Advocacy, Campaigns, Communications and Media Director

Job Description

GRADE: Executive A

CONTRACT LENGTH: 2 years, renewable

CHILD SAFEGUARDING:

Level 3:  the post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently

ROLE PURPOSE:

The purpose of the role is to lead and manage the external and internal Advocacy, Campaigns, Communications and Media work for the Ethiopia country office including the policy, advocacy, campaign strategy development and implementation as a prioritized Category 1 response, supporting the priority programmatic areas, such as Child Protection, Health and Nutrition, Food Security, Education in Emergencies and humanitarian space/operational/ civic space issues.  The role will support the Senior Management Team in risk mapping, mitigation and management on issues identified as most relevant for the CO and develop policy analysis and strategic planning in response to those issues.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Country Director with matrix management from the Regional Director, Advocacy, Campaigns, Communication and Media.

Role Dimensions: Ethiopia country office is a high complexity country, multi-member interest, with an annual budget of around $80m – 90m , and approximately 1500 staff and numerous partners, volunteers.

ACCM is an integrated and critical part of our work in Ethiopia, with the need to ensure humanitarian access, increased international visibility and donor interest in the crises, protection of children and public engagement. Ethiopia occupies a strategic role in the Horn of Africa with critical linkages to Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Djibouti. At the same time, Ethiopia does host the African Union, the UN Economic Commision for Africa and other strategic partners so this this role would have some responsibility for regional and continental engagements with linkages to the global.

Staff directly reporting to this post:  Advocacy and Campaign manager, Senior Media & Comms Manager, Humanitarian Communications and Advocacy manager, Info Comms Coordinator, Event and ACCM admin coordinator.  The ACCM team by 2023 will be composed of 9 staff. ( TBC)

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY :

As a member of the Senior Management Team, contribute to:

• Leadership of the Ethiopia Country Office
• Support the development of an organisational culture that reflects the full programming spectrum (humanitarian and development) values, promotes accountability and high performance, encourages a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation, and supports staff to deliver outstanding results for children.
• Help design and implement a coherent organizational structure that is consistent with agency practices and appropriate to country office needs
• Develop risk mitigation management plans in response to SMT, regional office, center (HQ), or Member identified risks to the delivery of quality programs for children with focus and ownership on ‘Speaking Out’.
• Ensure strong linkages between Advocacy, Campaigns, Communications and Media function and other Directors on the SMT so that advocacy is well resourced, evidence based and program driven and that programs are enhanced through advocacy.

Advocacy Strategy Development and Implementation

• Lead Ethiopia’s Advocacy, Campaigns, Communications and Media team with a clear vision and integrated workplan and objectives, including setting SMART goals for the team and securing buy-in from key internal stakeholders.
• Lead the country office’s strategy to protect children in conflict, ensuring coordination and engagement across all departments to deliver on the strategic objectives.  The postholder will hold primary responsibility for resourcing, risk mitigation and management associated with the delivery on this strategy.
• Revise, strengthen and implement the Country Office’s overall advocacy strategy, identify policy and practice change, on the basis of Save the Children’s experience, that would promote and protect the rights of children in the Ethiopia at scale.
• Develop and implement advocacy objectives and initiatives, both short and long term, encompassing a wide range of issues and audiences.
• Work with the Humanitarian Advocacy Working Group and the Regional Office to develop and implement and plan for international advocacy, identifying key strands of work to be collectively taken forward by the CO, RO, Members and Advocacy Office.
• Ensure that the Humanitiarian Advocacy Working Group has the resources it needs to complete agreed objectives and activities, including via updating and collaborating with the group on the Regional ESA Humanitarian Advocacy Working Group Calls as well as the Global HAWG and through regular high-quality written updates and briefings.
• Ensure that voices of Children are integral to SC’s advocacy, campaigning, communication and media.
• Lead the Country Office’s campaigns strategy, with a focus on education and climate change, ensuring coordination and engagement across all departments to deliver on the strategic objectives WITH and FOR Children. 

Situation and advocacy analysis

• Working closely with programs, provide analysis of how children have been affected by the crisis in Ethiopia, the national policy responses and policy frameworks, as well as other factors such as UN coordination, funding for the response, security and current and future challenges that have an impact on children and their access to humanitarian assistance, health, education and protection services.
• Based on Save the Children (SC) program priorities, and identified priority issues for children, develop key advocacy messages and identify targets from lessons learned, assessments, research and evidence gained through project implementation.
• Define key advocacy opportunities and targets at national, regional, continental and global levels, if relevant, and if needed mobilize international advocacy support for these.
• Ensure a strong political economy and power analysis of the relevant actors and where opportunities for influence and leverage lie to inform the advocacy strategy.
• Maintain a strategic overview of issues effecting children’s rights in Ethiopia, monitoring trends in the external environment and inputting and/or leading as required to organisational strategy and planning processes, in coordination with other team members.

Strategic Policy, Advocacy and Campaign products

• Draft and otherwise support the production of products for strategic engagement as outlined in the advocacy strategy for use at the country, regional, continental and international levels including supporting the Protecting Children in Conflict (PCIC) Advocacy and Campaigns strategy in country.
• Ensure that all advocacy messages, documents and strategies are evidence-based, drawn from field experience and assessments, of high quality and effective, and are approved by the Country Director, the Regional AMC Director, Regional Humanitarian Advocacy Manager, the Humanitarian Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns Technical Working Group and the HAWG. When necessary ensure advocacy products are signed-off according to the SCI sign-off procedures.
• Lead and coordinate Save the Children’s engagement with humanitarian policy issues and related advocacy, including by developing briefing papers, engaging with the Humanitarian Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns Technical Working Group, as well as supporting the in-country operations team to navigate issues relating to humanitarian access, humanitarian principles, centrality of protection, counter-terror legislation and other pressing policy issues.

 External Engagement and Influencing

• Develop good knowledge of local and national government structures (in Ethiopia, at the RECs, AU,  and in key Member capitals), Parliamentary, Budgetary and Political processes and key decision making structures and how to influence them.
• Undertake a range of lobbying, communications and other activities to inform and persuade policy makers, including donors and politicians, of the value of SC’s policy and practice recommendations.
• Develop dissemination and communication strategies for key advocacy messages, together with communications colleagues.
• Produce or manage the production of reports, briefing papers and presentations for internal and external audiences, as outlined in the advocacy strategy.
• Lead SC’s media and comms work to highlight humanitarian needs by developing products for social and traditional media. Advise on media lines and media strategy, ensuring potential risks associated with SC’s positions are assessed and sign-off procedures are adhered to.

Coordination & Representation

• Develop and cultivate strategic relationships with other agencies engaged in advocacy and policy work in the Ethiopia.
• Lead or support external advocacy coordination forum, including within the Ethiopia Advocacy Working Group, the Humanitarian Country Team and other relevant interagency fora, promoting or ensuring inclusion of Save the Children prioritized child rights issues in these essential coalition fora.
• Develop and maintain a network of external contacts with key individuals in the government, donors, NGO sector, civil society and the media.
• Represent SC at various policy forums and advocacy opportunities at national and international levels, as directed.
• Act as a spokesperson for SC to a variety of external audiences including policy makers and the media, as directed.
• Liaise closely with staff in the Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns units within the Members, the Regional Office, and at the Center, and other fora to integrate and coordinate policy change initiatives throughout SCI members.
• Develop strong links with the Members programmes for advocacy / awareness raising globally.

Campaigns Planning and Delivery

• Lead the development of an integrated campaigns plan aligned with the country strategic plan.
• Lead the implementation of Save the Children global campaign ‘
• Develop policy briefing papers, policy statements and public communication materials related to national, regional and international advocacy issues and priorities.
• In coordination with the programmes team, commission and/or conduct strategic research development to support campaigning efforts including evidence-based timely data and content.
• Ensure that all advocacy and campaign messages, documents and strategies are evidence-based, drawn from field experience and assessments, of high quality and effective.
• Ensure that children are engaged in child-led and collaborative messaging development where relevant
• Establish and strengthen partnership efforts around campaigning for child rights.

Integrated Policy Programming Support

• Working closely with programs and programme development and quality  (PDQI), provide analysis of how children have been affected by the crisis in Ethiopia in order to influence SC’s own national responses and policy frameworks, as well as other actors such as the UN, humanitarian community, donors and security actors.
• Support programme leadership to articulate their top priority advocacy or communications objectives in line with the Country Office Strategic Plan.
• Manage the communications staff/team, ensure delivery of high quality communications and documentation support to the CO and programs.
• Ensure development of the CO communications strategy, towards donors and other external stakeholders.
• Support the specialists and implementation team/s in defining and articulating thematic policy change objectives.
• Ensure clear links and mutual reinforcement between programmatic approaches and CO communications, and links external advocacy strategies where appropriate.
• Write regular progress reports as needed, to keep the CO and regional team updated, and contribute to the Regional advocacy updates for the Humanitarian Advocacy Working Group as required. Ensure that SC responds appropriately to emergencies, providing policy analysis and support around humanitarian space issues, and support the Comms focal point to meet emergency comms requirements, including sitreps, fact sheets, updates and other required products.
• In relation to specific opportunities, contribute where possible to the country leadership decision making to form partnerships which strengthen both programming and resource mobilization outcomes. 
• Perform other tasks as required to ensure the smooth running of the country programme.

QUALIFICATIONS 

• Master’s degree in Social Science, Journalism & Media or related field.
• A minimum of 12 years demonstrated experience in progressively responsible positions at senior management levels including high level advocacy.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential

• At least 12 years experience in a humanitarian or development environment, preferably leading advocacy and policy change in Africa.
• Prior management experience working in emergency response contexts or fragile states.
• Significant prior experience working in advocacy on humanitarian issues, child rights, human rights, and/or development issues.
• Experience of influencing and advocacy work including lobbying, policy development and information provision in humanitarian issues.
• Excellent skills in advocating towards government officials in developing countries.
• Experience of and strong skills in developing and implementing humanitarian advocacy strategies.
• Proven skills in media and communication work, including interviews on Radio and TV.
• Ability to present complex information in a succinct and compelling manner
• Good attention to detail
• Extensive knowledge of child rights and international humanitarian law
• Understanding of UN and donor operations at country level
• High level analytical and strategic thinking skills
• Cultural awareness and ability to build relationships quickly with a wide variety of people
• Patient, adaptable, flexible, able to improvise and remain responsive and communicate clearly and effectively under pressure
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with experience in managing multicultural teams.
• Experience in coaching, capacity-building and supporting the development of a team, including supporting junior members of staff to deliver high-quality output.
• Experience in managing risks associated with advocacy and communications in high-risk settings, including in developing risk management plans and mitigation measures.
• Advanced understanding of Protection issues arising from a conflict setting, impact on protected populations, and implications for humanitarian aid agencies.
• Commitment to Save the Children values

Desirable

• Experience working for an international humanitarian organisation in Ethiopia (or the Middle East) preferred
• Experience with programs, program development, proposal writing, or implementation a plus.
• Experience solving complex issues through analysis
• Has a strong international network within advocacy and policy settings
• Understanding of the issues concerning the INGO sector with an in-depth knowledge in communications, marketing and/or fundraising
• Demonstrable track record of leading change, resulting in significant results for the organisation and their stakeholders.
• Strong results orientation

Additional job responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

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