Civil Society Engagement Manager

World Animal Protection; St Leonards; Hybrid; AUD 140,000 - 152,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

7-hour workday

Birthday leave

Parental leave

Volunteer leave

Training allowance

Hybrid working

Salary packaging

Job summary

World Animal Protection is seeking a Civil Society Engagement Manager to lead and strengthen relationships with civil society organisations, grassroots movements and external stakeholders to accelerate campaign impact across priority geographies. You will build coalitions, manage a globally distributed team, and embed best practices in civil society engagement across campaigns and projects.

The role requires leadership across multiple geographies, fluency in English and Spanish, and a strong

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience managing and engaging civil society stakeholders across multiple geographies.
• Experience developing and strengthening strategic partnerships, coalitions and networks.
• Proven leadership experience with the ability to lead multicultural and multifunctional teams.
• Experience motivating and managing teams to deliver ambitious outcomes.
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder engagement skills, including experience representing an organisation externally.
• Experience identifying, developing and influencing strategic partnerships that advance campaign objectives.
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills and experience securing agreement across multiple stakeholders.
• Experience managing projects and budgets within complex programmes of work.
• Experience working across different countries and cultures, particularly in the Global South.
• Professional fluency in English and Spanish, with strong written, verbal and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Leading the coordination and delivery of civil society and grassroots engagement across priority geographies and campaign areas.
• Developing and implementing strategies that strengthen civil society engagement and contribute to campaign impact.
• Building and maintaining strategic partnerships, coalitions and alliances that support organisational priorities.
• Identifying opportunities to increase influence, relevance and collective impact through stronger stakeholder engagement.
• Providing guidance and best practice on movement building, coalition development and grassroots engagement.
• Monitoring external developments, stakeholder relationships and engagement opportunities that could influence campaign success.
• Representing World Animal Protection with civil society organisations, networks, coalitions and other external stakeholders.
• Leading, motivating and developing a team of Civil Society Engagement Leads to deliver high-quality outcomes and maximise impact.

Skills

Civil society engagement

Stakeholder relations

Partnership development

Team leadership

Influence & negotiation

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Civil Society Engagement Manager

Application Deadline: 27 October 2026

Department: Strategy and Impact

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: International - Australia

Reporting To: Head of Campaigns, Research and Advocacy

Compensation: AU$140,372 - AU$152,404 / year

Description

Join us in creating a better world for animals

At World Animal Protection, we work as one global organisation to create lasting change for animals through collaboration, partnership and collective action. We are looking for a Civil Society Engagement Manager to lead and strengthen relationships with civil society organisations, grassroots movements and key external stakeholders that can help accelerate our campaign impact across priority geographies.

This role plays a critical part in helping World Animal Protection build and sustain the relationships, coalitions and networks needed to influence change. Working closely with campaign, research, advocacy and engagement colleagues, you will identify strategic opportunities, strengthen partnerships and ensure our campaigns benefit from diverse voices, shared expertise and collective action.

You will lead a globally distributed team and help embed best practice in civil society engagement across campaigns and projects, including strengthening our ability to engage effectively with stakeholders in Latin America.

What you will be doing

• Leading the coordination and delivery of civil society and grassroots engagement across priority geographies and campaign areas.
• Developing and implementing strategies that strengthen civil society engagement and contribute to campaign impact.
• Building and maintaining strategic partnerships, coalitions and alliances that support organisational priorities.
• Identifying opportunities to increase influence, relevance and collective impact through stronger stakeholder engagement.
• Providing guidance and best practice on movement building, coalition development and grassroots engagement.
• Monitoring external developments, stakeholder relationships and engagement opportunities that could influence campaign success.
• Representing World Animal Protection with civil society organisations, networks, coalitions and other external stakeholders.
• Leading, motivating and developing a team of Civil Society Engagement Leads to deliver high-quality outcomes and maximise impact.

What we are looking for

We would love to hear from you if you bring:

• Demonstrated experience managing and engaging civil society stakeholders across multiple geographies.
• Experience developing and strengthening strategic partnerships, coalitions and networks.
• Proven leadership experience with the ability to lead multicultural and multifunctional teams.
• Experience motivating and managing teams to deliver ambitious outcomes.
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder engagement skills, including experience representing an organisation externally.
• Experience identifying, developing and influencing strategic partnerships that advance campaign objectives.
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills and experience securing agreement across multiple stakeholders.
• Experience managing projects and budgets within complex programmes of work.
• Experience working across different countries and cultures, particularly in the Global South.
• Professional fluency in English and Spanish, with strong written, verbal and presentation skills.
• A strong commitment to animal welfare and the mission and values of World Animal Protection.
• Experience working in an international NGO, matrix organisation or supporting growth and fundraising strategies would be advantageous but is not essential.

Why join World Animal Protection?

This is a unique opportunity to help shape how World Animal Protection works with civil society around the world. You will play a key role in strengthening movements, partnerships and coalition-based approaches that drive meaningful change for animals, while working alongside passionate colleagues and partners across multiple regions.

Benefits

• 7-hour workday (30 min lunch) - 35-hour week (fulltime)
• Public holiday swap options
• Birthday leave (on your birthday or make your birthday weekend a long weekend)
• Government parental leave topped up to full pay for duration of government pay plus continued superannuation payments
• 3 days per year volunteer leave
• Gifted days off between Christmas and New Year's (Global)
• Two gifted days off in July to enhance wellbeing (Global)
• Salary Packaging options through SimplyGreen
• Training allowance
• Four days study leave (for work approved courses)
• Sydney based EAP (in person or virtual counselling sessions)
• Fortnightly morning teas in the office
• Hybrid working (3 days office, 2 days home for full time) pro-rata for part time
• Option for flexible hours (start early, finish early, start late finish late, school drop off pick up navigation) or compressed work week i.e 9-day fortnight if appropriate an approved by your leader
• 17.5% annual leave loading
• Formal TOIL programme (submit TOIL for any additional hours worked greater than 1 hour in one working day)
• An increase to annual leave through length of service - One additional day of leave after each year’s service, up to a maximum of five days.
• Bereavement/Compassionate Leave (10 days)
• Disability Leave (10 days)
• Menstrual and Menopause Leave (12 days)
• Pregnancy Loss Leave (10 days)
• Fertility Treatment Leave (5 days per cycle, up to max 3 cycles)
• Companion animal bereavement Leave (2 days)
• Pawternity leave (time to settle a new companion animal) (2 days)
• Gender Aff… Medical Leave (20 days)

*With manager approval up to the amounts listed, and pro-rata for part-time employees.