4 Regional contracts manager volunteer roles

The Africa Health Organisation (AHO) seeks to engage in bidding and tendering to deliver health and social care services effectively.  Our goal is to ensure sustainability and positively impact the lives of more people.  We want assistance in developing an ambitious strategy.

What will you be doing?

We are excited to announce an incredible opportunity for a talented Head of Bids and tenders to join our passionate team at the Africa Health Organisation (AHO)!  Since 1999, we've been dedicated to delivering health and social care to millions across Africa and the Diaspora, and now we're ready to further elevate our impact.

This year, we're embarking on a mission to broaden our funding strategy by incorporating bid and tender submissions.  Our goal is to engage with governments in Africa and the UK, the public sector, and the public, providing essential, practical, and emotional support to those facing chronic conditions.  We need a visionary like you to help us achieve our goals.

We're seeking a dynamic, experienced Head of Bids to develop and execute a winning strategy to secure the necessary financial backing.  There are numerous exciting possibilities ahead, including central government tenders, local and statutory opportunities.  We're eager to explore them all.

In this pivotal role, you'll plan and execute our bids and tender writing efforts, ensuring that our bid proposals not only shine but also come to life in meaningful ways.  If you're a bid writer who thrives on creativity and collaboration, we want to hear from you!  Additionally, you'll have the opportunity to inspire and mentor volunteers within our bid and tender team, making a positive impact together.  Join us on this exciting journey!

Key Duties and Responsibilities will include:

• Overall responsibility for delivering high-quality, accurate, compliant and commercially sound proposals on time, to budget, with inputs from key stakeholders.
• Responsible for the coordination and management of all Bid activities, for ensuring that Bid Plans are put in place and that all internal inputs are received promptly to meet Bid submission timescales.
• Responsible for the receipt, management, control and coordination of all external and internal information and documentation with respect to the enquiry and for the team acting as custodian for Bid documents, including all approved internal documentation signed by the Organisation.
• Responsible for compliance with all internal Bid policies and procedures and for passing internal and external audits.
• Contribute to the overall Bid strategy alongside other stakeholders.
• Responsible for the overall leadership of the team and ensuring that individuals within the team are given appropriate opportunities to grow and develop, and that the team maximises performance by creating and fostering a positive, can-do attitude and outlook on an ongoing basis.
• Responsibility to ensure that improvements are identified and those agreed upon are implemented continuously to support the growth and development of the team and those within it.
• There is a need to keep good records and to create and measure metrics on bidding performance to both review performance and drive continuous improvement in a key area of the business.
• Responsible for mentoring and training Bid Managers and Bid Writers to ensure they are up to date with bid requirements and improve their competence.

What are we looking for?

Education, Skills and Experience: Requirements

Essential:

• At least three years of experience in successfully leading teams within a bid environment.
• Proven track record of improvement and achievement - processes and people
• Keen understanding of numbers, spreadsheets, VOP/invoices, rates, cash flow, milestones, negotiations, and pricing audits.
• Ability to write strong proposals and experience as an estimator
• Excellent communicator (written and verbal) with local and international customers, and with an appreciation of cultural differences
• Ability to persuade and influence others
• Ability to lead team by example, with the ability to foster and maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to work to deadlines
• Strong business/commercial acumen
• Keen attention to detail
• Commercially sound judgement
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Strong financial skills

Desirable:

• Leadership qualification (CMI or ILM)
• Experience with an integrated project management / ERP system (Enterprise Resource Planning)
• Experience in bidding roles in the Medical, Biochemistry, Biomedical, Public Services, Global Health, Humanitarian, NGOs, Public Health and Social Care industry
• MBA, Professional Qualification or formal leadership Qualification (CMI, ILM)

What difference will you make?

In this exciting role, you will lead the strategic process for winning new business through competitive bids, tenders, and proposals, ultimately elevating AHO's success. Your specialised knowledge of bids will enhance our win rates and maximise revenue by bringing clarity, quality, and coordination to what can be a complex, high-stakes journey.

Your primary mission is to boost AHO's tender win rates and strengthen our strategic advantage.  By diligently overseeing each step of the bidding process—from initial evaluation to final submission—you will significantly improve the quality and persuasion of our proposals, directly increasing our chances of securing valuable contracts.

You'll provide key insights to help AHO target the most promising opportunities by implementing a thoughtful "bid/no-bid" process.  This approach will ensure we focus only on lucrative and winnable contracts that closely align with our strategic goals, ultimately saving time and resources and allowing us to prioritise high-potential projects.

In this role, you will orchestrate a well-coordinated process that drives operational efficiency.  As the central point of contact, you will gather input from diverse internal teams—sales, finance, legal, and technical—ensuring everyone collaborates smoothly to meet critical deadlines.

As a leader, you'll elevate the quality of our bid content.  By overseeing the creation of compelling, polished materials, you'll ensure our final submissions are professional, cohesive, and error-free.  You will utilise a centralised content library containing valuable resources, such as case studies and CVs, to streamline efforts and enhance our proposals.

You will keep projects on track by developing detailed project plans and timelines, ensuring all tasks are completed on time—especially critical in the fast-paced environment of tender submissions.  Your effective management will ease colleagues' workloads, allowing the entire team to shine.

To foster long-term business growth, you'll create a wealth of knowledge around our tenders and bids. By conducting insightful post-submission debriefs and analysing feedback, you will capture invaluable lessons from both successes and setbacks.  This ongoing improvement process will enhance our bidding capabilities for future opportunities.

You also have the opportunity to enhance AHO's brand reputation by submitting well-organised, accurate, and compliant bids.  By doing so, you'll showcase our professionalism and reliability to clients, building trust and solidifying our credible standing in the market.

Strategic alignment is vital for sustaining consistent, stable business growth.  Together, we can make a remarkable impact on development.

Role overview

Trustee — Policy, Advocacy & EDI

About us: Could you help us get millions of separated children Back to Family?

Orphanages don’t protect children, they harm them. Put simply: the last thing an orphanage can provide is the first thing a child needs - someone to love them. 

Right now, 5.4 million children around the world are locked away in orphanages — even though over 80% of them are not orphans. Orphanages expose children to abuse and trafficking, and physical and psychological trauma that can last a lifetime. A century of evidence shows that the bond between a child and their family is what every child needs to grow, thrive and be safe. 

The role

As our Policy, Advocacy & EDI Trustee, you will help shape and strengthen HHC's influence on the global stage, bringing senior expertise to bear on the policy and financing decisions that determine the pace of care reform worldwide. Working closely with our Chair, CEO and senior advocacy and programmes colleagues, you will contribute to our ambitious 2030 goal by:

• Advocacy strategy — providing strategic guidance and constructive challenge to strengthen HHC's global advocacy approach, helping sharpen our positioning, messaging and campaign strategy on care reform. 
• Policy and financing influence — advising the Board and Executive on opportunities to influence the decisions of governments, regional bodies and multilateral institutions, and supporting efforts to shift public and donor financing away from orphanages and towards family-based care. 
• EDI leadership — championing equity, diversity and inclusion across Board governance, organisational culture, safeguarding, and HHC's external voice, including how we portray the children, families and communities we support. 
• Stakeholder relationships — using your personal networks and credibility to open doors with policymakers, multilateral bodies, coalition partners and international fora relevant to care reform.

Who we are looking for

You will bring senior-level experience in public policy, government relations or international advocacy, ideally connected to child protection, social welfare or human rights, and a demonstrable track record of influencing policy or financing decisions at national, regional or international level. Beyond that, we are looking for someone who brings:

• A strong, practical understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion principles and how to apply them to governance and organisational culture
• An active network among policymakers, multilateral institutions, donors or the wider international child rights community
• Experience working across cultures and in international contexts, including in lower income countries and fragile and conflict-affected states
• The ability to translate specialist expertise into clear, practical guidance the Board and Executive can act on

Above all, you will share our belief that every child deserves to grow up in the love and safety of a family, and our commitment to driving that change with courage, integrity, excellence and being deeply human. 

What we offer

This is a voluntary, unremunerated role. In return you will:

• Engage with our work across nine countries 
• Contribute to systemic change at global scale, helping to shape the future for separated children worldwide
• Be part of an organisation approaching its 2030 goal — a worldwide consensus that orphanages have no place in any child's life

Time commitment

The role requires approximately 12–18 days per year, comprising:

• Four Board meetings per year (in person, London or virtual)
• Five subcommittee meetings per year (virtual), as a key member of our Programmes, Advocacy, Research and Accountability Committee (PARAC)
• An annual two-day awayday, which may take place in one of our countries of operation
• Additional time for preparation, ad hoc queries and induction in your first year

The initial term of office is three years, with the possibility of two further three-year terms by mutual agreement.

Closing Date: The final cut off for applications is 17.00 UK time on Thursday 8 October 2026 so please get in touch if you have the right skills, experience and passion for our cause.

To apply, please upload your CV and a brief covering letter indicating why you are interested in joining the Hope and Homes for Children Board and how your experience, skills and values map to the requirements of this role.

Diversity

Hope and Homes for Children actively encourages equity, diversity and inclusion, and we look to recruit a diverse range of people to reflect the communities in which we live. We are keen to see a diverse membership of both the trustee body and committees as we believe diversity brings us closer to our mission of eliminating orphanages.

Thank you for considering this role. Every child deserves to grow up in the love and safety of a family

Contract type

Volunteer

Hours

12 - 18 days per annum

Salary

Voluntary (expenses paid)

Who We Are

Tell My Truth and Shame the Devil C.I.C. (TMTSD) is a survivor-led organisation being established to create a platform for truth-telling, accountability, community healing and meaningful social change.

Our work centres the voices and experiences of people who have historically been ignored, silenced or left behind by existing systems.

TMTSD is a developing podcast and documentary storytelling platform designed to create space for real human experiences — particularly stories connected to childhood sexual abuse, adverse childhood experiences, survival, resilience and social neglect.

However, TMTSD is intended to become more than a storytelling organisation.

It is being developed as one of the organisations through which a much broader vision can be explored, developed and ultimately brought into reality.

TMTSD is a sister organisation of The SHG Family Group Corp, which is being established as a long-term innovation, creativity and closed-membership ecosystem focused on addressing significant social and economic challenges through technology, education, social infrastructure, sustainable enterprise and international collaboration.

SHG's long-term vision includes the development of interconnected initiatives across areas such as:

• Renewable Energy
• AI/Social/Community Housing
• Artificial Intelligence
• Education
• Cybersecurity
• Healthcare & Family Wellness
• Economic Development
• International Development
• Social Infrastructure
• Public-Private Partnerships
• Emerging Technologies
• Other strategically important sectors

The ambition is not simply to create individual projects.

It is to develop interconnected systems, organisations and initiatives capable of creating sustainable economic and social opportunity while improving quality of life — particularly for young people and communities across the Global South.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an exceptional Founding Director / Political Affairs Strategist to establish and lead the Political Intelligence Strategic Relations and Partnerships function within Tell My Truth and Shame the Devil C.I.C.

This is one of the most strategically important founding positions within the organisation.

The purpose of this department is to help move the SHG vision from concept to reality.

Many of the initiatives being contemplated within the SHG ecosystem will ultimately require relationships with:

• National governments
• Government ministries
• Local and regional authorities
• Public bodies
• Regulators
• International organisations
• Development institutions
• Universities and research institutions
• Major corporations
• Foundations
• Strategic investors
• Public-private partnership bodies
• International development organisations
• Other major institutional stakeholders

The Political Affairs function will therefore serve as a strategic bridge between SHG's ambitions and the institutions capable of helping those ambitions become real-world programmes, partnerships and infrastructure.

We are looking for someone capable of building that bridge.

Your Mission

Your central mission will be:

Build the Political Intelligence Strategic Relations and Partnerships (P.I.S.R.P) function within TMTSD into a capability that helps turn SHG's strategic initiatives and long-term vision into credible government, institutional and international partnerships.

You will help establish the relationships, strategies, structures and institutional pathways required for SHG's initiatives to progress from ideas and concepts into viable programmes, organisations, partnerships and real-world projects.

This means understanding not only how governments work, but also:

who needs to be involved, why they would become involved, what value SHG can provide, what conditions need to exist for collaboration, and how an initial relationship can develop into a meaningful long-term institutional partnership.

Your Role as Founding Director

You will become the founding architect of TMTSD's P.I.S.R.P function.

Your role will include determining:

• Which countries should be prioritised.
• Which government sectors are strategically relevant.
• Which ministries, departments and public bodies should be engaged.
• Which international institutions should be approached.
• Which SHG initiatives are ready for government engagement.
• Which initiatives require further development before approaching government.
• What SHG's government proposition should be.
• What value SHG can credibly offer governments and institutions.
• Which relationships should be developed.
• Which relationships should be escalated to senior leadership.
• What constitutes a qualified government opportunity.
• How government engagement should be structured.
• How government relationships should be maintained.
• How government intelligence should flow through SHG.
• What future international Political Affairs offices should look like.
• What type of people should eventually represent SHG in different countries and regions.

Your Strategic Mandate

You will be given the following founding mandate:

"Establish the P.I.S.R.P function within Tell My Truth and Shame the Devil C.I.C. and build the institutional pathways through which SHG's strategic initiatives can become reality."

The objective is to create a department capable of looking at an SHG initiative and asking:

What would it take to make this real?

Then determining:

• Which country?
• Which government?
• Which ministry?
• Which public institution?
• Which strategic partners?
• Which policy environment?
• Which regulatory requirements?
• Which funding mechanisms?
• Which institutional relationships?
• Which political and governmental stakeholders?
• Which sequence of engagement?
• Which leadership involvement?
• Which risks?
• Which opportunities?

The department should ultimately become the function that can say:

"This is how we take an SHG initiative from concept to institutional reality."

Core Responsibilities

The Founding Director will be responsible for building the function from the ground up, including:

Government Strategy

• Develop TMTSD/SHG's government-affairs strategy.
• Establish government-engagement principles and protocols.
• Develop country and jurisdiction prioritisation frameworks.
• Identify government sectors relevant to SHG initiatives.
• Monitor political, governmental, policy and regulatory developments.
• Provide strategic government-affairs intelligence to SHG leadership.

What We Are Looking For

We are not primarily looking for someone with a political science degree.

We are looking for someone who has actually operated around government, institutions and senior decision-makers.

Ideally, your career will include experience across combinations of:

• Government Affairs
• Public Affairs
• Government Relations
• Public Policy
• International Development
• Public-Sector Partnerships
• Diplomacy
• Government Contracting
• Ministerial or Government Offices
• International Organisations
• Regulatory Affairs
• Institutional Partnerships
• Major Corporations dealing with Government
• Strategic Stakeholder Engagement

Experience operating across multiple countries, jurisdictions or political systems would be particularly valuable.

Qualifications / Experience

Ideally, you will have:

• 5+ years' experience in government affairs, public affairs, government relations, policy, diplomacy, international development, public-sector partnerships or a closely related field.
• Demonstrable experience engaging with government departments, ministries, public bodies, senior officials or institutional decision-makers.
• Strong understanding of political and governmental systems.
• Strong stakeholder-management capabilities.
• Strong strategic-thinking ability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience developing senior institutional relationships.
• Strong political and institutional judgement.
• Understanding of ethical government engagement and compliance boundaries.
• Ability to operate across cultures and jurisdictions.
• Ability to work independently and build a new function from the ground up.

Exceptional candidates may be considered with a different combination of experience where they demonstrate significant government, institutional or strategic capability.

The Person We Are Looking For

You understand that government affairs is not simply about knowing politicians.

It is about understanding systems.

You understand the difference between:

an introduction → a relationship → an opportunity → a partnership → an institutional programme.

You know how to navigate complex organisations. You know how to identify who actually matters within an institution. You can build credibility with senior stakeholders. You are politically aware without being politically partisan. You understand discretion, integrity and confidentiality. You are diplomatic without being passive. You are strategic without losing sight of execution.

You can take an ambitious idea and begin asking the practical institutional questions required to make it real.

You are comfortable with uncertainty. You enjoy building things that do not yet exist.

You think internationally. You think in decades rather than months. You care about creating meaningful social and economic impact. And importantly:

You want to build a function, not simply occupy a position.

The Founding Leadership Opportunity

This position is initially offered as an unpaid volunteer/member founding leadership opportunity during Phase 1.

The intention is to build the function alongside the organisation rather than create a permanent unpaid executive position.

As TMTSD and the wider SHG ecosystem develop, secure funding, establish operational entities and generate sustainable economic activity, appropriate paid executive positions will be created subject to organisational growth, governance, funding and operational requirements.

The successful Founding Director will therefore have the opportunity to help design the function they may ultimately lead.

To Apply

Please send:

• Your CV, portfolio or LinkedIn profile, if available.
• A short introduction about yourself.
• A summary of your government, public-affairs, policy or institutional experience.

We are particularly interested in understanding what you have actually done, the environments in which you have operated, the complexity of the relationships you have managed, and how you think strategically.