Project management jobs

Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor

Be a champion for children in UK foreign and development policy.

Join an international children’s charity working with children, their communities, and with supporters and partners, in almost 100 countries.

Position: Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor

Location: London / Hybrid 2 days a week in the office

Hours: Full time 36.5 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £40,000 - £43,000

Closing Date: 3rd April 2026. We reserve the right to interview candidates and close the ad ahead of the closing date should a strong candidate be identified.

About the Role

We are seeking an authentic advocate for children’s rights to help drive our influence with government and other stakeholders. You will develop and implement policy change strategies across a range of thematic areas, underpinning the advocacy strategy. Your expertise will shape the development of research, policy and campaign materials to be used by the charity in advocacy for children’s rights and wellbeing.

Key Responsibilities

• Help shape policy research. This will include: researching statistics; collecting data and research from other sources; supporting briefing development; and engaging with other offices and youth advocates to gather evidence and stories.
• Lead advocacy within campaigns, including in the development of campaign materials, ensuring policy agenda is accurately embedded
• Work collaboratively cross-organisation to advise on campaign activities, assets and events
• Ensure the voices of children and young people are central and well represented in policy and advocacy
• Represent with external stakeholders, including with government and civil society, and build strategic relationships in alignment with advocacy priorities
• Support senior leaders and other colleagues to engage key external stakeholders, providing briefing where required
• Monitor political and policy developments and disseminate across relevant teams

About You

We’re looking for someone with demonstrable experience influencing policy change, including through campaigning or social mobilisation, and who has a genuine commitment to promoting children’s rights, including their right to participation.

As an active Christian, this role offers you the opportunity to integrate your Christian faith and be sensitive to its various expressions across cultures and denominations. Inspired by the Christian faith, the team serve alongside children of all faiths and none through long-term development projects, emergency responses and advocacy in almost 100 countries.

Please note that you MUST have the Right to work in the UK documentation as unfortunately, this role is not sponsored, and your application cannot be considered any further without it.

Please note the organisation can only consider applicants who presently have the right to work in the UK and all candidates must be personally committed to the Christian faith and be able to respect, uphold and work within our client’s Christian mission, values, culture and faith statements. This individual will represent and speak on behalf of a Christian charity and as such the Occupational Requirement for an active Christian faith is justified under the Equality Act 2010 Schedule 9, Part 1, clause 3.

Benefits include: a flexible and supportive working culture, pension scheme (with employer contributions), generous holiday allowance, free parking (Milton Keynes office), opportunities for faith-based gatherings, prayer, and devotionals and a welcoming, purpose-driven team who are passionate about making a difference.

About the Organisation

Joining the charity means becoming part of an energetic and flexible team committed to making a positive impact in the world. As an employee, you will play a crucial role in supporting Fundraising efforts, helping to drive the mission forward. You will have the opportunity to work in an environment that values collaboration, innovation, and dedication to humanitarian causes.

Our client values diversity and aspires to reflect this in their workforce. We particularly welcome applications from under-represented sections of the community. The organisation also operates flexible working policies and practices. As a Disability committed employer we encourage qualified individuals with a disability to apply and request a reasonable adjustment if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access as a result of your disability.

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Please note this role is advertised by the recruitment agency acting for the client – Not For Profit People.

Programme Lead - Maternity Cover (London and South East)

Salary: £34,237-£36,853 depending on experience, skills and qualifications* (see below for more details on remuneration)

Contract: Temporary position linked to maternity leave cover

About Voice 21 

Voice 21 is the national oracy education charity. We exist to empower every child to use their voice for success in school and life. Our work transforms learning and life chances through talk by increasing access to a high-quality oracy education for those that need it most. Follow the links to find out more about why oracy is so vital and the impact Voice 21 has. 

Your purpose

To lead professional development and school improvement programmes facilitating the Voice 21 approach in our Voice 21 Oracy Schools by delivering our high impact learning experiences and materials for teachers and school leaders. To be part of the team, designing and reviewing programme content.

Your opportunity 

Tackle a vital challenge, with great people. Voice 21 exists to transform children' s learning and life chances through talk and we are currently working with 1100 schools.  To reach this goal we recruit great people and give them real responsibility, training and support. 

Output focused culture, with flexible working opportunities. We have an agile and flexible approach – our team can work when and wherever works best to deliver the requirements of their role. For staff working at home, we support them to create a workspace and provide technology that enables them to work effectively. 

Real development opportunities. We believe in supporting people to develop the skills they need to be excellent – whether this means funding external training, finding a mentor to support them or giving them the time to learn from others in the organisations through our regular CPD sessions. We also offer paid study leave for team members taking part in formal studies outside of work. 

Great benefits. 36 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays and Christmas closure period). Holiday entitlement increases linked to length of service, 5% employer contribution to pension, interest-free season ticket, cycle and technology loans, employee assistance scheme. 

Remuneration. Our pay is a band and spine point approach where there is up to 7 years progression available (depending on starting point) 

Your responsibilities

Quality programme delivery

• Lead high quality professional development and school improvement programmes in our Pathway programmes and Open Learning for groups of teachers. These may be delivered in person, online or in school. 

• Deliver transformative consultancy support, working with teachers and school leaders to design and implement bespoke improvement plans for their oracy provision, including through in school and online consultancy support, and one-to-one advice.

• Build credibility and purposeful relationships with programme participants, both at programme days and touchpoints, and on an on-going basis to drive impact in our schools.

• Be responsible for participant learning and experience on your programmes, upholding high standards for all elements such as preparation, adapting to participant needs, content and rigour, on-going interactions and support, and participant feedback.

Learning content & programme development

• Proactively share insights and learning from the programmes you deliver, proposing and shaping solutions to enable Voice 21 to continually improve its programme offer.

• Apply and share expertise through varied outputs such as teaching materials, online learning content, resources, written or video outputs. Proactively identify and respond to opportunities or gaps and fulfil briefs or commissions. 

• Contribute to the continual improvement of Voice 21’s programmes, through development and review cycles, based on first-hand learning from our schools, content expertise, programme insights and external research and evidence. 

Team and organisational contribution

• Act as an ambassador for Voice 21’s national oracy expertise, communicating the value and impact of our approach at conferences, events and through publications.

• Embody and communicate oracy teaching and learning expertise within the organisation, acting as a resource for the wider team and making contributions to organisational priorities, projects, campaigns and events, outputs and publications etc. 

• Continually and proactively develop your own and others’ expertise in Voice 21’s approach to a high quality oracy education, and use this to leverage impact for our schools through tangible learning outputs.

• Identify and carry out other tasks commensurate to the level and spirit of the role as required.

Your experience

• You are an excellent teacher (primary or secondary)

• You are passionate about teaching and learning, and the role of talk in learning. You have used talk to support learning in your classroom.

• You have experience leading whole-school change and inspiring teachers to embrace new approaches and ideas.

• You have a knowledge of a range of speaking and listening techniques and contexts for oracy, these could include: debate, dialogic teaching, storytelling, public speaking or communication and language development. 

• You are a strong communicator both when working in a small team and when facilitating learning for large groups of adults. 

• You are flexible, can think on your feet and can bring your own experiences to the work we do.

• You are highly-organised, look for solutions and can prioritise and manage a varied workload. 

• You are enthusiastic, willing to learn and feel you would be energised by our mission. If you do not fully meet all the above criteria, but are happy to work towards developing into the role, we would be happy to consider your application.

• You are willing to travel nationally on a frequent basis (3 days a week) during term time; this will include regular overnight stays. 

Further details 

Start date: September 1st 2026 

Terms: Temporary, linked to maternity cover and subject to successful probation review.

Contract: This is a full time post

Location: Home-based with frequent national travel, including overnight stays, to work with schools and attend meetings. Applicants must hold a valid UK driving licence and have access to a car they can use for work. 

Application details 

To apply: 

Please submit your most recent CV and a document answering the questions below:

• Tell us why you want to work at Voice 21. What is it about us and our mission that excites you? (Max. 400 words)

• Making direct reference to the job description, please tell us the three main reasons why you would make an excellent Programme Lead (Max. 400 words).

• Tell us about something you have achieved recently that you are proud of? (Max 200 words)

Please do not apply for this position if you are not based in this area of the UK

Closing date: Wednesday 22nd April

Interview date: Provisional dates for initial phone interviews week commencing Tuesday 5 May, with second round interviews on Zoom week commencing 11th May.

Questions: If you have any questions before applying for the role, please contact Catherine Pass

Valuing every voice

Voice 21 believes that every voice should be heard and valued. We are committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and do not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership.

We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join Voice 21.