Policy Engagement Assistant

The Degrees Initiative is a UK-based NGO that builds the capacity of developing countries to evaluate solar radiation modification (SRM), a controversial proposal for reducing some impacts of climate change by reflecting sunlight away from the Earth. Degrees is neutral on whether SRM should ever be used, but we believe that developing countries should be empowered to conduct their own research and to play a central role in SRM discussions.

Degrees programmatic work is centred on capacity-building through research grants and North South and South South collaboration schemes, outreach activities, and cross-cutting community building. As part of this, Degrees runs workshops in the Global South that bring new voices into the SRM conversation, and our research funds support scientists and other experts in developing countries as they research what SRM could mean for their regions and become part of a global research community.

The Policy Engagement Assistant role offers a fantastic opportunity for the right candidate to help scale up the organisation s work, building on the successes of the last decade, and to help the most climate-vulnerable countries make up their own minds about SRM.

Joining a growing team, the Policy Engagement Assistant will support the Policy Engagement and Programmes teams through the provision of administrative services to ensure the efficient organisation of, execution of, and participation in events. Secondarily, the Assistant will provide general administrative support to the Policy Engagement team.

The Policy Engagement Assistant will work under the supervision of the Policy Engagement Director, while supporting the Policy Engagement Managers and the Programmes team. Responsibilities will include:

• Arranging travel, lodging and other travel logistics for Degrees staff, funded scientists, policymakers, and other external participants;

• Arranging meeting facilities;

• Facilitating requests for visas and other travel authorisations;

• Serving as a point of contact for external event participants queries about travel and events;

• Ensuring proper distribution of information documents and meeting minutes in a timely manner;

• Drafting general and formal correspondence; reviewing and formatting documents and slides according to style;

• Organising and maintaining the policy engagement team s shared mailbox and filing system;

• Scheduling staff and other meetings;

• Supporting processes for this new team, including aspects of monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL);

• Maintaining the list of external policy engagement contacts;

• Any other related activity in support of the Policy Engagement team.