Lived Experience Coordinator

ABOUT BOND

Bond is the UK network for organisations working in international development. We unite and support a diverse network of nearly 450 civil society organisations to help eradicate global poverty, inequality and injustice. We strengthen and champion the sector to make international development more efficient and effective. We work to influence governments and policy-makers, develop the skills of people in the sector, share expertise and build organisational capacity and partnerships.

We convene a diverse range of working groups where Bond members can connect, share knowledge and maximise influence. The 40+ Bond groups include learning groups, where members share intelligence and best practice, and policy and advocacy groups, where members develop collective positions and take joint action. 

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE JOB

The Policy Communities Coordinator will support Bond policy and advocacy working groups in their efforts to influence the policies of governments and institutions at the UK and international level in the best interests of the world’s poorest. This will involve coordinating efforts to develop positions on specific issues, develop policy briefs, report and papers, set up meetings with government officials, gather evidence, etc. The Policy Communities Coordinator plays a key role in coordinating coherence across positions and messaging developed and promoted across the policy and advocacy groups and Bond in general. 

As a member of the Policy, Advocacy and Research (PAR) team, the post-holder will work closely with colleagues to engage policy groups, enabling them to develop collective responses, access and influence decision-makers. They will also work closely with the Media Manager to amplify the voice of policy and advocacy groups to maximise their influence and impact. The post will mainstream effective ways of working across all policy and advocacy groups and will also provide group event and administrative support. 

Please note that this is a fixed term position for 12 months.

Salary - £34,093 per annum.

Full Time

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

1) Be the policy and advocacy focal point for key Bond working groups (50%) 

a) Support, convene and participate in the meetings and activities of key Bond groups working in areas where Bond doesn’t have internal policy expertise

b) Be the primary link between these groups and the Bond PAR team, and identify opportunities for joint policy and advocacy .

c) Support the chairs and steering committees of these groups to produce annual workplans and deliver agreed outputs

2) Support Bond’s policy advisers to convene high-priority Bond working groups (20%) 

a) Convene and attend the meetings and events of the humanitarian and conflict related groups, the SDGs group and the Sustainable Economic Development working groups

b) Support convening other important policy-focused work groups, and specific advocacy activities when necessary

3) Contribute to improving the quality, effectiveness and value of Bond’s working groups (15%) 

a) Provide logistics support to organise Working Group Chairs’ meetings and advocacy related sessions

b) Work with the Communications and Media team to identify opportunities and produce content

c) Collaborate effectively with other teams to improve overall member support and engagement

d) Lead on developing and overseeing communications strategy for working groups’ work.

4) Administrative support (15%)

a) Provide event and admin support to policy groups

b) Coordinate to quarterly internal and grant reporting and budgeting

c) Provide support to Bond staff, co-chairs and members on the use of the online group space

General

Bond values diversity and works to advance equity and inclusion. All staff have a responsibility to ensure that they are being open, accepting and respectful to all that they come into contact with within their work at Bond, regardless their protected characteristics and race. Acting in accordance with the anti-racism and EDI policy, Bond staff must contribute to our inclusive organisational culture ensuring that they are aware and respond to micro-aggressions, everyday racism, sexism, LQBTQ+ misconduct and disability equity. Bond Staff must not be a bystander, reporting when they witness any behaviour that is not deemed acceptable.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

• Excellent convening, coordination, administrative and logistical skills, with experience of organising meetings and events
• Proven knowledge and/or experience of working in international development or humanitarian sectors
• Diplomacy and ability to communicate and build trust with senior staff and reach agreements with a range of actors
• Ability to work flexibly as a member of a small team, as well as independently and on own initiative
• Accuracy and attention to detail. Pragmatism and multitasking
• Fully competent in using MS Office and CRMs
• Excellent written communication skills
• Good time management skills
• Must have the right to work and live in the UK.

Desirable

• Experience of working with groups, communities, networks across a range of channels
• Knowledge of or experience of developing/ implementing advocacy strategies aimed at delivering social change
•  Experience writing blogs or preparing communication for external audiences
• Experience working with membership-based organisations such as communities, networks and coalitions, ideally within the charity or NGO sector 

BENEFITS

Bond offers a competitive salary and benefits package including:

• 27 Days Annual Leave + Bank Holidays, with additional staff privilege days, normally between Christmas and New Year
• 7% pension contributions (staff pay 3.5%) ​
• Flexible working hours (Hybrid working – 1 day, minimum in the office per month)
• Staff Development days
• Perk Box access
• Employee Assistance Programme
• WeCare (Health and wellbeing services, including access to 24/7 online GP services, second medical opinion, mental health support such as counselling, guidance from health professionals, burnout prevention, life event counselling, get fit programmes, nutritionist advice, etc. – for staff and immediate family)
• Interest free season ticket loan

HOW TO APPLY

To apply submit your CV and cover letter outlining why you are the right candidate for this role by midnight on Wednesday 6th March 2024.

Please note that this advert may close early if a large number of applicants are received.

BOND AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

Bond values diversity and works to advance equity and inclusion. All staff have a responsibility to ensure that they are being open, accepting and respectful to all that they come into contact with within their work at Bond, regardless their protected characteristics. Acting in accordance with the EDI policy, Bond staff must contribute to our inclusive organisational culture ensuring that they are aware of and respond appropriately to micro-aggressions, racism, sexism, LQBTQ+ misconduct and disability equity. Bond Staff must not be bystanders, and must report when they witness any unacceptable behaviour.

In order to assess and ensure the continued effectiveness of Bond’s Equal Opportunities Policy, all applicants are asked to complete a short questionnaire when applying. You are not obliged to answer the questions but the more information you supply the more effectively we can monitor our equal opportunity practices. Completion of all questions is voluntary and failure to answer any question(s) will not affect your application in any way.

The information you supply will be treated in confidence and will not be seen by any member of the selection panel responsible for the appointment. The questionnaire will be detached from your CV and cover letter, stored anonymously and used purely to provide statistics for monitoring purposes.