Policy Advisor
Also known as: Policy Advisor · Policy Consultant
Develops policy and regulation in a specific domain, advises decision makers on feasibility and impact and guides its translation into implementation.
The policy advisor analyses social and political issues and translates them into concrete policy proposals and regulation for a decision maker or board. Unlike the policy officer, they carry substantive responsibility for the quality and feasibility of the advice. Selection in practice fails on candidates who analyse well but do not sense when technically correct advice is administratively unworkable.
Competencies to measure
These are the behavioural and ability constructs in this profile. Each one shows which hrmforce questionnaire measures it.
| Competencies to measure | Target level | hrmforce instrument | Assessment method | Behavioural anchor at target level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| integrity and dependability Competency (50-framework): Integrity Knockout | N4 | Big Fifty (Integrity Scale), 360 Feedback, Structured interview | Personality questionnaire | Reports a possible conflict of interest on own initiative and asks for review before a decision is taken. |
| Verbal reasoning | N4 | Ability Scan | Cognitive ability test | Extracts the core arguments from a report of several pages and shows with textual references which conclusion does and does not follow. |
| external awareness Competency (50-framework): Environmental Awareness | N4 | Big Fifty, Competency Check | Structured interview | Follows sources outside the organisation systematically and uses those signals when adjusting working methods within the team. |
| Judgement under uncertainty Competency (50-framework): Judgment | N3 | Big Fifty, Competency Check | Situational Judgement Test | Forms a judgement on incomplete files, names the assumptions used and states which new fact would change that judgement. |
| organisational awareness Competency (50-framework): Organizational Sensitivity | N3 | Big Fifty, Competency Check, 360 Feedback | Situational Judgement Test | Assesses which interests a proposal touches, involves the right people beforehand and chooses a suitable moment to raise it. |
| independence Competency (50-framework): Independence | N3 | Big Fifty, 15PF | Personality questionnaire | Takes a decision that departs from the group line, explains the reasoning behind it and accepts the consequences. |
| Stress tolerance Competency (50-framework): Stress resilience | N3 | Big Fifty, 15PF, Mental Resilience (4C) | Personality questionnaire | Keeps working in a structured way at peak load, keeps agreements with clients clear and flags early which results are at risk. |
Short profile
The ten heaviest skills in this profile. The full profile with every skill, behavioural anchor and assessment method is in the download.
| T | Skill | Target level | Weight | Knockout | Assessment method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | Critical thinking and source evaluation | N4 | 5 | yes | Work sample test |
| V | Business reporting | N4 | 5 | yes | Work sample test |
| G | integrity and dependability | N4 | 5 | yes | Personality questionnaire |
| V | Legal analysis | N4 | 5 | yes | Work sample test |
| V | Policy development | N4 | 5 | yes | Portfolio or evidence |
| K | Applying legislation | N3 | 5 | no | Knowledge test |
| A | Verbal reasoning | N4 | 4 | no | Cognitive ability test |
| G | external awareness | N4 | 4 | no | Structured interview |
| G | Judgement under uncertainty | N3 | 4 | no | Situational Judgement Test |
| V | Advisory skill | N3 | 4 | no | Assessment centre |
See all 25 skills in the full profile
Assessment instruments for this job
Competency Check
Behavioral-Level Competency Assessment
Work sample test
Representative work sample under standardized conditions
Knowledge test (client-specific)
Professional knowledge test, customized for each client
Big Fifty
Personality questionnaire, 150 items, 25 factors
360 Feedback
Multiple assessments based on behavioral anchors
Structured interview
Behavioral interview with a fixed structure
Portfolio
Evaluation of prior work against fixed criteria
Ability Scan
Aptitude Test: Verbal, Numerical, and Abstract Reasoning Skills
15PF
Personality Profile, a shorter alternative to the Big Fifty
Big Fifty (Integrity Scale)
Mental Resilience (4C)
Mental Resilience According to the 4C Model
Comparable jobs
24 skills in the profile · junior
Legal Counsel25 skills in the profile · medior
In-house Counsel26 skills in the profile · senior
Trainee Lawyer24 skills in the profile · junior
Lawyer25 skills in the profile · senior
Notarial Clerk24 skills in the profile · medior
Candidate Notary25 skills in the profile · senior
Paralegal24 skills in the profile · medior