Senior Director, Governance and Peace Directorate
£124,583 pa + benefits
Central London, Pall Mall SW1
Closing date 24 October 2025
The Commonwealth Secretariat seeks to appoint a Senior Director of our Governance and Peace (GPD) Directorate. GPD is the lead Directorate in the Commonwealth Secretariat for the promotion of democracy, human rights, rule of law and good governance in the Commonwealth.
The Senior Director will direct GPD to deliver on the Secretariat’s agenda of strong democracy, rule of law and access to justice, promotion and protection of human rights and respect for diversity, public sector governance and strengthening legal frameworks for sustainable development through the Office of Civil and Criminal Justice Reform. The successful candidate will also manage a team of highly specialised staff, provide thought leadership with oversight of implementation of programmes and projects, identify strategic partnerships, and hold responsibility for overall programme and project development, budgeting and management; and achievement of agreed targets.
The Senior Director will, as the Conference Secretary, be responsible for policy content and operations for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group Meeting (CMAG), the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting (CFAMM) and the Commonwealth Law Ministers and Senior Officials Meeting (CLMM).
The successful candidate will provide leadership and management, and be required to participate and contribute as a member of the Senior Management Group. S/he will provide substantive oversight, support and advice, acting as an advocate for the Commonwealth’s Agenda at national, regional and global levels, and present Commonwealth perspectives publicly through interaction with the media, public speaking and other profile-raising activities.
To be considered, you will have a post-graduate qualification or equivalent in Political Science, International Relations, Law, Governance, or any other related discipline. You will also have at least fifteen years of experience at a senior management level directing a multi-disciplinary team of professionals in government or an inter-government organisation, and extensive experience related to at least two policy streams of work of the Directorate.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 member governments and provides guidance on policy making, technical assistance and advisory services to Commonwealth member countries. We support governments to help achieve sustainable, inclusive and equitable development.
To join us, you must be a citizen of a Commonwealth country.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal countries.
It is home to 2.7 billion people, and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. 33 of our members are small states, including many island nations.
Our member governments have agreed to shared goals like development, democracy and peace. Our values and principles are expressed in the Commonwealth Charter.
The Commonwealth's roots go back to the British Empire. But today any country can join the modern Commonwealth. The last two countries to join the Commonwealth were Gabon and Togo in 2022.
