Feminist Toxic Free Futures Policy Campaigner

Join Wen as our new Policy Campaigner and lead the charge towards a feminist, toxic-free future. We’re seeking a strategic thinker with deep policy expertise to influence UK chemical regulations, ensuring alignment with EU standards like REACH. Your role will involve engaging with policymakers, NGOs, and key stakeholders to advocate for stronger protections against harmful chemicals, particularly those impacting women’s health and marginalised communities.

Salary: 3 days a week @£38, 766 FTE

Hours: 3 days/21 hours per week, fixed term contract for two years with potential to be extended to 4 days should further funding be secured.

Location: Remote/Hybrid working – Ability to travel to London and across the UK for meetings and events where necessary. 

Deadline to apply: 3rd June 5pm

Interview dates: Week of the 23rd of June

ABOUT WEN 

Wen is the Women’s Environmental Network. We are an environmental charity working on issues that connect women, health, equity and environmental justice. We take an intersectional feminist approach to tackling the climate and nature emergencies.

We support women and communities to take action, amplifying racialised and marginalised women’s voices, and advocate for change. We cultivate grassroots projects, connect women to nature, create blueprints for just food systems and put gender and intersectional equality at the heart of the green economy.

We were the first charity to connect gender, health, equity and environmental justice. Since our radical beginnings in 1988, Wen’s groundbreaking campaigns have tackled issues from air pollution and plastic packaging to toxic chemicals in menstrual products and cosmetics.

Our vision is a world where women, communities and the planet flourish because ournsociety is equitable, collaborative and caring.

Our vision

A world where women, communities and the planet thrive because values of equity, collaboration and care underpin our society.

Our mission

Wen exists to actively build a world where women, communities and the planet thrive - collaborating to create viable alternatives to oppressive systems, which end the exploitation of women and the natural world.

Our values

• Equity
• Collaboration
• Care
• Intersectional eco-feminism

WORKING AT WEN

As an intersectional feminist charity, we live and breathe our values of equity, collaboration, care and intersectional eco-feminism.

The Wen team is friendly, open and passionate about our cause and the communities we work in. Our office is based just off Brick Lane in Shoreditch and we also have another hub in Mile End, where we hold our bi-monthly team meeting with a shared lunch. We also have a weekly online check in meeting every Tuesday morning. 

ABOUT THE ROLE 

As a Policy Campaigner you will need to make connections with policy makers, government departments, NGOs and key decision makers and influencers. You will also need to keep up to speed with developments in Europe on chemicals policy and how they relate to the UK. A knowledge of the impacts on health from exposure either environmentally or occupationally to toxic chemicals would be required, in particular the gendered and intersectional impacts on health. 

An important part of Wen’s work on toxic chemicals, health and gender is work towards ensuring a feminist toxic free future for current and future generations. One of the main avenues this can be achieved is through legislative change. Wen believes that the best way to protect human health and the environment is to remain closely aligned with Europe’s main chemicals regulation systems (REACH), health and safety regulations and other regulations which govern consumer items like cosmetics, period products and toys.

The slow progress of UK REACH means chemical, and health and safety protections are falling way behind European regulations. We are looking to recruit a policy campaigner with in-depth and thorough knowledge of the policy systems and strategic thinking about how best to influence them. 

KEY BENEFITS

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, pro rata. Rising to 27 days after 5 years.
• Pension scheme, contributing 6% of salary.
• Employee Assistance Programme includes free counselling sessions that are also available to a spouse and dependents between 16-24. 
• Access to training and development opportunities.
• Menstrual leave.
• Laptop and mobile phone for work.
• Time off in lieu for agreed overtime.
• Flexible and hybrid working available. 

JOB DESCRIPTION

Key responsibilities:

• Understanding the complexities of chemicals, and health and safety policy, with the ability to communicate the issues to a wide range of audiences. 
• Developing a campaign strategy to ensure the UK keeps as closely aligned to all European regulations on chemicals, and health and safety as possible.
• Work with Wen’s Feminist Toxic Free Futures team to make strong connections between human health and the harmful impacts of toxic chemicals.
• Work collaboratively with Wen’s Feminist Toxic Free Futures team to develop campaigns designed to influence government chemicals policy. 
• Produce a variety of resources on the issues such briefings, blogs, social media posts and talks.
• In line with Wen’s strategy, bring an intersectional lens and perspective to chemical and health and safety policy . 
• Create and develop strategic partnerships and relationships with key organisations, policy makers, ministers and NGOs in this field.
• Travel and attend related policy work meetings, events and workshops as agreed. 

Wen specific tasks

• Carry out all tasks in accordance with Wen’s Equal Opportunities Policy. 
• Work closely with Wen's campaigns and projects to further the Feminist Toxic Free Futures work.
• Ensure all monitoring and evaluation is completed for funders and for internal Wen purposes.
• Ensure active promotion of an intersectional feminist approach in the campaign and contribute to this goal within Wen. 
• Share in general duties at Wen as necessary. 

Required skills and competencies:

• Ability to understand technical issues especially in relation to chemical policy and communicate them accurately and persuasively to decision makers and others.
• Ability to develop and implement advocacy and campaigning strategies, in consultation with others.

• Ability to build and maintain relationships with a wide diversity of external individuals, representatives, groups and bodies, including government, and industry in order to deliver Wen’s objectives.
• Understanding the health impacts of toxic chemicals on workers, citizens and consumers from environmental and occupational exposure and with the ability to communicate the issues to a wide range of audiences. 
• Understanding of the issues faced by marginalised and racialised individuals and communities in relation to environmental, chemicals and health and safety policy. 
• Ability to identify and develop common ground with a diverse group of organisations and individuals.
• Deal with correspondence, media and general enquiries and information requests as required. 

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential 

Education and qualifications:

• Degree level qualification or equivalent work experience.

Experience, Skills and Knowledge:

• At least two years direct experience of policy, advocacy and campaigning on toxic chemicals.
• Extensive knowledge of chemicals and health and safety policy in the UK.
• In depth knowledge of environmental and occupational exposure to toxic chemicals and resulting health impacts especially in connection with gender, reproduction and child health
• Experience of building effective collaborative relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders 
• Experience of working on women’s and children’s health especially in relation to exposure to toxic chemicals
• Experience of taking an inclusive, intersectional approach in your work 
• Excellent written and oral communications skills; the ability to disseminate information to a wide range of audiences and across platforms 
• Self-motivated and able to work proactively, independently and flexibly 
• Experience of monitoring and evaluation and reporting to funders 
• Commitment to gender, racial and social justice through previous work or volunteering or lived experience.
• Fluency in spoken and written English.

Desirable

• Experience of working in women’s, environmental or charitable organisations or groups 
• Understanding of the media and an ability to secure coverage for environmental issues or similar.