Regional Policy and Advocacy Officer at Flexi-Personnel

JOB PURPOSE

This role will work closely with Caritas Africa member organizations, other Regions of Caritas Internationalis, Caritas Africa Advocacy Committee Members, civil society networks in Africa, Europe and beyond, Religious Congregations and Continental Catholic Bodies such as SECAM. The position will also engage with Continental and Global institutions such as the African Union, European Union, United Nations, Continental civil society networks and other like-minded faith communities.

An ideal candidate will be committed to strengthen the voice of the Catholic Church in Africa on issues of social justice; they will be a clear communicator, relationally focused and able to engage with a wide range of stakeholders. They will have experience in policy development and advocacy at grassroots and continental level and will be able to develop, deliver and monitor advocacy work across a broad and diverse network.

KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Policy and Advocacy Strategy Implementation

• Developing of the Caritas Africa 2024-2027 Regional Strategy on Advocacy and harmonizing it with the SECAM’s and the Caritas Internationalis strategy.
• Coordinating the implementation of advocacy strategies in Caritas Africa’s key areas (Democratic Governance and Leadership responsive to Human Rights; Public Debt Management, Food systems and Climate Change; Human Mobility (international, internal, economic migrants, asylum seekers, all included).
• Monitoring and Evaluation of the Caritas Africa Advocacy Strategy, including development of appropriate tools.
• Coordinating the development of Caritas Africa policy positions including statements and policy briefs.

Organizational Representation

• Representation of Caritas Africa’s policy positions externally through participating in
• international meetings/conferences across Africa or internationally.
• Regular participation in conference calls and webinars.
• Represent Caritas Africa or CIMOs in other meetings as delegated.

Advocacy Accompaniment

• Accompanying different Caritas Member Organizations and Focal Points both remotely and in person in advocacy strategy development, implementation and monitoring as well as policy formulation.
• Organising meetings, conferences and training sessions as needed.

EDUCATION QUALIFICATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• Masters’ Degree or equivalent experience in international development, Diplomacy, International Relations, or related field.
• Evidence of five years’ experience in International Advocacy targeting decision makers in the: African Union, European Union, the UNFCCC, Governments.
• Experience in multi-sector program design for advocacy, including rapid assessment.
• Experience working with local partner organizations; faith communities and civil society networks.
• Demonstrated understanding of Caritas Internationalis Guidelines on Advocacy.
• Good knowledge of Ecclesial networks, including Caritas and advocacy actors in Africa.
• Ability to cultivate good relationships of fraternal cooperation with the local Church structures, the representatives of the sister member organizations of Caritas Internationalis supporting programs of Caritas Africa, the 46 member organizations of Caritas Africa and other partners sharing the vision, mission, work values and principles of Caritas.
• Experience with advocacy team leadership, program design, proposal development, administration and financial oversight, campaigns coordination.
• Proposal development (proposals and reports) writing skills.
• Proficient in security protocols and management of advocacy programs in insecure environments.
• Experience with and enthusiasm for coaching, mentoring and on the job training.
• Proven facilitation, planning and coordination skills.
• Ability to maintain performance expectations and strong working relationships in diverse cultural contexts, psychologically & physically stressful environments.

Other Requirements

• English language proficiency (spoken and written).
• Ability to communicate in French and/or Portuguese is a bonus.
• Ability to live and work in disaster affected areas.
• Ability to deploy on short notice (within 48-72 hours) when needed.