Chief Policy, Advocacy & Campaigns Officer (E2)

Save the Children  

For over 100 years, Save the Children has been fighting for the rights of children. The right to a healthy start in life. To have access to education. To be in a safe environment, protected from harm. We work in some of the world’s hardest-to-reach places – over 100 countries, including the U.S. No matter what your role is, when you join Save the Children, you’re creating positive, irreversible change for children, and the future we all share.  

The Role

The Chief Policy, Advocacy & Campaigns Officer (“Chief PAC Officer”) is a senior executive leader responsible for shaping and advancing Save the Children US’s government relations, policy, advocacy, and political strategy to drive transformational outcomes for children in the United States and globally. Reporting directly to the CEO, the Chief PAC Officer serves as a key member of the executive leadership team and a trusted strategic advisor, guiding how the organization influences public policy, mobilizes stakeholders, and positions itself as a leading voice for children.

The Chief PAC Officer provides enterprise-wide leadership across federal and state government engagement, global policy alignment, advocacy campaigns, and the strategic oversight of Save the Children Action Network (SCAN), the organization’s 501(c)(4) advocacy affiliate. This role ensures that advocacy, policy, and political strategies are integrated, data-driven, and aligned with organizational priorities, amplifying Save the Children’s mission impact through systemic change. The Chief PAC Officer also oversees significant financial resources and leads a large, multidisciplinary team spanning policy, lobbying, grassroots mobilization, communications, and campaign execution.

This leader is responsible for defining a bold, forward-looking advocacy vision while ensuring disciplined execution, strong governance, and measurable outcomes. The Chief PAC Officer builds and sustains high-impact relationships with policymakers, coalition partners, donors, and global stakeholders, positioning Save the Children as a trusted, influential partner. Success in this role requires exceptional strategic acumen, political insight, and the ability to align complex internal and external ecosystems to deliver lasting policy change.

Location

Hybrid – Washington DC office location

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)
*not inclusive of all role responsibilities. May be subject to change

Strategic Leadership & Policy Agenda

• Define and lead a comprehensive, multi-year government relations and advocacy strategy aligned with Save the Children’s mission, U.S. priorities, and global policy agenda.
• Establish and drive federal, state, and international policy priorities, influencing legislation, appropriations, and regulatory frameworks.
• Ensure alignment of advocacy strategies across Save the Children US, Save the Children International, and SCAN to create a unified and coherent external voice.
• Provide strategic counsel to the CEO, Board(s), and executive leadership on political, policy, and reputational risks and opportunities.
• Leverage data, evidence, and field insights to shape policy positions and advocacy strategies that deliver measurable impact for children.

Government Relations & External Influence

• Build and maintain high-level relationships with U.S. federal and state policymakers, Administration officials, and key international institutions (e.g., UN, World Bank).
• Serve as a primary external spokesperson and thought leader on policy issues affecting children.
• Lead coalition engagement with NGOs, think tanks, advocacy organizations, and cross-sector partners to amplify influence and drive collective action.
• Shape and execute strategies to influence appropriations, authorizing legislation, and public policy debates.

Advocacy, Campaigns & SCAN Leadership

• Provide executive oversight and strategic direction for Save the Children Action Network (SCAN), ensuring alignment with broader organizational priorities.
• Drive innovative, integrated advocacy campaigns that mobilize grassroots supporters, influence decision-makers, and deliver policy wins.
• Ensure effective integration of lobbying, political engagement, communications, and public mobilization strategies.
• Guide the evolution of SCAN into a high-impact, externally facing advocacy and political platform.
• Oversee compliance with all applicable laws governing lobbying, political activity, and nonprofit/c4 coordination.

Organizational Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, develop, and inspire a large, multidisciplinary team across government relations, policy, advocacy, and campaigns.
• Establish clear goals, roles, and accountability frameworks aligned with enterprise strategy and performance expectations.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, inclusion, innovation, and high performance across teams and geographies.
• Align organizational structure, talent, and capabilities to meet evolving advocacy priorities and external demands.
• Champion leadership development, succession planning, and workforce planning within the function.

Financial Stewardship & Resource Development

• Oversee significant departmental and SCAN budgets, ensuring strong financial management, transparency, and alignment with strategic priorities.
• Brings an established network of high-level donor, philanthropic, and funding relationships, with the ability to strategically leverage and expand these connections to advance advocacy priorities and secure sustainable resources.
• Partner with development teams to secure and diversify funding streams, including major donors, foundations, and strategic partners.
• Align advocacy priorities with fundraising strategies to maximize resource mobilization and impact.
• Ensure efficient allocation of resources to drive measurable advocacy outcomes and return on investment.
• Monitor and report on financial performance, campaign investments, and advocacy impact metrics.
• Oversee c4 board relations and reporting, in partnership with Legal and Finance.

Cross-Agency Integration & Governance

• Partner across divisions (e.g., Programs, Impact & Evidence, Marketing & Growth, Legal, Finance) to align advocacy strategies with programmatic and organizational priorities.
• Ensure advocacy is grounded in research, evidence, and programmatic experience to strengthen credibility and effectiveness.
• Support governance and board engagement for both Save the Children US and SCAN, including reporting, strategy alignment, and compliance.
• Lead strategic planning processes for Government and Advocacy, ensuring integration with enterprise planning cycles.
• Establish and reinforce common principles, frameworks, and operating models for advocacy across the organization.

Required qualifications for the role

• Minimum of a Bachelor Degree or equivalent experience, plus at least 15 years of relevant experience in government relations, public policy, advocacy, political strategy, or related fields, including significant executive-level experience.
• Deep expertise in U.S. federal and state government processes, including legislative, appropriations, and regulatory environments.
• Proven track record of developing and executing successful advocacy and policy strategies that drive measurable outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience leading large, complex, and multidisciplinary teams, with strong people leadership and organizational development capabilities.
• Experience overseeing significant budgets and aligning financial resources to strategic priorities.
• Strong political acumen, with the ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments and build bipartisan relationships.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and influencing skills, with experience serving as a public spokesperson.
• Experience working within or alongside nonprofit, international development, or mission-driven organizations strongly preferred.

Preferred qualifications for the role

• Advanced degree (e.g., MPA, MBA, JD, or related field)

Compensation

Save the Children is offering the following salary ranges for this position, dependent on candidate location:

• Geo 1 - NY Metro, DC, and other locations with labor costs significantly above national average: Target Salary for this position is $205,700-$229,900 base salary 
• Geo 2 - Locations around the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $187,000-$209,000 base salary 
• Geo 3 - Locations significantly below the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $168,300 – $188,100 base salary 

The salary ranges listed above are for US based candidates. For candidates located outside of the US, salary ranges will be based on the salary scales of the local employer of record. Actual base salary may vary based on, but not limited to, relevant experience, base salary of internal peers, business sector, and geographic location (more information on job structure is available here).

About Us

We are looking to build an inclusive team at Save the Children. We offer a range of outstanding benefits to support this goal:

• Flexible schedules and time off: Flexible schedules, generous PTO, 11 paid holidays plus 2 floating holidays and hybrid working opportunities
• Health: Competitive health care, dental and vision coverage for you and your family
• Family: A variety of paid leaves: caregiver, parental/adoption, critical child illness and fertility benefits
• Employee Rewards Program: Annual merit increases and/or additional incentives for eligible employees
• Retirement: A retirement savings plan with employer contributions (after one year)
• Wellness: 15 safety and wellness days annually (if hired on or after July 1, safety and wellness days prorated to 8 days), mental health benefits and support through Calm and company-hosted events
• Employee Assistance Program: free and confidential assessments, short-term counseling, referrals, and follow-up services
• Learning & Growth: Access to internal and external learning & development opportunities and mentorships

Click here to learn more about how Save the Children US will invest in you.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.

If you require disability assistance with the application or recruitment process, please submit a request to applicantsupport@savechildren.org.

Salary : $168,300 - $229,900