Based in any UK Office (Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London or Manchester)

Do you want to be part of an organisation which stands up for children? If so, join us as a Health Advocacy and Policy Adviser.

About Us
We are Save the Children. For a century, we've stood up for children's rights and made sure their voices are heard. We stand side by side with children in the toughest places to be a child and we do whatever it takes to make sure they survive, get protection when they're in danger, and have the chance to learn. We are constantly finding new ways to reach children who need us most, no matter where they're growing up.

As Health Advocacy and Policy Adviser).  you will have the opportunity to directly impact on Save the Children's Survive Breakthrough which aims to ensure that no child dies before their fifth birthday by 2030. You will work to influence key global and national policy makers to achieve policy and system change and will focus particularly on advocating towards the UK Government to maintain its commitments to global health priorities.

This is a fantastic opportunity to own professional relationships and grow your network, getting to know the development sector and architecture, including direct work with the UK and other governments, multilateral stakeholders, civil society organisations, and children and young people.

You will be responsible for high-level advocacy and policy to ensure  adequate resources and political commitment for key global health areas including childhood immunisation, access to the COVID-19 vaccine in low and middle income countries, women and children’s health, strong primary health care systems and universal health coverage.

Child survival is a  significant prioritiy for the organisation and therefore will position the successful candidate well for future career and personal development opportunities

Key Accountabilities
In addition to the above, you will:

• Design, lead and deliver policy, advocacy, research or MEAL strategies and products, to a high standard and often with minimal supervision
• Identify policy and research needs and influencing opportunities in your thematic area, at the country level and/or internationally
• Maintain and develop high-level knowledge and expertise in your specific area and advise colleagues across the global movement, including at a senior level, as well as external stakeholders
• Develop and maintain relationships with key external stakeholders and build strong working relationships with partners and advocacy targets
• Represent the organisation externally, including in high-level meetings and events.
• work closely with colleagues in public affairs, campaigning and media to deliver integrated health advocacy strategies.

Person Profile
To be successful you will be an enthusiastic and experienced policy advocate, motivated by a desire to make children's rights a reality for all and address inequality. You will be a team worker, thriving on collaborating with others to achieve shared objectives within dynamic and agile teams. In addition, you will have:

• Expertise in the field of global health advocacy
• Excellent communication and influencing skills are essential, coupled with technical expertise in health financing and the ability to conduct policy research and write clearly and concisely for different audiences.
• A proven track record of carrying out first-class research, policy and/or advocacy
• Strong networking skills and experience of participating in coalitions and working with civil-society actors to achieve change
• Very strong written and oral communication skills
• Knowledge of human rights, international relations, political analysis and the international humanitarian system.

An ability and willingness to travel up to six weeks a year is also essential for this role.

If you share our belief in the power of children, join the fight. It takes relentless determination, creativity and a real commitment to real change. Because every child should be able to make their mark on their world and help to build a better future. We look forward to hearing from you.

Closing date: 24 May 2021

Trócaire is the official development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland and one of Ireland’s largest development organisations.  Trócaire works in partnership with church and secular organisations, supporting communities in 16 developing countries across Africa, Asia, Central America and the Middle East to bring about lasting change. Trócaire’s vision is to bring about a just and peaceful world where people’s dignity is ensured and rights are respected; basic needs are met and resources are shared equitably; people have control over their own lives and those in power act for the common good.

Trócaire is developing its capabilities and adapting its systems to position itself to bid for and meet donor requirements in relation to commercial tenders, in particular those issued by the UK’s  new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The UK and US Partnerships Advisor will be responsible for developing Trócaire’s engagement and partnerships with UK government departments, INGOs, private sector enterprises and others.  You will work closely with Trócaire’s HQ and country teams to identify opportunities and increase the UK Government grants and commercial contracts funding portfolio in line with organisational targets. The post holder will also be responsible for scoping relevant US Government funding opportunities and training and supporting country offices with accessing such funding (grants).

You will be a self-starter, comfortable working remotely with proven ability to deliver exceptional results in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.  You will have excellent strategic thinking and planning skills.  You will be an experienced networker, confident in interacting with others at all levels.  You will have a comprehensive understanding of the UK and US government funding landscape and a track record of developing successful funding proposals and partnerships across the spectrum of UK & US grants and commercial contracts.

The successful candidate will work as part of the Global Partnerships and  Funding team (GPFU) with staff based in Ireland and in each of Trócaire’s country offices overseas and will liaise closely with other Directorates including Corporate Services (Finance, Human Resources and Standards and Compliance), Internal Audit, Strategy, Programmes and Advocacy and the International Directorate management teams.

Reporting Line: this post reports to the Global Partnerships and Funding Manager, this is a Full Time Specified Purpose contract and can be based in Trócaire’s offices in Maynooth or Belfast or in London (desk space provided by a sister agency).  The post will also work closely with the Head of GPFU, UK Partnerships Advisor-Grants and the Finance Projects Manager.

Safeguarding Programme Participants

Trócaire is committed to Safeguarding people within our programmes from Exploitation and Abuse and has specific policies on this commitment (including a Global Code of Conduct) which outlines the expected behaviour and responsibility of all staff, consultants and other organisational representatives. Any candidate offered a job with Trócaire will be expected to sign Trócaire’s Safeguarding Policies and Global Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

Strategy Development, Implementation and Capacity Development

• Contribute to the ongoing development, implementation and monitoring of Trócaire’s organisational strategy on UK Government funding for development and humanitarian programmes
• Building on the work completed to-date, support work with relevant units to ensure the readiness of Trócaire systems and processes to meet the requirements of UK commercial contract  bid preparation and compliance
• Lead the assessment of Trócaire’s readiness to access and manage USAID funding (not commercial contracts) and scope grant management/compliance requirement for US Government funding streams in conjunction with the Compliance Unit.
• Lead the development of a US Government funding strategy
• Keep abreast of key strategic developments and emerging issues within the UK & US Government with regard to funding and provide regular updates on these to Trócaire management
• Develop and provide training on US Government funding
• Provide support and training on consortia working and lead the development of new tools as appropriate.

Coordination & Communication

• Ensure the timely identification and tracking of funding opportunities from the UK Government including open calls for grants and commercial contracts and US Government grant opportunities.
• Responsible for maintaining and updating Trócaire’s Funding Management Information System (Salesforce) on funding opportunities and dissemination to teams.
• Lead the development of global level/multi-country US Government grant applications with country teams as needed.

Networking, Representation and Visibility

• Develop and maintain effective relationships with UK Government, peer INGOs, private sector enterprises and others
• In coordination with the UK Government Advisor, (based in Northern Ireland)  participate in peer networking and other events in London, including BOND working groups and others as relevant
• Represent Trócaire with key stakeholders, organise events and ensure Trócaire is profiled within the UK sector;
• Develop a strategy around US networking and representation particularly with country offices.

Prepositioning, Proposal/Tender Development and Quality Assurance

• Liaise regularly with country management and GPFU staff to identify funding priorities and match them to available opportunities; work with country teams to ensure Trócaire is well-positioned to apply for funding opportunities through profiling, engagement with UK/US Government staff and consortium scoping
• Maintain familiarity with UK & US Government requirements for proposal quality and compliance and provide support to country teams to include them in proposals/tenders
• The post holder will support, and on occasion lead, the project management of contract bids/ grants as they arise and support field teams in all aspects of the bid process.
• Project Manage/Write selected funding applications/commercial tenders including travelling to country offices to provide support to applications and/or training staff and partners
• Work with the Finance Project Manager in the development of commercial proposals and advise on budgeting for US applications.
• Develop capacity statements and other marketing materials.

Other

• Travel to/support remotely field offices responding to tenders and applications to provide hands-on support as required.
• Provide regular written updates to management and other staff as required
• Attend/skype into regular meetings and trainings in Trócaire HQ and elsewhere
• Participate fully as a member of the GPFU team, contributing to joint initiatives such as the quarterly and annual funding workshops, annual work-planning and in strategic planning.
• Undertake other duties as may be assigned by the Global Partnerships and Funding Manager that are consistent with the nature of the job and its level of responsibility.

Person Specification – Essential Requirements

(E) Qualification

Third level qualification in international development, humanitarian response or other relevant area.

(E) Experience

5+ years’ experience in the area of institutional donor-oriented business development, at least 2 years of which should be in developing and implementing commercial contracts preferably in an NGO environment. Demonstrable previous experience with US Government funding mechanisms.

(E) Skills

• Good judgment, ability to think strategically, make informed decisions and implement them.

·Excellent networking, interpersonal and relationship-building skills

• Strong planning and organisational skills; ability to prioritise tasks

·Ability to write clearly for a range of audiences.  High level of English written and oral communication skills.

• Computer proficiency, especially in the use of information management systems (eg Salesforce)
• Project Management

(E) Qualities

• Confident in interacting with senior donor and peer representatives
• Ability to work as part of a global team and on own initiative
• Resilience and ability to deliver excellent results against tight deadlines
• Creativity and innovative thinking

(E) Other

• Ability and willingness to travel within Europe, USA and to Trócaire’s programme countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, sometimes at short notice
• A flexible approach
• Valid permission/eligibility to live and work in Ireland and/or the UK as relevant

Person Specification – Desirable

(D) Qualification

• Relevant qualification at Masters Level

(D) Experience

• Experience of working overseas in international development or humanitarian settings
• Experience of working in the private sector on UK government commercial tenders

(D) Skills

• Programme development and design
• Budgeting and commercial finance skills