Northern Ireland – Local Organiser

About this job

This is a key post in the UNISON NI staff team. The post holder will work with the Regional Management Team helping to meet the aims and objectives of UNISON Northern Ireland.

UNISON is committed to improving the working lives of its members and securing equality and rights for their families and communities. This role is at the heart of our mission: helping to develop and support the research, policy interventions and projects that will enable us to meet our objectives.

The Role

Working with the Regional Management Team in Northern Ireland your role will involve undertaking research and project work, providing information and supporting policy development in accordance with the Regional Plan.

This translates into a wide range of activity supporting the union internally and externally. It involves work with the senior team, the whole staff team, union activists and, where appropriate, direct assistance to branches and supporting a range of organising, bargaining, campaigning and policy issues.

The post will play an important support role in developing UNISON data bases to assist the wider staff team and lay structures and requires excellent research and communication skills.

Some of the key functions of this post, as it currently operates in UNISON Northern Ireland, include:

• Investigating, compiling and analysing policy and statistical data, and communicating these in appropriate ways, written and oral, to different internal and external audiences.
• Providing background research for use in the drafting of policy statements, sectoral publications, responses to government and public sector consultations, campaign materials, briefing papers and speeches.
• Investigating, researching and collating information through primary sources such as member case studies and conducting members’ surveys.
• Taking a lead research role on specific projects, such as the union’s Just Transition framework to secure workers’ rights and combat climate change.
• Supporting the organisation of UNISON conferences, seminars, lobbies and attending internal and external meetings as appropriate
• Developing up to date materials for publication on the UNISON website, and social media.
• Supporting regional and UNISON-wide organising, recruitment and campaign activities.

Unison Aims

The key aims of the union, as detailed in our Rule Book, seek to:

• Extend and promote our influence in the workplace and in the Community.
• Promote, safeguard and facilitate participation by all members in the union’s democracy, with special regard to women, members of all grades, black members, disabled members, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members.
• Provide effective standards of service in the areas of representation and advice, information to members on the work of the union, the provision of financial benefits and the maintenance of educational facilities for members.

Working Time

While the Local Organiser (Research and Development) post can be a demanding position, requiring some attendance at meetings outside of the conventional working day, UNISON is a strong supporter of the work/life balance ethos and has a cross union flexible working  policy. Post holders will therefore prioritise their working arrangements in such a way  as to demonstrate by example their