Advocacy and Campaign Coordinator at World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)

Overview

• The Advocacy & Campaigns Coordinator will translate knowledge into influence - bridging research and advocacy to design narratives, campaigns, and partnerships that drive policy, finance, and investment shifts. The role will lead the development of high-impact advocacy outputs and events, turning project evidence into clear messages for decision-makers. Working on sustainable drylands, the coordinator will develop messaging for policymakers, investors, private sector actors, humanitarian and development agencies, and philanthropy. This is a visible, hands-on role, responsible for shaping flagship knowledge products, designing interactive digital content, and facilitating dialogues and campaigns. The position sits within CIFOR-ICRAF’s Communications, Outreach & Engagement team, while working closely with project experts and managers to ensure advocacy is tightly connected to evidence and lessons from the field.

Duties and responsibilities

Program management:

• Responsible for developing and overseeing multi-regional advocacy strategies.
• Direct management of advocacy staff and oversight of campaign budgets.
• Requires leadership in innovation of advocacy models and frameworks adopted across the organization.
• Increase stakeholder engagement to include senior leadership, board members, and high-level external partners.
• Assigns accountability for organizational reputation and strategic risk management in advocacy.
• Deliver measurable impact on strategic objectives, funding, and partnerships.

 Influential Messaging & Knowledge Products:

• Lead design and drafting of key advocacy messages and briefs drawn from project outputs.
• Work with researchers and thematic experts to translate evidence into concise, influential messages for target audiences.
• Ensure close collaboration with project scientists and thematic leads to align evidence with advocacy priorities.

Narrative Development & Storytelling:

• Identify narrative hooks and frames that make evidence resonate with investors, policymakers, or philanthropies.
• Design and oversee content production for presentations, speeches, public announcements and statements.

Design and oversee interactive digital content (story maps, explainers, infographics, data visualisations) that make evidence engaging and accessible.

• Coordinate rollout across channels and media, ensuring consistency of messages and amplification by partners.
• Ensure objectives are integrated and supportive of CIFOR-ICRAF’s communications and organizational strategy.

Campaigns & Targeted Engagement:

• Develop and implement advocacy roadmaps and campaign strategies aligned with high-level policy moments (COPs, Global Gateway, donor summits, humanitarian forums).
• Map and engage unusual allies and influencers across sectors to co-design advocacy agendas and expand influence.
• Lead planning, design, and delivery of policy dialogues, round-tables, and campaign events.
• Strengthen advocacy coalitions and ensure events generate clear outputs and partner ownership.
• Provide regular reporting and intelligence on activities and results

Tracking & Adaptive Learning:

• Set clear indicators to track and monitor advocacy outcomes and uptake.
• Collaborate with the M&E Officer and Quality 4 Impact Team to support outcome assessment and impact story development.
• Track media mentions, social engagement, policy references, partner amplifications and early indicators of shifts in sentiment, motivation, or perception.
• Facilitate learning sessions with CIFOR-ICRAF staff and partners to reflect on campaign effectiveness and share best practices in agenda shaping.
• Develop strategies to embed CIFOR-ICRAF influence into long-term policy processes and track influence over time beyond single campaigns.

Requirements

Minimum Academic and Professional Qualifications 

• Advanced degree in international development, communications, environmental policy, or related field.
• Minimum 7 years of experience in advocacy, campaigns, or strategic communications at international level.

Skills and competencies

• Proven track record in building partnerships and delivering campaigns
• Proven ability to work across continents, navigating complex stakeholder ecosystems (donors, UN agencies, DFIs, governments, civil society, private sector).
• Creative and adaptive, with experience in digital storytelling and innovative formats.
• Excellent writing, facilitation, and presentation skills.
• Proficiency in additional languages (French, Spanish, Swahili, Portuguese) are highly desirable.