Policy Advisor - Environment

This is an exciting opportunity to work as part of the senior team at King’s Global Health Partnerships (KGHP), to support the role of policy in our health systems strengthening programmes, to make them more impactful in our partner countries and to further engage colleagues from the academic, health and international development sectors.

The five health partnerships in Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Somaliland, and Zambia, bring together outstanding staff and professional volunteers from our NHS Partners and King’s College London to improve healthcare and its outcomes in our partner countries and organisations, by empowering people, strengthening organisations, and enhancing systems.

The postholder will support the two-way process of how our programmatic and academic work engages with wider policy communities. They will be responsible for ensuring that learnings from our programmes and research are disseminated to a range of stakeholders across the sector, to influence their policy and practice and strengthen the reputation and understanding of our work. They will also advise KGHP teams on how relevant national and international policies can inform programme design and implementation. The role will support the process of policy engagement with stakeholders, as an activity within our health system strengthening programmes and research work. They will also contribute to teaching on global health policy within our education programmes (e.g. intercalated BSc and MSc). Finally, they will contribute to broader strategic thinking and planning as part of the KGHP senior team.

The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker and excellent communicator, with broad expertise in global health policy and previous experience with health system strengthening programmes in low and middle-income settings.

This post will be offered on a fixed term contract until 15th April 2025.

This is a full-time post - 100% full time equivalent.

Key responsibilities

Supporting Policy Engagement within our Programmes and Research

•         Ensure that KGHP’s health systems strengthening programmes are informed by, and aligned with, relevant national and international policies.

•         Identify opportunities to strengthen policy engagement with diverse stakeholders, as an activity within our programmes and research, and lead the delivery of this policy engagement activity.

•         Monitor the development of relevant health and educational policies within our partner countries and assist country teams to engage with these policies.

Sharing KGHP Learnings with Wider Stakeholders

•         Identify and monitor opportunities to disseminate our learnings, including conferences, events, podcasts, blogs, articles, reports, social media, and other channels.

•         Support KGHP colleagues with the drafting or presentation of applications and materials for policy dissemination, such as conference abstracts, event organising, preparing presentation slides, writing reports, giving talks etc.

•         Strengthen collaboration with the King’s Policy Institute and other global health policy-oriented academics and groups across the University and King’s Health Partners.

•         Develop and implement a strategy for how learnings from our programmatic and academic work can be identified, articulated, and disseminated to relevant stakeholders to inform their policy and practice.

•         Build and maintain relationships with relevant colleagues from a range of organisations across the sector including bilaterals (e.g. FCDO, USAID), multilaterals (e.g. WHO, Global Fund, World Bank), thinktanks (e.g. Chatham House, CGD), philanthropic groups (e.g. Gates Foundation, CIFF), and implementing partners (e.g. MSF, PIH).

•         Strengthen the awareness and reputation of KGHP across the global health sector, to contribute to KGHP being seen as a partner of choice for national governments, funders, and implementing organisation consortia.

Wider Responsibilities within KGHP

•         Contribute to wider strategic discussions and thinking on all aspects of KGHP’s work.

•         Contribute to teaching on global health policy within our education programmes (e.g. intercalated BSc, MSc)

•         Provide strategic and technical support for grant writing and support the identification and engagement of a range of donors, particularly relating to our policy work, including multilateral and bilateral funders, foundations, high-value donors, and wider fundraising efforts.

•         Support the communications team in their efforts to showcase and communicate our work to a range of audiences.

Travel

Note that this role is based in London but will require time travelling to partner countries, approximately 2-6 weeks per year. 

Skills, knowledge, and experience

Essential 

1. A postgraduate degree in public health, global health, international development, or a related field, or the extensive relevant experience in these fields.
2. At least one year of experience working in global health in a low- or middle-income country, ideally in Sub-Saharan Africa.
3. Production of professional materials (professional policy briefs, slide decks and videos) for policy engagement with stakeholders, and extensive experience of policy engagement activities with stakeholders.
4. Excellent communication skills, including writing for policy audiences and public speaking.  
5. Willingness to travel regularly to all partner countries, including Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Somaliland, The Gambia, and Zambia.
6. A commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, actively addressing areas of potential bias.

Desirable

1. Experience contributing to undergraduate and postgraduate health professions education.
2. Experience contributing to health systems research, including publications.
3. The proven ability to lead, motivate and manage a diverse team of professionals.
4. Familiarity with the UK National Health Service and university systems

Candidates are strongly encouraged to specifically address the essential criteria outlined in the Person Specification in their covering letter. 

Further information

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.