The University of Manchester

Formerly Head of Policy and Campaigns at Scope

I currently lead the MS Society’s policy, stakeholder engagement and social research activities, overseeing a high performing and geographically dispersed team of 16. Main focuses include developing a programme of social research projects, strengthening our understanding of the UK MS population, developing policy to tackle health inequality and improve financial security for the 150,000 people living with MS in the UK.

MS Society

Head of Policy and Evidence

I led THT's policy and public affairs teams, overseeing our policy research and influencing work in England and Scotland, leading a fantastic team of five. Main areas of focus included coordinating the charity's response to the mpox virus outbreak in summer 2022, supervising two policy research projects, overseeing ongoing work to ensure the UK Government stays on track to meeting the goal to eliminate new transmission of HIV by 2030, working with colleagues and partners in Scotland to ensure the delivery of an effective Scottish HIV elimination plan and blood borne virus framework.

Terrence Higgins Trust

Head of Policy and Public Affairs (Maternity Cover)

I was responsible for Gingerbread's policy, campaigns, public affairs, research, and evaluation work. Worked as part of the charity's Senior Leadership Team to oversee the charity's operations and report directly to the Board. Developed the research and theory of change work underpinning the charity's new corporate strategy, guided our grant-funded policy projects, managed the charity's Parliamentary activity, and oversaw the development of our evaluation and impact reporting framework.

Gingerbread

Head of Policy and Campaigns

Responsibility for managing a high performing department of 18. Influencing focuses included disability employment, children and young people, benefits, and response to COVID-19 and the impact on disabled people. Key achiements: guiding the team through the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic and adapting to homeworking, redirecting the charity's influencing work towards emergency response to the pandemic, including leading the charity's role alongside other organisations, civil servants and supermarket chains to ensure disabled people who were shielding could access food and other utilities safely and campaigning to ensure disabled people were not left behind in the Government's recovery response.

Scope

Head of Policy and Campaigns (Interim)

Following a restructure, I led Scope's Work and Welfare Policy team, with focus on measures to tackle the disability employment gap and making sure the welfare system provides support better reflects disabled people's lives. Line managing a small but high performing team of 3. Worked the role concurrently with my role as Head of Policy and Campaigns.

Policy Manager - Work and Welfare

I established and managed Scope's Independent Living Policy and Campaigns team, working on policy influencing and campaigning to ensure disabled people are able to live independent, confident and connected lives. Specific policy issues included inclusive travel, attitude change, access to digital technology, and social care. I also oversaw the charity's flagship Scope for Change programme supporting young disabled people to develop the skills to campaign for change on issues which matter to them.

Policy and Campaigns Manager - Independent Living

Primarily responsible for Age UK's social care campaigning. I oversaw Age UK's successful campaign to protect Attendance Allowance, and coordinated public influencing activities to tackle loneliness in later life and improve the social care system for older people. Worked right across the Age UK network using online and offline engagement tactics to ensure the voices of older people were central to the charity's influencing work.

Age UK

Campaigns Manager

Coordinated Macmillan's 'End of life. Not end of choice'​ campaign for free social care for people at the end of life and supported the charity's welfare reform influencing activities, including the development of the 'Who Benefits?' campaign coalition.

Macmillan Cancer Support

Campaigns Officer

Managed and developed Macmillan's network of e-campaigners, and was lead for the organisation's NHS reform, patient experience and welfare reform campaigns.

Assistant Campaigns Officer

Coordinated RSPB's network of letter writers and oversaw the charity's online campaigns, including a pan-European campaign with the BirdLife International partnership.

Ceri Smith