Social Protection Adviser at Help Age International

Key areas for impact/influence and responsibilities

• To make an impact and influence, the role holder will: provide strategic leadership and coordination for HelpAge’s global advocacy strategy to improve coverage, adequacy and financing of social pensions globally; enable and support internal teams and network members to strengthen their technical capacity on social protection through collaborative approaches such as training, mentoring, and access to practical tools and resources; manage the Advocacy Officer and oversee development of the Pension Watch platform; coordinate the strategic generation and use of evidence related to social pensions, collaborating with network members, researchers, and allies; and facilitate shared learning, visibility, and influence for network members and older people in key social protection forums.

Below are the specific responsibilities for this role:

• Leadership role (core):
• Provide strategic leadership for the development and delivery of HelpAge’s global advocacy strategy on pensions, ensuring strong engagement of teams and network members throughout its design and implementation.
• Engage in relevant external advocacy spaces and social protection networks, using stakeholder and power-mapping to build and maintain strategic relationships with relevant UN agencies, selected member states, like-minded INGOs, and social protection experts.
• Lead the development and promotion of the Pension Watch platform and supervise the Advocacy Officer (line-management and delegation).
• Promote the meaningful participation and leadership of older people, particularly those facing discrimination and exclusion, in social protection forums.
• Represent HelpAge and its network externally, and support and enable members to take the lead in strategic advocacy spaces to amplify their voice and influence.
• Provide technical support to staff and network members to strengthen quality, rights-based programming and advocacy initiatives on social protection, through tailored guidance, training, tools, and ongoing accompaniment— working in close collaboration with Regional Network Coordinators.
• Support network member-led advocacy efforts on social pensions and social protection issues, ensuring that approaches are grounded in local contexts, shaped by network member priorities, and aligned with HelpAge’s overall approach to social protection.
• Supportive and collaborative work (strategically selective):
• Facilitate the generation, synthesis, and use of evidence on social pensions by coordinating research initiatives, managing relationships with research partners, and drawing on practice and insights from across the HelpAge network.
• Produce and contribute to high-quality advocacy outputs, including policy briefs, reports, and tools, in collaboration with internal teams and network members.
• Work with the communications team to ensure timely messaging, updates, and public statements on social protection issues, aligned with advocacy goals and external developments.
• Monitor global trends and conduct horizon scanning in the social protection space to identify emerging risks, opportunities, and areas for engagement.
• Strengthen Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) related to social protection advocacy and programming outcomes, and promote the effective use of relevant data, evidence, and learning across the organisation and its network.

Skills and experience required

Essential

• Proven specialist expertise in social protection, particularly in social pensions, with the ability to provide thought leadership, policy guidance, and technical support.
• Deep knowledge of the global social protection landscape, including key policy debates, financing, data sources, and trends.
• Substantial experience working at national and regional levels, including supporting and positioning civil society actors and national advocates.
• Strong understanding of global frameworks and institutions relevant to social protection (e.g., ILO, UN, World Bank), with a track record of representing organisations in high-level international forums.
• Demonstrated ability to lead or commission research and translate findings into effective advocacy, policy influence, and learning tools.
• Experience in advocacy strategy development, stakeholder engagement, and influencing decision-makers at the national and global level.
• Familiarity with rights-based, inclusive, and intersectional approaches to social protection, particularly relating to ageing, gender, and disability.
• Understanding of and commitment to the principles of Partner-Led Programming and Locally-Led Development.