Civil Society Lead - Thomson Reuters Foundation

Spain, Madrid, MadridSenior7+ years

Join a team which leverages media, legal and data-driven expertise to strengthen independent journalism, enable access to the law and promote responsible business.

We are the corporate foundation of Thomson Reuters, one of the world’s leading content and technology companies. A registered charity in the UK and the USA, our expertise is embedded across the globe.

Under our Access to Law programme, we work with lawyers, civil society and media organisations to make the law more accessible to those who need it most. We facilitate access to law through our leading legal services and programmes, including TrustLaw, the world's leading pro bono legal service. TrustLaw partners with law firms and corporate legal teams to facilitate free legal assistance, critical operational support, actionable data and resources for civil society organisations, social enterprises and independent media around the globe. TrustLaw also produces original legal research on key social and policy issues to support advocacy and law reform, and delivers capacity-building workshops on legal topics worldwide.

Through our Resilience Accelerator, we help civil society organisations remain effective under pressure by facilitating access to legal and operational expertise, digital tools, and cross-sector mentorship, enabling them to better counter intimidation or exploitation and to continue their vital work.

We are seeking a Civil Society Lead to join the Access to Law team in Spain (remote), reporting into the Head of Delivery, to lead innovation and thought leadership in our work protecting civil society in Europe and globally.

About the Role

The Civil Society Lead will play a central role in shaping and delivering the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s work to strengthen civil society resilience and protect civic space, with a primary focus on Europe. The postholder will bring subject-matter expertise, strong networks and programme development experience to design practical support for civil society organisations operating under pressure.

Key responsibilities will include:

Develop and implement TRF’s civic space strategy, ensuring it aligns with the Foundation’s vision and mission while translating emerging trends, partner insights and organisational priorities into a coherent portfolio of work.
Build and Strengthen the Thomson Reuters Foundation network of partners working to support civil society resilience and expand civic space, primarily in Europe.
Provide subject-matter expertise on issues facing civil society organisations in Europe and globally, advising internal teams and contributing to external positioning.
Convene CSO’s, partners, and current and prospective funders to map solutions for protecting and expanding civic space and helping CSOs remain effective under pressure.
Produce insights, learning products and guidance on civil society resilience and civic space, drawing on our partner networks, our programme delivery and emerging trends.
Design and deliver innovative programming that responds to the legal, operational and organisational needs of civil society organisations.
Work closely with TRF leadership to drive innovation, identify new opportunities, develop fundable propositions and support strategic growth in this area of work.

About You

To be our Civil Society Lead you will likely have:

7+ years’ experience working within a CSO focusing on democracy and civic space, a funding organisation, or other international development actor.
Experience with civic space issues and civil society resilience in Europe. Experience in Africa, especially Eastern and Southern Africa a plus.
Existing network and contacts within the democracy, civic space or CSO-support spaces, especially within the European Union and Central and Eastern Europe, and proven experience of network building. Driving funded partnerships or working with funders is a plus.
As a minimum, strong awareness of legal and operational risks and needs of CSOs. Ideally, experience conducting capacity assessments and diagnostics for CSOs.
Experience designing and delivering programming for civil society that responds to their needs.
Proven project management skills and the ability to drive work independently and with minimal supervision.
Experience of facilitating convenings and of public speaking.

Please note, the deadline for applications is 15 September 2026 at 11.59pm BST

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What’s in it For You?

Flexibility & Work-Life Balance: Flex My Way is a set of supportive workplace policies designed to help manage personal and professional responsibilities, whether caring for family, giving back to the community, or finding time to refresh and reset. This builds upon our flexible work arrangements, including work from anywhere for up to 8 weeks per year, empowering employees to achieve a better work-life balance.
Career Development and Growth: By fostering a culture of continuous learning and skill development, we prepare our talent to tackle tomorrow’s challenges and deliver real-world solutions. Our Grow My Way programming and skills-first approach ensures you have the tools and knowledge to grow, lead, and thrive in an AI-enabled future.
Industry Competitive Benefits: We offer comprehensive benefit plans to include flexible vacation, two company-wide Mental Health Days off, access to the Headspace app, retirement savings, tuition reimbursement, employee incentive programs, and resources for mental, physical, and financial wellbeing.
Culture: Globally recognized, award-winning reputation for inclusion and belonging, flexibility, work-life balance, and more. We live by our values: Obsess over our Customers, Compete to Win, Challenge (Y)our Thinking, Act Fast / Learn Fast, and Stronger Together.
Social Impact: Make an impact in your community with our Social Impact Institute. We offer employees two paid volunteer days off annually and opportunities to get involved with pro-bono consulting projects and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives.
Making a Real-World Impact: We are one of the few companies globally that helps its customers pursue justice, truth, and transparency. Together, with the professionals and institutions we serve, we help uphold the rule of law, turn the wheels of commerce, catch bad actors, report the facts, and provide trusted, unbiased information to people all over the world.

About Us

Thomson Reuters informs the way forward by bringing together the trusted content and technology that people and organizations need to make the right decisions. We serve professionals across legal, tax, accounting, compliance, government, and media. Our products combine highly specialized software and insights to empower professionals with the data, intelligence, and solutions needed to make informed decisions, and to help institutions in their pursuit of justice, truth, and transparency. Reuters, part of Thomson Reuters, is a world leading provider of trusted journalism and news.

We are powered by the talents of 26,000 employees across more than 70 countries, where everyone has a chance to contribute and grow professionally in flexible work environments. At a time when objectivity, accuracy, fairness, and transparency are under attack, we consider it our duty to pursue them. Sound exciting? Join us and help shape the industries that move society forward.

As a global business, we rely on the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of all employees to deliver on our business goals. To ensure we can do that, we seek talented, qualified employees in all our operations around the world regardless of race, color, sex/gender, including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, citizen status, veteran status, or any other protected classification under applicable law. Thomson Reuters is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer providing a drug-free workplace.

We also make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law. More information on requesting an accommodation here.

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More information about Thomson Reuters can be found on thomsonreuters.com

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