Adviser, Government Relations

Salary: £61,400

Closing date: Sunday, 19 January 2025

Contract type: Permanent

The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation. We improve health for everyone by funding science, leading policy and advocacy campaigns, and building partnerships.

We plan to spend £16bn over the next ten years, funding new discoveries in life, health, and wellbeing, and taking on three global health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health.

We are looking for an Advisor to join our Global Government Relations team to help advocate for our mission to improve health and save lives.

Where in Wellcome will I be working?

You will be working as part of a broader Government Relations and Strategic Partnerships (GRSP) team within the Policy and Partnerships division, reporting to the Head of Global Government Relations.

This is a really exciting year to be joining GRSP as we look to build our footprint in Westminster and Whitehall, working with politicians and policymakers in the UK. You will get the opportunity to test out your political analysis and thinking, bringing insights from the external environment and policy developments to shape our thinking internally. You will be asked to build relationships so we can achieve policy change on our health challenges and promote the role of science in solving them.

What will I be doing?

You will work closely with the Policy and Corporate Affairs teams to deliver coordinated political engagement and outreach. Our key stakeholders include governments and public bodies, multilateral organisations, civil society, academia and research institutions.

As an Advisor, you will:

1. Lead significant, possibly complex government relations projects from inception to delivery, identifying and building the trust of key stakeholders in order to maximise support for our work.
2. Identify new political developments that align with our policy goals as well as building plans with objectives, timetables, milestones, resources required and risks for government engagement projects.
3. Work with the Policy team to support communications of evidence-based policy recommendations to key political decision-makers.
4. Maintain relationships with a network of senior external stakeholders and policymakers.
5. Manage a delegated budget for projects and review project progress to ensure that risks are being managed and mitigated where possible.
6. Contribute to a diverse and inclusive culture across the organisation, collaborating across departments.

Is this job for me?

As an Adviser, you will have the opportunity to work on exciting projects that require building lasting partnerships with governments to deliver impact on Wellcome's priorities. You will contribute to meaningful work that advocates for greater equity, inclusion and access in health.

We are looking for someone who:

1. Has experience of government relations work internationally or in advocacy programmes relating to fields such as global health, mental health, infectious disease, climate and/or development.
2. Has experience of preparing political advice for team leaders and senior officials in complex environments.
3. Has excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience of delivering written products and talking points for senior leaders.
4. Can successfully influence or has contributed to influencing political outcomes.
5. Has Project Management experience and able to structure and deliver projects or programmes for specific objectives.

To apply please upload your current CV and complete our short application.

Our Hybrid Way of Working

We understand that our colleagues have commitments and personal interests outside of work and we strive to build a flexible working environment.

Diversity and Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do

We are committed to cultivating a fair and inclusive environment, where everyone can be themselves and thrive.