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About the Role
The Chief of Staff serves as the Director General’s adviser and partner in advancing IPPF’s mission, strategy and organisational priorities. The role supports the Director General’s effectiveness by providing high-quality strategic advice, shaping cross-organisational initiatives, enabling effective executive decision-making and supporting disciplined follow-through on agreed priorities. Working in close partnership with the Director's Leadership Team (DLT) and senior leaders across the Federation, the Chief of Staff combines executive support, strategic partnership coordination, and programme management to ensure the Director General’s highest-priority initiatives are effectively coordinated, implemented, and monitored.
Responsibilities
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Requirements
- Candidates must have the Right to Work in the respective country this role will be based in.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to safeguarding in a local and international context.
- Demonstrates ability and willingness to work in a diverse, multicultural, multilingual and intergenerational environment that is anti-racist and respectful of others.
- An intersectional (pro) feminist passionate about sexual reproductive health care rights + justice, including safe abortion.
- Supportive of people’s rights regardless of sexuality or gender identity/expression and supportive of workers’ rights and access to health care in sex work.
Skills
- Strategic advice
- Executive decision support
- Executive strategy
- Cross-organisational initiatives
- DLT effectiveness
- Leadership alignment
- Strategic partnerships
- External positioning
- Organisational insight
- Monitoring and learning
- Programme management
- Stakeholder management
- Political judgement
- International development
- Public health
- International relations
- Political science
- Business administration
- Public policy
- Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)
- Gender equality
- Feminist leadership
- Intersectional approaches
- French language proficiency
- Other relevant languages
Location
- France
- Germany
- Switzerland
- Mexico
- Tunisia
- London
Work Type
- Frequent travel to London office as required
Experience Level
- 15 years or more
- Senior level
Education Level
- Advanced university degree in international development, public health, international relations, political science, business administration, public policy or another relevant field.
Salary/Compensations
- Remuneration will be aligned to IPPF's approved salary scale for the employee's contractual location and may differ from the London salary range advertised.
About the Company
- IPPF is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees, volunteers, contractors and partners to share this commitment. Anyone employed with IPPF agrees to sign and adhere to IPPF’s Code of Conduct and Safeguarding (Children and Vulnerable Adults) Policy.
- IPPF is a global movement delivering sexual and reproductive health services and rights. We are a diverse, feminist, and values-driven workplace - multi-national, multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-lingual, and intergenerational.
- We are an equal opportunities employer and appoint on merit through open competition. We actively encourage applications from people with lived experience and from the communities we serve, especially those from marginalised groups.
- IPPF offers meaningful work, an inspiring environment, professional growth, and the chance to make a lasting impact on the lives of individuals and communities around the world.
- Mission-Driven Organization: IPPF is a globally recognized leader. By joining IPPF, you become part of a mission-driven organization dedicated to empowering individuals and communities, advancing gender equality, and improving access to comprehensive healthcare services.
- Bringing Positive Change: IPPF brings positive change to the lives of millions of people worldwide. Reducing maternal mortality, preventing unintended pregnancies, combating gender-based violence, promoting comprehensive sexuality education, and advocating for the realization of sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice for all, and especially marginalized people.
- Global Reach and Influence: IPPF works across all continents, providing a unique opportunity to work on a global scale to shape change and implement innovative approaches to combat racism.
- Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion: IPPF is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of its work. You will play a crucial role in building an inclusive and equitable organization that respects and values individuals’ backgrounds, experiences, and identities.
- At IPPF, our values guide how we work, how we lead and how we partner. We: Uphold dignity by championing bodily autonomy and the full realisation of sexual and reproductive rights for all. Champion equality through feminist, anti-racist, anti-ableist and intersectional practice. Demand justice for all by challenging structural inequalities and standing alongside social movements for change. Celebrate pleasure, recognising sexual and reproductive health as a positive state of wellbeing, joy and fulfilment. Build global and local community, led by those most affected and powered by youth, volunteers and partners. Act with integrity, holding ourselves accountable to people, partners, donors and each other. Foster resilience by learning, adapting and persevering in complex and changing contexts.
Equal Opportunity
- We are an equal opportunities employer and appoint on merit through open competition. We actively encourage applications from people with lived experience and from the communities we serve, especially those from marginalised groups.