Government & Parliamentary Lead
Permanent. Full Time. Hybrid Working (2 days per week in the office)
Location: London
Salary: £57,977 per annum
About us
Christian Aid exists to create a world where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty. We are a global movement of people, churches and local organisations who passionately champion dignity, equality and justice worldwide. We are the changemakers, the peacemakers, the mighty of heart.
We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, and recognise the value this brings in forming strong, creative and high performing teams. We welcome applications from all sections of the community, and from those with experience from outside of the voluntary sector. And no, you don’t have to be Christian to work here – we encourage people of all faiths and none to apply. We just ask that everyone lives out our values of dignity, equality, justice and love. We value a good work-life balance, so we’re open to part-time and flexible working. We also offer hybrid working for our office-based colleagues.
About the role
Reporting in to the UK Influencing Lead, the Government & Parliamentary Lead supports the management of Christian Aid’s government influencing and UK specific public policy development and delivery in line with policy, advocacy and campaigns strategies that maximises impact.
The post-holder will lead on the government and parliamentary aspects of the UK influencing strategy, and will ensure Christian Aid is engaged and develops and delivers excellent briefings on critical and current development issues in the UK.
The role will line manage the Parliamentary and Influencing Advisor, and matrix manage the Crisis Policy and Influencing Advisor.
Some of the main responsibilities of the Government & Parliamentary Lead includes:
- Cultivates and maintains influential relationships with influencers across Westminster, Whitehall, the Church, the private sector and the wider civil society sector, to maintain the organisation’s political and wider advocacy profile in the UK, to enable high-impact initiatives to maximise our impact.
- Leads the development and delivery of UK public policy, in collaboration with relevant policy leads, to deliver high quality internal and external briefing papers and analysis.
- Collaborate with others and communicate political influencing strategies and tactics, to ensure that our influencing work has political traction to maximise impact.
- Collaborates with the Faith influencing and Civil Society Lead and Campaigns Lead to ensure our overarching engagement and campaigns strategies have political impact and influence change in the UK, as well as with wider audiences such as the INGO sector, the private sector and the Church ensuring alignment with organisational values and goals.
- Jointly with the Faith influencing and Civil Society Lead Civil Society Lead supervises and allocates work to Influencing and Engagement Advisor
About you
Who we are looking for:
Essential:
- Degree level qualification in a relevant field.
- Substantial experience of working in public affairs, policy and or advocacy.
- Substantial experience of working in an NGO, public policy, government or the private sector.
- Substantial experience of working with stakeholders including, government, or the private sector.
- Significant experience in effective lobbying of decision making, including at highest levels of government.
- Detailed understanding of UK’s foreign policies and impact on international spaces.
- Detailed understanding of the development sector and a strong working knowledge of the policy areas that Christian Aid has
prioritised. - Understanding of civic space and faith networks, their policy positions and dynamic.
- Significant experience of high-quality political relationship management.
- Significant experience of public speaking.
- Highly developed skills in strategic planning, people management and project management.
- Detailed understanding of Westminster and Whitehall, and how to influence policy making and decision making in government
and parliament. - Developed ability to understand, analyse and interpret complex policy and advocacy policies and strategies.
Further information
At Christian Aid we strive to be an inclusive and diverse employer and recognise the value that this brings in helping to build strong, creative and high performing teams.
We are actively encouraging racialised minorities, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, returning parents or carers who are re-entering work after a career break, people with caring responsibilities, people from low socioeconomic backgrounds, women, and older workers to apply. This is because these groups are under-represented within our teams, especially at senior level, and we recognise and value the contributions members of these groups make to strong, creative and high performing teams.
We have a strong Christian ethos and we encourage applications from all faiths. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of and sympathy with Christian Aid’s faith identity.
All successful candidates will require a DBS/police check appropriate to the role and location and a Counter Terrorism Sanction check as part of your clearance for commencing your role with us. We also participate in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information as part of the referencing process from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.
This role requires applicants to have the right to live and work in the country where this position is based and undertake the role that you have been offered. If you are successful and we make you an offer for the role, we will be required to conduct a right to work check on your immigration status in the UK. We will contact you regarding the documentation you will need to provide to evidence this.
Registered Charity 
501 - 1000
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Location: London Hybrid (1-2 days per week in London office)
Interview date: w/c 19th January 2026
Change lives in a life-changing career
When a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer, their whole world can feel like it’s falling apart. Independence is taken and confidence is stolen. Stability no longer exists. The future suddenly feels uncertain.
The impact of cancer on young lives is more than medical. And that impact can be felt by entire family. That’s why we exist. Our specialist social workers help children and young people with cancer and their families navigate the emotional and practical impact of cancer.
We remove barriers, solve problems and prioritise wellbeing. And we stop at nothing to make their voices heard and their unique needs understood, so they can get the right care and support at the right time
About the role
We are excited to be looking for someone with expertise in high value fundraising communications and project management to join our growing Philanthropy and Partnerships team. This role is central to ensuring our fundraisers are equipped with the tools, assets, and information they need to fundraise efficiently and effectively through every step of the donor journey
This exciting role will play key part in helping to drive our ambitious plans to grow Young Lives vs Cancer’s high value (for us, this means income from major donors, grant-making trusts & foundations, and companies) income to £8m net by 2028.
In this role, you will work on a variety of projects from concept stage through to delivery that will help create a step change in the pace and scale at which the team can attract, engage, secure and retain support from high value audiences.
You will also lead on the delivery of an exceptional high-value stewardship and cultivation strategy, ensuring every supporter experiences a personalised, impactful journey. This includes developing innovative engagement opportunities, showcasing the tangible difference their support makes, and building deep, trust-based relationships that inspire long-term commitment. You will champion best-in-class stewardship practices, leveraging insight and creativity to strengthen connections and unlock transformational giving.
This role is ideal for a curious, creative and collaborative individual who is committed to delivering exceptional supporter experiences. If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.
What will I be doing?
No two days are the same at Young Lives vs Cancer. So, summarising your ‘day to day’ isn’t easy. Here are some of the main things you’ll be doing, but you’ll find more details in the job description.
Main responsibilities
- Create and maintain a suite of clear and compelling written and designed communications including funding propositions, toolkits and cases for support to secure six and seven figure gifts from high value audiences.
- Coordinate stewardship moments across Philanthropy and Partnerships aligned to key calendar events throughout the year.
- Being responsible for development and overseeing an exciting stewardship and cultivation strategy and action plan for newly identified and top prospects, designed to support the delivery of targets and KPIs around high value fundraising development and income growth.
- Support the development of a culture of philanthropy across the organisation by helping colleagues understand and engage with high-value fundraising. This includes keeping internal teams informed about donor impact, sharing updates through meetings and internal channels, and responding promptly to requests for information. You will help coordinate materials, prepare briefings, and assist with internal events that showcase the importance of philanthropy, ensuring everyone feels connected to and invested in our fundraising success.
- Ensure accurate and timely updating of donor stewardship activities and communications in the fundraising CRM, supporting effective donor journey tracking and reporting.
What do I need?
Diverse perspectives and unique skillsets are at the heart of Young Lives vs Cancer. If you're passionate about making a positive impact and eager to learn, we encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet the criteria and person specification fully. Your potential is what matters most to us, and we’re committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment to help you develop.
Knowledge and skills
- Strong understanding of visual design principles and highly skilled in using Canva and other similar programme to design and create engaging fundraising assets.
- Knowledge of philanthropy & partnerships fundraising including an understanding of the different high value audiences and typical motivations for giving.
- Outstanding writing skills e.g. copy writing, proofreading and editing with the ability to adapt messaging for different high value audiences.
- Strong planning and organisational skills; able to work with tight deadlines.
Demonstrable experience of:
- Writing winning bids, applications, proposals or reports for at least one of our high value audiences e.g. companies, trusts and foundations, or high net worth individuals.
- End-to-end project management.
- Developing and managing relationships with multiple internal stakeholders to deliver results.
- Experience working with fundraising CRMs, with a strong understanding of how to record, track and report on donor interactions and stewardship activities.
What will I gain?
For people to reach their full potential, they need the right environment. As a member of Team Young Lives, you’ll be made to feel supported, valued and appreciated. Here’s how we do it:
- Flexible working: we’re open to working hours outside of 9 - 5 and we can talk through your flexibility requirements at interview stage
- Wellbeing, Thinking & Growth Days: four days a year to to step back from the day-to-day and focus on your own learning and development
- Generous annual leave allowance
- Great family/caring leave entitlements
- Enhanced pension
- Access to our employee savings scheme
To find out more about our benefits package, have a look on our website.
Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
At Young Lives vs Cancer, we recognise that opportunities for too many people remain a condition of their sex, ethnicity, class, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation – or a combination. This has never been acceptable to us as an organisation. We don’t just accept difference, we value it, celebrate it, nurture it and we thrive because of it.
We’re on a journey to be reflective of the diverse children, young people and families we support. We know we aren’t there yet, and we’re passionately committed to taking actions and making changes to be a truly diverse, inclusive and equitable organisation. This includes taking anti-oppressive action and removing barriers in our recruitment practices. We particularly welcome applications from members of minoritised communities. Our Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging strategy will tell you more.
We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. CVs can be uploaded, but we won't be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to fully complete the work history sections of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly and objectively.
Accessibility
We’re committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we’ll always aim to be as accommodating as possible.Please let us know in your application form of any adjustments or access requirements we could make to help you with the application process and interview.
To arrange an informal chat, please contact Liam Mills.
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