Director of Engagement in Oxford

The Director of Engagement leads War Child Alliance's external engagement approach to strengthen War Child's global positioning, including improved visibility, influence, supporter engagement, and sustainable income in support of War Child's mission. The role brings together institutional fundraising, business development, communications, brand integrity and advocacy to ensure War Child is positioned clearly and credibly with external audiences, and that external engagement supports organisational strategy, programmes, research, and evidence-based methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership and Management: Provide strategic leadership to drive delivery and achievement of the organisation's overall strategy, ensuring plans, resources, and priorities are aligned to agreed organisational objectives. Lead the development and delivery of War Child Alliance's engagement strategy, ensuring external engagement supports the organisation's mission, strategic priorities, and long‑term sustainability. Provide strategic leadership across institutional fundraising, business development, communications, brand, marketing, and advocacy to strengthen War Child's visibility, influence, and income generation.
• Donor Engagement: Shape and oversee a clear and coherent external narrative for War Child that reflects programme quality, research, evidence-based methodologies, and the voices of partners and children affected by conflict. Oversee the development of institutional funding and donor engagement strategies to ensure the growth of the institutional funding portfolio, including market development, pipeline oversight, proposal direction, and donor relationship management, in coordination with relevant internal teams and fundraising members. Ensure strong alignment between engagement priorities and organisational strategy by connecting external positioning, fundraising, communications, and advocacy efforts with programme, research, and thematic priorities.
• Communications, Marketing and Advocacy: Lead the development of global communications, campaigns, and marketing approaches that support public engagement, advocacy objectives, donor communications, and War Child's brand identity. Build, lead, and develop a high-performing engagement function, fostering clear priorities, collaboration, accountability, and professional growth across the team. Represent War Child externally with donors, networks, agencies, peer organisations, and other strategic stakeholders, strengthening relationships and identifying opportunities that contribute to organisational influence and impact.
• Portfolio Management: Oversee the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of engagement systems, processes, and partnerships, including agency relationships, business development approaches, and external engagement channels. Contribute as a member of the senior leadership team to broader organisational decision‑making, planning, performance, and cross‑functional collaboration. Ensure performance management of department and teams against agreed KPIs to ensure organisational priorities and quality standards are met.

Each staff member is responsible for contributing to creating a culture committed to our mission, vision, internal safeguarding standards, JEDI principles and the CHS framework and is expected to actively promote this in their work.

Qualifications

• Relevant postgraduate qualification or equivalent senior leadership experience in engagement, communications, fundraising, business development, public affairs, international development, or a related field is desired.
• Led a complex engagement, communications, fundraising, or external relations portfolio at senior level.
• Developed strategy and translated it into clear priorities, plans, and measurable outcomes.
• Built and led multidisciplinary teams across areas such as communications, advocacy, fundraising, marketing, or business development.
• Worked across complex stakeholder environments, including donors, partners, networks, member organisations, or external agencies.
• Overseen institutional fundraising, business development, or donor engagement approaches that support organisational sustainability.
• Represented an organisation externally and built effective relationships that support influence, profile, and collaboration.
• Worked in an international, networked, humanitarian, development, or values‑led environment.

Technical Knowledge

• Knowledge of strategic engagement, communications, advocacy, fundraising, and external positioning.
• Understanding of institutional donor environments, business development processes, and external partnership approaches.
• Ability to connect organisational priorities with compelling narratives, campaigns, and stakeholder engagement.
• Ability to lead and integrate multiple engagement disciplines in a coherent and strategic way.
• Builds trusted relationships across diverse internal and external stakeholder groups.
• Communicates clearly and credibly in writing and in person, including in representative or high‑stakes settings.
• Uses judgement to balance opportunity, reputation, income generation, and mission alignment.
• Works collaboratively across functions and supports shared ownership of organisational goals.
• Understands the importance of evidence‑based storytelling, safeguarding, inclusion, and values‑led leadership in external engagement practice.

Languages

• Fluency in English is required for this role.
• Additional languages may be useful depending on stakeholder groups and organisational context, for example Arabic, Dari, French, Spanish, or Ukrainian.