National advocacy coordinator - Sierra Leone

Contract Grade:                         B

Contract Length:                        2 years

Date needed By:                       As soon as possible

New Post or Replacement:         New Post

Accompanied / Unaccompanied:  Unaccompanied

Exact Job Location:                  Freetown Sierra Leone with visits to the programmes in Tonkolili district

Reports To:                               Programme Quality and Monitoring Coordinator

Responsible For:                       1 direct report in year 2

Job Purpose:

The purpose of the post of National Advocacy Coordinator (NAC) will be to design, lead and promote advocacy initiatives which will contribute to addressing extreme poverty on line with Concern strategy in in Sierra Leone.   

Key Responsibilities

General Responsibilities

• The NAC will play an inspiring leadership role in coaching, mobilizing and motivating Concern Sierra Leone staff and partners to engage in advocacy with the broad objective of influencing policy and practice change at macro, meso and micro levels through evidence collected as part of the field work. The NAC will develop or support colleagues in the development of relationships with key government bodies, at national and district level, inter-governmental and civil society organisations and identify opportunities to raise the profile of Concern’s work in addressing extreme poverty and priorities within the country. The NAC will ensure that advocacy messages and strategies are on line and contribute to Concern programme objectives.

• Promote accountability and ensure compliance with the requirement of Concern’s Programme Participants Protection Policy, Anti- Fraud Policy and Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) standards including the complaint and response mechanism (CRM) to ensure maximum protection of programme participants and the efficient and transparent use of Concern’s resources.

• Promote Equality, especially gender,  within the organisation and across all programmes, in line with Concern’s Equality Policy and practices of targeting marginalised and most vulnerable groups, by analysing, planning and following up on relevant interventions, on a regular and systematic basis.

• Promote and protect the reputation of Concern in external settings, ensuring that the organisation’s experience and expertise is well communicated and consistently presented, and that we are looked upon as professional organisation , guided by organisational policies and Concern’s Code of Conduct

Specific Responsibilities:

Advocacy strategy and approach

• Oversee the development and implementation of a country advocacy strategy that is people-led.
• In consultation with the programme coordination team, identify at least two major advocacy themes to champion as Concern Sierra Leone during the course of the Strategic Plan 2012-6; develop practical advocacy strategies and action plans for those themes and lead on their implementation;
• Develop and integrated advocacy plans into the country programme plans with clearly demonstrated activities and initiatives aimed at addressing the needs and rights of the extreme poor as well as having a positive impact in raising the profile of Concern’s work;
• Support the country programme to link advocacy initiatives to the Concept of How Concern Understands Extreme Poverty and ensure that advocacy promotes the return on assets, reduction of inequalities, risk and vulnerabilities;
• Work collaboratively with the country programme staff to determine the best approach for integrating advocacy objectives in their plans;
• Effectively plan and develop the annual advocacy budget and monitor the expenses of initiatives and activities related to advocacy;
• Collaborate with the PM&E coordinator to develop tools and processes to capture and monitor advocacy activities and achievements.

Networking and Representation

• Ensure that Concern is an active, contributing and engaged member of selected networks and consortia, government, (national and local) INGOs and other CSO working groups within Sierra Leone ensuring  a positive impact on the organisation  and its partners;
• Create and maintain partnerships and alliances within Sierra Leone; link programmes with relevant contacts in Freetown and in Tonkolili; seek out and capitalize on opportunities for collaboration, including  the development of formal partnerships and alliances including with the private sector;
• Attend sector specific coordination meetings on behalf of other colleagues as necessary;
• Facilitate networking and exchange on advocacy issues between Concern’s  partners

Capacity-Building

• Ensure that Concern staff and partner organisations are familiar with Concern advocacy guide and that it is used to inform our advocacy work;
• Build the capacity of a national Advocacy Coordinator or Advisor in year 2 of the contract; ensure progressive transfer of information, knowledge and responsibilities.
• Ensure that Concern staff and partner organisations are knowledgeable, aware, and committed to supporting the organisation’s advocacy strategy.
• Assess the advocacy learning and development needs of staff and partner organisations;
• Design and deliver training workshops or other appropriate forms of support, in order to raise the awareness as well as the capabilities of these stakeholders to support advocacy within Concern Sierra Leone; identify complementary external training opportunities for staff and partners;
• Gather examples of good practice both within the organisation and beyond to inform on-going advocacy efforts.

Advocacy Resources and External Communications

• Disseminate effective and relevant advocacy materials to both internal and external stakeholders. Coordinate the production and dissemination of core advocacy resources to be used by the Country Office and partner organisations; Support the drafting of position papers and other programme communication within the organisation. Prepare advocacy submissions and reports as required.  Identify opportunities to raise Concern’s International profile, such as print or online media;
• Research and stay abreast of issues, trends, social/political/economic changes, etc. that may impact Concern Sierra Leone’s   work in particular, and the Development sector in general;
• Share meaningful information with other colleagues as appropriate.

Other duties:

• Participate in coordination and staff meetings, as appropriate;
• Provide support, as required, for the preparation of funding proposals;
• As appropriate, assist other colleagues in complying with any donor reporting requirements;
• Support and contribute to global knowledge sharing initiatives led by Concern Worldwide  ensuring the Concern Sierra Leone’s  perspective and experience are represented;
• Fulfil any other responsibilities as may be assigned by the ACDP;
• Prepare and submit monthly situational reports.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Experience Required:

Essential

• 3 - 5 years experience in advocacy and related work.
• Commitment to humanitarian principles and actions.
• Knowledge and understanding of the international humanitarian/development system and the    

       mandates of the actors involved, with ability to link this to advocacy.

• Proven experience in influencing and lobbying for policy change and practice
• Excellent communications skills (written. Spoken, PPP and facilitation skills)
• Experience in budget management
• Empathy with organisational Vision, Mission, Goals and objectives
• Flexible, reliable, culturally sensitive and with the ability/willingness to frequently spend prolonged

        periods of time in isolated project sites with field staff

• Initiative and ability to work with minimal supervision
• Cross cultural awareness and sensitivity.
• Positive thinking and attitude
• Strong report-writing skills in English
• Ability to work both as part of a team & independently

Desirable

• Knowledge and understanding of the dynamics of  Sierra Leone and regional context
• Established links with relevant policy makers and leading  on advocacy issues in Sierra Leone

Education, Qualifications & Experience Required

Essential

• University degree Social Sciences, development studies or other relevant discipline, post

       graduate qualifications preferred.

Desirable

• MA/Diploma in development studies, programme management or related subject.

Special Skills, Aptitude or Personality Requirements:

• Proven ability in developing and coordinating advocacy strategies
• Excellent skills in representation and communication and the ability to communicate effectively

        with a wide range of audiences

• Proven analytical skills and the ability to analyze a flow of complex information
• Good command of computer, internet and MS Office

All applications should be submitted through our website at https://jobs.concern.net by closing date…. CV’s should be no more than 4 pages in length.

All candidates who are short-listed for a first round interview will be notified via email after the application deadline OR Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be short listed on a regular basis and we may offer posts before the closing date.

Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.

Concern has a Staff Code of Conduct and a Programme Participant Protection Policy which have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organisation, and the standards of behaviour expected of them.  In this context staff have a responsibility to the organisation to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Programme Participant Protection Policy and the Concern Staff Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment.   By signing the Programme Participant Protection Policy and the Concern Staff Code of Conduct candidates acknowledge that they have understood the contents of both the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and the Programme Participant Protection Policy and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these two documents.

Concern receives a substantial amount of funding from external donors each year.  Increasingly donors are introducing requirements whereby future funding is conditional on Concern ensuring that the names of any new employee or volunteer do not appear on terrorism lists generated by the European Union (List of person, groups and entities to which Regulation (EC No. 2580/2001 applies), the US Government (Office of Foreign Assets Control list of specially designated Nationals and Blocked Persons) and the United Nations (Consolidated List).  Any offer of employment (either paid or voluntary) with Concern Worldwide will not be made pending a clearance check being conducted on the applicant.  For additional information please consult our web site or contact the Human Resource Division in our Head Office.