Head of Advocacy & Evidencing at Help Age International

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership and Advocacy
• Lead the development and implementation of a cohesive global advocacy and evidencing strategy, aligned with HelpAge’s impact areas and co-created with network members.
• Monitor and respond to global and regional policy trends, identifying strategic opportunities for engagement and influence.
• Champion inclusive, partner-led advocacy approaches that centre the voices and leadership of older people and civil society actors.
• Collaborate with the Fundraising Director and supporting members to align donor advocacy efforts with organisational priorities and global influencing strategies.
• Support senior leadership and the Board with external engagement and positioning.
• Evidence and Research
• Develop and oversee a coherent, ethical, and inclusive research agenda that strengthens the evidence base for HelpAge’s advocacy and programming.
• Foster partnerships with academic institutions, think tanks, and research bodies to co-produce and validate robust, policy-influencing evidence.
• Ensure that research outputs are accessible, actionable, and designed for strategic influence at global and national levels.
• Capacity Strengthening and Network Engagement
• Lead on advocacy capacity strengthening of HelpAge network members and older people through mentoring, training, and tailored support.
• Promote knowledge exchange and peer learning across the network, ensuring inclusive participation in advocacy platforms and decision-making spaces.
• Collaborate with regional colleagues to support the development and implementation of national and regional advocacy strategies led by network members.
• Team and Resource Management
• Lead, manage, and coach a multidisciplinary team of advocacy advisors, ensuring high performance and alignment with organisational goals. These are hybrid roles, with approximately 50% of their time dedicated to global advocacy and the remaining 50% focused on technical support to members and contribution to programme development.
• Manage advocacy and research budgets effectively, ensuring compliance with donor requirements and strategic resource allocation.
• Cross-Organisational Collaboration
• Work closely with Programme Support, Network, MEAL, Fundraising, and Communications teams to embed evidence and influencing in all areas of work.
• Coordinate joint advocacy and research initiatives that connect policy engagement with programme delivery and impact measurement.
• Represent HelpAge in key coalitions, alliances, and forums to promote the organisation’s priorities and strengthen external visibility.
• Oversee a globally connected and coherent portfolio of evidence generation, policy analysis, and advocacy initiatives across key impact areas (e.g., rights, health, humanitarian inclusion, social protection) —drawing on the network as a central source of evidence and insight.

Skills and experience required

Essential

• Proven strategic leadership in global advocacy, policy influencing, and research within the international development, humanitarian, or human rights sectors.
• Strong leadership, planning, and performance management skills, with a track record of delivering results through high-performing, diverse, and remote multidisciplinary teams.
• Deep understanding and practical application of rights-based, inclusive, and intersectional approaches—especially relating to age, gender, disability, and displacement.
• Demonstrated success in designing and implementing partner-led advocacy strategies that centre lived experience and community priorities.
• Experience influencing policy at national, regional, and international levels through coalition-building, stakeholder engagement, and strategic relationship management.
• Proven ability to translate evidence and lived experience into compelling advocacy and policy outputs (e.g., briefs, reports, toolkits) that drive systemic change.
• Strong analytical and research skills, with experience designing or overseeing ethical, participatory, and impact-oriented research.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain high-impact partnerships with academic institutions, think tanks, and policy platforms.
• Experience working with and supporting civil society, networks, or grassroots movements, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
• In-depth understanding of global and regional policy environments, donor landscapes, and influencing mechanisms.
• Skilled in budget oversight and resource management, including accountability in donor-funded initiatives.
• Ability to monitor advocacy impact, policy trends, and funding landscapes, and to adapt strategies accordingly.
• Well-connected within international advocacy, policy, and media networks.
• Strong skills in capacity strengthening, mentoring, and supporting diverse stakeholders, including network members and communities.
• Lived experience of the Global South or extensive professional experience working in Global South contexts is essential.

Education and Qualifications

• Degree in international development, public policy, human rights, social sciences, or a related field (or equivalent professional experience).
• A postgraduate qualification is an asset but not essential where practical experience is strong.