Special-interest groups’ officials represent and act on behalf of special-interest groups such as trade unions, employer organisations, trade and industry associations, sports associations and humanitarian organisations. They develop policies and ensure their implementation. Special-interest groups’ officials speak for their members in negotiations about topics such as working conditions and safety.
The following job titles also refer to special-interest groups’ official:
trades union research officer
special-interest groups’ staff member
lobbying body official
special-interest groups’ worker
professional body official
special-interest group official
sport governing body official
humanitarian organisation official
special-interest group worker
industry association official
trades union official
employers organisation official
special-interest group staff member
sports association official
campaign group official
trade association official
ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:
the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.
Special-interest groups’ official is a Skill level 4 occupation.
These occupations require some skills and knowledge of special-interest groups’ official. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of special-interest groups’ official with a significant experience and/or extensive training.
This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of special-interest groups’ official.
Public relations: The practice of managing all aspects of the image and perception of a company or individual among stakeholders and the society at large. Budgetary principles: Principles of estimating and planning of forecasts for business activity, compile regular budget and reports. Communication principles: The set of commonly shared principles in regards with communication such as active listening, establish rapport, adjusting the register, and respecting the intervention of others.
These skills are necessary for the role of special-interest groups’ official.
Speak in public: Address a group of listeners in a structured, deliberate manner to inform, influence or convince them. Represent special-interest groups’ members: Replace and speak for the members of special-interest groups in negotiations about policies, safety and working conditions. Represent the organisation: Act as representative of the institution, company or organisation to the outside world. Manage budgets: Plan, monitor and report on the budget. Interact with the board of directors: Present the results of the company, answer questions in regards to the organisation, and receive guidelines on the future perspectives and plans for the company. Present arguments persuasively: Present arguments during a negotiation or debate, or in written form, in a persuasive manner in order to obtain the most support for the case the speaker or writer represents. Communicate with media: Communicate professionally and present a positive image while exchanging with media or potential sponsors. Collaborate in the drafting of policies: Provide specific knowledge and relevant considerations (e.g. financial, legal, strategic) on matters which should be considered when drafting policies. Maintain relationships with government agencies: Establish and maintain cordial working relationships with peers in different governmental agencies. Analyse problems for opportunities: Identify and anticipate problems in order to choose a course of action, come up with appropriate solutions or even identify opportunities for further development. Identify policy breach: Identify instances of non-compliance to set plans and policies in an organisation, and take the appropriate course of action by issuing penalties and outlining the changes which need to be made. Deal with pressure from unexpected circumstances: Strive to achieve objectives despite the pressures arising from unexpected factors outside of your control. Perform public relations: Perform public relations (PR) by managing the spread of information between an individual or an organisation and the public. Use communication techniques: Apply techniques of communication which allow interlocutors to better understand each other and communicate accurately in the transmission of messages. Keep updated on the political landscape: Read, search, and analyse the political situation of a region as a source of information applicable for different purposes such as information, decision-making, and management, and investments. Negotiate health and safety issues with third parties: Consult, negotiate and agree on potential risks, measures and safety procedures with third parties. Ensure compliance with policies: Ensure compliance with legislation and company procedures in respect of health and safety in the workplace and public areas. Ensure awareness and compliance with all company policies in relation to health and safety and equal opportunities in the workplace. Develop professional network: Reach out to and meet up with people in a professional context. Find common ground and use your contacts for mutual benefit. Keep track of the people in your personal professional network and stay up to date on their activities. Advise on legislative acts: Advise officials in a legislature on the propositioning of new bills and the consideration of items of legislation. Show diplomacy: Deal with people in a sensitive and tactful way. Analyse issues: Examine social, economic or political aspects in order to deliver a report or briefing. Recruit members: Carry out assessment and recruitment of members. Manage government policy implementation: Manage the operations of the implementation of new government policies or changes in existing policies on a national or regional level as well as the staff involved in the implementation procedure. Manage members: Oversee that members pay their fees and that they get information about union or organisation activities.
This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of special-interest groups’ official. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.
Election law: The regulations concerning the procedures during elections, such as voting regulations, campaign regulations, which procedures candidates must follow, how votes are counted, and other electoral procedures. International human rights law: The aspect of international law which deals with the promotion and protection of human rights, the related treaties and agreements between nations, the binding legal effects, and the contributions made to the development and implemenation of human rights law. Government policy implementation: The procedures related to the application of government policies at all levels of public administration. Business law: The field of law concerned with the trade and commerce activities of businesses and private persons and their legal interactions. This relates to numerous legal disciplines, including tax and employment law. Politics: The method, process and study of influencing people, gaining control over a community or society, and the distribution of power within a community and between societies. Trade union regulations: The compilation of legal agreements and practices for operations of trade unions. Legal scope of trade unions in their quest of protecting the rights and minimum working standards of workers. Sports ethics: The ethical considerations in sport activities, policy and management that ensure fair play and sportsmanship in all recreational and competitive sports. Humanitarian aid actors: Stakeholders and organisations involved in deploying humanitarian aid in emergency cases such as natural disasters, war or any other environmental calamity. Such actors can represent local, national, sectorial or international organisations dealing with relief work in third world countries. Statistics: The study of statistical theory, methods and practices such as collection, organisation, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data. It deals with all aspects of data including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments in order to forecast and plan work-related activities. Graphic design: The techniques to create a visual representation of ideas and messages. Employment law: The law which mediates the relationship between employees and employers. It concerns employees’ rights at work which are binding by the work contract. Trading law: Field of law that states and regulates the affairs and legal practices for trading goods and services. Labour law: The field of law that is concerned with the regulation of the relationship between employers, employees, trade unions, and the government.
These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of special-interest groups’ official. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.
Apply diplomatic principles: Apply the processes involved in the creation of international treaties by conducting negotiations between representatives of different countries, protecting the home government’s interests, and facilitating compromise. Write leaflets: Create flyers such as recruitment flyers in order to recruit people or publicity flyers in order to contribute to the development of publicity campaigns. Advise on consumer rights: Advise consumers as well as retailers and service providers on the legislation concerning consumer rights, what actions consumers may undertake in order to ensure their rights are adhered to, how businesses may improve compliance to consumer rights legislation, and the correct manner to handle disputes. Prepare speeches: Write speeches on multiple topics in a way to hold the attention and interest of an audience. Promote free trade: Develop strategies for the promotion of free trade, open competition between businesses for the development of economic growth, in order to gain support for free trade and competition regulation policies. Prepare presentation material: Prepare the documents, slide shows, posters and any other media needed for specific audiences. Manage sports events: Plan, organise and evaluate sports events which are critical to competition and to the profile and development of a sport. Allow athletes to perform at their best and to be a catalyst for broader success. Introduce the sport to new participants and increase its profile, funding, facility provision, influence and prestige. Promote equality in sport activities: Develop policies and programmes that aim to increase the participation and involvement of underrepresented groups in sport, such as women and girls, ethnic minority groups, disabled people and, in some cases, young people. Evaluate humanitarian programme proposals: Provide feedback on proposals concerning plans to improve and to contribute to human welfare. Advise legislators: Give advice on various government and legislative duties, such as policy creation and the inner workings of a governmental department, to government officials in legislative positions, such as members of parliament, government ministers, senators, and other legislators. Liaise with local authorities: Maintain the liaison and exchange of information with regional or local authorities. Liaise with sports organisations: Liaise with local sports councils, regional committees and national governing bodies. Develop communication strategies: Manage or contribute to the conception and implementation of an organisation’s internal and external communications plans and presentation, including its online presence. Identify research topics: Determine issues on social, economic or political level in order to explore them and to do research on them. Use databases: Use software tools for managing and organising data in a structured environment which consists of attributes, tables and relationships in order to query and modify the stored data. Develop employment policies: Develop and supervise the implementation of policies which aim to improve employment standards such as working conditions, hours, and pay, as well as reduce unemployment rates. Study topics: Carry out effective research on relevant topics to be able to produce summary information appropriate to different audiences. The research may involve looking at books, journals, the internet, and/or verbal discussions with knowledgeable persons. Visit places of work: Investigate workplaces where members of the union work in order to check working conditions and to define other potential issues. Develop trade policies: Develop strategies which support economic growth and facilitate productive trade relations both nationally and internationally. Identify hazards in the workplace: Perform safety audits and inspections on workplaces and workplace equipment. Ensure that they meet safety regulations and identify hazards and risks. Analyse membership: Identify trends in membership and determine areas of potential membership growth. Interview people: Interview people in a range of different circumstances. Defend human rights: Protect human rights towards and between colleagues and also towards the civil populations one is in contact with. Protect employee rights: Assess and handle situations in which the rights set by legislation and corporate policy for employees may be breached and take the appropriate actions in order to protect the employees. Check payment: Control and ensure employees are being paid correctly by their employers. Develop manufacturing policies: Develop policies and procedures applied in manufacturing with the aim of improving competitiveness and capabilities of the industry. Develop economic policies: Develop strategies for economic stability and growth in an organisation, nation, or internationally, and for the improvement of trade practices and financial procedures. Manage sport competition programmes: Develop competitive programmes through careful planning, management and evaluation to ensure each programme meets the needs and requirements of a variety of key stakeholders. Handle complaints: Manage problems, protestations and disputes on the job. Write work-related reports: Compose work-related reports that support effective relationship management and a high standard of documentation and record keeping. Write and present results and conclusions in a clear and intelligible way so they are comprehensible to a non-expert audience. Influence legislators: Influence the organisations and individuals involved in the process of making or changing legislation and laws in order to obtain a desired result, by identifying which parties would be best to contact and using persuasive methods to influence their actions and decisions. Develop membership strategies: Create proposals for membership strategies such as options for alternative membership models, membership rules and financial modelling. Manage fundraising activities: Initiate fundraising activities managing the place, teams involved, causes and budgets. Build international relations: Build positive communication dynamics with organisations from different countries in order to build a cooperative relationship and optimise information exchange. Circulate information: Communicate the reserach results of social, economic or political issues within and outside the union.
