If you want to work in policy, either in policy research, communications, fundraising or events there are lots of places for you to consider either starting your career in or moving across to.
While think tanks are usually seen as the headline policy organisations there is a vast array of jobs and organisations out there that conduct both research and policy impact and help to drive the policy agenda.
A career in policy or the policy sector is never linear and you may find yourself at various times working in a think tank, working in politics or public affairs as well as in charities or the civil service. This short guide aims to provide an overview of the different roles and opportunities underneath policy sector umbrella.
Think Tanks
The obvious one! But it is not just roles in research that are available. Think tanks also rely heavily on their communications teams, operations staff as well as events and fundraising. So, if you fancy a career in a think tank, but are more interested in the media aspect or producing exciting events, then take a look at roles in those areas. An entry level job in a non-research function is also, crucially, a foot in the door and can lead you onto other areas once inside. These types of roles are also extremely transferable to other industries making your next career move potentially easier to establish.
Parliament
A well-trodden path is from senior think tanker to MP; however this is not the only connection. Many think tank employees have previously worked for an MP in parliament, usually as a researcher or as a media or political adviser. This helps them build a network and get an understanding of how Westminster, government and think tanks all interact before moving across to a policy institute. Likewise, many researchers in parliament go onto roles in public affairs agencies or government affairs teams in business/trade associations where they can utilise the networks they have built up.
Government
Distinct from the Civil Service, this would typically be a role as a Special Adviser (SpAd) to a Minister. SpAds generally either advise on communications i.e. press relations or are more policy focused. The Institute for Government have a good explainer here about what SpAds are and how they are distinct from civil servants. As political appointees, these positions are rarely advertised publicly and tend to rely on personal recommendation or people known to the Minister already. Many think tankers have used the network they built at their think tank to make the relevant connections so that when these roles do come up, they are well placed for consideration. There have been numerous examples, in particular, of comms staff in think tanks becoming SpAds as they have already engaged with many of the journalists they will need to know when working for a Minister.
Public Affairs
Public affairs covers a wide range of activities, but broadly speaking it is an organisation’s relationship with its stakeholders. These range from internal stakeholders such as shareholders to external ones, the most obvious being their clients. Other stakeholders include government, the civil service, regulators, the press etc. Working for a public affairs agency or in a public affairs role means you could be covering public relations, strategic communications, government relations and many more. As you can guess from the various terms – relationships are key in this space! You might be lobbying government on behalf of a client or representing your organisation’s view on a crucial piece of legislation or trying to get a better understanding of a new regulatory framework to feed into strategic discussions in the company.
Government Relations
This often falls into the same bucket as Public Affairs, but we have separated it out here to highlight the more specific government affairs teams you often find in large corporations. These are generally companies either working in a highly regulated environment or ones that bid for contracts or procurement from government. A good example for the first case would be a large, multinational bank. They will have a large team responsible for different regulatory areas with the department lead often feeding directly into the board or CEO. For those companies who bid for public sector contracts they will often have a government relations function who keep up to date with any changes in government procurement and generally keep a finger on the pulse of the public sector.
Civil Service
The UK has an independent civil service across a wide range of departments and many different regions. You can work for the UK Government as well as the Welsh, Scottish or Northern Ireland administrations. The civil service is not politically appointed in the UK and therefore you remain in post even while the government of the day changes. The Civil Service Fast Stream is a very common route for graduates to enter the Service and has the advantage of offering a number of placements so you can experience many different departments and areas. For policy wonks there are a large number of policy-specific roles available in the Service across every issue. Policy expertise nurtured in think tanks can often lead to a role in government (often outside the Fast Stream) or if you are looking to leave the Civil Service you may find the skills and knowledge you have learnt there will be of great interest to other policy teams.
Journalism/Media
Like a lot of Westminster there is often a revolving door between all these different fields. The same applies to journalism. Quite a few senior think tankers have started their career elsewhere, often in the media and then moved into the corporate world, public affairs and/or think tanks. A career in journalism can be very helpful if you are now responsible for the communications strategy for a large policy organisation. Likewise, working in the comms team or writing policy briefs at a think tank is a good grounding if you want to make a move across into commenting on policy issues in the media. A number of news shows from the main broadcast channels ask policy experts to join them to go through the papers or for their expert views.
Charities/NGOs/Campaigning Organisations
It is not just businesses that lobby government! Charities, NGOs and other campaigning organisations need to raise their issues with the Government and politicians from all parties. Some of the larger charities will have dedicated policy teams, just like in a think tank. These charities also have communications teams and advocacy staff and many of the functions you would traditionally associate with think tanks. If you have a specialism, e.g. green energy policy, you may find that you can build a name for yourself producing research at a think tank before moving to a charity that advocates for government to do more on green energy. The main lesson is that there are multiple different organisations and routes to ply your policy trade.
Academia
The distinction between the policy and think tank world and academia is often blurred, especially for those think tanks housed within a university. But broadly speaking, in academia your role tends to be a ‘stricter’ research role, often with a narrower focus. You will also be expected to teach. In a think tank the approach to research involves many other aspects such as fundraising, events, networking etc. Your audience is also different. Think tanks are trying to influence policymakers and their research has to be more practical and politically focused. Academia focuses more on the ‘pure’ research. Despite often being grouped together by those outside the policy world, most people tend to stick to one channel. Although if you are considering a move from academia to think tanks, we have a guide on how you might do that.
In all the above roles and organisations people will often start in one sphere and migrate across to others as their careers unfold. This list demonstrates however the many different organisations you could find yourself working in under the broad policy sector umbrella.
