Calling senior
advocacy leaders who love to see transformation through their work, driven by
purpose and motivated by impact! IJM Australia is seeking a Chief Advocacy
Officer to mobilise Australia’s influence to help end violence against 500
million vulnerable people around the world by converting survivor‑centred
evidence into legislation, delivering on systems reform, and achieving global
impact.
Who We Are
International Justice Mission (IJM) is the global leader in protecting
vulnerable people from violence around the world. Our team of over 1,300
professionals are at work worldwide in over 30 offices. Together we are on a
mission to rescue millions, protect half a billion, and make justice
unstoppable.
We are a global community that cares for one another. We believe that the
way we work is as important as the results we achieve. We provide professional
excellence with joy and celebration to all those we serve.
The IJM Australia Advancement Office was established in 2014 to fuel
IJM’s global mission by mobilising Australians’ resources and influence to
protect people living in poverty from violence.
The Need
For almost 30 years, IJM has pioneered the work to protect
vulnerable people from violence. Nine out of nine times in the last decade,
IJM’s Justice System Strengthening Projects have reduced slavery and violence
between 50% and 85% in specific caseworks and jurisdictions. As we grow to
expand our impact to protect 500 million people from violence, the role of Chief
Advocacy Officer. This position is critical as it leads and integrates IJM
Australia’s advocacy to influence government and key stakeholders, ensuring
survivorcentred strategies that translate frontline program experience into
real policy and systemic change to end violence against vulnerable people.
This
position is based in Sydney – Australia, Hybrid, and reports to the CEO
Job Brief:
Overview:
The Chief Advocacy
Officer is accountable for IJM Australia’s advocacy strategy.
This strategy is expected to influence government policy and
corporate approaches to end violence against vulnerable people, especially
in our work on Forced Labour Slavery in South Asia and
SE-Asia and to combat the Online Sexual Exploitation of Children in
SE-Asia.
This leader needs
to shape and drive a coherent advocacy agenda that aligns local,
national, and international influence efforts whilst ensuring that we
draw on IJM’s considerable program experience and are always survivor-centred
in our work.
The role oversees
government relations, policy evelopment, media engagement and engagement
with other like-minded actors to widen our impact. They will need to
build trusted partnerships with policymakers, multilaterals, civil
society, and key influencers to help mobilise Australia to make a
real-world difference for vulnerable people around the world. The CAO ensures
advocacy priorities are contextually grounded, politically astute, and
responsive to emerging risks and opportunities, while maintaining alignment
with our organisational values.
The Chief Advocacy
Officer reports to the Chief Executive Officer, is a member of the Leadership
Team and supervises staff in policy, campaign, grant and research
roles. The CAO is expected to provide strategic counsel to the
CEO and Board on advocacy priorities, regulatory risk, and external
influence.
Key
Result Areas:
The
success of this role is measured by the following KRAs, which the CAO has
accountability for:
- IJM has
globally identified “Agents of Change” (AOC) who are
significant actors that have the potential to deliver scalable
transformational change. IJM Australia has ownership for four of
these AOC and is expected to maintain and grow the
relationship between IJM and these stakeholders.
- The Modern
Slavery Act and the Online Safety Act are critical to
delivering scale protection for our program countries and so
achieving ongoing change and improvement in these pieces of
legislation is important to IJM Australia’s work.
- Media
engagement is used by IJM Australia for both policy and
systems-change objectives, as well as brand reach. Our strategic
goal is to increase our media presence year-on-year.
- IJM Australia
funds specific projects in IJM’s program offices and we need to ensure
that, as the funder, we oversee the project execution to ensure that it
meets our expectations in terms of outcomes and quality.
- During 2026,
IJM Australia is looking to secure ‘base’ accreditation in DFAT’s ANCP
program and then apply for ‘full’ accreditation in 2028.
- IJM Australia
has a target to secure other grants each year from government and/or
institutional funders.
Roles and Responsibilities:
Strategy
development and implementation:
- Lead the development, implementation and monitoring
of IJM Australia’s advocacy strategy. Set relevant and
identifiable priorities for each year and then oversee the
implementation of the work to deliver on the priorities within the
team.
- Having clear policy positions on relevant matters to our case work
and ensuring these policy positions are survivor-informed
and leverage evidence from our program
offices. The CAO has decision authority over IJM
Australia’s advocacy strategy, policy positions, stakeholder engagement
priorities, and advocacy‑related grant submissions.
- Establish, maintain and oversee the delivery of a
media strategy for IJM Australia that will achieve our
strategic objectives and is based on the core messages we
are seeking to communicate on. Noting that delivery of
media content is often shared based on who is the ‘most
appropriate voice’.
- Identify, assess, escalate and manage advocacy‑related
political, reputational, and regulatory risks.
- Provide regular strategic briefings to the CEO and Board on advocacy
progress, risks, and emerging opportunities.
Build
and maintain effective relationships with stakeholders and
decision-makers; build IJM’s profile
- Ensure there is a well described and effective engagement plan for
each stakeholder and oversee the implementation of the engagement plan
during the year (noting that there will be some relationships owned by the
team, or by the CAO and potentially by other members of IJM Australia such
as the CEO or in the Partnerships team).
- Cultivate effective relationships with Government officials and
stakeholders, external policy experts and civil society to
progress IJM Australia’s advocacy strategy.
- Compelling engagement with external stakeholders and counterparties,
especially in advocacy activities such as
meetings, inquiries and conferences.
- Develop collaborative relationships with IJM Global staff
to identify and analyse issues arising from program casework and
share advocacy initiatives and information.
Project
delivery and grants
- Lead the IJM Australia team in grant acquisition and then management
of successful grants. This will require alignment with IJM global policies
and procedures as well as integration with the oversight of
the IJM Australia Board.
- Ensuring overall clarity in our policies and processes to
achieve and then sustain DFAT ANCP accreditation.
Culture
Builder
- Act as an exemplary role model whose conduct reflects IJM’s values
(Christian faith, professionalism, and commitment to bridge‑building),
both internally and with external partners.
- Communicate
clearly and simply, address complex or difficult issues directly, and
make timely, well judged decisions in service of the mission.
- Participate actively in organisational governance, collaborate
constructively across functions, and foster an environment of mutual
respect, inclusion, and shared ownership.
- Question the status quo where it limits impact, and lead thoughtful
change to improve how IJM Australia operates, partners, and
influences.
- Contribute to
the expression of a community of spiritual
formation through participating in IJM’s rhythms of
spiritual disciplines, including daily stillness, corporate
prayer, staff prayer retreats, and individual annual days of
solitude.
People
Management:
- Builds a high-performance team environment
where: a) roles are shaped to leverage and develop
skills; b) the team is motivated, achieves goals, has high
standards for excellence and c) team members are being
coached on achieving their career objectives.
- Holds team members (and others outside the team) accountable for
their outcomes and behaviours.
- Shows concern for others and demonstrates compassion
- Creates a collaborative and inclusive work environment
Supervisory:
- This role reports to the Chief Executive Officer.
- This role oversees a team of three, two of whom work fully
remote.
Requirements:
Education & Experience:
1.Tertiary
qualifications in a relevant field including politics, law,
economics, communications, journalism, public
relations, or international development.
2.Experience
in designing and implementing high-impact advocacy campaigns.
3.Experience in
dealing with senior politicians, departments and agency heads.
4. High level supervisory and organisational
management experience.
5. Demonstrated ability to translate complex
program evidence into policy reform.
6. Experience working in a not-for-profit
organisation or government role with exposure to the not-for-profit
sector or experience engaging with Government stakeholders
(e.g. the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade).
Technical Competencies:
1. Outstanding strategic policy and planning
skills.
2. Excellent influencing and networking skills, with the
ability to advocate with senior decision makers.
3. Proven ability to work effectively with a
diverse range of stakeholders, including strong consultation skills.
4. Excellent writing skills and the ability to distil and
effectively communicate complex information to a range of audiences.
5. Ability to work effectively with the media.
Non-Technical Competencies:
1. Ability to establish quickly personal credibility, to
develop, maintain and negotiate effective working relationships with
groups and individuals (including within the Government) with differing
perspectives and agendas, and of working with other organisations on
joint campaigns and coalitions.
2. Self-starter with strong initiative and an
entrepreneurial
spirit, with demonstrated leadership capacity.
3. Global and cultural awareness.
4. Commitment to IJM’s Statement of Faith.
5. A servant heart with a desire to serve and
advocate on behalf of the poor and oppressed.
6. Personal and professional integrity.
7. Successful completion of Criminal History
checks.
Travel:
Assuming
the role is based in Sydney, there will be regular travel to Canberra (two
to four times a year) and potentially other capital cities in Australia
depending on the need to engage with other stakeholders (potentially two to
four times a year). There will also be a need to visit program countries on an
annual or bi-annual basis. There may also be regional leadership
conferences to attend.
The below are required for all IJM
Australia roles:
1.Commitment to IJM’s Statement of
Faith.
2.A servant heart with a desire to
advocate on behalf of the poor and oppressed.
3.Personal and professional integrity.
4. Prepared
to undergo Criminal History checks.
Other Duties:
This job
description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of
activities, duties or responsibilities for the position. Duties,
responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
All positions are required to perform any additional tasks assigned by the
supervisor.
Why Join Us?
At IJM Australia,
we believe in supporting our team with meaningful benefits that reflect our
values and commitment to wellbeing. When you join us, you’ll enjoy:
Generous Leave
Entitlements
-
Annual Leave – 20 days per year
to rest and recharge
-
Personal/Carer’s
Leave – 10 days
annually to care for yourself or loved ones
-
Compassionate Leave – 2 days for family
bereavements
-
Time Off in Lieu – Available when
out-of-hours work is required
-
Family &
Domestic Violence Leave – 10 days paid leave for those in need
-
Day of Solitude – 1 day each year
for personal reflection and rest
-
Gifted Leave – 4.5 additional
days over Christmas and New Year
-
Long Service Leave – In accordance
with the Long Service Leave Act in each state
Salary Packaging
Options
IJM Australia
offers salary packaging options that allow eligible employees to receive
part of their salary as non-cash benefits helping you make the most of your
income within statutory caps.
IJM holds strict
safeguarding principles and a zero tolerance to violations of the Safeguarding
Policy, Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Policy,
and Code of Ethics. Candidate selection is based on technical competence,
recruitment, selection and hiring criteria subject to assessing the candidate’s
value congruence and thorough background, police clearance, and reference check
processes. IJM values people from diverse backgrounds and experiences to enrich
the perspectives it brings to the organisation.
Please submit your Resume/CV and Cover Letter not later than 15 May 2026.
Remark: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
