Head of Advocacy and Communications at Center For Reproductive Rights

The Role: The Center’s Africa Program seeks to hire a highly qualified, motivated, and competent Head of Advocacy and Communications to lead the integration of advocacy and communication efforts throughout the program in accordance with the Centre’s strategic plan. Reporting to the Senior Regional Director for Africa, the Head of Advocacy and Communications will lead the Africa program’s efforts to expand its advocacy, partnerships, and communication reach across Africa and position the organization as a leading voice on Sexual Reproduction Health Rights (SRHR). She/he will lead the development of evidence-based policy positions in close coordination with technical experts, conceptualize and coordinate the implementation of policy, advocacy, and communications strategies, and represent the Center at global, regional, and national forums. The job holder will also work closely with partners and strategic networks to collectively influence SRHR policies and practices, track organizational engagement efforts and advise the team on opportunities to engage stakeholders and promote research and learning to influence policies. She/he will support the Advocacy Advisers, Fellows, and interns to harness their expertise and experience to develop compelling, relevant, and timely interventions and contribute to the Center’s advocacy work.

The position shall be based in Nairobi.

Primary Responsibilities: 

Advocacy and Campaigns:

• Develop and lead a comprehensive policy advocacy and communications strategy for the Africa program providing strategic direction, oversight, coordination, and priority setting.
• Oversee strategic planning of advocacy efforts around key themes and key moments.
• Provide leadership to ensure alignment of Africa Program with organizational strategies.
• Support the Program to ensure a feminist, human rights and broader SRHR movement intersectional approach across internal and external communications;
• Ensure quality of program on influencing agenda across focal countries and with human rights mechanisms and political bodies;
• Plan and manage an advocacy calendar with key moments and events;
• Lead and oversee a data-driven and inspiring communications content and an external engagement strategy; and
• Manage strategic pieces of work in partnership with global leads which will help leverage the Centre’s value add as a global Organisation in country and in the region.

Representation:

• Lead external representation for the Centre’s advocacy and policy goals; and
• Play a leading role in raising Centre’s profile in country and at the region through developing significant relationships with partners, allies, Government development partners, INGOs, UN and the media.

Partnerships:

• Development of media relationships on behalf of the Centre;
• Bringing, maintaining networks, and working relationships with partners and stakeholders in sexual reproductive human rights;
• Work closely with the Center’s strategic partners across all focal countries to determine their advocacy and campaigning needs, ensuring that the Centre’s advocacy support is aligned to their needs and adds value; and
• Ensure close collaboration with partners and high strategic relevance of Center’s common advocacy positions.

Technical leadership, Capacity Building and Learning:

• Provide thought leadership on program development and influencing the agenda on policy/research and campaigning initiatives;
• Provide specific technical expertise on the broad range of reproductive rights;
• Lead capacity development initiatives to deepen the influencing approaches across the regional programs; and
• Support and share key learning through different methods and help tocreate an environment for innovation.

Political Mobilization:

• Oversight of political mobilization
• Gather and share strategic intelligence relevant for the program;
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with relevant bodies; and
• Oversight in development and implementation of media strategies andcomponents.

People leadership and Management:

• Promote an organizational culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and commitment to quality;
• Provide strategic direction, oversight, coordination, and priority setting for the advocacy function in collaboration with stakeholders within the Global Legal Program;
• Maximize staff performance through performance management, ensuring that each direct report has a performance agreement and development plan;
• Recruit, train/mentor, supervise and evaluate staff on own area and participate in institutional recruiting processes as needed;
• Manage the performance of Advocacy and Communications advisors in line with the Center’s Human Resources policy and organizational values;
• Engage and manage external consultants as needed;
• Ensure proper reporting and accountability to internal and external audience such as multilateral and bilateral donors;
• Draw up budgets for advocacy projects and activities, manage spending within budgets, and provide justifications for variances in coordination with the Head of Program Operations and Head of Legal Strategies; and
• Support new fundraising efforts in collaboration with the Africa team and the development team to develop advocacy related capacity statements and proposals.

Qualifications:

• A Masters’ degree in law, development studies, international relations, social sciences, politics, or any other relevant field;
• 15 years’ experience in a role that involves advocacy for an NGO with excellent knowledge of advocacy cycle and application of advocacy tools;
• Experience in developing strategic and tactical communication interventions;
• Experience working on human/women’s rights, reproductive rights and/or in the social justice sector with demonstrable expertise in advocacy and/or representation and influence at high policy levels;
• Experience in research and policy analysis, data collection, analysis, and interpretation, writing and production of reports, policy briefs and publications;
• Experience adapting context specific analysis, strategy, policies, and procedures to suit different audiences;
• Proven ability to manage projects workflow, including facilitating project scope, identifying goals and deliverables, planning and scheduling project timelines, and monitoring project progress;and
• Experience in providing non-profits technical assistance and in expanding and strengthening the communications knowledge, capabilities, and resources of non-profit organizations to enhance work and improve effectiveness.

Behavioral Skill Sets:

Demonstrable skill sets in Strategic Advocacy and communication management practices in the following core competencies skill areas: –

• Commitment to the Center’s mission, purpose, and values.
• Diplomatic and tenacious: Possess strong relationships building skills with resolve. Must possess a “can-do” and “will-do” attitude and build effective relationships while sustaining focus and drive in the Sexual Reproductive Rights protection agenda.
• Time perspective, planning organizing and work Impact: Must possess and exhibit a level of confidence in themselves and own work but must be able to take direction and criticism professionally.  
• Management Skills: Strong organizational skills with proven ability to concurrently manage a large number and wide variety of projects with strict deadlines while working within a team setting across varied time zones;
• Teamworking and Flexibility/adaptability: Ability to work in a team and able to adapt to and work effectively within a variety of situations and with various individuals and groups.  Understanding and appreciating different and opposing perspectives, adapting one’s approach as the requirements of a situation change. willingness to travel within Kenya, Africa Region and abroad, as needed;
• Creativity Innovativeness: “Out of the box” thinking perspective.
• Communication and Proven interpersonal Skills: Possess Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Information Monitoring, Strong networking and negotiation skills: Be astute at information gathering monitoring and networking;
• Initiative, energy, drive and follow up skills: Effectively respond to pressure or crisis situations and acts proactively and follow through on ideas, assignments, and open issues;

Critical Competencies:

• Strategic thinking: Applies big-picture thinking while also focusing on the details of implementation.
• Decisiveness: Consistently makes sound decisions in a timely manner supportive of the Center’s mission, core values, and strategic objectives. Blends vision and judgment.
• Collaboration: Brings a track record of working effectively with various and diverse individuals and groups, and a willingness to actively listen and invite different views and opinions across all levels of the institution to build alignment in support of a common goal.
• Receives and Provides Direct Feedback: Actively gives and requests feedback to and from peers, supervisors and direct reports (if applicable) about work products, behaviors, values, style and approaches with a view on how this impacts self, other individuals and teams.
• Transparency: Consistently applies openness and honesty in communicating decisions and plans to team members.
• Commitment to learn: Applies a growth mentality to their own and their team’s (if applicable) development. Promotes a culture of learning by modeling inquisitiveness and an openness to viewing mistakes as an opportunity to learn and improve.
• Passion for Coaching, and Mentoring Staff: Empowers and motivates employees and creates opportunities for learning, development, and leadership, with a focus on harnessing skills for the future development of team members. (if applicable) Accountability: Follows through on each commitment made to individual contributors, teams and partners and proactively informs others of any delays that occur along the way. Holds team members accountable.
• Integrity: Possesses impeccable integrity and personal and professional values that are consistent with the Center’s high standards and mission.
• Empathy: Serves as an empathetic, approachable leader who engenders trust and confidence. (if applicable)
• Adaptability/Flexibility: Demonstrates comfort with ambiguity and calculated risk.

Compensation: The Center offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience and a comprehensive benefits program.