Policy and Public Affairs hires are rarely “just another vacancy” for membership organisations. They shape credibility with government, protect reputation with members, and directly influence your ability to win policy change. And right now, it’s a tough market to hire well-qualified people.
The CIPD’s recent resourcing research found 69% of employers say competition for well-qualified talent has increased, and 64% of those trying to fill vacancies experienced difficulties attracting candidates, senior and skilled roles are the most challenging.
Competition for experienced, high-quality talent is no longer cyclical, it’s structural. Recent research shows that employers, including membership-focused, are facing intensified competition for well-qualified candidates.
At the same time, hiring timelines are lengthening, with UK time-to-hire now stretching to around eight weeks. Despite sustained recruitment activity, the majority of membership employers continue to report skills shortages, underscoring a market where demand for expertise consistently outpaces supply.
That combination is why many membership bodies get better outcomes when they partner with a recruiter - especially one that genuinely understands the membership model, not just Westminster!
In a membership organisation, Policy & Public Affairs sits at the intersection of:
That means you often aren’t hiring a “pure policy” profile. You’re hiring someone who can do policy and manage competing priorities, align internal stakeholders, communicate clearly, and keep members bought-in even when the policy line is nuanced.
This is exactly where recruitment tends to go wrong when it’s treated like a standard “post-and-hope” vacancy.
The strongest Public Affairs professionals are often not actively applying. They’re busy, doing sensitive work, and selective about moves. A good recruiter can reach them discreetly and credibly.
If you rely on inbound applicants alone, you often end up with:
This matters more when hiring cycles are already stretching UK time-to-hire averaging eight weeks makes delays expensive.
Unfilled senior policy roles don’t just create workload gaps. They can mean:
And because senior/specialist roles are hardest to fill, delaying the search usually doesn’t make it easier, CIPD data specifically flags senior and skilled roles as most challenging to recruit for.
Policy hires can look great on a CV, right logos and right titles, yet struggle in membership contexts where influence is earned through committee rooms, member politics, and careful internal alignment.
CIPD also highlights early attrition and offer-drop issues: 41% say new recruits resigned within the first 12 weeks; 27% say candidates sometimes fail to show up on day one.
That’s not only a recruitment issue - but it’s a strong signal that selection, expectation-setting, and candidate engagement matter.
Policy & Public Affairs salaries vary wildly depending on:
Without market mapping and real-time benchmarking, you risk:
When 76% of member-focused employers report difficulty filling skilled roles, pay and proposition need to be sharp.
Policy hiring can quietly consume:
If the process isn’t tightly run, you lose momentum and candidate confidence - especially in a market where candidates have options.
A specialist partner doesn’t just “send CVs”. Our best practice for top Policy & Public Affairs talent, includes:
In other words: we reduce risk, reduce time wastage, and increase the chance you hire someone who can deliver impact - not just “do policy”.
This is the bit most organisations only realise after a painful hire, unfortunately.
In our experience, many pure-play public affairs firms are brilliant at placing people into:
But membership organisations frequently need hybrid strengths:
In a membership body, your “clients” aren’t only external. They’re also:
Specialist membership firms see this ecosystem every day, so they can assess candidates for the realities that break hires:
A membership recruiter can credibly approach adjacent but highly relevant talent, such as:
This matters when competition is high, recent research found 69% reported increased competition for well-qualified talent. The more intelligently you widen the pool, the better your odds.
Pure public affairs recruiters can over-index on the policy mechanics and under-sell the membership proposition (purpose, influence, platform, member community).
Membership-focused partners tend to be stronger at:
That improves candidate engagement, crucial when processes are longer and candidates are choosier.
Policy impact in membership organisations is rarely achieved by one person alone. You often need connected roles:
A membership-focused agency can build teams and succession pipelines, not just single placements, so your policy function is supported, not stranded.
If Policy & Public Affairs is mission-critical to your membership organisation (and it usually is), the cost of “DIY hiring” isn’t just a recruitment fee - it’s the risk of:
A recruitment partner like Membership Bespoke, helps you move faster and hire better. And a membership specialist partner is often the best fit because they understand the governance, stakeholder complexity, and “policy +” reality that define success inside membership organisations.