Government Relations Lead, Global (Africa)

Salary: £86,600

Closing date: Sunday, 26 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.

These challenges need the bold science we support, but they won't be solved by science alone.

We are looking for a Global Government Relations Lead, focused on Africa to join our team.

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 & Partnerships division, reporting to the Head of Global Government Relations. This role will work closely with teams internally who manage our Major International Programmes which are large portfolios in Kenya, Malawi and South Africa.

This is a really exciting year to be joining GRSP; this role will work with African governments, institutions and policymakers. 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 internationally so we can achieve policy change on our health challenges and promote the role of science in solving them. You will also support the team thinking about Wellcome's presence at global moments and international fora like the G7 and G20, and how to influence governments through these processes. We are looking for someone with lots of enthusiasm, an interest in international affairs and politics, good political judgment, and a passion to achieve change through influencing.

What will I be doing?

You will be responsible for setting the vision and strategy for our work on the African continent. You will help us determine the scope of work and relationships we build with the Kenyan and South African government, as well as regional players such as Africa CDC and Africa Union. We will need you to provide robust political analysis and advice to senior colleagues across GRSP and wider Wellcome teams.

As a Government Relations Lead, Global (Africa), you will:

1. Lead significant and 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, and represent Wellcome in internal and external fora.
2. Identify new political trends that align with our policy goals as well as building a plan with objectives, timetable, milestones, resources required and risks for each new government engagement project.
3. Deliver projects, managing complex internal and external relations and managing a delegated budget for these purposes.
4. Work with colleagues across Policy to support the communication of evidence-based policy recommendations to key political decision-makers; and GRSP, Policy and Corporate Affairs colleagues to deliver advocacy strategies that influence key political stakeholders.
5. Maintain relationships with a network of senior external stakeholders to enable the delivery of priority projects as well as 'business as usual' and establish personal credibility and expertise across the HC areas, becoming an acknowledged and authoritative voice within government.
6. Contribute to a diverse and inclusive culture across the organisation, collaborating across departments.

Is this job for me?

If you are passionate about politics and how politics can change the world for the better, this could be the right role for you. Over the next 5 years we would like to deepen our relationship with Africa governments. With your expertise, we will develop a regional strategy - understanding which governments we can work with, and how we can support civil society and institutions working on global health issues.

Your role will help Wellcome understand the big political trends coming from the African continent, will advise on how we position ourselves with future African leaders on global health and prepare visits with senior management.

As well as thinking about our policy and advocacy work, you will also work closely with our programmes team who fund universities and science in Kenya, South Africa and Malawi.

This is a role with a lot of autonomy; we are seeking a self-starter who wants to run with a strategy. This role will help you deepen your connections in global health, and give you an opportunity to develop and implement a large scale strategy.

We are looking for someone who:

1. Has experience of public affairs or government relations work internationally in the Africa Region.
2. Has experience of working in global health advocacy programmes as well as experience of preparing political advice for team leaders and senior officials in complex environments, with a track record in the Africa region and/or government.
3. Has experience of successfully influencing or contributing to influencing political outcomes through raising awareness of an issue or securing commitments from a stakeholder.
4. Has knowledge of Wellcome's mission of key strategic priorities and how the role relates to these, with the ability to work on multiple pieces of work across stakeholder groups.
5. Is able to adapt to changing priorities & deal with issues as they arise and is comfortable working in a changing, complex and sometimes ambiguous environment.

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

As part of the interview process, there will be a presentation and written exercise.

Interview dates: week commencing 10 of February.

You can view the full job description on our website.

You can read more about the benefits we offer our employees on our website.

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, in which people can perform at their best.

At Wellcome, we have a hybrid way of working which is 3 days in our Euston Road offices (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) with the remaining 2 days working either remotely or in the office.

Diversity and Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do

Diversity and Inclusion is a priority at Wellcome. We are committed to cultivating a fair and inclusive environment, where everyone can be themselves and thrive. We are happy to discuss flexible working options for all roles. We work to ensure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible to everyone. This includes making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition. Please visit our website for more information on adjustments and accessibility, or contact us for support.