Policy trainee

Closing date for applications: 6 October 2025 at 10.00am

Salary: £1939 per month

Duration: 9 months

Working hours: Monday to Friday, 35 hours per week, can be worked flexibly. Typical working days are 9am to 5pm, with an hour for lunch. Staff are expected to work from our office in London at least two days per week, unless other arrangements are agreed in advance.

Start date: 6 January 2026

Want to learn how to shape policy that drives environmental change? Gain valuable experience working alongside experts and contribute to discussions, research and reports that influence environmental policy.

Green Alliance is a charity and independent think tank, committed to achieving a greener future. We play a central role in shaping environmental thinking in the UK and are known for our cross-party influence, the clarity of our insights and the quality of our reports, briefings, events and podcasts.

A think tank is a research organisation that aims to influence government policy making. Green Alliance is a specific type of think tank; many are focused on supporting a particular party or part of the political spectrum, but we are politically neutral and focused on policy that improves the environment. This means we spend our time drawing up strategies for achieving change internally and with other organisations, doing research for reports and roundtables, and then meeting MPs and civil servants to persuade them to take action. Among other things, our staff regularly talk to ministers, appear in newspaper articles and on TV and radio and give evidence to parliamentary select committees. There has never been a more important time to act on the environmental crisis. We are producing clear evidence that a low carbon, green economy can create new jobs and industries, improve people’s lives and lead to a safer, fairer and more resilient future for all.

Green Alliance carries out a wide variety of research across several key areas that impact the environment, such as biodiversity and farming; the low carbon energy transition and how we make best use of the earth’s resources. The policy team includes analysts and policy advisors who build expertise in order to make policy recommendations to government and other stakeholders. The policy trainee will learn more about this process and play a part in growing knowledge in environmental policy areas, alongside growing their own expertise. As a policy trainee, you will be an integral part of our team and will work with people across the organisation to support Green Alliance’s mission.


Key activities

• See our policy team in action, contribute to debates among the team, and learn to collaborate as people develop new ideas
• Grow your skills in communication and presenting, by drafting copy for internal and external uses, and by providing a short presentation to the team towards the end of your placement
• Gain experience and knowledge in at least two of our environmental policy areas (Resource Stewardship, Greening the Economy, Natural Environment or Low Carbon Future)
• Develop writing skills by contributing to reports and briefings and, as part of this, you will gain skills in editing your own work and fact checking
• Support effective relationships and communications with other organisations and external partners, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), MPs and other organisations
• Attend internal and external meetings, sometimes taking minutes and building relationships with our network
• Learn about researching and summarising data and information on environmental policy issues, through carrying out research within our projects. Depending on the candidate, there might also be an opportunity to work with our analyst team, developing your numerical analysis skills
• Learn how we use social media in our work and occasionally support the communications team in posting timely updates and commentary to our channels
• Develop your professional skills and be confident to take your next step in the environment sector
• Gain experience in office administration such as answering calls and emails, and greeting visitors to the office

What we are looking for

• Enthusiasm for supporting our vision of a green and prosperous future for all
• Aspire to work in policy development for a non-governmental organisation
• Interest in growing your understanding of politics in the UK, and how environmental policy is developed
• Diligent and proactive in your approach, with the ability to use your initiative
• Good attention to detail
• Ability to read and summarise complex information
• If you are comfortable with numbers and doing some basic calculations too, that would be an advantage
• Collaborative: be able to work as part of a team and demonstrate good interpersonal skills
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to prioritise work and be flexible when plans change
• Good IT skills: you must be confident using MS Office software platforms, such as Word and Excel
• Confident to ask for clarification when not clear
• Ability to compromise and work in a non-partisan way
• At least five GCSEs including English and maths, graded five to nine (A-C)
• A degree is not required for this role, but A-level or an equivalent qualification is required

When applying, consider how your personal interests and experiences, including any extracurricular and social experience, help equip you for working at Green Alliance. We are interested in the life experiences you have had and how you may have overcome barriers to achieve your goals. We are particularly keen to hear from applicants who may not have a university degree but can demonstrate a strong personal interest in this role, and we encourage those new to the workplace to apply. If you have any knowledge of climate change and nature, through your studies, a professional role, volunteering or through personal interests, please provide brief details.


To apply

• Log in to your Creative Access account or register today to apply for this opportunity
• Upload your CV and cover letter as one document (applications without a tailored cover letter will not be accepted)
• Once submitted, you can no longer amend your application, so proof-read carefully
• Do not contact the company directly
• Please email any queries about this role to Creative Access at this address: recruit@creativeaccess.org.uk

This opportunity is open to individuals from groups that are under-represented in the creative industries. This includes, but is not limited to, individuals who identify as Black, Asian, or from other ethnically diverse backgrounds, or people of any ethnicity who belong to the following under-represented groups: disabled people, people with the characteristic of gender reassignment, individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, carers and asylum seekers.

The successful candidate for this opportunity will also participate in a Creative Access support programme that sits alongside workplace training. This includes a programme of induction training, monthly masterclasses, wellbeing support, buddying/mentoring and more.