Global Policy and Advocacy Advisor

Save the Children; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible schedules

Health care

Family leave and benefits

Retirement plan

Wellness days

Employee Assistance Program

Learning & Growth opportunities

Job summary

Save the Children in Washington, DC is seeking a Global Policy and Advocacy Advisor to support the organisation’s global policy and advocacy agenda. The role involves policy analysis, stakeholder mapping, and developing influencing strategies to strengthen policy coherence across priority issues.

The position requires coordinating with government, multilateral, and civil society actors, and providing governance support to global advocacy groups.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in policy development, advocacy, or public affairs within an international NGO or similar environment.
• Strong understanding of global policy processes and international institutions affecting children.
• Ability to synthesize complex information and produce clear, evidence-based recommendations for senior decision-makers.
• Experience designing advocacy and influencing strategies, including stakeholder mapping and power analysis.
• Ability to engage with governments, multilateral organizations, civil society, and other external stakeholders.
• Proven coordination across teams in complex, matrixed organisations.

Responsibilities

• Assist global policy development and coherence by drafting policy papers and briefing notes.
• Contribute to strategic influencing plans for high-priority global issues and contexts.
• Coordinate across global, regional, and country office advocacy initiatives for coherence.
• Monitor emerging global political and humanitarian trends affecting children.
• Support monitoring, evaluation, learning and promotion of advocacy work.
• Provide administrative support to global advocacy governance structures and meetings.

Skills

Policy development

Advocacy

Global policy

Stakeholder mapping

Geopolitical analysis

Governance coordination

Research & writing

Interpersonal skills

Project management

Communication

Job description

Hybrid-Washington, DC
899 N Capitol St NE
Washington, DC 20002, USA

• Hybrid
• Government Relations
• Full-Time
• Requisition #: GLOBA008549

Description

Build Your Future, Brighten Theirs

At Save the Children, you’ll join a century‑long legacy of leading meaningful impact when it matters most. We empower you to innovate, collaborate and grow alongside people who share your commitment to kids and each other. You bring the drive – and together, we’ll build a better world for children.

The Role

The Global Policy and Advocacy Advisor will support Save the Children’s global policy, advocacy, and strategic influencing agenda across priority global issues and contexts. The role will help identify emerging policy issues, strengthen policy coherence, develop influencing strategies, and ensure movement‑wide alignment on advocacy priorities. The postholder will contribute to policy analysis, stakeholder and power mapping, advocacy coordination, and the development of strategic policy products, while also providing governance and coordination support to global advocacy governance groups, including with communications, monitoring and evaluation, and other support as required.

The Team

This is a high profile, externally facing team, with responsibility for the global influencing agenda, which will actively engage in global politically linked engagements on development, humanitarian and global issues. This team will coordinate and lead the development of a proactive global policy and advocacy agenda to unify and amplify our strategic voice and influence across all thematic areas and contexts, while ensuring consistent and coherent external representation. By fostering collaboration within the organisation and engaging effectively with international bodies and influencing spaces including UN, Gulf and African Union, we aim to establish Save The Children as a key partner in shaping international norms and influencing national policies. Our work supports and enhances the movement’s local to global advocacy efforts, ensuring our message and tactics are consistently applied, and our high‑level external engagements reflect a unified stance.

Location: Hybrid - Washington DC office location

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

*not inclusive of all role responsibilities. May be subject to change

• Global Policy Development: Support global policy development and coherence by drafting policy papers, briefing notes, position papers, executive briefings, and advocacy products on global issues and contexts.
• Strategic Influencing and Advocacy: Support the design and implementation of strategic influencing plans for high priority global issues and contexts with strong analysis, evidence base, clear opportunities for engagement with governments, multilateral institutions, coalitions, and other influential actors.
• Coordination and Alignment: Support influencing coordination to ensure coherence and alignment across global, regional, member, and country office advocacy initiatives.
• Research: Monitor emerging global political, humanitarian, development, economic, and geopolitical trends affecting children.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Support the establishment of monitoring, evaluation, learning and promotion of our humanitarian advocacy work to ensure learning, best practices and engagement with internal and external stakeholders.
• Administrative and Planning Support: Provide strategic planning and core administrative support to Save the Children global advocacy governanc structures and other leadership sub-group including setting up monthly calls, ensuring participation, drafting agendas, taking minutes, developing an action tracker and coordinating an annual face‑to‑face meeting

Required qualifications for the role

• Significant experience in policy development, advocacy, strategic influencing, or public affairs within an international NGO, multilateral organisation, government institution, think tank, or similar environment.
• Strong understanding of global policy processes, international institutions, and the political, economic, and geopolitical dynamics that shape outcomes for children.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct policy analysis, synthesise complex information, and produce clear, evidence‑based recommendations for senior decision‑makers.
• Experience supporting the design and implementation of advocacy and influencing strategies, including stakeholder mapping, power analysis, and political economy analysis.
• Strong understanding of how policy and political change occurs at the global level, with experience supporting engagement with governments, multilateral organisations, civil society, and other external stakeholders.
• Proven ability to coordinate across multiple teams and functions, build consensus, and foster collaboration within complex, matrixed organisations.
• Excellent research, analytical, and written communication skills, with experience producing high‑quality policy briefs, reports, executive briefings, talking points, and other influencing products.
• Strong interpersonal, presentation, and facilitation skills, with the ability to communicate complex issues clearly and build effective relationships across diverse cultures and stakeholders.
• Excellent organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously, coordinate competing workstreams, and deliver high‑quality outputs under pressure.
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate emerging policy developments, identify strategic risks and opportunities, and translate them into practical influencing priorities and recommendations.

Preferred qualifications for the role

• Experience working on large global contexts, including the occupied Palestinian territory, Sudan, or Ukraine, or others.
• Additional language of French, Spanish or Arabic preferred

Join a Culture of Collaboration, Creativity and Inclusion

At Save the Children, you’ll find nonprofit jobs with purpose. Whether you’re working in advocacy, fundraising or operations, you’re part of a mission‑driven organization that’s giving kids a healthy start in life, opportunities to learn and protection from harm.

Every role supports lifesaving humanitarian and development programs anchored in safeguarding children's rights, dignity and well‑being – across the U.S. and around the world.

We invest in our people with competitive compensation, comprehensive employee benefits, a deep commitment to employee health and wellness, generous paid family leave and an inclusive culture where everybody belongs.

• Flexible schedules and time off:Flexible schedules, generous PTO, 11 paid holidays plus 2 floating holidays and hybrid working opportunities
• Health:Competitive health care, dental and vision coverage for you and your family
• Family:A variety of paid leaves: caregiver, parental/adoption, critical child illness and fertility benefits
• Employee Rewards Program:Annual merit increases and/or additional incentives for eligible employees
• Retirement:A retirement savings plan with employer contributions (after one year)
• Wellness:15 safety and wellness days annually (if hired on or after July 1, safety and wellness days prorated to 8 days), mental health benefits and support through Calm and company‑hosted events
• Employee Assistance Program: free and confidential assessments, short‑term counseling, referrals, and follow‑up services
• Learning & Growth:Access to internal and external learning & development opportunities and mentorships

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
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