Policy Influencing Intern

About you
This policy influencing internship is an ideal opportunity for an ambitious, self-motivated individual who thrives in a small but dedicated team environment and who wants to develop their knowledge of policy making, engagement, and campaigns at a national health charity.

The Opportunity

We are recruiting for a Policy Influencing Intern to support the policy team’s work to secure improvements to health and social security policies that impact on people affected by Parkinson’s. This will include undertaking research and collating evidence to inform influencing activities, as well as monitoring policy changes.

The Policy Team

We are a small, close-knit team, researching and analysing health and social policy as it affects people with Parkinson’s and using our insight to influence relevant government policy. Our current policy priorities include improving access to: health & social care, treatments, and disability-related social security entitlements for people living with Parkinson’s.

What you'll do

You will work as part of Parkinson’s UK’s close-knit policy team and help advance their health and social security policy work to improve the lives of people with Parkinson’s and their care partners. You will be involved in at least two of the following activities:

• Undertaking research, collating evidence and drafting policy briefings, reports and consultation responses.
• Monitoring policy changes and providing in-depth policy analysis, research, and reports for internal stakeholders.
• Relationship building and engagement with sector stakeholders, including attendance at internal and external stakeholder meetings.
• Engaging with members of the Parkinson’s community, external stakeholders and internal colleagues to shape our policy positions.
• Supporting the organisation of events and engagement with policy makers within Whitehall, Westminster, and other public bodies.
• Scoping new areas of policy work that are relevant to people with Parkinson’s.

What you'll bring

• An interest in influencing policy and a willingness to develop specialist policy knowledge to improve the lives of people affected by Parkinson’s
• Excellent analytical and communication skills, with the ability to collate complex information from varied sources into understandable reports for a range of stakeholders
• The ability to work as part of a team and with a range of internal and external stakeholders
• The ability to manage and meet deadlines and competing priorities
• An interest in developing political acumen to spot trends and opportunities to engage with policymakers, especially on issues that affect people with Parkinson’s

Please apply by sending us your CV and a detailed cover letter explaining how you meet the criteria in the "What you'll bring" section of the job description.

Applications close on Sunday 1 November 2026.

Interviews for this role will be held on 12 and 13 November, online via googlemeet.

Please note; this role is unremunerated and forms part of your doctoral training.

• Read the job description for this role.
• Read about the benefits of working for us on our website.
• Learn more about our recruitment process.