Location: Global

Department: Network Development

Reports to (Line Manager): Director of Global Impact

Responsible for (Line managing): Regional Advisors (4), Localisation Manager, Humanitarian Capacity Strengthening Manager (SHAPE), Platform Manager Indirectly responsible for Country Director – Ukraine (via the Localisation Manager)

Grade: UK Salary grade F or its equivalent according to location

Contract Type: Open-ended contract

About HelpAge

HelpAge International works with a diverse global network of around 200 organisations across 99 countries to promote the rights of older people to lead dignified, healthy and secure lives. Through partnership and collaborations, we work to ensure the inclusion of older people across society and strive to deliver a just and fair world for everyone as they get older. Our work is driven by our desire to achieve real impact for older people, to be inclusive, to work in partnership and to learn from our shared experience.

About the Job

The Head of Network Development will provide strategic leadership for HelpAge International’s global network engagement and development, localisation, and capacity strengthening work—advancing our commitment to locally led action and building strong, values-driven relationships with network members and other strategic partners.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the implementation, and delivery of the HelpAge network strategy, ensuring it supports locally led transitions, strong partnerships, and member engagement.

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of global network engagement and development, localisation, and capacity strengthening initiatives.

• Line manage the Regional Advisors, guiding regional convening and strategic alignment with HelpAge’s global priorities.

• Lead and support the Network Platform Manager to strengthen member collaboration through effective online and offline platforms.

• Provide coordination and oversight for HelpAge's engagement with Europebased members.

• Line manage the Localisation Manager, providing strategic guidance for countries undergoing transitions—including Ukraine, Kenya and Vietnam— and ensuring effective localisation support.

• Provide oversight to the Humanitarian Capacity Strengthening Manager, ensuring delivery of SHAPE in key humanitarian contexts.

• Promote Partner-Led Programming (PLP) principles, ensuring mutual accountability, inclusive engagement, and shared learning across the network.

• Facilitate cross-team collaboration to support country strategies, localisation plans, and partner engagement.

• Represent HelpAge in global fora on localisation and partnerships, contributing to thought leadership and sector-wide learning.

• Identify and pursue funding opportunities to support localisation and capacity strengthening work across the network.

• Monitor progress, share learning, and adapt approaches to improve the impact and effectiveness of network engagement and localisation work.

• Ensure safeguarding, equity, and inclusion are embedded across all areas of network and capacity strengthening work.

Skills and experience required

Essential

• Proven strategic leadership in network engagement and development, capacity strengthening, or partnership development within international development, humanitarian response, or civil society sectors.

• Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, and manage diverse, multi-disciplinary, and remote teams.

• Extensive experience working with and supporting civil society networks, grassroots organisations, and local partners—particularly in low- and middle-income or Global South contexts.

• Strong knowledge of and commitment to Partner-Led Programming (PLP) principles, with a proven record of supporting locally led development and advancing localisation agendas.

• Experience fostering inclusive, sustainable, and high-impact networks and partnerships that reflect local priorities and leadership.

• Skilled in facilitating cross-organisational collaboration, strategy alignment, and collective action across teams and geographies.

• Experience in fundraising, resource mobilisation, and budget management relevant to network engagement or capacity strengthening.

• Strong understanding of safeguarding, equity, and inclusion and a demonstrated ability to embed these principles in programmes and partnerships.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to build trusted partnerships with internal teams, donors, network members, CSOs, and institutional actors.

• Strong skills in capacity strengthening, mentoring, and stakeholder support.

• Lived experience of the Global South or significant professional experience working in Global South contexts is essential.

Education and Qualifications

• Degree in international development, public policy, human rights, social sciences, or a related field (or equivalent professional experience).

• A postgraduate qualification is an asset but not essential where practical experience is strong. Values, Skills, and Ways of Working

• Ability to work across cultures, sectors, and geographies in inclusive and equitable ways.

• Excellent communication skills in English (spoken and written); additional languages used in the Global South (e.g., Spanish, French, Arabic) are highly desirable.

• Deep commitment to locally led development and the principles of Partner-Led Programming.

• We actively value and encourage candidates with lived experience of inequality, marginalisation, or systemic exclusion—especially related to age, gender, disability, displacement, or economic injustice.

• Familiarity with ageing, inclusion, and rights issues in Global South contexts is a key asset.

Key Behavioural Competencies

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 can contribute their best and develop their potential.

Safeguarding

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.

How to apply

Interested and Qualified individuals are strongly encouraged to review the details of the Job Description via www.helpage.org and submit their Cover Letter and CV only to Jobs@helpage.org not later than Sunday, 31 August 2025.