The Director of Global Affairs is a senior leadership role responsible for driving Plan International's worldwide strategy for influencing policy and public discourse. The role ensures alignment with organizational priorities, external trends, and coherent, values-based positioning on critical global issues. This position involves driving advocacy across multilateral platforms, safeguarding the organization's reputation, and overseeing integrated global public affairs strategies that support fundraising, partnerships, and digital engagement. The Director manages a high-impact function with strategic budget oversight and fosters strong collaboration across global teams.
Key Accountabilities
1. Strategic Leadership & Influence
- Lead Plan International’s global influencing strategy, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and external trends.
- Advise senior leadership on political, reputational, and advocacy matters, shaping coherent, values-based positioning on global issues.
- Develop and implement stakeholder engagement strategies with donors, the private sector, and thought leaders.
- Oversee integrated global public affairs strategy, ensuring brand and narrative support fundraising, partnerships, and digital engagement.
- Manage a lean, high-impact function with strategic budget oversight.
2. Advocacy & Global Representation
- Lead global advocacy priorities and coordinate influence across multilateral platforms and inter-agency spaces.
- Represent Plan or support senior leaders at key global fora (e.g., UNGA), ensuring alignment with strategic goals.
- Oversee Liaison Offices and build strategic partnerships with governments, multilateral bodies, civil society, and the private sector.
- Champion localization and youth engagement to amplify authentic voices and drive equitable advocacy.
3. Communications & Brand
- Lead global communications strategy to ensure coherence, agility, and measurable impact across internal and external channels.
- Safeguard Plan’s brand and reputation through strategic oversight of crisis communications and risk management.
- Integrate communications to build transparency, trust, and engagement across the organization.
4. Leadership & Collaboration
- Lead and develop a high-performing, multi-skilled team across geographies.
- Foster strong collaboration across National Organizations, Country Offices, and Regional Hubs to ensure shared ownership of advocacy and communications priorities.
5. Risk & Accountability
- Anticipate and manage reputational risks, ensuring effective crisis response and safeguarding organizational trust.
- Ensure all advocacy and communications activities align with organizational policies, values, and ethical standards.
- Manage budgets and resources transparently and efficiently.
Key Relationships
Internal:
- CEO, Leadership Team, National Directors, Regional Directors, Chief of Staff, Chief Operating Officer (advocacy and stakeholder coordination), Chief Impact Officer (campaigns), Chief Transformation & Information Officer (data and impact evidence).
External:
- UN agencies, multilateral institutions, governments, INGOs, media, influential policy makers, partners, and advocacy coalitions.
Expertise, Skills and Knowledge
Qualifications and Experience:
- A BA/BSc/HND qualification is required.
- Senior leadership experience in global advocacy or public affairs within an international organization.
- Extensive experience influencing at senior levels in the UN, intergovernmental bodies, and international policy spaces.
- Proven ability to lead global communications and brand strategies that support organizational positioning, reputation, and fundraising.
- Strong understanding of humanitarian advocacy and communications, particularly in fast-moving or crisis contexts.
- Demonstrated success advising senior leadership on political, reputational, and strategic issues in complex global environments.
- Expertise in crisis communications, risk management, and reputational safeguarding, including proactive scenario planning.
- Track record of leading cross-functional transformation, delivering measurable impact through lean, multi-skilled teams.
- Experience managing diverse, multi-location teams and budgets, with strategic resource allocation and operational efficiency.
- Knowledge of international development, humanitarian child rights, and gender equality, with a commitment to localization and equity.
- Understanding of donor engagement and private sector partnerships as they relate to advocacy, influence, and communications.
- Excellent communicator, politically astute, with sound judgement and the ability to distil complex issues into compelling narratives; multilingual skills (especially French and/or Spanish) are an asset.
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