Senior Research and Policy Specialist (WPS & Humanitarian Reform)

Role Title: Senior Research and Policy Specialist (WPS & Humanitarian Reform) 
Salary: £48,166 to £49,558 Pro-Rata
Location: London-Hybrid
Tenure: Full Time, 6 Months Fixed term

ActionAid UK is a member of the ActionAid Federation, an international charity that works with women and girls living in poverty. We work with our partners and dedicated staff in 43 countries to end violence and fight poverty so that all women, everywhere, can create the future they want

Are you a keen advocate of women and girls’ rights in emergencies? 

Are you a feminist policy expert, with deep knowledge of humanitarian issues and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda? 

Then we'd love to hear from you!

At ActionAid UK, we are building a world where women and girls are valued, free from violence, and able to shape their own futures. Our Women, Peace and Security (WPS) team sits at the heart of this mission. We work alongside activists, partners, and policymakers to push for feminist approaches that put women’s protection, leadership, resilience, and equality front and centre. We are looking for a Senior Research and Policy Specialist to bring intellectual rigour, feminist principles, and creative energy to this work. This is a chance to lead research and policy development that directly shapes how governments, NGOs, and global actors approach humanitarian reform and the WPS agenda. You’ll design and deliver research initiatives, strengthen our positioning in critical debates, and ensure our policy work is grounded in feminist analysis and lived realities.

In this role, you’ll lead high-quality, feminist policy and research initiatives rooted in ActionAid’s global programmes. You’ll collaborate across ActionAid UK, the international federation, and with partners worldwide to influence key decision-makers, from Whitehall to the UN. You’ll also act as a voice for ActionAid in public forums and the media, making sure the issues that matter to women and girls in crisis situations are impossible to ignore. The role calls for someone with deep knowledge of gender equality and humanitarian systems, experience in policy analysis and research, and strong networks within the women’s rights and humanitarian communities. You’ll be comfortable navigating both UK and international policy spaces, and you’ll bring excellent communication skills that make complex issues clear and compelling.

This is more than a policy role. It’s an opportunity to join a team committed to feminist leadership, decolonisation, and anti-racist principles – values that shape not only what we do but how we do it. It’s a chance to stand with women’s rights movements and make sure their voices are heard in the rooms where decisions are made.

You’ll work across the humanitarian and WPS space, developing influencing strategies, shaping UK and global policy agendas, and supporting feminist movement-led change. This is an exciting opportunity to collaborate with colleagues across the ActionAid Federation, build relationships with academic, civil society and policy actors, and contribute to decolonial and anti-racist policy approaches.

If you’re ready to use your expertise to push for change in how the world responds to crisis and conflict – and to help ensure women’s leadership is not just recognised but prioritised – we’d love to hear from you.

Additional information

When applying for this role please provide a link within your CV to three examples of your work: these could be blogs, marketing copy, reports, articles, or other formats.

Diversity, equality, inclusion and belonging:

Diversity, inclusion and belonging are key to our organisational culture. We are on a journey to become not only an anti-racist organisation but one that proudly celebrates the diversity of all applicants and employees. We look forward to you bringing your full self to work, proudly sharing your unique perspective and helping us to shape our combined future. We especially welcome applications from those from under-represented/marginalised communities.

AAUK is a Disability Confident Committed organisation and as such any candidate that declares a disability will be shortlisted for interview if they meet the essential criteria for the role.

Referencing and safeguarding:

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, safeguarding, criminal records and terrorism finance checks. By submitting an application the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures. 

ActionAid UK is committed to preventing any form of sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse (including child abuse and adult at-risk abuse) and responding robustly when these harms take place. We expect all ActionAid UK staff and ActionAid UK representatives to share this commitment. We will not tolerate our staff or other representatives carrying out any form of sexual harassment, exploitation or abuse towards anyone we come into contact with through our work. 

Working practices:

ActionAid is committed to supporting flexible working. If you would like to discuss flexible working options, including the possibility of a job share for this role, there will be space to do so during the interview process.

ActionAid UK has a hybrid working policy for many of our roles. The requirement will vary from team to team and the responsibilities of individual roles. As a minimum, all colleagues are expected to attend the office 12 days per year, plus additional time for induction, training, and company connection days. Some roles may require in-office attendance on all days and if so, these will clearly be marked as in-office roles.

Please note that ActionAid UK does not offer fully remote working options. We encourage you to discuss hybrid working expectations at interview.

Recruitment processes:

Please note that ActionAid UK may review, shortlist and interview candidates prior to the closing date so we encourage all candidates to apply as soon as possible. If we receive a very high response, we may close the vacancy early and will not accept further submissions.

Apply for this role

Job Description