Humanitarian advocacy advisor jobs

Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is currently looking for a highly qualified Senior Advisor for Business Development and Donor Engagement to be based in Nairobi working with our country offices across East Africa and the Great Lakes region.

ABOUT THE JOB

Responsibilities: 

The overall responsibility of the Senior Advisor for Business Development and Donor Engagement is to develop, coordinate, and lead regional processes for business development and strategic programme development and support donor engagement and the development and maintenance of strategic partnerships in the region. The role also provides business development support to country programmes within the region upon request, and coordinates with relevant global functions to ensure regional efforts are in line with organisational strategies. 

Partnership Engagement 

• Contextualize global fundraising and engagement strategies for the region and develop regional donor engagement plans to foster and maintain constructive, long-term relationships with strategic regional donors and partners. 
• Lead regional donor mapping exercises to identify strategic donors (including institutional, private sector, foundations, and non-traditional donors) and areas of programmatic priority overlap and alignment. 
• Support donor and partner engagement efforts of the EDH through preparation, intelligence, follow up, and general maintenance of strategic regional partnerships. 
• Maintain a comprehensive regional donor database to track donor engagements and coordinate donor outreach and communications throughout the region, in line with global donor databases and tracking efforts. 
• Develop campaigns, appeals, marketing materials, capacity statements, and other communications at regional level in close coordination with global colleagues, particularly relevant Advocacy and Communications colleagues. 
• Proactively monitor donor portals and track donor engagements to identify and disseminate new and strategic funding opportunities throughout the region and coordinate with relevant colleagues, and maintain a regional pipeline overview of opportunities 
• Provide expert advice to country programmes around engagement and fundraising strategies and support country programmes in the development of country engagement strategies, donor mapping exercises, and identification of funding opportunities. 

Knowledge Management And Intel 

• Maintain regional overview of donor intel to support country, regional and HQ engagement and strategy development 
• Support HQ donor focal points with trends analysis and the like to enable DRC to preposition for opportunities in a timely manner.

Strategic Programmatic Development 

• Collaborate with regional programme and support teams including the Commercial Contracts and Consortia team to align and adapt strategic programmatic priorities and regional capacity with regional donor strategies and funding opportunities. 
• Under the direction of the Head of Global Foundations and Institutional donors and in close coordination with Head of Programme Support and relevant technical colleagues lead or support country programmes in the development of new, strategic, or complex interventions for prepositioning outside of country programme capacity or resources to maintain or diversity country portfolios

ABOUT YOU

To be successful in this role we expect you to build and maintain strong, strategic relationships with diverse regional donors, ensuring alignment between donor priorities and DRC programmes. It also requires proactive gathering and analysis of donor intel to identify funding opportunities and maintain and clear pipeline. Finally, close coordination with regional, country and HQ is key to success. Moreover, we also expect the following:

Required

• A minimum of  3 years of experience at a senior level leading strategic new business development, strategic engagement, and fundraising efforts.
• Strong understanding of the humanitarian and development landscape and architecture globally and in the East Africa and Great Lakes region
• Demonstrated experience with effectively engaging, coordinating, and maintaining networks with donors, partners, and local actors.
• Demonstrated experience of building a pipeline of opportunities with a diverse number of donors – institutional, foundations and/ or private sector etc.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with an ability to identify, address and communicate the core of an issue even if very complex 
• Demonstrated experience with effectively engaging, coordinating, and maintaining networks with donors, partners, and local actors.
• Experience in working in an international, multicultural work environment, experience at country or regional level will be considered an asset
• Demonstrated knowledge of humanitarian and development programming in the East Africa and Great Lakes context.
• Political and cultural sensitivity, patience, tact, diplomacy, persistence, and a team-oriented attitude.
• Willingness to travel across East Africa and Great Lakes region, sometimes at short notice.

Desirable

• Previous experience from DRC or a similar sized displacement organisational
• Master’s degree in relevant field of study or equivalent in experience

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies: 

Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process. 

Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback. 

Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation. 

Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly. 

Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

WE OFFER

Contract length: 12 months

Band: F-1 non-management

Work location: Nairobi, Kenya

Designation of Duty Station: Unaccompanied

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for employees on national/expat contracts dependent on the selected candidate, please refer to our website for more details drc.ngo.

APPLICATION PROCESS

All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages) in English. Applications sent by email will not be considered.

Closing date for applications: 12th September 2025

For more information about the Danish Refugee Council, please visit our website drc.ngo.

Danish Refugee Council is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive and positive work environment based on mutual respect for all employees. All applicants are considered for employment regardless of personal characteristics or attributes.

Danish Refugee Council is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive and positive work environment based on mutual respect for all employees. All applicants are considered for employment regardless of personal characteristics or attributes.

About Bond

Bond is the UK network for organisations working in international development. We unite and support a diverse network of over 400 civil society organisations to help eradicate global poverty, inequality and injustice. We strengthen and champion the sector to make international development more efficient and effective. We work to influence governments and policy-makers, develop the skills of people in the sector, share expertise, and build organisational capacity and partnerships.

About the role

£45,565 FT fixed 10 months, with possible extension depending on funding

Main purpose of the job

A fantastic opportunity has emerged to join Bond’s communications team, as its new Media Adviser.

This position will add capacity to Bond’s media function to help build Bond’s media presence, support the delivery of Bond’s strategy and support the sector in championing humanitarian assistance and development that works to help those who need it the most. This post has two main purposes. Firstly, to coordinate and engage with communications and media specialists across the sector to address shared issues and achieve shared objectives together. Secondly, to maximise opportunities to achieve regular media coverage to help deliver Bond’s strategic objectives and services in appropriate sector press, in support of Bond’s strategy, positioning and reputation.

This role will work collaboratively across the organisation and the NGO sector and will help deliver a planned, strategic, consistent, and integrated approach to our media work.

Main responsibilities

Press office (30%)

• Act as prime contact for enquiries from press or other media representatives
• Identify matters on which collective action/comment from Bond and/or the wider sector may or may not be required
• Ensure consistent messaging around Bond’s media work and campaigns or sector initiatives in which Bond is engaged
• Write and sell-in collective letters, statements, opinion pieces, features, and responses to print, online and broadcast media
• Updating Bond’s press lists while developing and maintaining good relationships with key journalists in relevant media
• Record and report media coverage of Bond and parliamentary stakeholders, using Bond’s media monitoring platform to track coverage
• Use Bond’s media monitoring platform to track government announcements and parliamentary stakeholder activity
• Monitor and update the Bond team on relevant news stories and media trends
• Support the organisation of background briefings with journalists, press conferences and oversee media interviews
• Support media briefings to the chief executive and other Bond spokespeople around media interviews
• Develop and implement media, PR and messaging plans for Bond advocacy campaigns, working closely with the media and policy colleagues on messaging and strategic timing of campaigns.
• Listen to Parliamentary committee sessions for newsworthy information that Bond might want to publicly react to, such as the International Development Select Committee, where Ministers and senior civil servants are giving evidence.

Sector media work (30%)

• Represent our work externally with members, actively networking and working with other sector media staff to build and strengthen priority relationships
• Build media group to ensure it is up to date and includes organisations of all sizes and remits and accurately reflects our membership
• Update media group with Bond’s reactive media lines and share information about key government and parliamentary announcements
•  Share media coverage with Bond’s media group and Policy and Lobbying group when relevant.

Leading Bond’s media and PR work (20%)

• Ensure regular coverage of Bond’s work and services in appropriate sector media to support delivery of Bond’s organisational strategy
• Work closely with colleagues across Bond to develop and implement media and PR outputs for Bond products, services and marketing.
• Work closely with the corporate team to implement media and PR outputs for corporate partnerships and events. 
• Working with the Head of Media and Communication to develop Bond’s crisis communications plan to anticipate, prepare for and implement responses to crisis situations, or other situations where there is risk of damage to our brand and reputation.

News gathering and editorial (20%)

• Update the news section of Bond’s website to capture current stories and issue affecting the humanitarian and development sector.
• Source thought leadership blogs for distribution through various Bond channels and external media, including news stories, blogs, features and social media items
• Source opportunities to share Bond’s media coverage via Bond’s different channels including social media and in relevant Bond working groups
• Manage the editorial calendar recording key global dates and events and making the wider team aware of editorial and media opportunities around these dates.
• Provide editorial support to the team as and when necessary, including writing relevant blogs for the sector.

Other:

• To perform such other responsibilities as may be required from time to time in order to achieve the objectives of the Communications and Member Services Team and the organisation as a whole.
• This role will require regular out-of-hours working within Bond HR guidelines and will fill our 24x7 media response function.

Main contacts

Internally to Communications and Member Services Team, and works with the Policy, Advocacy and Research Team, Funding Manager and Safeguarding Manager, Bond’s members, particular media and communications professionals

Person Specification

Essential

•  Substantial experience working with the media, ideally in a media, PR, within an international NGO or as a journalist covering international development issues.
• Proven understanding of the major policy and operational issues currently influencing the work of international NGOs
• Proven network of contacts amongst influential UK print, online, broadcast and trade media.
• Excellent writing skills from press releases to op-eds to case studies and blogs.
• Clearly demonstrated ability to translate complex information into media-worthy content.
• Creativity and ability to persuasively tell and pitch stories.
• Understanding of the needs of online communications and social media.
• Proven experience of working under pressure and to tight deadlines in a busy press office.
• An initiative-taking, proactive, inspiring attitude with the ability to manage and prioritise an unpredictable workload and solve problems quickly with limited support.
• Strong influencing and networking skills with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy.
• Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Desirable

• Degree or equivalent experience in journalism or communications, or related areas.
• Experience of working for a membership organisation

Benefits

Bond offers a competitive salary and benefits package including:

• 27 Days Annual Leave + Bank Holidays, with additional staff privilege days, normally between Christmas and New Year
• 7% pension contributions (staff pay 3.5%) ​
• Flexible working hours (Hybrid working – 1 day, minimum in the office per month)
• Staff Development days
• Perk Box access
• Employee Assistance Programme
• WeCare (Health and wellbeing services, including access to 24/7 online GP services, second medical opinion, mental health support such as counselling, guidance from health professionals, burnout prevention, life event counselling, get fit programmes, nutritionist advice, etc. – for staff and immediate family)
• Interest-free season ticket loan

How to Apply

To apply submit your CV and cover letter by midnight on Sunday 14th September 2025.

In the cover letter we expect you to set out:

• Why you are interested in this role
• How you meet the role requirements
• Your understanding of equity, diversity, inclusion and why it matters in this role

Bond and Equal Opportunites

Bond values diversity and works to advance equity and inclusion. All staff have a responsibility to ensure that they are being open, accepting and respectful to all that they come into contact with within their work at Bond, regardless their protected characteristics. Acting in accordance with the EDI policy, Bond staff must contribute to our inclusive organisational culture ensuring that they are aware of and respond appropriately to micro-aggressions, racism, sexism, LQBTQ+ misconduct and disability equity. Bond Staff must not be bystanders, and must report when they witness any unacceptable behaviour.

In order to assess and ensure the continued effectiveness of Bond’s Equal Opportunities Policy, all applicants are asked to complete a short questionnaire when applying. You are not obliged to answer the questions but the more information you supply the more effectively we can monitor our equal opportunity practices. Completion of all questions is voluntary and failure to answer any question(s) will not affect your application in any way. 

The information you supply will be treated in confidence and will not be seen by any member of the selection panel responsible for the appointment. The questionnaire will be detached from your CV and cover letter, stored anonymously and used purely to provide statistics for monitoring purposes.

Privacy Note for Applicant

Our Privacy Notice for applicants can be found on application.

Subject of Employment at Bond

If successful, you must have the right to work for the duration of your contract at Bond. All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references. Bond also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information 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.