WPS Policy Adviser (Humanitarian and Climate)

Role Title: Policy Adviser - Women, Peace & Security (WPS)

Salary:  £42,205 - £43,417

Location: London-Hybrid

Tenure: Full time-Permanent

ActionAid UK is a member of the ActionAid Federation, an international charity that works with women and girls living in poverty. As part of the ActionAid Federation, we work with women and girls, our partners, and dedicated staff in 43 countries to end violence and fight poverty so that all women, everywhere, can create the future they want.

Are you passionate about feminist research, policy change, and climate and humanitarian justice? 

Do you want to work alongside women’s rights organisations to shift power and transform systems? 

Then we'd love to hear from you!

Join ActionAid UK’s Women, Peace & Security (WPS) team and help make that vision a reality. 

In this role, you’ll lead and support the development of high-quality, feminist and decolonial research and policy outputs that strengthen ActionAid’s work on humanitarian action, climate justice, and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. You’ll collaborate with senior policy advisors, advocacy colleagues, country colleagues and WROs to develop joint analysis, influence donors and decision-makers, and contribute to campaigns that challenge power imbalances and elevate feminist alternatives. You’ll also monitor external developments, help promote our policy work to a wide range of audiences, and ensure that our research and advocacy are grounded in lived experience, strategically aligned, and impactful in shifting systems and power. 

This is an exciting time to join ActionAid UK as we deliver an ambitious new strategy to ensure women and girls are valued, free from violence, and able to claim their rights. As WPS Policy Adviser, you will sit at the intersection of some of today’s most urgent global challenges, helping to craft policy rooted in feminist, decolonial principles that elevates the voices of women’s movements across humanitarian, peacebuilding, and climate justice spaces.

We’re looking for someone with a strong understanding of humanitarian and women’s rights issues, particularly within the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, and experience in conducting policy research in public policy, NGO, or academic settings. You’ll bring excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex ideas into clear and engaging outputs for a range of audiences. You’ll be familiar with UK and international politics related to WPS, climate, and humanitarian issues, and be deeply committed to applying an intersectional feminist and decolonial lens to your work. You’ll be collaborative, adaptable, and comfortable working with colleagues and partners across diverse contexts

You’ll play a vital role in producing high-impact research, shaping our policy positions, and promoting our thought leadership to key stakeholders – from UK Parliament to international forums. You’ll collaborate across departments and with partners around the world, working to influence decision-makers and ensure women’s experiences and expertise drive meaningful change.

This role offers the opportunity to work in an innovative, bold, and connected team, where your ideas will be valued, and your work will contribute to ActionAid’s fight against systemic injustice. You’ll have the chance to travel internationally, support partner organisations globally, and be part of cutting-edge advocacy and campaigning efforts that seek to shift power and advance a more just world.
 

Due to the nature of this role, the successful candidate will be asked to participate in criminal records checks at the point of offer.
 

Additional information:

Diversity, equality, inclusion and belonging:

Diversity, inclusion and belonging are key to our organisational culture. We are on a journey to become not only an anti-racist organisation but one that proudly

celebrates the diversity of all applicants and employees. We look forward to you bringing your full self to work, proudly sharing your unique perspective and helping us to shape our combined future. We especially welcome applications from those from under-represented/marginalised communities.

AAUK is a disability Confident Committed organisation and as such any candidate that declares a disability will be shortlisted for interview if they meet the essential criteria for the role.

Referencing and safeguarding:

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include safeguarding, criminal records and terrorism

finance checks. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

ActionAid UK is committed to preventing any form of sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse (including child abuse and adult at-risk abuse) and responding robustly when these harms take place. We expect all ActionAid UK staff and ActionAid UK representatives to share this commitment. We will not tolerate our staff or other representatives carrying out any form of sexual harassment, exploitation or abuse towards anyone we come into contact with through our work.

Working practices:

ActionAid is committed to supporting flexible working. If you would like to discuss flexible working options, including the possibility of a job share for this role, there will be space to do so during the interview process.

ActionAid UK has a hybrid working policy for many of our roles. The requirement will vary from team to team and the responsibilities of individual roles. As a minimum, all colleagues are expected to attend the office 12 days per year, plus additional time for induction, training, and company connection days. Some roles may require in-office attendance on all days and if so, these will clearly be marked as in-office roles.

Please note that ActionAid UK does not offer fully remote working options. We encourage you to discuss hybrid working expectations at interview.

Recruitment processes:

Please note that ActionAid UK may review, shortlist and interview candidates prior to the closing date so we encourage all candidates to apply as soon as possible.

If we receive a very high response, we may close the vacancy early and will not accept further submissions.

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Job Description