Senior Partnerships & Advocacy Officer
Salary
Duration

£32,500 – £36,500
2-year fixed term with possibility for extension

Hours of work:
Location:
Reports to:
Line reports:

35 hours full time
Hybrid
Executive Director
None

About Us
FORWARD (Foundation for Women's Health Research and Development) is a pioneering led by and for
African women, working to end multiple forms of violence against women and girls. From child marriage,
female genital mutilation, domestic abuse, faith-based abuse & related harms.  Our vision is for African
women and girls everywhere to have equality, live in dignity, be healthy and thrive free of violence. Our
mission is-to transform responses to violence against African women and girls through delivery of specialist
support services, partnership and leadership development and community interventions.

FORWARD marked our 40th Milestone in 2025 and is committed to scale up our campaigns and advocacy work.
As the Partnerships & Advocacy Officer, you will be working alongside the Executive Director to support our
unfinished policy agenda on tackling FGM, child motherhood and faith and culture. You will be self-motivated,
proactive and passionate about increasing our influencing capacity to promote dignity, equality and wellbeing
of to supporting FORWARD to live our approach to fundraising through trusts and foundations. You will identify
new opportunities, write compelling proposals and drive ongoing engagement to increase our income.

What’s it like working at FORWARD?
We have a culture of encouraging creativity. Bringing ideas and solutions to complex problems is welcomed
as part of the role. We believe in connectivity, and ensure that we connect as a team by being together in
our  London  office  as  much  as  we  can.  We  are  committed  to  building  a  truly  diverse  team  and  have  a
commitment to equality, diversity and inclusivity as part of who we are and everything we do. We are a
values-driven organisation and expect all our staff to exhibit a commitment to these through their working
practice. As an organisation that tackles multiple forms of abuse, staff are supported to embrace a culture
of well-being and continuous improvement, feedback and feeling able to challenge each other to succeed.

About the Role
This role will strengthen our advocacy partnerships and lead on advocacy and campaigns to advance our
mission and influence change.

Key Responsibilities):

•  Campaigns & Advocacy: Develop and deliver compelling campaigns that amplify the voices of our

beneficiaries, mobilise public support, and influence policy and practice.

•  Partnership Building: Work with grassroots partners, coalitions, and allies to co-create advocacy

strategies and joint campaigns.

•  Engagement & Communications: Contribute to impactful messaging, digital content, and

campaign actions that engage diverse audiences and stakeholders.

Our Benefits
We offer a wide range of employee benefits including:

• Excellent annual leave entitlement
• Pension scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Death in Service benefit
• Flexible working
• Opportunities for training and professional development

How Will You Make a Difference?
Strategic Campaigns & Advocacy (40%)

•  Oversee the implementation of FORWARD’s advocacy and campaign strategy in line with the

unfinished agendas on FGM, Child marriage and faith, culture and VAWG with support from the
Executive Director and Programme Teams.

•  Conduct research to support the development of advocacy action, policy briefs and campaign materials

and resources.

•  Draft and produce public campaign actions including e-actions for supporters and broader target

audiences, including the Young Women’s Advisory Council.
•  Organise virtual and in-person advocacy / external facing events.
•  External monitoring for key updates and opportunities in relation to our advocacy priorities.
•  Track outputs and monitor the impact of our advocacy work.
•  Help coordinate and raise the profile of advocacy efforts of our FORWARD community.
•  Strengthen and amplify voices and lived experience within our advocacy, policy and campaigns work,
ensuring voices and priorities of community women and young people are at the centre of all our
policy, advocacy and campaigns.

Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement (30%)

•

•

•

•

Identify, develop, and maintain strategic partnerships with civil society, government, donors, and
private sector stakeholders, including building relationships with existing partners.
Lead stakeholder mapping and engagement to strengthen FORWARD’s influence and advance our
advocacy and influencing objectives.
Convene and nurture relationships with key stakeholders, both existing and new, who are critical to
achieving FORWARD’s goals.
Support the Executive Director, Chair, and trustees in building and maintaining high-level external
relationships.

Engagement & Communications (20%)
•  Oversee organisational communications to ensure consistent, compelling, and strategic messaging

across advocacy, campaigns, and programmes.

•  Develop high-quality content for media, publications, digital platforms, and social media to raise

•
•

•

FORWARD’s profile and shape public opinion.
Act as a spokesperson when required and support senior staff with media engagement.
Ensure communications highlight and strengthen advocacy priorities, partnerships, and organisational
achievements.
Provide regular updates and analysis of our advocacy work to the Board of Trustees, relevant staff, as
well as allies and funders where appropriate.

General Duties and Flexibility (10%)

•

Adhere to and promote the organisation’s policies and procedures, including safeguarding, equality,
diversity and inclusion, health and safety, and data protection.
Abide by organisational policies, code of conduct and practices
Participate and oversee in supervision sessions and annual staff appraisals
Attend relevant training in order to fulfil the requirements of the job

•
•
•
•  Maintain awareness of national policies and ensure that activity adheres to relevant legislation and

•
•
•

•

guidance.
Participate in FORWARD staff team meetings and related operational meetings
Attend meetings internally and externally as and when requested
Be  proactive  in  keeping  up  to  date  with  developments  affecting  your  work  by  improving  personal
competence through professional development

This job description is not exhaustive and is intended as a guide to the main responsibilities. The post
holder may be required to undertake other duties, and the role may develop in line with the evolving
needs of the organisation.

We are looking for someone who brings passion for advocacy, campaigns and collaboration,
alongside the skills and experience listed below.

Knowledge & Experience - Essential

Knowledge & Experience - Desirable

You  should  be  able  to  demonstrate  an  extensive  track
record and evidence of achievements in terms of:

It would be an advantage if you can also show
evidence of:

advocacy,

partnerships,

•  A proven track record (around 3 years) of working in
activism,
or
campaign/communications  roles,  gained  through
paid and/or voluntary experience.
Strong  written  and  verbal  communication  skills,
including  the  ability to  craft  compelling  stories  and
content across different media to inspire action.

•

•  Demonstrated  experience

in  developing  and
implementing  advocacy  and  campaign  strategies
that drive engagement and influence.

•  Ability to build and sustain effective partnerships and
coalitions  to  strengthen  advocacy  and  campaign
impact.
Strong  organisational  skills,  with  the  ability  to
manage  competing  priorities,  take  initiative,  and
deliver work independently.

•

•  A  collaborative  and  positive  approach,  with  the
ability to work effectively as part of a small team.

•  Knowledge of policy processes and advocacy

approaches relevant to Violence Against Women
and Girls

•   Experience of working with grassroots

organisations, community groups, or coalitions to
co-create advocacy or campaign initiatives.
•  Understanding of digital campaigning tools and

social media strategies to support mobilisation and
engagement.

•  Experience of monitoring and evaluating the
impact of campaigns or advocacy work.

•  Awareness of safeguarding, equity, diversity, and

inclusion considerations in advocacy and
partnerships.

Personal Attributes   - Essential

Personal Attributes   - Desirable

•  Commitment  to  FORWARD’s  mission  and  values,
particularly around ending violence against women
and girls.

•  Collaborative and inclusive working style.
•  Results-oriented,  self-motivated,  and  able  to  take

initiative.

•  Creative and solutions-focused.
•  Comfortable contributing to wider organisational

priorities.

•  Flexibility  to  attend  occasional  evening/weekend

events.

•  Relevant  postgraduate  degree  and  other  relevant

training and education

•

Application deadline:

Interviews:

Please  email  your  CV  and  a  separate  short  cover
recruitment@forwarduk.org.uk by the application deadline.

letter  specific  to  this  position  to

In your cover letter, please don’t repeat the information covered in your CV, but do include how you
meet the job specifications and why you feel you’re the best person for this role. Your covering letter
should include:

•  Why you would like to work for FORWARD?

•  Why this particular role interests you?

Please use the job description and person specification information in this application pack to detail
your suitability. If you would like to submit your application in a different format, please get in touch
via  email  or  phone  (020  8960  4000)  and  we  can  discuss  how  best  to  facilitate  your  request.  CVs
submitted on their own, without a supporting covering letter, will not be considered.

If this opportunity sounds exciting to you but your experience, skills or qualifications don’t match
every requirement exactly, we would still encourage you to apply - you may just be the perfect fit.

FORWARD is committed to promoting equal opportunities in employment. Applicants will receive
equal treatment regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual
orientation, marriage and civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity.

This  post  is  restricted  to  women  applicants  only,  as  a  genuine  occupational  requirement  under
Schedule 9, Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010.

If  you  would  like  to  discuss  any  aspect  of  the  role  or  the  application  process  please  email
recruitment@forwarduk.org.uk and we would be delighted to answer any queries you may have.