Program Officer – Advocacy and Partnership Coordination Right to Food Program at The Institute For Social Accountability

Duties and Responsibilities

Advocacy and Policy Development

• Develop and implement an advocacy strategy to promote the right to food, focusing on policy changes, government accountability, and community empowerment.
• Identify policy gaps, draft policy briefs, and propose policy recommendations for government bodies and other stakeholders.
• Monitor and analyze relevant national policies, legislation, and budgets impacting food security and the right to food.
• Design and lead advocacy campaigns, including public events, media engagements, and social media campaigns, to promote the right to food.
• Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement
• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including government agencies,
• NGOs, civil society organizations, private sector entities, and international donors.
• Facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogues, workshops, and roundtable discussions on food security and the right to food.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for partners and coordinate their involvement in advocacy activities.
• Lead in movement building for change by identifying champions, influencers, and allies who can support the program’s objectives in advancing the right to food.
• Capacity Building and Technical Support
• Provide training and capacity-building sessions to program staff, partners, and community groups on advocacy techniques, rights-based approaches, and policy influence.
• Support local organizations in developing their advocacy capacity, with a focus on marginalized groups.
• Ensure partners have the necessary tools and resources to advocate effectively for food security and the right to food at national and local levels.
• Communications and Public Awareness
• Collaborate with the communications team to develop advocacy materials, including brochures, reports, infographics, and videos.
• Coordinate with media outlets to highlight issues related to right to food, ensuring balanced and accurate representation.
• Design and implement public awareness campaigns to increase understanding of the right to food and related policy issues.
• Prepare regular media briefs on the advocacy initiatives of the right to food coalition and other merging space of advocacy
• Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting
• Develop an M&E framework to track the impact of advocacy initiatives and measure progress toward policy goals.
• Prepare regular progress reports and success stories for internal and external audiences.
• Document lessons learned and best practices from advocacy activities to inform future programming.
• Contribute to donor reports, ensuring that advocacy efforts are clearly represented and demonstrate impact

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy, Law, Development Studies, Social Sciences, or a related field. A Master’s degree is an advantage.
• Experience: Minimum of 5 years of experience in advocacy, policy, or program management, preferably related to food security, human rights, or social justice.
• Skills: Strong understanding of Kenya’s policy landscape, food security challenges, and the right to food as a human right.
• Proven track record in partnership development, coalition-building, and stakeholder engagement.
• Ability to design and implement communications campaigns and keep diverse stakeholders engaged for change.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including experience with public speaking and media engagement.