Regional Advocacy Coordinator at Danish Refugee Council

The DRC office in Nairobi is a Regional Office providing support and guidance of DRC programs in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, DR Congo and Burundi.

The Advocacy Coordinator is responsible for identifying advocacy issues, preparing and implementing advocacy plans, documentation and communicating lessons and good practices from implementing programs to various users, and raising DRC profile with stakeholders in the EAGL region. The Advocacy Coordinator will work to advance DRC displacement related policies and positions through policy influence, research, capacity building, and development of joint advocacy and campaign initiatives related to forced displacement with relevant stakeholders.

The Advocacy Coordinator will also be responsible for the production of background papers, briefing materials, and providing policy analysis to influence and inform displacement actors in the region and beyond. The Regional Advocacy Coordinator will work in close collaboration with the regional communications officer to ensure that our communication work and products are fully aligned with DRC advocacy strategies and policies for displacement affected populations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of the regional advocacy and policy strategies. The Regional Advocacy Coordinator (RAC) will assist in the development and implementation of country and regional policy, advocacy and communication strategies.
• Represent DRC and DDG in various policy, advocacy and communication related meetings, working groups and consortiums to ensure DRC and DDG key messaging and position is incorporated into joint advocacy initiatives or messaging.
• Monitor and analyse displacement developments in the region in close collaboration with Regional and Country Offices; contribute to the formulation of relevant advocacy and policy recommendations
• Lead or contribute to research on selected political and advocacy topics related to implementation of the mandates of DRC in the EAGL region; drafting background papers and reports, compiling briefing material and providing analysis as needed
• Function as the regional advocacy focal point. The RAC will be the focal point in the region, ensuring productive and efficient two-way communication with the global Press and Communications Department in Copenhagen, Denmark and relevant staff in each Country Office throughout the region, among others. This entails keeping up-to-date on major DRC and DDG programs in the East Africa and Great Lakes region in order to identify key advocacy and policy areas that demands attention from the regional office and/or HQ. Furthermore, the RAC ator will work closely with the SMT and the CDs to ensure that senior staff and management are adequately prepared for high-level meetings, media interviews, etc.
• Quality assurance. The RAC will support the communication officer in quality assurance of products according to DRC’s brand manual in terms of layout, design and writing of various publications and visibility materials from the country offices, such as reports, educational material, banners, etc.
• Field Visits. The RAC will support the communication officer to conduct field visits to collect both written and visual documentation of DRC’s and DDG’s work in the form of photography, videos, and slideshows as well as facilitate visits from journalists with the relevant field offices when necessary.
• Support senior DRC/DDG visitors to the region; accompanying high-level visitors to field sites; drafting reports/analysis for these visits; preparing in-house briefings, publications and other material as needed.
• Other ad-hoc tasks as assigned by the supervisor

About you

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate each of DRC’ five core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: you focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process
• Collaborating: you involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
• Taking the lead: you take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: you act in line with our vision and values

Moreover, we also expect the following:

Experience and technical competencies

Essential:

• He / She should have At least 5 years of experience in undertaking advocacy, media and communication initiatives in humanitarian and development contexts
• He / she should have a Proven track record of policy influencing with partners, government and civil societies/key stakeholders
• He / she should have a degree in Social Sciences, Political Science, Communications, Journalism or equivalent.
• A Masters’ degree in communication and media, international relations, political science, or other similar and relevant areas will be beneficial.
• He / she Excellent written and verbal communications skills (both English and French) and an ability to produce good quality documents, information for a variety of audiences and communicate good practices
• He / She should have Experience in policy and practice analysis and implementing strategic advocacy initiatives aimed at bringing changes in these areas
• He /she should be Proactive self-starter and able to work with minimum supervision.
• He / she should be Flexible, enthusiastic and willingness to learn from others.
• He / She Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• He / She Strong inter-organizational skill including networking, negotiation and communication
• He / she should be Willingness to travel to Programme locations in insecure environments throughout East Africa and Great Lakes
• He /She should have Strong computer skills to produce advocacy documents and document and communicate good practices

Preferable:

• He / She should have an understanding of key humanitarian and displacement issues in East Africa and Great Lakes region

Languages

• Proficiency in English
• Proficiency in French

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies:

Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.

Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.

Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.

Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.

Demonstrating integrity: Upholding and promoting the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

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We offer

Availability: As soon as possible

Duty station: Position to be based in either of the following locations; Nairobi, Goma, Bujumbura, Djibouti, Kampala with frequent travel within East Africa and Great Lakes Region.

This position is non-accompanied.

Reporting: The position reports to Deputy Regional Director.

Duration: 1-year possibility of extension, subject to performance and funding.

Contract: Salary and other conditions are offered in accordance with DRC’s Terms of Employment for international staff, under Employment Band F or competitive salary and conditions as per national staff terms of employment, in the respective country.

Commitments: DRC has a Humanitarian Accountability Framework, outlining its global accountability commitments. All staff are required to contribute to the achievement of this framework. All DRC staff must be committed to the Red Cross Code of Conduct, as well as the Core Humanitarian Standards.

Gender Equality: DRC is committed to achieving gender parity in staffing at all levels. In light of this, women candidates are particularly encouraged to apply to bridge the gender gap.

Equal Opportunities: DRC is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment based on mutual respect for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, disability status, religion, ethnic origin, colour, race, marital status or other protected characteristics.