• For candidates based outside the UK, countries: France, Germany, Switzerland remuneration will be aligned to IPPF's approved salary scale for the employee's contractual location and may differ from the London salary £65,025-91,033 range advertised. The Mexico salary range is MXN 1,069,148 -1,817,552 / Tunisia salary range TND 220,234-385,409
• Please note, candidates must have the Right to Work in the respective country this role will be based in. 
• Frequent travel to London office as required where Director General is based. 

Role boundaries

• The Chief of Staff does not line-manage, evaluate or direct DLT members unless a separate, explicit reporting arrangement is formally approved by DLT.
• Institutional ownership of external relationships, policy, communications, resource mobilisation and technical portfolios remains with the relevant accountable functions.
• The Executive Assistant retains responsibility for diary management, executive administration, travel, logistics, routine meeting coordination and day-to-day management of the Director General’s office.

1.  Strategic advice and executive decision support

• Originate and develop strategic analysis, options and recommendations on emerging organisational priorities, opportunities and risks for the Director General.
• Shape decision papers, briefings, presentations, speeches and talking points, drawing together the expertise and evidence of relevant Secretariat teams.
• Anticipate matters requiring executive attention and establish proportionate approaches for analysis, consultation, decision and follow-through.
• Provide candid, evidence-based advice while exercising a high level of discretion, judgement, and organisational awareness.

2.  Executive strategy and cross-organisational initiatives

• Lead and oversee a portfolio of high-priority initiatives sponsored by the Director General that cut across established functions or regions.
• Establish fit-for-purpose frameworks and ways of working that enable initiative owners and contributing teams to deliver collectively.
• Identify material risks, dependencies, resource implications and implementation barriers, and bring forward practical options for resolution by the appropriate accountable leaders.
• Lead selected special projects commissioned by the Director General, with accountability for their quality, pace, scope and organisational value.
• Develop concise strategic updates, progress reports and executive dashboards highlighting achievements, challenges and decisions required.

3.  DLT effectiveness and leadership alignment

• Partner with the Director General and DLT to strengthen collective focus, strategic coherence and shared visibility of the Federation’s most important priorities.
• Shape the strategic agenda and substantive preparation for DLT meetings, retreats and other executive forums, in collaboration with the Director General, DLT members and the Executive Assistant.
• Facilitate alignment across divisions, regions and functions where priorities, dependencies or resource constraints require collective leadership attention.
• Maintain an executive-level view of agreed strategic commitments and support accountable leaders to surface progress, decisions required and barriers to delivery.
• Promote constructive collaboration and timely information flow without duplicating line-management, governance or functional accountabilities.

4.  Strategic partnerships and external positioning

• Advise on and help shape selected high-level partnerships and collaborative initiatives linked to the Director General’s priorities.
• Work in partnership with relevant teams to assess strategic opportunities, clarify institutional objectives and maximise value to IPPF.
• Coordinate the Director General’s participation in selected external platforms and ensure that commitments, intelligence and opportunities are translated into appropriate internal action.
• Support the development of strategic partnership opportunities arising from the Director General’s engagement, while preserving the institutional ownership of the relevant functions.
• Represent the Director General only where specifically delegated and in agreement with the function accountable for the relevant relationship, policy or technical area.

5.  Organisational insight, monitoring and learning

• Establish concise executive dashboards and reporting approaches that provide meaningful insight into strategic progress, dependencies, risks and decisions required.
• Synthesise complex information from across the Federation into clear, decision-ready advice for the Director General and DLT.
• Capture learning from executive-sponsored initiatives and recommend practical improvements to organisational effectiveness, collaboration and execution.
• Ensure that relevant intelligence and outcomes from the Director General’s engagements are shared with the teams accountable for action and institutional relationship management.
• Promote an evidence-led culture of prioritisation, learning and follow-through.

Key performance indicators

• The Director General receives timely, high-quality strategic advice and decision support on priority organisational issues.
• Executive-sponsored initiatives have clear outcomes, proportionate governance and demonstrable progress against agreed milestones.
• The DLT has stronger collective visibility of priorities, dependencies, risks and decisions requiring leadership attention.
• Cross-organisational barriers are surfaced early and addressed through the appropriate accountable leaders and governance routes.
• Selected strategic partnerships and external engagements generate clear institutional value and effective internal follow-through.
• Briefings, decision papers, dashboards and strategic communications are concise, evidence-based and decision-ready.
• The role strengthens, rather than duplicates, the accountabilities of DLT members, functional teams and the Executive Assistant.
• Colleagues across the Federation experience the Chief of Staff as a credible, collaborative and enabling strategic partner.

Education

• Advanced university degree in international development, public health, international relations, political science, business administration, public policy or another relevant field.

Experience

• Significant progressively responsible experience, typically 15 years or more, in strategy, organisational leadership, executive advisory work, partnerships, programme leadership or comparable roles, including substantial experience at senior level.
• Demonstrated experience advising a chief executive, Director General or executive leadership team on complex strategic and organisational matters.
• Proven success originating, shaping and leading complex cross-functional initiatives involving multiple countries, regions or organisational functions.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders and achieving results without relying on formal authority.
• Experience developing and sustaining high-level partnerships and supporting senior external engagement in politically sensitive environments.
• Experience in an international, federated, membership-based, civil-society or similarly complex organisation is highly desirable.
• Experience in advancing Sexual and Reproductive Rights, Health and Justice agenda is highly desirable.
• Experience advancing social justice, inclusion and intersectional approaches is highly desirable.

Knowledge and skills

• Exceptional strategic thinking, political judgement and ability to connect organisational context with practical execution.
• Strong ability to originate ideas, define approaches and convert ambiguity into clear choices, frameworks and action.
• Outstanding analytical skills and the ability to synthesize complex information into concise recommendations for senior decision-makers.
• Advanced programme and project leadership skills, including governance, risk, dependency and benefits management.
• Excellent facilitation, influencing, negotiation and relationship-building skills across diverse institutional and cultural contexts.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills in English; proficiency in French and/or other languages relevant to IPPF’s work is highly desirable.
• High levels of discretion, integrity, resilience and sound judgement.
• Substantive understanding of sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality, feminist leadership and the realities of working in contested political environments is highly desirable.

IPPF values and personal competencies

• Commitment to IPPF’s mission, values, safeguarding principles, diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Strategic and systems thinking.
• Collaborative, enabling leadership and respect for distributed accountability.
• Courage, diplomacy and sound judgement.
• Initiative, accountability and disciplined follow-through.
• Adaptability, curiosity and continuous learning.
• Ability to build trust across difference and operate effectively in ambiguity.