Advocacy Adviser-Food and Income Security

Location: Global

Department: Income Security

Fixed term contract: 6 months, Full-time

Grade: UK Grade E or equivalent according to location / type of contract

HelpAge and Strategy 2030 – delivering real impact for older people

HelpAge International works with partners and a diverse global network of more than 171 organizations across 90 countries, supporting millions of older people to live safe, dignified and healthy lives. Through our partnership and collaborations, we work to ensure the inclusion of older people across society and strive to deliver a just and fair world for everyone, whatever their age. Our work is driven by our desire to deliver real impact for older people, to be inclusive, to work in partnership and to learn from our shared experience.

Our 2030 strategy Ageing in a Just World sets out how we will work together to shape the future we all share. By working together we aim to help inspire a movement for change and through ensuring all our work promotes older people’s wellbeing, dignity and voice, we can transform the lives of older people now and in the future.

As part of our 2030 strategy we have a continued commitment to inclusive humanitarian action, supporting older people and their families at a time of crisis.

Key areas for impact/influence and responsibilities

These outline the broad areas of responsibility in the role, but in collaboration with your colleagues you will be able to shape and design specific activities that are relevant at any point in time. We want you to work creatively to deliver impact and respond to relevant opportunities.

As Advocacy Adviser you will lead the implementation of the HelpAge global advocacy plan on the crisis and support national advocacy work in close cooperation with global and national colleagues. You will be a core member of the HelpAge task team on the crisis. You will be part of the Income Security portfolio and work closely with its team members; you will also work collaboratively with colleagues from other technical areas such as health, humanitarian, climate, and rights, as well as communications on messaging and business development on key stakeholders.

Developing core global messages on the cost of living crisis and its impact on older people

• Develop, update and disseminate key advocacy messaging in alignment with HelpAge global priorities and positions and creating maximum space for the voices of older people.
• Provide a central advocacy helpdesk for national advocacy efforts in the 10 project countries, facilitating peer advice and feedback on advocacy strategies, providing global materials and supporting the development of key messages and identification of key stakeholders at the national level.
• Produce high-quality policy guidance and briefs and support the preparation of briefs, technical papers and research reports for dissemination or publication, working with relevant global staff and national teams.

Building strategic partnerships

• Identify and initiate strategic partnerships with an agreed portfolio of key organisations, institutions and research bodies to support influencing efforts, in coordination with relationship leads in the Business Development and Global Impact teams.
• Maintain and strengthen strategic advocacy networks and alliances.
• Actively engage with government, UN partners, donors NGOs and coalitions, and academia to promote awareness and understanding of the rights and needs of older people.

Disseminating knowledge and creating platforms for older people’s voices

• Lead the planning and preparation for key strategic global policy events and engagements, facilitating senior staff and technical lead involvement as necessary providing platforms for leaders among older people’s associations and HelpAge network members.

Organisational relationships and cross-team working

• Support the global Humanitarian Advocacy Advisor to develop and deliver global level advocacy for the inclusion of older people in policies, programmes and funding plans.
• Support HelpAge Communications Team to develop media and communications messages that incorporate key advocacy messaging.
• Support HelpAge Business Development Team to identify and develop key stakeholder relationships in the donor community to increase HelpAge’s profile and likelihood of securing timely, high quality and relevant humanitarian assistance for older people.

Let’s talk about you

You will be someone with:

• Proven abilities and experience in influencing decision-makers on policy, planning and delivery
• Understanding of global humanitarian and development policy and frameworks.
• Strong knowledge of global institutional structures and how they can be navigated to seek out strategic opportunities that produce change.
• Comfortable with complex issues with the ability to convert them into clear and actionable demands for decision-makers
• Excellent communication, representative and persuasive skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication abilities in English.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and dependably with colleagues in a way that encourages experimentation, learning and agency and develop positive relationships with dispersed terms.

Desirable:

• Strong food systems knowledge and experience.
• Knowledge and experience in humanitarian responses.

Equal Opportunities

HelpAge International is committed to creating an inclusive working environment, promoting and providing equal opportunities and respecting diversity in employment. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of their age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

Diversity & Inclusion

HelpAge International is dedicated to creating a diverse and inclusive environment for all its employees/consultants while extending the culture of inclusion into our work.

We believe that our workforce should reflect the wide diversity of the communities we serve, and that diverse voices should be elevated and intentionally integrated into our work. We embrace difference and diversity of identity, experience, and thought, and actively strive for inclusive behaviors across our organization and work regardless of gender, race, disability, age, nationality, ethnic/national origin, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, marital status, pregnancy, social status, and political beliefs.

Safeguarding

Everyone has a role in creating and sustaining a safe and respectful working environment, where no one comes to any harm or is maltreated. At HelpAge we take our responsibilities very seriously and will take action against wrongdoing. We will do everything we can to ensure that we do not engage people that pose a safeguarding risk and will undertake criminal record checks as required.