Alison Rose was born in Coventry in 1961. She was educated at Barr’s Hill School, Coventry, and Newnham College, University Cambridge (graduating in Modern History, 1983).

Upon leaving Cambridge, Rose joined the Department of Employment, and her work there included: various management posts in employment operations, Manpower Services Commission (Jobcentres, training schemes for the long term unemployed), 1983–88; Deputy Team Leader: EU Training and Qualifications Policy, 1988–92; UK Health and Safety Policy, 1992–95; Team Leader: UK Health and Safety Finance and Operations, Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, 1995–98. After a brief spell in the Greater London Authority Act team (Transport), Government Office for London, 1998–99, Rose was seconded to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as First Secretary (regional funds, health, culture, media and sport), for the UK Permanent Representation to EU, Brussels, 1999–2003. She then moved to become Deputy Director of the European Secretariat at the Cabinet Office, 2003–06; served as Deputy Director for Change Management, Department for Communities and Local Government, 2006–07 and then for Equalities Strategy at the Government Equalities Office, 2007–08. She then returned to the FCO as Head of Department, EU Issues, EU Act 2011, 2008–12 and Counsellor (EU and Global Issues), Paris, 2012–13, and after a brief time as Deputy Director of Heritage Policy at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2013, became Ambassador to Belgium, 2014–19. Upon leaving Government service, Rose then became Principal of Newnham College, Cambridge, from 2019.