Policy and Advocacy Adviser – Job Description and Person Specification

Job Title / Policy & Advocacy Adviser
Salary / From £36,227(negotiable dependent on experience)
Contract Type / Fixed term to February 2018, with possibility of extension. Full-time (35 hours per week).
Reporting to / Policy Manager
Manages / Occasional consultants
Accountability / Internally to Policy and Campaigns Team and wider Bond team; and externally to Bond’s members and the people they serve

About Bond and the role

Bond is the UK membership body for organisations working in international development. We are building on the successes of our winning team and are delivering an ambitious new plan to help transform our sector and the lives of the millions of people our members serve. This role will focus on the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) and the Brexit process with regards to development policy.

We are seeking a dynamic, creative and experienced policy and advocacy professional to play a critical role in enhancing Bond and its members’ engagement with policies and practice that impact on poor people. In this role you will be positioned at the heart of this influential sector’s efforts to shape policy on international development, at UK level and beyond, at a time of significant change in the UK’s global role. You will have solid experience of engaging with the UK Government and policy processes and an excellent understanding of international development policy. In addition, you will be comfortable with influencing at global level and familiar with international processes as the SDGs will be a focus area for this role. You will ideally have experience of relevant EU/global policy making, as this role will also include supporting Bond members in influencing EU development policy as well as navigating the development policy issues arising from Brexit. This role will be key in ensuring Bond represents the collective voice of the sector during negotiations around the UK’s departure of the EU, ensuring the principles of our Brexit Charter are observed in the coming negotiations.

You will enjoy working with a range of different people, you will be part of an ambitious policy and campaigns team at Bond where your desire to innovate and develop new approaches will be welcomed. This is the role for you if you are passionate about international development and have experience of working to influence policy; you are interested in working for and with for a wide and diverse group of organisations, building key alliances and relationships with partners to ensure that Bond’s influencing efforts are effective; and if you have experience of delivering a range of advocacy activities for stakeholders in the UK and internationally.

If bringing organisations and people together to work collectively on a policy and advocacy agenda that seeks to combat global poverty and inequality excites you, please apply now.

Please note this is a fixed term contract to February 2018, with possibility of extension.

Main purpose of the job

To deliver Bond’s strategic policy and advocacy objectives, working with members to effectively influence development policy and practice in the UK and internationally

Main responsibilities

  • Engage and work with Bond members and partners to plan and implement pro-active influencing strategies that deliver Bond’s strategic objectives, particularly on the SDGs, EU development policy and Brexit negotiations.
  • Deliver a range of influencing activities including events, commissioning and undertaking publications, drafting position papers and briefings, convening policy dialogue with policy-makers, etc.
  • Follow key influencing processes and provide briefings and updates as required to Bond members and other partners.
  • Map out key influencers that Bond should engage with on the SDGs, EU development policy and Brexit negotiations; working closely with the Public Affairs team.
  • Represent Bond and engage with a range of key external stakeholders, including officials in UK government departments (DFID, FCO, etc), European/global institutions, think tanks, academics, private sector and other key advocacy audiences.
  • Facilitate and advise Bond groups and members on their influencing strategies and activities.
  • Organise and represent Bond in meetings with a range of external stakeholders, and prepare briefings for senior Bond staff ahead of external meetings
  • Draft and communicate analysis and insight of key policy and political trends and issues for internal and external audiences.
  • Work with the wider team to delivery of Bond’s overall policy and campaigns strategy and organisational priorities.
  • Track, monitor and evaluate Bond’s influencing strategies and contribute to team planning, budgeting and annual reporting.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

  • Demonstrable experience of successfully achieving advocacy objectives and achieving policy change, in the context of a charity/NGO influencing agenda
  • Demonstrable experience of designing and delivering successful advocacy strategies
  • Experience of engaging with international development policy and decision-making processes in the UK; as well as some experience of engagement at European and/or international level
  • Strategic understanding of the political trends, opportunities and challenges in international development and of the European and international political landscape
  • Strong relationship building skills including experience of high-level outreach, engagement and influencing decision-makers
  • Strong facilitation and negotiation skills in the context of public affairs/advocacy work, with proven ability to build trust with and broker agreement between diverse players
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills (in English) including writing, editing and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate complex policy propositions to a range of audiences (external and internal)
  • Creative and entrepreneurial, with proven ability to see and develop opportunities, and to act on own initiative to set and achieve goals
  • Analytical and well organised with proven ability to plan and manage a complex programme of work
  • Flexibility and ability to respond to a fast-paced external policy and political environment, including ability to undertake reactive policy work
  • A collaborative team player with excellent interpersonal and communications skills
  • Commitment to the values and objectives of Bond and its members
  • Degree level education or equivalent
  • Ability to travel and, when required, to work outside normal office hours
  • Must have the right to live and work in the UK

Desirable

  • Good understanding of EU policy processes and institutions
  • A passion for international development, delivered through the SDGs
  • Experience of membership-based organisations such as networks and coalitions, ideally within the charity/NGO sector
  • Experience of engaging with political stakeholders
  • Experience of managing research projects, including commissioning external consultants
  • Capacity building experience
  • A post-graduate degree in international development, international economics or related subject
  • Experience of working with the media

Benefits

Bond offers a competitive salary and benefits package including:

  • Interest free season ticket loan
  • 27 days leave as standard for all employees. Additional staff privilege days, normally the period between Christmas and New Year
  • 7% pension contributions (staff pay 3.5%)
  • Flexible working hours

How to apply

Please email your CV, along with a short cover letter setting out your suitability for the role, to: for the attention of Mariana Rudge.

Deadline for applications: 18 September, 10am

Interviews: 21/09, 25/09, 28/09 or 5/10.

Due to the high level of responses, Bond can only respond to shortlisted candidates.

To be considered for this role, you must be able to provide proof of eligibility to work in the UK.

Bond welcomes applications from all sections of the community and promotes diversity.

Reg. Charity No: 1068839