Global Policy and Advocacy Advisor in London

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Global Policy and Advocacy Advisor to join our global team.

Team and Role Purpose

This is a high profile, externally facing team, with responsibility for the global influencing agenda, which will actively engage in global politically linked engagements on development, humanitarian and global issues. This team will coordinate and lead the development of a proactive global policy and advocacy agenda to unify and amplify our strategic voice and influence across all thematic areas and contexts, while ensuring consistent and coherent external representation. By fostering collaboration within the organisation and engaging effectively with international bodies and influencing spaces including UN, Gulf and African Union, we aim to establish Save The Children as a key partner in shaping international norms and influencing national policies. Our work supports and enhances the movement's local to global advocacy efforts, ensuring our message and tactics are consistently applied, and our high-level external engagements reflect a unified stance.

Role purpose

The Global Policy and Advocacy Advisor will support Save the Children’s global policy, advocacy, and strategic influencing agenda across priority global issues and contexts. The role will help identify emerging policy issues, strengthen policy coherence, develop influencing strategies, and ensure movement-wide alignment on advocacy priorities. The postholder will contribute to policy analysis, stakeholder and power mapping, advocacy coordination, and the development of strategic policy products, while also providing governance and coordination support to global advocacy governance groups, including with communications, monitoring and evaluation, and other support as required.

Principal Accountabilities

• Global Policy Development: Support global policy development and coherence by drafting policy papers, briefing notes, position papers, executive briefings, and advocacy products on global issues and contexts.
• Strategic Influencing and Advocacy: Support the design and implementation of strategic influencing plans for high priority global issues and contexts with strong analysis, evidence base, clear opportunities for engagement with governments, multilateral institutions, coalitions, and other influential actors.
• Coordination and Alignment: Support influencing coordination to ensure coherence and alignment across global, regional, member, and country office advocacy initiatives.
• Research: Monitor emerging global political, humanitarian, development, economic, and geopolitical trends affecting children.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Support the establishment of monitoring, evaluation, learning and promotion of our humanitarian advocacy work to ensure learning, best practices and engagement with internal and external stakeholders.
• Administrative and Planning Support: Provide strategic planning and core administrative support to Save the Children global advocacy governance structures and other leadership sub-groups, including setting up monthly calls, ensuring participation, drafting agendas, taking minutes, developing an action tracker and coordinating an annual face-to-face meeting.

Experience and Skills

Essential

• Significant experience in policy development, advocacy, strategic influencing, or public affairs within an international NGO, multilateral organisation, government institution, think tank, or similar environment.
• Strong understanding of global policy processes, international institutions, and the political, economic, and geopolitical dynamics that shape outcomes for children.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct policy analysis, synthesise complex information, and produce clear, evidence-based recommendations for senior decision-makers.
• Experience supporting the design and implementation of advocacy and influencing strategies, including stakeholder mapping, power analysis, and political economy analysis.
• Strong understanding of how policy and political change occurs at the global level, with experience supporting engagement with governments, multilateral organisations, civil society, and other external stakeholders.
• Proven ability to coordinate across multiple teams and functions, build consensus, and foster collaboration within complex, matrixed organisations.
• Excellent research, analytical, and written communication skills, with experience producing high-quality policy briefs, reports, executive briefings, talking points, and other influencing products.
• Strong interpersonal, presentation, and facilitation skills, with the ability to communicate complex issues clearly and build effective relationships across diverse cultures and stakeholders.
• Excellent organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously, coordinate competing workstreams, and deliver high-quality outputs under pressure.
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate emerging policy developments, identify strategic risks and opportunities, and translate them into practical influencing priorities and recommendations.

Desirable

• Experience working on large global contexts, including the occupied Palestinian territory, Sudan, or Ukraine, or others.
• Additional language of French, Spanish or Arabic preferred.

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field or equivalent work experience.

Working at Save the Children International

Save the Children is the world's leading organisation for children, employing ~25,000 staff. We save children's lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Through our work in 116 countries, we put the most deprived and marginalised children first. We know that great people make a great organisation, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued. The work here is challenging but is also immensely rewarding. At Save the Children, you will be in good company, working with talented, like-minded individuals who are determined to ensure that all children survive, learn, and are protected. Your contribution will help ensure children's voices are heard at the highest levels, and that we achieve our global strategy, Ambition for Children 2030, and reach every last child.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

DEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation. We are committed to equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome underrepresented groups to apply. Reasonable adjustments will be made should any candidate invited to interview require this.

Application Information

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found at SCI Careers. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available after the advert closes. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted should expect to hear from us within 2 weeks of the advert deadline.

Our Recruitment Process

Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter. Two-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team. Some recruitment may include an additional assessment or case study stage, or a third stage interview. If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, followed by your contract subject to passing background checks.

We need to keep children and adults safe so our selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to the protection of children and adults from abuse. All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our Code of Conduct and all policies and procedures relating to Anti-Harassment, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, and DEI and Equal Opportunities.

Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.