Title:                               Policy and Advocacy Officer

Contract Type:             Employee (100%) or consultancy

Contract Duration:      Fixed term, up to 5 months [to end 31 December 2025]

Team:                             Policy, Advocacy and Accountability

Reporting to:                Policy and Advocacy Manager

Start Date:                     1^st August 2025

Location:                       Employment in Geneva, Switzerland

Deadline:                       Monday 15th July 2025, 23.00 CEST

Job description

The NCD Alliance seeks a Geneva-based officer to support our global policy and advocacy. This is an excellent opportunity for candidates interested in working for a respected civil society organization, engaging with multilateral institutions and governments, and leading strategic advocacy and coalition building on a priority global health and development issue. The successful applicant will join our Policy, Advocacy and Accountability (PAA) team of 8 professionals located in Geneva, London and New York City.

The NCD Alliance is delivering a strategic advocacy approach in the lead up to the Fourth UN High Level Meeting (HLM4) on NCDs in September 2025. The fixed-term PAA Officer will play an integral role in supporting the NCD Alliance to work closely with the organisation’s network to deliver global advocacy.  The role will also take on specific policy and strategy development projects to support planning processes for 2026 and beyond.

This role provides an excellent opportunity for a policy and advocacy professional to rapidly develop a range of experience in a fast-moving environment, dealing with a wide range of stakeholders, and a spectrum of global health policy issues.

About the NCD Alliance

The NCD Alliance (NCDA) is a registered non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Geneva, Switzerland, dedicated to supporting a world free from preventable suffering, disability and death caused by noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Founded in 2009, NCDA brings together a unique network of over 500 members in more than 90 countries into a respected, united and credible global civil society movement. The movement is unified by the cross-cutting nature of common risk factors including unhealthy diets, harmful use of alcohol, tobacco smoking, air pollution and physical inactivity, and the system solutions for chronic NCDs such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, diabetes, mental health and neurological disorders.

The NCD Alliance is at the forefront of elevating NCDs onto the global health and development agenda through strategic relations with the World Health Organization, United Nations (UN), and governments, with staff around the world, including Geneva, London, and New York City. Our network includes global and national NGOs, scientific and professional associations, academic and research institutions, private sector entities and dedicated individuals.

The NCD Alliance’s activities aim to influence policy, raise awareness of NCDs, broker knowledge and good practice to finance, prevent, and treat NCDs. NCD Alliance supports capacity development of NCD civil society organizations and alliances, mobilising a network of over 70 national and regional NCD alliances around the world. Our achievements to date include supporting the adoption of landmark political commitments on NCDs – including from the UN HLMs on NCDs in 2011, 2014 and 2018, the global 2025 NCD targets, NCD-related targets in the Sustainable Development Goals and the declaration of the UN HLM on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in 2019 and 2023. Please find more information about the NCD Alliance on our website: www.ncdalliance.org.

The NCD Alliance is currently delivering impactful global advocacy campaigns, in close collaboration with our network, in the lead up to the Fourth UN HLM on NCDs in 2025. NCD Alliance continues to be the convening civil society voice advocating for action on existing NCD targets at the global level, and calling for governments, and other stakeholders, to be held accountable. Integration of NCDs into other global health priorities such as HIV, tuberculosis and maternal and newborn health are fundamental for reaching NCD targets, and organisations working on NCDs at regional and country levels are at the heart of an engaged civil society movement. The Policy, Advocacy and Accountability team focuses on four impact goals: Prevention, Care, Financing and Community Engagement.

We are looking for a short-term contract Policy and Advocacy Officer to support with a number of key areas of work to support delivery of our advocacy up to the UN HLM, and to help us develop our policy and plans for follow-up on the outcomes and towards 2026. 

This will include:

1. Support and enhance the impact and effectiveness of NCDA’s advocacy and accountability activities towards and as follow-up to the UN HLM4 including contributions to:

• Tracking of negotiations and positions of other key stakeholders, supporting the production of policy briefs and development and refinement of NCDA’s positions
• Communications on the HLM4 aligned with the Global Week for Action on NCDs (GW4A) together with the Communications team, and specifically supporting developing messaging and communications on related gender-based issues
• Active and regular engagement with members and wider NCDA network to further develop and refine advocacy priorities and ensure strong engagement
• Monitoring industry interference around the HLM4, while updating and disseminating a live NCDA’s industry myth buster tool for policymakers, partners and media.
• Identifying global advocacy opportunities to follow-up on the HLM4 outcomes and supporting NCDA plans to engage in these (e.g., FCTC COP11).

2. Support NCDA’s engagements with other UN-wide processes and their outcomes, such as the Financing for Development (FfD) Summit, G20 Summit, the World Summit for Social Development, and tracking other global health architecture discussions

• Tracking and producing analysis of processes, outcomes and opportunities, including engaging with members and wider global health networks to gather intelligence and coordinate plans.

3. Undertake policy analysis and development work on NCD Accountability processes including:

• Developing positions on the relevant accountability outcomes from the HLM4
• Engagement with the next iteration of the WHO NCD Global Monitoring Framework
• Exploring integration of NCDs in other global health and development accountability processes, mapping out accountability for SDG 3.8 on UHC and relevant processes for PHC and identifying opportunities for strengthening NCD accountability processes
• Exploring integration of NCDs with communicable disease accountability processes, e.g. for HIV/AIDS for the upcoming UN HLM on HIV/AIDS in 2026.

4. Work closely with PAA and Capacity Development unit colleagues to support development of a process to monitor in-country developmentson NCDA priority policy areas, including accountability initiatives, and priority policy implementation (e.g. fiscal, marketing and labelling measures across NCD risk factors, integration of NCDs into PHC and UHC benefit packages, funding and availability to access to medicines, diagnostics and health products) - identifying champions and opportunities to promote NCDA’s knowledge products.

Main duties and responsibilities:

• Track and analyse global policy processes and trends on NCDs and global health on particular topics;
• Draft materials including reports, consultation submissions, policy briefs, op-eds, statements, fact sheets, blogs, event concept notes, presentations and speeches to provide information to policymakers, partners and media as necessary;
• Support the preparation of NCD Alliance advocacy and partner events and webinars internationally, including policy roundtables, high-level advocacy events, and our involvement in conferences. Including coordination across teams and partners to prepare content, engage and support speakers and ensure appropriate logistics and communications;
• Support NCD Alliance’s advocacy and engagement with WHO, including preparing and coordinating input for responses and submissions to WHO consultations on specific topics, preparation for WHO Executive Board and World Health Assembly and Regional Committee meetings and other major NCD-related meetings, and relations with the key teams and clusters;
• Support dissemination and engagement of global resources regionally and nationally, with NCDA’s capacity development team;

Experience and skills

Essential

• University degree in a policy or health related subject, with a minimum of 2 years of relevant job or internship experience;
• Knowledge and experience of global health and development, multilateral processes, particularly within the WHO;
• Excellent analysis, writing and oral communications skills in English, including presentation skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to successfully manage competing priorities and meet deadlines with developing ability to take initiative;
• Capacity to work independently and collaboratively in an international team environment with solid interpersonal and verbal communication skills;
• Developing judgment and strategic thinking;
• Ability to make presentations and organise effective in-person meetings;
• Availability for international travel required.

Desirable

• Professional experience supporting the development and implementation of advocacy campaigns for non-profit organisations;
• Professional experience working with international institutions such as the WHO;
• Working knowledge of UN and/or WHO processes;
• Knowledge of, and professional experience working on, issues related to NCD care and prevention, and health financing;
• Policy research skills and experience;
• Written and oral communication skills in other languages.

Requirements

• For a fixed-term employment contact in Switzerland, a Swiss or EU national or valid work permit to work in Switzerland. Please note that only applicants with a pre-existing right to work in Switzerland can apply. We regret that we cannot support visa applications.
• For a consultancy, registration as self-employed in your country of residence. We regret that we cannot support visa applications.

Terms of Employment

• Start date: 1^st August 2025 - End date: 31^st December 2025
• Diversity and inclusion are central to the way we work at the NCD Alliance. We are committed to cultivating a fair and healthy 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.

NCD Alliance values

Our work is underpinned by values which align with well-established principles of global health and sustainable development:

• People-centered
• Collaboration
• Equity, diversity and inclusion
• Accountability
• Independence
• Excellence and results driven

Your application should include:

1. A cover letter (no longer than two pages) outlining how you meet the required experience and competencies, whether you are based in Switzerland or outside of Switzerland, and when you would be available to start .
2. Your curriculum vitae (no longer than two pages), including two references.
3. One relevant piece of your written work, this could be a presentation, short report, or article that you have written during your studies or while working or volunteering for another organization.

Important note: Incomplete applications will not be shortlisted.

How to apply:

• Please send your application, including two contacts for references to hr@ncdalliance.org and include “Policy and Advocacy Officer” in the subject line of your email.
• Application deadline: 15^th July 2025, 23.00 CET.
• We regret that we are only able to contact shortlisted Interviews are planned to take place week commencing 21^st July  2025