Salary: €40,368.00 to €47,096.00, depending on experience

Hours: Full-time, 35 hrs per week 

Reports To: Director of Communications and Advocacy

Term: 1-year fixed term contract, renewable subject to funding and performance

Application Deadline:  6 September 2026

Key Responsibilities and Duties

Policy

• Lead the organisation’s policy function to address critical issues impacting the health, safety, and equality of LGBTQ+ young people, spanning a diverse range of topics.
• Write clear, persuasive, and evidence-based policy papers, legislative submissions, and briefings that effectively communicate our strategic objectives to internal and external stakeholders.
• Support senior leadership ahead of engagements with political representatives and decision-makers by providing comprehensive background research and strategic briefing materials.
• Monitor national and international legislative and human rights developments, keeping the broader team informed and equipped to respond to policy shifts.
• Track relevant government policies and strategies to inform our evidence-based approach to influencing decision-makers, and regularly brief all staff to keep them aligned on our advocacy goals.
• Oversee our statutory compliance by accurately documenting all organisational lobbying activity and submitting it to the Lobbying Register in a timely manner.

Advocacy

• Represent Belong To across key national networks, cultivating strong coalitions on intersectional issues including hate crime, inclusive education, and healthcare.
• Collaborate with fellow LGBTQ+ community organisations to align strategic messaging and coordinate cross-sector responses for certain government consultations and policy submissions.
• Partner with the Youth Participation Youth Worker to implement and support the organisation's comprehensive Youth Engagement Strategy including coordination of our Youth Advisory Panel (YAP) activities.
• Facilitate consultations and focus groups to ensure the authentic, lived experiences of LGBTQ+ young people are central to the organisation’s advocacy and policy development. Ensure that the views of LGBTQ+ youth are heard, articulated and amplified.
• Resource and empower the broader Belong To national network, equipping them with the tools and confidence to effectively engage in the policy-making process at local and national levels.

Research

• Define and execute the organisation’s research strategy by establishing clear, data-driven objectives that accurately capture the realities facing LGBTQ+ youth, allowing us to build targeted, effective advocacy that directly improves their lives.
• Serve as the principal representative for Belong To in collaborative academic and institutional research partnerships, including sitting on the research sub-committee for the government's National LGBTIQ+ Strategy and Action Plan.
• Distil complex research findings into accessible, impactful resources facilitating knowledge sharing across internal teams and external audiences.

• Act as the central advisor for data and policy inquiries, supporting colleagues across departments to ensure all organisational outputs are accurate and evidence-based.

Note

This job description is not a definitive list of tasks; rather it is designed to give an overview of the job. It is envisaged that the post-holder will use their own initiative and develop the job under guidance so that the organisations aims are achieved. It should be noted that the organisation is dynamic and fast paced and it may be necessary to step beyond the areas outlined above to support others from time to time.