Location: Global
Department: Advocacy and Evidencing
Reports to (Line Manager): Head of Advocacy and Evidencing
Responsible for (Line managing): Advocacy Support Officer
Grade: UK Salary grade E or its equivalent according to location
Contract Type: Open-ended contract
About HelpAge
HelpAge International works with a diverse global network of around 200 organisations across 99 countries to promote the rights of older people to lead dignified, healthy and secure lives. Through partnership and collaborations, we work to ensure the inclusion of older people across society and strive to deliver a just and fair world for everyone as they get older. Our work is driven by our desire to achieve real impact for older people, to be inclusive, to work in partnership and to learn from our shared experience.
About the Job
The Social Protection Adviser will provide strategic leadership in advancing HelpAge’s social protection work, with a particular focus on social pensions, including through the co-creation and delivery of advocacy strategies in partnership with HelpAge teams and network members. The role will lead HelpAge’s work improving the coverage, adequacy and financing of social pensions. Acting as an enabler and connector, the postholder will support capacity strengthening, promote shared learning, and facilitate collective action grounded in power and rights analysis—amplifying the voice and leadership of older people and our members.
Key responsibilities
Leadership role (core):
• Provide strategic leadership for the development and delivery of HelpAge’s global advocacy strategy on pensions, ensuring strong engagement of teams and network members throughout its design and implementation.
• Engage in relevant external advocacy spaces and social protection networks, using stakeholder and power-mapping to build and maintain strategic relationships with relevant UN agencies, selected member states, like-minded INGOs, and social protection experts.
• Lead the development and promotion of the Pension Watch platform and supervise the Advocacy Officer (line-management and delegation).
• Promote the meaningful participation and leadership of older people, particularly those facing discrimination and exclusion, in social protection forums.
• Represent HelpAge and its network externally, and support and enable members to take the lead in strategic advocacy spaces to amplify their voice and influence.
• Provide technical support to staff and network members to strengthen quality, rights-based programming and advocacy initiatives on social protection, through tailored guidance, training, tools, and ongoing accompaniment— working in close collaboration with Regional Network Coordinators.
• Support network member-led advocacy efforts on social pensions and social protection issues, ensuring that approaches are grounded in local contexts, shaped by network member priorities, and aligned with HelpAge’s overall approach to social protection.
Supportive and collaborative work (strategically selective):
• Facilitate the generation, synthesis, and use of evidence on social pensions by coordinating research initiatives, managing relationships with research partners, and drawing on practice and insights from across the HelpAge network.
• Produce and contribute to high-quality advocacy outputs, including policy briefs, reports, and tools, in collaboration with internal teams and network members.
• Work with the communications team to ensure timely messaging, updates, and public statements on social protection issues, aligned with advocacy goals and external developments.
• Monitor global trends and conduct horizon scanning in the social protection space to identify emerging risks, opportunities, and areas for engagement.
• Strengthen Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) related to social protection advocacy and programming outcomes, and promote the effective use of relevant data, evidence, and learning across the organisation and its network.
Skills and experience required Essential
• Proven specialist expertise in social protection, particularly in social pensions, with the ability to provide thought leadership, policy guidance, and technical support.
• Deep knowledge of the global social protection landscape, including key policy debates, financing, data sources, and trends.
• Substantial experience working at national and regional levels, including supporting and positioning civil society actors and national advocates.
• Strong understanding of global frameworks and institutions relevant to social protection (e.g., ILO, UN, World Bank), with a track record of representing organisations in high-level international forums.
• Demonstrated ability to lead or commission research and translate findings into effective advocacy, policy influence, and learning tools.
• Experience in advocacy strategy development, stakeholder engagement, and influencing decision-makers at the national and global level.
• Familiarity with rights-based, inclusive, and intersectional approaches to social protection, particularly relating to ageing, gender, and disability.
• Understanding of and commitment to the principles of Partner-Led Programming and Locally-Led Development.
• Experience supporting locally led social protection advocacy and strengthening the leadership of HelpAge Network members or national organisations. Skills and Competencies
• Strategic thinker with the ability to see the big picture, set direction, and make informed choices to maximise influence and impact.
• Skilled convenor and facilitator, capable of supporting network members to lead collaborative advocacy, research, and learning processes.
• Strong interpersonal, cross-cultural, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work respectfully and effectively in diverse teams and contexts.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the production of high-quality policy briefs, reports, tools, and presentations.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and mentor staff, lead platforms (e.g., Pension Watch), and coordinate multi-stakeholder engagement.
• Confidence and clarity in public speaking, including high-level representation in global advocacy spaces.
Qualifications
• Master’s degree (or equivalent experience) in Social Policy, Public Policy, Economics, Development Studies, or related discipline.
Other Requirements
• Strong commitment to advancing social justice and the rights and wellbeing of older people.
• Ability and willingness to undertake international travel, including at short notice.
• Fluency in English (spoken and written); working knowledge of a second language such as French, Spanish, Arabic, is desirable.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively, learn from others, and support inclusive, partner-led approaches.
Desirable
• Knowledge of population ageing, ageism, and the intersection of social protection with climate change and social inclusion.
• Familiarity with sex-, age-, and disability-disaggregated data (SADD) and robust MEAL standards.
• Experience in programme design and delivery related to income security or social protection systems.
• Strong facilitation and training skills, especially in technical capacity strengthening and participatory advocacy processes.
Key Behavioural Competencies
Working Collaboratively with Others. Work collaboratively, building mutual trust and respect, with external organizations and partners to achieve our strategic aims and objectives; being accountable for the work we do together.
Adaptability and Flexibility. Adapt to new directions or opportunities arising within the organisation and in our work area; being flexible in our role, constantly using the feedback to learn more and evolve further.
Supporting and Facilitating Change. Lead behavioural and cultural change through embracing a supportive, collaborative and highly inclusive environment where everybody feels supported, respected and engaged.
Extend HelpAge’s Reach and Impact. Extend HelpAge’s reach and impact by creating and identifying new business development opportunities and building relationships with new partners.
Diversity and Inclusion. Lead and promote a culture of including the voices of older people across our support, convening and thought leadership roles, in a way that is transformative, empowering and highly inclusive of those marginalised by gender, economic status, disability and other factors of discrimination.
Leading Others (for managers). Demonstrate strong leadership to own unit/department and manage people in a well and reputable manner. Create an atmosphere of trust and an enabling environment where staff can contribute their best and develop their potential.
Safeguarding
HelpAge International is committed to safeguarding the communities with which we work, our partners, staff and any others who we come into contact with. The post holder will also be responsible for:
• Preventing harm and abuse from our people, operations and programmes to anyone that encounters our work.
• Reporting all safeguarding incidents you see, hear, hear about or suspect, using our internal reporting mechanism.
• Complying with all safeguarding framework policies and practices.
• Completing mandatory training courses relating to our safeguarding policy framework and complying with HR vetting procedures.
SAFER RECRUITMENT
All employments at HelpAge International will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include misconduct disclosure schemes and terrorism finance checks.
How to apply
Interested and Qualified individuals are strongly encouraged to review the details of the Job Description via www.helpage.org and submit their Cover Letter and CV only to Jobs@helpage.org not later than Sunday, 31 August 2025.