Advocacy, Policy and Communication Specialist

Job Overview / Summary:

The Advocacy, Policy and Communications Specialist will lead the development, alignment and implementation of the West and Central Africa region advocacy, policy and communication strategy, and provide strategic guidance and support to efforts at a country and regional level. The Specialist will be responsible for developing policy positions & advocacy plans across regional and sub-regional themes, overseeing internal & external communication needs for the region and strengthening the IRC’s position in regional and international fora. The Specialist will develop and implement activities to enhance principled humanitarian action; drive transformative, measurable improvement in the effectiveness of aid; and raise attention to the dynamics affecting communities in the region. They will strengthen collaboration with global colleagues to ensure that the regional context informs advocacy and policy positioning.

Major Responsibilities:

• Advocacy Strategy: In close alignment with global Advocacy and Influence team, lead advocacy strategy and messaging development and implementation for regional and country-level policy goals, developing global advocacy messaging, identifying, building and monitoring influential regional stakeholders, processes and relationships and supporting the influence efforts of Country Programs through field visits and/or virtual meetings where relevant. Facilitate the implementation of regional, country-specific and global advocacy strategies, including developing plans to reach relevant audiences and advocacy targets, including power mapping and tactical planning.
• Develop an enabling environment for priority programme interventions Support IRC’s efforts to scale the most impactful programmatic interventions by crafting strategies to overcome political and policy barriers to their deployment nationally, regionally and globally.
• Policy Engagement and Agenda-Setting: Develop regional and country-specific policy agendas, in collaboration with internal and external experts, that advance IRC global policy priorities, respond to identified challenges in the humanitarian/development sectors and are aligned with S100 and one another. Develop analysis and position papers to inform advocacy work for the region and globally where relevant.
• Communications Strategy: Oversee the development and maintenance of the IRC regional communications strategy, in line with IRC’s brand and principles of the humanitarian community, by the Regional Communications Coordinator.
• Publications: Oversee production of polished and accessible external reports to inform key audiences about project activities and the needs of displaced people in the region and to influence policy decisions. Contribute to press releases and lead sign-off of relevant regional products, ensuring the accuracy and quality of information before dissemination.
• Internal Collaboration: Facilitate mechanisms to ensure sharing of information and analysis, and alignment of policy/advocacy messaging and positioning across country programs, the regional office and global headquarters. Serve as the primary point of contact for influence in the region. Ensure that information about the IRC’s response activities in the region are disseminated to regional and HQ staff as appropriate.
• External engagement: Engage in regional and national dialogues with key policymakers and stakeholders to pursue country, regional and global advocacy priorities. Maintain active working relationships with external national, regional and global stakeholders including other INGOs, UN Agencies, think tanks, analysts and community-based organizations.
• Spokesperson: Act as an IRC spokesperson, providing briefings on the situation in the sub-regional contexts to key internal and external stakeholders, including policymakers, government officials, journalists, and donors. Engage with international and regional media to pitch stories about IRC’s response, advocacy priorities and partnerships, resulting in high-quality, top-tier coverage.

Key Working Relationships

• Position reports to: Deputy Regional Director
• Position indirectly reports to:   Policy and advocacy team.
• Position supervisors: Regional Communications Coordinator and technically supports the country-based advocacy colleagues
• Key internal relationships: RVP, Country Directors and Deputy Director Programs, Global Advocacy, Policy and Communications colleagues, and relevant subject matter experts including Regional Technical Leads, Safety, Security and Humanitarian access colleagues etc.
• Key external relationships: Regional and national advocacy fora, international and national NGOs, UN agencies, FONGA (INGO regional coordination body).

Requirements

Education:

• Degree in Law, Government, Political Science, International Relations, Strategic Studies, or related discipline.
• Fluency in French & English is essential both oral and written.

Work experience:

• 6-8 years of experience working on humanitarian, development and/or foreign policy issues. At least two years of experience living and working overseas, preferably in West Africa.
• Demonstrated experience in advocacy and communications efforts in relevant contexts with a focus on creativity and strategic thinking.

Demonstrated skills and competencies:

• Excellent research and writing skills and the ability to translate complex material and data into coherent narratives.
• Excellent networking, interpersonal, communication, relationship-building and negotiation skills and an ability to cultivate and maintain a personal network of sources and contacts.
• Knowledge of humanitarian system and assistance, blockages to humanitarian access and solutions to protracted displacement, particularly in the West Africa context including the Central Sahel region.
• Understanding of international relief and development issues and sector decision making processes, and the political landscape informing them, such as the role of international stakeholders, including national governments, regional institutions, the UN, donors, multilateral development banks etc.
• Strong communication skills with a demonstrated ability to communicate successfully in easily understandable language with diverse individuals and groups.
• Ability to think strategically and work quickly and effectively under pressure, including the ability to handle multiple tasks and projects simultaneously
• Proactive and able to work independently and as part of a team
• Culturally sensitive - able and interested in working with a multi-diverse team.