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.

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

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. 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, a deep interest in politics, good political judgment, and a passion to achieve change through influencing.

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:

• 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. Overcome risks to deliver projects to deadline and on budget.

• 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.

• Work with the Policy team to support communications of evidence-based policy recommendations to key political decision-makers as well as working closely with Corporate Affairs to deliver advocacy strategies that influence key political stakeholders.

• Maintain relationships with a network of senior external stakeholders and policymakers, to enable the delivery of priority projects as well as 'business as usual' and representing Wellcome in internal and external fora

• Be delivering projects, managing complex internal and external relations, and managing a delegated budget for these purposes as well as review project progress and forward plans to ensure that risks are being managed and mitigated where possible and that the scope and objectives for the project remain appropriate, working with senior managers in the team to agree changes to project scope as appropriate

• 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, navigating complex policy environments and geographies, and engaging with a wide range of stakeholders in global health. You will have the chance to be involved in policy-making processes at both the multilateral and national levels and attend international meetings/events where relevant to Wellcome's interests. You will contribute to meaningful work that advocates for greater equity, inclusion and access in health and a better understanding of evidence-based policy solutions.

We are looking for someone who:

• 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

• Has experience of preparing political advice for team leaders and senior officials in complex environments as well as reconciling conflicting priorities to deliver a project, ideally under time pressure

• Has excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience of delivering written products and talking points for senior leaders, and the ability to synthesise, analyse and communicate policy information to internal/external stakeholders

• Can successfully influence or has contributed to influencing political outcomes through raising awareness of an issue or securing commitments from a key stakeholder

• 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

Interview dates: Week commencement 3rd 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 infor