Global Policy and Advocacy Manager

Global Policy and Advocacy Manager

WfWI – Women for Women International

Multiple Locations

Purpose

The Global Policy & Advocacy Manager role is an important part of the dynamic team that supports Women for Women International’s (WfWI) global, regional, national, and community strategies related to policy and advocacy. The role is pivotal within the team, playing a key role in raising the visibility and increasing awareness and understanding of our advocacy work, both internally and externally, including through leading our representation and engagement with key networks/coalitions, both regionally across Africa and globally.

The Global Policy & Advocacy Manager works closely with the rest of the Global Policy & Advocacy Team, Global Programs Unit, WfWI’s Country Teams, and valued partners to inform and advise on our strategic approach to policy and advocacy at all levels. They are required to tailor and adapt their approaches and priorities to policy and advocacy, depending on both the changing external environment and their thorough understanding of the varied needs, capacities, resources, and contexts relating to policy and advocacy work across the organization.

The Manager will be experienced in policy and advocacy, using communications and networking skills to develop connections and partnerships with civil society, government, or multilateral institutions – particularly at the national and regional levels across Africa. Specifically, the Global Policy and Advocacy Manager will lead and guide national and regional efforts across Africa to follow and influence relevant policy developments, recognize campaign and strategic advocacy opportunities, and advise on crafting and adapting advocacy-focused communications.

They will also work closely with WfWI Country Offices and partners to design and implement community and national advocacy activities, including WfWI’s grassroots advocacy and leadership ‘Change Agent’ program.

They demonstrate a commitment to gender equality and women’s rights and power; women, peace, and security, as well as development in conflict-affected communities.

This position can be based anywhere in Africa, with a preference for a country where WfWI has an office.

Key Responsibilities

Engagement:

Policy and Advocacy Products, Outputs and Communications:

• Manage the development, production, delivery and dissemination of global policy and advocacy documents that can also be adapted and translated for use by colleagues across the global team.
• Work closely with the rest of the Global Policy & Advocacy Team, and WfWI’s Global Communications Team to cultivate opportunities media activity (including online and offline traditional and social media) related our advocacy work.
• Act as a regular spokesperson for the organization, and support other spokespeople with speech writing, briefing and preparation.

Advocacy Strategy Input, Implementation and Monitoring:

• Inform and implement approaches for the development, delivery and monitoring of policy and advocacy strategies, and advise and make recommendations and areas for improvement.
• Facilitate agreed strategy development and implementation processes that can be sustained, adapted, rolled out across the organization.
• Initiate and sustain inclusive planning and project implementation processes with various teams.
• Identify advocacy opportunities through close collaboration with the rest of the Global Policy & Advocacy Team, ensuring our advocacy work is strategically supported by research and analysis conducted by or in partnership with our global Monitoring, Research, Evaluation and Learning (MERL) Team as well as external research.

Networking, relationship and partnership building, and external representation:

• Lead WfWI’s strategic engagement in national and regional advocacy spaces (networks and coalitions, as well as decision-making fora), growing our existing relationships and partnerships for example with the Gender is My Agenda Campaign Network and others.
• Provide input into WfWI’s strategy related to advocacy partnership development women’s rights organizations, INGO’s, multilateral organizations, think tanks, academics, other influencers, particularly across Africa. Identify new partners and grow WfWI’s relationship and influence with partners, influencers and decision-makers e.g. women’s rights organizations, networks, national governments/multilaterals/foreign government representatives.
• Strengthen the Country Team approaches to relationship building, networking and engagement with allies, partners, and movements at local, national and regional levels.
• As needed, represent the organization externally and network effectively to generate new advocacy opportunities.
• Support a strong feedback loop and link between advocacy at the community, country, regional and international levels by providing inputs and collaborating with the Global Policy and Advocacy Team.
• Contribute to fundraising or business development proposals and reporting as needed to grow new revenue for this area of work.

Delivery:

Global Policy and Advocacy planning, coordination and engagement:

• Working with the rest of the Global Policy & Advocacy Team, coordinate the development of budgets and annual plans. Regularly review, update and revise these in coordination with the rest of the team.
• Provide timely and thorough advice and technical support to Country Office colleagues to ensure the effective and strategic development, implementation and monitoring of their advocacy work.
• Maintain advocacy programme quality including monitoring, evaluation and learning data for WfWI’s Change Agent Program and other relevant data to ensure program quality.
• Collaborate, as needed, on proposal development processes that are advocacy related.
• Collaborate with different stakeholders on internal communications to ensure understanding and buy-in for our global policy and advocacy work across WfWI.
• Coordinate and/or provide input to, the development of global updates, donor reports and any internal presentations as required.
• Ensure relevant documents and systems are well managed and kept up to date.

Policy and Advocacy Products, Outputs and Communications:

• Manage the timely development and delivery of advocacy communications outputs including publications and website content.
• Adapt global communications and key messages to support national and regional policy and advocacy priorities, as well as for the global team to use for their audiences and stakeholders.
• Identify, cultivate and execute opportunities to communicate our advocacy work and publications externally during key moments and beyond.

Policy analysis and research:

• Identify policy and advocacy priorities at the national and regional level that align with and complement WfWI’s integrated advocacy approaches at all levels.
• Proactively initiate policy analysis and research on specified topic issues to strengthen and further our policy development work. Research and monitor relevant regional and international policy, decision-making or commitments to women & girls rights, gender equality etc.
• Collect, analyse and interpret quantitative and qualitative data from primary and secondary material, and adapt into tailored messaging/recommendations for use in policy and advocacy work including providing regular inputs into and/or influencing the policies and advocacy/programming agendas of targeted stakeholders and institutions.
• Prepare background papers, briefing documents and reports as appropriate for use in policy, advocacy, funding and communications activities.

General Responsibilities:

• Work collaboratively with other teams to share ideas and contributions where applicable.
• Mentor and support more members of staff within the Global Policy and Advocacy Team, as well as advocacy focal points across Country Offices.
• Support other teams’ activities such as fundraising events as required.

All our staff are required to adhere to WfWI’s Code of Conduct and Safeguarding policies and to our organizational values: Empowerment, Integrity, Respect, Resilience.

Skills Knowledge and Expertise

Required:

• Significant experience in policy and advocacy role, or the equivalent combination of education and work experience (approx. 7-9 years in a similar role).
• Demonstrable experience of project deliverables, time management, budgeting and working with partners.
• Experience analysing, developing and drafting policy, advocacy, or research documents.
• Understanding and/or skills of policy analysis.
• Ability to demonstrate your commitment to Women for Women International’s mission.
• Ability to work with multiple stakeholders such as civil society, government, or multilateral organizations.
• Ability to work independently across multiple workloads and with diverse stakeholders.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Experience representing an organization within a civil society network/coalition either at the national or regional level in Africa, including working groups (ideally on gender equality, women, peace, and security).
• Ability to demonstrate towards skills of event organization and planning, including drafting event Concept Notes, invitations, and speaker/chair briefings.
• Attention to detail.
• Ability to build and maintain successful relationships with stakeholders.
• Self-starter, highly organised, and able to manage multiple tasks.
• Ability to respond flexibly to changing priorities, and to both set and work to deadlines.
• A strong team worker who enjoys supporting other members of a team and working together for common objectives.
• Works independently and take initiative.
• Shares information with others.
• Computer literate, including in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel.
• Knowledge/experience of gender equality, women and girls’ rights, development, humanitarian and/or peacebuilding work.
• Experience in coordinating cross-organizational working groups or equivalent.
• Experience representing an organization, including to deliver key messaging.

Preferred:

• Experience of researching funding opportunities.
• Proven experience in developing or contributing to the development and implementation of advocacy strategies monitoring and evaluation, developing, reporting, and working to budget.
• Proficiency in French language.

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