd, and UAL Arts Temps Ltd.

We’re made up of all types of people, coming together in London, the world’s creative capital. We are designers, artists, performers, thinkers, researchers and makers. Our students, staff and graduates form a global network of creatives, entrepreneurs and leaders. Together, our ideas change the world. Because the world needs creativity.

We are ranked highly across the board. We are ranked first for specialist art and design, second in the world for Art and Design in the 2023 QS World University Rankings (for the fifth year in a row), ranked fifth in sustainability and two of our colleges were rated in the top three fashion schools in the world.

Our culture

We have become one of the world’s most international Universities, welcoming over 22,000 students and 6,000 staff from 130 countries. And, as a global university, staff and students learn from different cultures and perspectives, which leads to new conversations and innovative work. At our very core, everything we do seeks to challenge the status quo by driving social purpose and standing up for what matters.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds including those who may feel underrepresented in the workforce due to their socioeconomic circumstances such as those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (B.A.M.E.) backgrounds. We aim to be a university where everyone can be themselves and are supported to reach their full potential.

With our commitment to inclusion and diversity, we are proud to be a Race Equality Charter (REC) member to help us reduce barriers that negatively impacts B.A.M.E. staff, a Stonewall Diversity Champion to ensure all LGBTQ+ people are valued at work, a Disability Confident Scheme Committed employer and member of the Business Disability Forum which help us to improve the lives of disabled people in the workplace.

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