Policy Advisor At Sightsavers

Sightsavers implements projects in over 30 countries in Africa and South Asia working to eliminate avoidable blindness and promote the rights of people with disabilities.

Title: Policy Advisor (WHO Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities)

Location: UK remote – with occasional travel to Haywards Heath, when required

Hours: This is a full-time role with some flexibility around hours worked and some home working

Contract: 12-month fixed term contract

Principal Accountabilities:

Promote and support implementation of the recommendations of the global report at national level.
Offer policy analysis and advice to help identify priorities and entry points for engaging with Ministries of Health and other stakeholders.
Facilitate engagement in relevant policy processes and opportunities related to the implementation of the Global Report and Guide for Action process at the country level.
Build strategic partnerships and alliances with key actors at the national and regional level to promote health equity, including governments, Organisations of Persons with Disabilities, health sector partners, Civil society and relevant bilateral and multilateral agencies.
Ensure continuity of information sharing across Sightsavers and act as a point of contact for WHO Disability team and WHO regional and country offices.
Promote the integration of health equity into national long-term strategic health plans and support the development of Sightsavers’ policy analysis on health equity.
Identify and leverage influencing opportunities at national and global levels in partnership with WHO.

This is a highly varied and involved role and the above is not an exhaustive list of duties or required professional skills. Please see the Job Description for full details.

Jobholder Requirements

Experience in the international development sector, including health and disability policy work and/or health system strengthening.
Understanding of development issues and best practices in global health, particularly public health and inclusion.
Professional experience in disability, inclusion, public health, or a relevant topic.
Experience in advocacy/influencing work and forging effective policy networks.

Skills (Special Training or Competence):

Ability to represent the organisation at a high level of engagement.
Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills.
Strong intellectual skills for dealing with complex ideas and concepts.
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
Strong presentational and public speaking skills.

Desirable:

Fluency in French (spoken and written)

To apply for this exciting new opportunity, please complete an application via our recruitment portal. We are particularly interested in learning of your motivations for applying.

Sightsavers is an employer that does not tolerate any form of harassment and has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. All potential candidates will be subjected to rigorous background checks and controls.

In line with its commitment to safe programming and recruitment, Sightsavers participates in the inter-agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS) administered by the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response. Through collaboration with other MDS members, Sightsavers aims to ensure that there are no sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment issues relating to potential new hires and that we can respond systematically to checks from fellow MDS members. This ensures our work is accountable, delivered to a high standard and supports safeguarding across the development and humanitarian fields.