Healthy Ageing Adviser at HelpAge

We are seeking a passionate, professional and experienced candidate to support our Healthy Ageing portfolio, someone who thrives in collaborating with others (inside HelpAge International and beyond) and who can work in agile ways and across boundaries.

This role will focus on advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) with a specific emphasis on ensuring that the needs of older people are addressed in UHC processes. The individual will lead advocacy and policy work, coordinate with partners and stakeholders, and contribute to key global health processes like the World Health Assembly and WHO engagements.

Key areas for impact/influence and responsibilities

• Lead the organisation's work on Universal Health Coverage policy and advocacy to ensure older people's voices are heard and their needs and rights responded to in UHC processes at all levels. This will include advancing our UHC fit for an ageing world framework and strategy, building partner capacity, stakeholder engagement, participation in key meetings and events, and delivering an impactful influencing strategy around the upcoming high-level meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases (HLM NCDs)
• Co-lead the UHC Thematic action group and the delivery of the UHC TAG advocacy and campaign plan
• Co-lead the older people's health and care champions group, building the capacity and shaping the work of the group
• Contribute to the wider work of the Healthy Ageing platform, including the leadership group, the work of other thematic action groups, and technical leadership on catalytic grants related to UHC
• Lead HelpAge engagement in WHO processes, including WHO Executive Board and World Health Assembly
• Contribute to stakeholder analysis and engagement, including leading HelpAge engagement within specific alliances, groups and in key meetings
• Contribute to resource development and fundraising, identifying relevant opportunities, developing and delivering project and programme proposals, and shaping donor engagement strategies
• Provide technical expertise and support to HelpAge and the network, including reviewing reports, documents, project proposals and contributing to the design and delivery of funded projects and programmes.
• Produce and disseminate communications, including articles, blogs, briefings, reports and statements on key issues
• Contribute to horizon scanning, keeping up to date with and sharing global health and ageing news and opportunities across HelpAge and the network and providing strategic analysis to inform our work
• Support improved Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning on healthy ageing and utilisation of related information, data, learning and evidence across the network.

Specific tasks Policy and advocacy Universal health coverage fit for an ageing world

• Continue to advance HelpAge's UHC framework and strategy and promote age and disability inclusive and gender transformative models of UHC at all levels
• Promote UHC infographic and report among diverse audience
• Ongoing capacity building of HelpAge and partners
• Continued relationship development with key stakeholders, including keeping the Healthy ageing stakeholder list and HelpAge Connect updated
• Represent HelpAge and/or support their engagement in key meetings, spaces and events, including but not limited to AMREF conference (March tbc), Global Disability Summit (April 2025), World Health Assembly (May 2025), Africa Regional WHO meeting (August 2025) – see also stakeholder engagement below.

NCD high level meeting

• Follow-up from Forum
• Activity on NCDs around World Health Day (see below TAG activities)
• Support engagement in multi-stakeholder hearing
• Support registration of identified partners to represent HelpAge
• Development of statement
• Update to two-page briefing and longer document, as necessary
• Pre-briefing of attendees
• Engagement in online pre-meetings with other CSOs – NCDA, IDDC
• Support engagement at World Health Assembly, including possible side event with IDDC
• Lead ongoing review and briefings on draft political declaration between May-September
• Support engagement around HLM itself in September (tbc if/who engages)
• Provide ongoing communication and updates on policy and advocacy to HelpAge and the network

UHC Thematic action group and UHC TAG advocacy and campaign plan

• Work with the two network member co-leads to convene at least one group meeting every 6-8 weeks, agreeing agenda and speakers in advance
• Engage new members and deepen engagement of existing ones
• Ensure effective communication and knowledge products and management within and beyond the UHC TAG and the Healthy ageing portal
• Support resource development opportunities and engagement within the UHC TAG
• Link effectively with other TAGs and promote cross-TAG engagement and joint initiatives.

Support the delivery of the UHC TAG advocacy and campaign plan, including:

• Produce World Health Day toolkit with key messages, links to resources, template letters and social media around NCD HLM, drawing on briefing
• Support partners to engage WHO and wider global health stakeholders, including engagement of partners in WHA and WHO regional committee meetings, depending on interest
• Contribute to review and finalisation of the Toolkit to support older people's engagement in advocacy on UHC at local and national levels and its dissemination and use
• Bring together partners working on older women's health and older people's sexual and reproductive health to share good practice (ongoing)
• Work with other TAGs to collate and build data on older people's health and care and promote sex, age and disability disaggregated data
• Work with CBA and Care and Support TAGs to collect resources from across the network on training health and care workers on the needs and rights of older people, linking with WHO ICOPE and IAGG-e TRIGGER.
• We will work with resource mobilisation and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEAL) task teams to improve access to resources and capture key indicators to measure our progress and learning

Older people's health and care champions group

• Co-convene OPHCCG
• Support training and capacity building
• Work with the Healthy ageing team to ensure the group meets regularly and to develop the engagement of the group in the TAGs advocacy and campaign activity.

Contributing to wider work of the Healthy Ageing platform

• Join the regular leadership and coordination team meetings and contribute to their work, including contributing to MEAL, Knowledge Management, Stakeholger Engagement, and Fundraising.
• Engage with the work of the Community Based Approaches TAG and Care and Support TAG, and identify opportunities for collaboration
• Provide technical support to catalytic grant partners on projects related to related to UHC

Engagement in WHO processes

• Keep up to date with WHO EB and WHA draft agendas and opportunities for NSA statements
• Join pre-WHA meetings led by the NSA team and wider stakeholders
• Develop individual statement and develop or contribute to strategic constituency statements for WHO EB and WHA on key agenda items, getting input from HelpAge team and NMs where timing allows
• Support preparation, briefings for and attendance at World Health Assembly
• Joining key NSA and WHO CSO meetings in advance and during
• Contribute to side events, including regular IDDC Inclusive Health Task Group meeting on side lines of WHA
• Provide communication to HelpAge and the network in advance, during and after WHA, offering strategic information and analysis.

Stakeholder analysis and engagement

• Keep HelpAge's stakeholder mapping up-to-date, providing analysis of key opportunities for engagement and developing strategic relationships
• Represent HelpAge within the IDDC Inclusive Health Task Group (communications and quarterly meetings), NCDA Inclusive Peer Learning Advocacy Network (communications and monthly meetings), Global alliance for gender equality and UHC (communications and monthly meetings), UHC2030 Civil Society Engagement Mechanism (CSEM) (communications and regular webinars), the WHO Civil Society Commission (communication and occasional meetings), the WHO-led Global Coordination Mechanism on NCDs (communication and occasional meetings), and upcoming WHO Health equity and disability platform.
• Liaise with HelpAge team on engagement in WHO Clinical Consortium on Healthy Ageing and the WHO Global Network on Long-Term Care.

Resource development and fundraising

• Contribute to identifying resource development and fundraising opportunities
• Develop RD proposals working with colleagues across HelpAge and the network
• Contribute to identifying and engaging strategic donors and building relationships, particularly around UHCroviding analysis of key opportunities for engagement and developing strategic relationships

Technical input

• Provide technical expertise and support to HelpAge and the network, including reviewing reports, documents, project proposals and other advice and support.
• Contribute to the design and delivery of funded projects and programmes.

Communications

• Work with the Healthy ageing and Communications team to contribute to impactful communications strategies and products, including producing articles, blogs, briefings, reports and statements on key issues

Horizon scanning

• Contribute to horizon scanning, keeping up to date with and sharing global health and ageing news and opportunities across HelpAge and the network and providing strategic analysis to inform our work

MEAL

• Support improved Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning on healthy ageing and utilisation of related information, data, learning and evidence across the network.

Skills and experience required Essential

• In depth knowledge of health and care, public health and global health, ideally with a Master's Degree or higher in related topic.
• At least 10 years' experience working on health and care in development and/or humanitarian contexts.
• Demonstrable skills and experience in designing and delivering impactful advocacy strategies to influence decision-makers at national and international levels, including governments, UN system, donors and civil society.
• Experience of working on policy development.
• Ability to conduct and deliver thorough analysis, research, report writing and dissemination of information to a broad range of audiences.
• Ability to think strategically and analytically.
• Excellent written and communication skills.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively and dependably with colleagues and in a way that encourages experimentation, learning and agency.
• Strong facilitation and convening skills.

Desirable

• Experience working with older people and/or on older people's health and care specifically
• Previous experience working with HelpAge
• Speaking Spanish

Key Behavioural Competencies

At HelpAge International, we believe in the importance of empowering our people to be change makers and leaders at all levels. We expect our people to embrace and live our values, challenging themselves every day to identify issues that are most important to older persons and their communities, and to make an impact that matters.

In addition, as an HelpAge employee you are expected to:

• Competencies Description Working Collaboratively with Others Work collaboratively, building mutual trust and respect, with external organizations and partners to achieve our strategic aims and objectives; being accountable for the work we do together.
• Adaptability and Flexibility Adapt to new directions or opportunities arising within the organisation and in our work area; being flexible in our role, constantly using the feedback to learn more and evolve further.
• Supporting and Facilitating Change Lead behavioural and cultural change through embracing a supportive, collaborative and highly inclusive environment where everybody feels supported, respected and engaged.
• Extend HelpAge’s Reach and Impact Extend HelpAge’s reach and impact by creating and identifying new business development opportunities and building relationships with new partners.
• Diversity and Inclusion Lead and promote a culture of including the voices of older people across our support, convening and thought leadership roles, in a way that is transformative, empowering and highly inclusive of those marginalised by gender, economic status, disability and other factors of discrimination.
• Leading Others (for managers) Demonstrate strong leadership to own unit/department and manage people in a well and reputable manner. Create an atmosphere of trust and an enabling environment where staff cancontribute their best and develop their potential.

HelpAge International is committed to safeguarding the communities with which we work, our partners, staff and any others who we come into contact with. The post holder will also be responsible for:

• Preventing harm and abuse from our people, operations and programmes to anyone that encounters our work.
• Reporting all safeguarding incidents you see, hear, hear about or suspect, using our internal reporting mechanism.
• Complying with all safeguarding framework policies and practices.
• Completing mandatory training courses relating to our safeguarding policy framework and complying with HR vetting procedures.

SAFER RECRUITMENT

All employments at HelpAge International will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include misconduct disclosure schemes and terrorism finance checks.