Government Relations Manager | World Benchmarking Alliance

Are you interested in transformational change and sustainability? Are you a strong networker and communicator with the ability to nurture relationships and help establish strategic partnerships with governments? The World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA) is looking for a:

Government Relations Manager

WBA is building a movement to measure and incentivise business impact towards a sustainable future that works for everyone. The private sector has a crucial role to play in advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to work collaboratively with governments, but to boost companies’ motivation, there needs to be real change in the way that their impact is measured. That’s why we are assessing the progress of thousands of companies through publicly available and free rankings of corporate performance. We strengthen, support and complement our benchmarks through active engagement with different stakeholders – including civil society, financial institutions, business networks policymakers and regulators so that our benchmarks are relevant and used by all, accelerating a race to the top.

The role of the Government Relations Manager is to build and strengthen relationships with governments, so that policymakers are enabled to use WBA’s evidence and data to drive forward their SDG implementation strategies. The role requires that you understand the policymaking landscape and the way in which individual government SDG strategies can support the growth and evolution of WBA as we move forward in our strategy to close the corporate accountability gap. You will understand the funding priorities of governments to enable you to develop and execute the government relations strategy for WBA, coordinating – and where appropriate, leading – dialogues and commitments with WBA’s existing and potential government partners. The Government Relations Manager sits in the policy team and engagement function, and you will work closely with Transformation Leads and the policy team to place these critical government partnerships within the broader sustainable development policy and delivery landscape. This will also allow you to play a role in supporting WBA’s institutional engagement activities during key global moments.

What you will do in this role:

Build effective relationships with government funders working with WBA colleagues on potential funding opportunities.
Develop and strengthen relationships with government representatives at various levels (i.e. government ministries, UN Missions, etc.), advising and engaging on opportunities with WBA’s work to socialise and build the reputation of WBA on cross-functional projects or initiatives.
Coordinate commitments and outputs of the different funders, e.g. by preparing donor committee meetings, draft funding proposals, lead grant making processes.
Coordinate progress reports on deliverables, milestones, challenges, learnings and risks to funders, collaborating closely with the Finance Department to ensure adequate financial narratives.
Track new or emerging policy/regulatory developments at a national or regional level and identify opportunities, including at relevant regional or global policy convenings, to align policy developments with existing and potential funding relationships.
Work closely with colleagues in the policy team to harmonise and maximise the impact of our partnerships with government partners.

Our Government Relations Manager:

Has 4-7 years of working experience in a similar or relevant role in a not-for-profit organisation or government agency.
A good understanding of managing grants or generating funding for institutional priorities.
An outstanding relationship/stakeholder manager, capable of understanding the priorities of governments, building relationships of trust and translating into strategic partnership opportunities.
Has a strong understanding of key sustainability issues, including relevant policy dimensions, and excellent verbal and written English communication skills, including ability to distil and translate complex data into relevant insights.
A self-starter that has a positive attitude and is able to plan and set priorities, in a flexible working, evolving and global culture environment.
Ability to work across different virtual teams and global cultures, comfortable in an evolving ‘Teal’ working environment that promotes flexibility, self-management and wholeness.

Our offer

An inspiring and dynamic career, with room to grow in a driven team focused on impact, ambition and teamwork. We stimulate personal growth, believe in flexible working arrangements and you will receive market-based employment benefits. We have a physical presence in Amsterdam and London, with colleagues all over the world. Inclusivity is one of our values, so your base location could be anywhere.

Interested?

Send your resume and cover letter to careers@worldbenchmarkingalliance.org addressed to Leesa Muirhead (Strategy and Development Lead) with a brief cover letter explaining why you want to join the WBA and how you meet the role profile. We are happy for you to apply as soon as possible but at latest by 21 February 2022. First virtual interviews will be held 1 and 3 March 2022. For more information about what we do, see our website or follow @SDGBenchmarks.