Advocacy and Policy Lead - East and Southern Africa region

Permanent. Full time

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Salary: £49,663 per year

If we receive a high volume of applications, we reserve the right to close the advert before the scheduled closing date. Therefore, we encourage interested applicants to apply at their earliest convenience. 

About us

Christian Aid exists to create a world where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty. We are a global movement of people, churches and local organisations who passionately champion dignity, equality and justice worldwide. We are the changemakers, the peacemakers, the mighty of heart.

We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, and recognise the value this brings in forming strong, creative and high performing teams. We welcome applications from all sections of the community, and from those with experience from outside of the voluntary sector. And no, you don’t have to be Christian to work here – we encourage people of all faiths and none to apply. We just ask that everyone lives out our values of dignity, equality, justice and love. We value a good work-life balance, so we’re open to part-time and flexible working. We also offer hybrid working for our office-based colleagues and the option of being a homeworker for most of our roles too.

Learn about our vision, mission and values

About the role

Reporting in to the Head of the Multi-Country Cluster (MCC), the Advocacy & Policy Lead provides strategic leadership and oversight of MCC policy and advocacy strategy, defining influencing priorities, and coordinates with other Advocacy leads to co-design thematic global advocacy strategies, ensuring alignment with organisational values and goals

The post-holder will collaborate with MCC Partnership and Strategy Lead , build a cohort of national and regional partnerships, including faith partnerships that strategically align and maximise impact. Provide technical support to partners for advocacy and connect partners to regional and global spaces to forefront their voices and drive meaningful change.

Some of the main responsibilities of the Advocacy and Policy Lead include:

• Drive and oversee the MCC advocacy strategy, collaborating with global advocacy colleagues to co-design thematic global advocacy strategies, so that they respond to partner voices and priorities and local contexts, aligning with organisational values and goals.
• Provides strategic oversight for global advocacy in global spaces, to ensure advocacy is impactful, and is in close collaboration with partners and faith groups and rooted in evidence and theological reflection and aligns with organisational values and goals.
• Horizon scan and provide policy and advocacy insight to MCC Leadership and partners, fostering a team mindset and support a culture of knowledge sharing of ideas and insights.
• Collaborate with the MCC Partnership and Strategy Lead, build a cohort of national and regional partnerships, including faith partnerships, to ensure that there is an appropriate balance of partners working on short- and medium-term outcomes and systemic change to align with organisational values and goals.
• Act as a convenor of policy and advocacy spaces by supporting and strengthening national and regional advocacy platforms where partners, policymakers, and civil society actors can collaborate on shared priorities, fostering a mindset of connection.
• Provides technical support for advocacy planning, advocacy proposal development, evidence gathering, relationship building, integrating advocacy into programme design, including in designing multi-country advocacy strategies that are meaningful, streamlined and aligned.
• Act as an ambassador by representing Christian Aid and engage in regional and global spaces jointly with partners, collaborating with the Pan African Advocacy Lead, as relevant, ensuring alignment with organisational values and goals.
• Identify evidence gaps and support partners to commission or produce policy/research/evidence work, connecting with relevant institutions to facilitate highly impactful and meaningful outcomes.
• Maintain up to date analysis of the country and regional context and bring evidence to the UK/global spaces.

About you

Who we are looking for

Essential:

• Degree level qualification in a relevant field.
• Substantial experience in supporting national and regional organisations to develop an advocacy strategy, including integrating advocacy into programme work.
• Substantial experience of supporting and accompanying partners to navigate and influence on a global scale.
• Substantial experience of devising, leading and implementing advocacy strategies, preferably in another NGO or faith group.
• Substantial experience of networking, building alliances and coordinating initiatives in networks and faith groups.
• Substantial experience of peer-to-peer learning.
• Substantial experience of policy research and managing research projects.
• Substantial experience of public speaking to a variety of audiences, including the media.
• Substantial experience of budget management.
• Detailed understanding of the current policy debates, trends and analytical frameworks around key development issues.
• Detailed understanding of power and political analysis, and rights-based approaches.
• Detailed understanding of national and regional Civil Society and faith networks - their policy positions and dynamics.
• Understanding of how theology influences policy.
• Detailed understanding of national, regional and continental institutions and processes.
• Highly developed verbal and written communications experience, especially the ability to communicate complex issues simply.
• Significant experience of political analysis and horizon scanning.
• Highly developed coaching and mentoring skills.
• Highly developed ability to work across cultural contexts with Civil Society and faith leaders in different countries.
• Highly developed ability to build lasting relationships with key networks, organisations and advocacy targets.
• Highly developed ability to negotiate with, influence and persuade others in a collaborative manner.

Further information

At Christian Aid we strive to be an inclusive and diverse employer and recognise the value that this brings in helping to build strong, creative and high performing teams.

We are actively encouraging racialised minorities, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, returning parents or carers who are re-entering work after a career break, people with caring responsibilities, people from low socioeconomic backgrounds, women, and older workers to apply. This is because these groups are under-represented within our teams, especially at senior level, and we recognise and value the contributions members of these groups make to strong, creative and high performing teams. 

We have a strong Christian ethos and we encourage applications from all faiths. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of and sympathy with Christian Aid’s faith identity. 

All successful candidates will require a DBS/police check appropriate to the role and location and a Counter Terrorism Sanction check as part of your clearance for commencing your role with us. We also participate in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.  In line with this Scheme, we will request information as part of the referencing process 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.

This role requires applicants to have the right to live and work in the country where this position is based and undertake the role that you have been offered. If you are successful and we make you an offer for the role, we will be required to conduct a right to work check on your immigration status in the UK. We will contact you regarding the documentation you will need to provide to evidence this. 

You can expect a wide range of rewards and benefits, please refer to the benefits booklet for your location to see our full list of employee benefits. 

For Salary details for this role, please refer to the Salary band by location.

• Salary (full time):£49,663
• Type of contract:Permanent
• Contracted hours:35
• Location:MCC Hub - East & Southern Africa (Nairobi, Kenya)
• Closing date:19 October 2025

Documents for Application

Further Information

As a volunteer, you will receive:

• Support and supervision from a named contact within Christian Aid
• Appropriate induction and training for your volunteering role.
• Out-of-pocket expenses as agreed.
• Our regular volunteers e-newsletter
• Access to our Volunteers’ Hub for all our latest news, events and resources

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