Advocacy and Policy Officer at PATH

Job Description

The Advocacy and Policy Officer, based in Nairobi, Kenya, will be responsible for the following key activities:

• Development and implementation of advocacy strategies and corresponding work plans to achieve CoC for MNCH policy change at the national and county levels.
• Cultivate and strengthen relationships with target policymakers, government and ministerial officials and staff, strategic partners, and key opinion leaders to promote priority policy changes.
• Provide technical assistance civil society organizations on the development and implementation of effective advocacy strategies/initiatives or approaches at national and county level.
• Support civil society organizations through advocacy skills building and technical assistance to undertake budget and accountability advocacy for the CoC for MNCH.
• Manage and provide technical assistance to civil society MNCH Alliance established by or partnering with PATH to undertake citizen-led budget and accountability advocacy. This entails organizing Alliance meetings and events, maintaining regular communication with members, and providing technical support to the Alliances to enable it execute its mandate.
• Gather evidence to support the development of advocacy material, documents and presentations, and collaborate with communications specialists across PATH to develop and produce innovative advocacy materials and dissemination approaches to effectively make the case and promote priority policy changes to key policymakers and other external audiences. Advocacy materials may include print, digital, and multi-media formats.
• Support the planning and implementation of PATH-led CoC for MNCH related meetings, workshops and events.
• Contribute to the development, documentation, and dissemination of cross-organizational lessons learned, best practices, and experience.
• Represent PATH at county, national and international conferences and events, as necessary.
• Develop and ensure timely submission of project reports and other deliverables as specified in the grant.
• Consult on and contribute to the development of proposals in support of policy advocacy activities.

Required Experience

• Bachelor’s degree with at least five years of relevant work experience, or equivalent combination of education and work experience. Master’s degree preferred. Prior work in direct advocacy required. Advocacy experience related to reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success in planning and conducting advocacy activities to achieve health- or development-related policy outcomes.
• Demonstrated success in planning and conducting advocacy activities to influence reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health and/or immunization policies at national and county level.
• Demonstrated ability to work with county teams
• Proven ability to create and maintain effective working relationships with government personnel, NGO partners, and international organizations at various levels.
• Knowledge of the political, social, economic, and cultural context of Kenya.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate (orally and in writing) complex issues in a concise, compelling, and easily understandable manner.
• Skilled in successfully working with geographically dispersed teams and working in a multi-cultural environment.
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Experience in facilitating meetings and moderating complex discussions with a variety of stakeholders (including national and county leaders).
• Expert computer skills in Microsoft Office Suite applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Experience working in Kenya required.
• Candidates must have legal authorization to work in Kenya.

PATH is dedicated to diversity and is an equal opportunity employer.