Senior global external affairs manager jobs

Our Finance team is growing and we are looking to hire a Finance Officer in our London office.

This is an opportunity for an ambitious finance professional who is actively studying towards or completed an ACA, ACCA, or CIMA qualification, with study support provided alongside hands-on experience. The role sits within our Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) team, where you will support the production of monthly management accounts, partner with budget holders, and provide valuable financial insight across our Business Services and External Affairs departments.

Important dates to note: Applications close on 6 August 2026. If your profile passes initial screening, you will be requested to submit additional information in the form of three additional questions. The deadline to have your responses to these questions submitted is 10 August 2026 for your application to be fully considered. Please also remember to check our recruitment process section at the bottom of the advert to get acquainted with our recruitment process for this role.

Key Responsibilities

• Running monthly management accounts in our financial planning software– Workday Adaptive, on a timely basis under guidance of Finance Business Partner Manager
• Ensure accurate coding of transactions, respond to queries and provide guidance to budget holders in line with our financial policies and procedures. 
• Support, as appropriate, with annual budget setting, entity budgets and monthly forecasting. 

See the job description for a full list of duties for this role.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• Experience of working with Access Dimensions or other similar accounting packages
• Actively studying for ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualification. Study support provided
• Experience of managing deadlines through a financial month end process
• Knowledge of Microsoft packages including MS Excel

See the job description for a full list of requirements for this role.

Job Benefits

Flexible working:  We are proud to be a Flexa accredited Employer. Visit our Flexa Employer page for more information on our approach to flexible working. Our flexible working policy allows our people the choice to decide to work from home/another location in the country where their contract of employment is issued for 80% of their month, with the other 20% of their month being office-based. See our benefits page for more: Benefits | ClientEarth Careers as well as our flexible working FAQ.
 

ClientEarth values diversity and inclusion and the benefits this brings. We aim to appoint the most suitable candidate at all times and welcome applications from people from all different backgrounds. See our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at ClientEarth | ClientEarth journey page for more.

Please note that ClientEarth is only able to employ those who have the pre-existing legal right to work in the UK.
 

ClientEarth is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or legal services to third parties.

Salary: £62,415 - £64,058 (if UK based) / Competitive Birches rated salary for the
local market if based outside of the UK
Location - London, United Kingdom or the following Start Network countries of operation: DRC · Pakistan · India · Somalia · · South Sudan · Philippines · Kenya · Bangladesh
Team - Communications
Line Manager - Director of Impact and Change
Line Reports - Manage the Communications team, including line management of, Communications Manager and Digital Communications Manager.
Hours - 35 hours per week
Contract - Permanent

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Head of Communications is a senior role responsible for shaping and delivering Start Network’s communications strategy—externally and internally—to strengthen organisational influence, impact and coherence across all audiences. The role provides leadership to a global hybrid and remote working communications team, including direct line management responsibilities.

The role is responsible for ensuring an integrated, audience-led approach to communications that effectively engages key stakeholders and advances organisational priorities. The role will also oversee the delivery of key publications and act as our brand champion, ensuring that our outputs, messaging and communications are consistently on-brand, clear, compelling and aligned with our values and strategic objectives.

As part of the Impact and Change Directorate, the role will work with colleagues across Policy, Advocacy and External Affairs, Evidence and Learning, and Systems Innovation and Change in positioning Start Network as a leading agent of change, translating evidence and learning into compelling communications that influence policy, practice and funding across the humanitarian system.

The role plays a critical part in strengthening Start Network’s profile, influence and thought leadership across the global humanitarian system.

WHAT IS START NETWORK?

Our purpose is to be a catalyst for system-level change that improves the efficiency, effectiveness and ethics of humanitarian action. We do this by working as a network to develop, test & spread new ways of collaborating and resourcing locally-led crisis response and anticipation.

Our current membership is made up of nearly 145 local, national and international NGOs based all around the world. We also support 10 national and regional hubs made up of civil society organisations and NGOs as our vehicle for devolving power, resources and accountability.

OUR VALUES

WE PUT PEOPLE FIRST: Communities come first in our decision-making and programming.

WE ARE BRAVE: We have great ambition and are willing to explore new things and take risks to achieve it

WE OPERATE COLLECTIVELY: We leverage the value of working as a network, sharing risk and resources, and learning together.

WE ARE INCLUSIVE: We see the value in diverse perspectives and work to remove the barriers that prevent voices from being heard.

WE ARE OPEN: We work transparently and with integrity, building mutual trust in all levels of our work, from governance to programming.

WE ARE ETHICAL: We behave and operate based on key principles of anti-racism, non-discrimination, and anti-colonialism. This is a work in progress.

OUR OFFER TO YOU

• Being a part of a network involved in bringing change to the humanitarian sector.
• Hybrid working with options to work from home and remotely to support your work/life balance
• Employee Assistance Programme through Smart Health (depends on the country based)
• Family friendly policies, e.g., flexible working, maternity policy, parental leave and more!
• 25 days’ holiday (if UK based) plus 2 company days over the End of Year period for all staff (depends on the country based)

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

Our roles are open to discussion about flexible working. For part-time working and job-shares, please get in touch with us before putting in an application.

Start Network is committed to protecting people, particularly children, at-risk adults and affected populations from any harm. We are also committed to safeguarding staff from any forms of bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and abuse of power as outlined in the Dignity at Work policy. Start Network embraces diversity, promotes equality of opportunity and eliminates unlawful discrimination. We are an equal opportunities employer and treat every application on merit alone. We particularly encourage applications from disabled, BAME, LGBTQ+ and non-binary candidates. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet our essential selection criteria set out in the Person Profile.

APPLICATION

Please contact the People and Culture Team if you have any questions or need support with your application. 

We use Recruitment+ IRIS Cascade as our online recruitment platform. Recruitment+ IRIS Cascade allows you to demonstrate your skills and abilities through blind-review by our team to reduce bias.

 Closing date: 26th July 2026

Date for 1st Interview: 18th August (Subject to change)

Date for 2nd Interview: 25th August (Subject to change)

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications and we may review candidates on an ongoing basis, so please apply early where possible to avoid disappointment.

Any offer of employment will be conditional subject to relevant checks. Please refer to our privacy candidate privacy notice regarding treatment of your data. Start Network also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. The core of the scheme is that participating organisations share information about safeguarding-related misconduct (i.e., sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment) that a candidate has been found to have committed during employment, or incidents under investigation when the candidate left employment. For more information regarding this scheme, please visit their website.

The Company

Start Network is made up of more than 90 non-governmental organisations across five continents, ranging from large international organisations to local and national NGOs. Our programmes allow members to deliver humanitarian action around the world.

Our mission is to create a new era of humanitarian action that will save even more lives. We aren’t driven by media headlines or political will, we’re here for the communities affected by and at risk of crises.

We are an organisation committed to doing things differently. For some roles, we need more technical humanitarian expertise, but for other roles, we are looking for relevant transferable skills, the right attitude, and a passion to bring change.

We are looking for an experienced and strategic Business Development Lead to join us on a 10-month maternity cover contract, leading critical fundraising and partnership development efforts that support our global mission. At ClientEarth, we use the power of the law to protect life on Earth.

You will work closely with ClientEarth’s global programme and leadership teams to contribute to organisation-wide fundraising strategy, oversee effective fundraising processes, cultivate new relationships, oversee the development of winning proposals, and ensure a growing and diverse funder base for ClientEarth.

Important dates to Note: Applications close on 30 July 2026 and if you are requested to submit additional information, the deadline to have this submitted is the 3rd of August for your application to be fully considered. Please also remember to check our recruitment process section at the bottom of the advert to get acquainted with our recruitment process for this role.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement fundraising strategies that reflect the medium-long term growth and sustainability needs of ClientEarth
• Develop new funding opportunities that are aligned with ClientEarth’s strategic programmatic priorities and budgetary needs
• Cultivate new and existing funding contacts to nurture and build a portfolio of relationships, representing ClientEarth at high level events and meetings
• Make strategic decisions within the Business Development team’s remit, develop annual and quarterly plans, feed into strategy meetings, and present updates as required

See the job description for a full list of duties for this role.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• Significant experience of working in a fundraising or business development role
• Demonstrable experience of building high-value pipelines, cultivating relationships with prospects and securing six and seven-figure multi-year grants
• Strong knowledge of foundation, institutional and statutory income streams and financial processes
• Knowledge of and/or interest in environmental issues such as climate change, biodiversity, air pollution

See the job description for a full list of duties for this role.

Job Benefits

Flexible working:  We are proud to be a Flexa accredited Employer. Visit our Flexa Employer page for more information on our approach to flexible working. Our flexible working policy allows our people the choice to decide to work from home/another location in the country where their contract of employment is issued for 80% of their month, with the other 20% of their month being office-based. See our benefits page for more: Benefits | ClientEarth Careers as well as our flexible working FAQ.
 

ClientEarth values diversity and inclusion and the benefits this brings. We aim to appoint the most suitable candidate at all times and welcome applications from people from all different backgrounds. See our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at ClientEarth | ClientEarth journey page for more.

Please note that ClientEarth is only able to employ those who have the pre-existing legal right to work in the UK.
 

ClientEarth is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or legal services to third parties.

The Advocacy Director holds primary responsibility for delivering ECC’s advocacy strategy internationally and within the UK. This strategy aims to ensure states’ legal obligations on casualty recording are recognised and upheld globally, and that casualty data is used effectively to shape policy responses to conflict.

ECC’s advocacy work is focused primarily within the human rights and humanitarian multilateral fora in Geneva, but also incorporates work with New York-based UN targets within the security field. In parallel, as a UK-based organisation, we seek to influence domestic decision-makers including those within the FCDO, MoD, and parliament.

The Advocacy Director will be ECC's most senior external face after the Executive Director. As a key figure within a small organisation, the Advocacy Director will lead advocacy activity directly, building and stewarding relationships with state delegations, UK parliamentarians, UN officials, and civil society partners. The role requires exceptional political judgment, fluency across both multilateral and Westminster environments, and the credibility to represent ECC at the most senior national and international levels.

Note: This role is being advertised at the same time as the Executive Director role, as both functions were previously filled by the same person. Candidates can apply for the Advocacy Director role alone, or apply for both roles to combine as a full-time position. Please see full details in the Executive Director job description and advert.

Why this role matters
Good ideas, strong evidence and inspiring stories only create change if the right people understand and act on them. This role exists to ensure that the case for physical activity reaches the right people, in the right way, at the right time, and that it moves them to act. You’ll develop compelling narratives grounded in insight, evidence, and behavioural science, helping partners across the system create greater impact and supporting Yorkshire  Sport Foundation in leading and influencing far beyond its own boundaries.

Responsibilities
Strategic comms leadership
• Develop and lead a long-term strategic marketing andcommunications approach aligned to our Active Partnership role
and Sport England priorities
• Use behavioural science, audience insight and evidence to shapehow the system understands physical activity and inequality
• Identify the beliefs, motivations and barriers of key audiences anddesign communications that influence action
• Ensure all communications activities support YSF to influencestrategic stakeholders
• Advise the organisation on how messaging can support policy, investment and system change
• Develop Yorkshire Sport Foundation’s reputation as a trusted strategic voice

Influence & stakeholder engagement
• Shape communications that influence policy, investment and practice across local authorities, health and education systems
• Support senior leaders to land key messages with senior stakeholders
• Equip partners with messaging that helps them to demonstrate and amplify the impact they make
• Translate complex insight and evaluation into clear narratives and messages
Insight-led communications
• Embed audience insight and behavioural science into messaging
• Combine data, evaluation and lived experience to demonstrate impact whilst ensuring communications reflect communities
authentically
• Build a learning approach to testing, adapting and improving messaging effectiveness

Organisational leadership
• Lead and develop the strategic marketing and communications function
• Set standards for when communications activity should, and should not, happen
• Maintain humility while strengthening clarity of impact and purpose

Channels & delivery
• Plan and deliver integrated marketing and communications campaigns across digital, media, content and internal channels, ensuring activity aligns with organisational objectives and brand standards
• Produce and oversee high-quality content (copy, press materials, web, social, email and collateral) while coordinating agencies, suppliers and internal stakeholders to meet deadlines and budgets.
• Monitor performance using analytics and insight, report on outcomes and continuously optimise campaigns and messaging to improve engagement and reach.
Other
• To lead on YSF public affairs and policy work in partnership with the CEO
• Strategic comms planning with the Active Partnership National Organisation and other leading Active Partnerships ensuring consistency of messaging across England
• To support the marketing of events across Yorkshire
• To work flexibly to respond to changing organisational requirements and carry out any other duties which may arise from
time to time
• To follow policies and procedures in relation to other matters, e.g.Health and safety, safeguarding, GDPR, financial procedures, etc.

What we’re looking for
We know great candidates rarely tick every box. If you have strongskills across most of the areas below and believe you can add value, we’d love to hear from you.
• Skills in both operational and strategic marketing and communications
• Ability to influence policy, investment or organisational behaviours
• Ability to design and deliver communications strategies that change decisions
• Skills in translating evidence and insight into persuasive narratives
• Understanding of behavioural science and audience-centred communications
• Able to operate with credibility and humility in partnership environments
• Comfortable working where success means others receive recognition
• Strategic thinker who challenges activities that lack purpose
• Commitment to reducing inequalities
• Strategic narrative and messaging development skills
• Senior stakeholder influencing and facilitation skills
• Ability to simplify complex evidence and communicate in engaging ways
• Leadership and team development skills

Other
• Ability to travel independently around West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire.
• Ability and willingness to work to our organisational values

Please make sure you demonstrate your ability to meet therequirements of the job by giving clear, concise examples of how you meet each of the requirements in the What We’re Looking For section of the job description.

We recognise and welcome our responsibility to remove any barriers in our Recruitment and Selection process for disabled people. We have tried to do this, but if you have a disability and identify any barriers in the job description or employee specification, please tell us of these in your application. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments
to the job wherever possible and it would help us to know your needs to do this.