Alessandra Sciarra Email & Phone Number

United Kingdom

I manage the organisation’s influencing, public affairs and policy team, including managing relationships with senior Government ministers and act as the spokesperson for our social justice work. I ensure our influencing work can secure better lives for people living in poverty in the UK.

As the organisation's first Social Policy Manager I developed the Society's National Policy Strategy, producing a five year ambitious policy advocacy strategy to position the SVP as a go-to organisation on issues of domestic poverty and inequality. My role provides a critical foundation for growing the organisation's position and influence on domestic and global public policy issues.I lead on policy intelligence on several thematic areas including refugees and asylum seekers, in-work poverty and insecure work, levelling up, and children's rights and social care. I develop position papers and co-chair the organisation's Social Justice Committee.- Develop and implement the organisation's policy and public affair strategy.- Manage relationships with MPs, senior civil servants and Ministers and monitor parliamentary affairs.- Produce evidence-based policy positions and develop compelling arguments to deliver the organisation's policy goals.- Respond to select committee inquiries and Government consultation, developing robust and evidence-based submissions informed by our frontline work.- Produce regular research reports informed by our frontline services.- Lead on advocacy campaigns, including recently coordinating a letter to the Home Secretary signed by over 100 faith leaders and faith groups.- Represent the organisation at external meetings including APPGs and other relevant networks.- Produce regular external content (eg. reports, opinion pieces, blogs and website content).

Research and data analysis for the UNDP Global gender response data tracker. I worked on the Violence against Women (VAW) policy tracker. The database tracks national measures that directly address women’s economic and social security, including policies on unpaid care work, the labour market and violence against women.

Provide consultancy on policy advocacy strategy, lobbying and campaign strategy.

• Produce policy briefings on social security and unemployment• Monitor policy developments on social security and unemployment, keep abreast of changes, and keep the policy and public affairs team up to date on these areas• Respond to Government consultations and select committee inquiries• Work closely with the communications team to achieve wider Public Affairs goals, including identifying opportunities for The Salvation Army to campaign on its policy priorities and set the poverty agenda• Improve use of data collection from frontline services and use it strategically to advance policy positions

• Develop organisation’s advocacy strategy, map stakeholders and engagement opportunities to influence local and national policy makers• Initiate and produce policy reports, briefings, press releases, advocacy toolkits, social media posts and develop training materials for grassroot campaigning groups across southeast London• Collaborate with a range of small and national migrants’ rights organisations to shape policy and public perception of migrants and refugees through strategic communication• Co-establish and chair the Lewisham Migration Forum, a network of 60+ stakeholders supporting migrants, refugees and asylum seekers across Lewisham• Set up and manage the ‘Lewisham Borough of Sanctuary’ Project, campaigning for Lewisham Borough Council to become an awarded Borough of Sanctuary for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers (part of City of Sanctuary): Successfully engaged Councillors, MPs and other stakeholders to sign the pledge, developed campaign strategy and toolkit, chair working group and manage the social media presence and website• Monitoring organisation's programmes - produce quarterly output reports and yearly impact report• Organise yearly Refugee Week event• Line manage two members of staff and 20+ volunteers• Customise and maintain organisations' client database system, responsible for monitoring programmes' outcomes and KPIs and improving impact measurement• Deputise for CEO in her absence

• Operations: Responsible for the development and implementation of office policies and procedures (including casework management, HR, safeguarding, and M&E). Responsible for contract management;• Monitoring and Evaluation: Improved M&L system by designing and implementing client satisfaction survey system to monitor wellbeing of service users; fully customised CRM system to improve recording of outcomes and outputs for all programme areas• Policy and Campaigning: Established organisation's Policy and Advocacy programme by developing a strategy and setting up strategic partnerships with sector organisations• Direct line management of 25 volunteers - responsible for recruitment, induction, management and regular supervision; designed comprehensive induction pack for new volunteers• Change Management: Set up Salesforce Database for the organisation and arranged pro-bono training for staff on its use.

Harike, Punjab

• Manage daily operations of the centre - responsible for logistics, contract management, HR, liaising with local village council, weekly calendar of activities and chair weekly staff meetings• Develop a new monitoring & evaluation framework for the organisation - improving how the organisation captured and shared information• Manage a team of 6 volunteers working on a range of development projects• Compile weekly reports for the CEO - ensuring monitoring of all projects• Coordinate forestry projects across 4 regional centers and overlooked/evaluated the work of 2-5 project managers• Collate monthly reports and maintain relationship with external partners, including WWF and Indian Government ministers

Harike Wetland, Punjab, India

• Attended as a representative of EduCARE the two-day conference "Climate Change & Food Security - Paris Cop21 Debrief" held by the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology• Establish relationship with the local WWF branch and set up a number of meetings to develop a partnership to promote wetland conservation• Design vulnerability risk assessment toolkit for the organisation and carried out surveys to assess needs of local communities and ensured thorough reporting to management• Develop a comprehensive village mapping to monitor population data and forestry data following consultation with the local officer from the Indian Ministry of Environment

London, United Kingdom

CARA's Middle East Programme provides academics at risk from a number of countries in the MENA region with placements at UK higher education institutions. By providing sponsorships for academics from a range of disciplines, CARA facilitates collaboration, enhancing skills and ending isolation and ensures promotes continued education.

London, United Kingdom

Responsible for development, implementation and monitoring of Information Communication Technology capacity building project. The Black Minority and Ethnic Refugee (BMER) Maximising Technologies Project aimed to develop capacity and build skills of 30 organisations based in Lewisham, Greenwich and Southwark working with asylum seekers and refugees• Delivered weekly workshops with 10+ grassroot community groups campaigning for migrants' rights on effective campaigning, media strategy and advocacy• Managed project's budget and volunteers• Produced regular project reporting to project funders • Set up end-of year workshop attended by 30+ people - in collaboration with BBC producer

London

I contributed to the 'Life Beyond the Safehouse' Policy report. The report offers guidelines to policy-makers and organisations advice on improving care standards for survivors of modern slavery in London. The report is now utilised as a national blueprint for effective support of survivors of modern slavery.

London, United Kingdom

• Provided administrative and logistical support for the Policy and Advocacy Team in preparation for a Policy Breakfast discussing the impact of Legal Aid cuts on refugee family reunion• Monitor parliamentary coverage of refugee and migration policy • Write policy briefs for MPsResearched new ways of utilising digital media for learning and development purposes at the British Red Cross• Explored new ways for creative use of digital media for e-learning and professional development• Produced a report on the use of new digital media for Learning and Development and number of how-to guides on social and digital media tools for Red Cross senior management staff

Specialist Diploma In Public Affairs

Public Policy Economics Summer Course

Msc Development Studies, Development Economics And International Development

Ba (Hons), Media And Film, 1St

Activities and Societies: Student Rep

Diploma In Marketing And Strategic Communications, Mass Communication/Media Studies

Strategic Brand Management Communication Theory Brand Analytics: Methods and Strategies Digital Marketing Public Relations and Crisis.