Requisition ID: req51480
Job Title: Policy, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator
Sector: Program Administration
Employment Category: Fixed Term
Employment Type: Full-Time
Open to Expatriates: Yes
Location: Aden, Yemen
Work Arrangement: In-person
Job Description
The IRC responds to people’s acute and longer-term needs with integrated programs that improve health and safety, prioritize children’s education, foster economic wellbeing, and empower communities to regain control over their lives. Our work gives rise to some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary humanitarian action, including questions of access, conflict sensitivity, coordination, and impact.
The IRC Yemen began its programs in October 2012. Since establishing its presence in the South of Yemen, in the Red Sea Coastal city of Aden, the organization has grown from just an implementing small project to handling large scale emergency and relief operations. Following the war which broke out in Yemen in March of 2015 and the humanitarian disaster, which was crafted by the same, IRC launched one an emergency response program in the southern governorates of Aden, Lahj, Abyan, Shabwah and Al Dhale, and expanded later in Sana’a and Hodeidah in the North. Currently IRC Yemen is operating in eight governorates in the south and north of Yemen through direct programming and through local partnerships, in Health, WASH, Nutrition, Economic Recovery Development, Education, Child Protection, Gender and Women Protection and Empowerment.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) have been working in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for more than forty years. Today, the IRC has more than 2,200 staff working across the region, including in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, and Yemen to support those affected by some of the world’s most complex and protracted humanitarian crises.
Scope of work
Reporting to the Deputy Director of Grants and Accountability, the Policy, Advocacy and Communications (PAC) Coordinator will be responsible for the design and implementation of the IRC Yemen’s advocacy and communication strategy, ensuring consistent messaging to support high-quality external relations and to enable every staff member to be an effective ambassador for the mission. This role will hold responsibility for the development of content and materials suitable for dissemination to donors, stakeholders, potential partners, and sharing via IRC’s website and other social media channels, in the context of the broader strategy. The post-holder will also coordinate closely with the Programmes, MEAL, and Grants Units and the SMT in order to inform and advance advocacy messaging to donors, within the humanitarian architecture in-country and within IRC’s global advocacy framework.
Specific responsibilities
•Lead on the implementation and review of IRC Yemen’s advocacy and communications strategy; lead strategy implementation in the field, and advise and support colleagues in the MENA Region and in global capitals to implement the strategy with international targets.
•Produce high quality public and private policy, advocacy and comms materials including talking points, briefing notes, position papers, fact sheets and advocacy reports.
•Conduct a robust stakeholder mapping and maintain an updated contact list of key targets in-country.
•Regularly liaise with relevant in-country stakeholders, including UN, donor representatives, diplomatic missions, local civil society and peer agencies.
•Promote a principled approach to policy, advocacy and communications on Yemen among relevant internal stakeholders and ensure that external messaging is evidence-based and driven by field realities.
•With support from regional and global comms colleagues, facilitate the collection and sign-off of compelling client-focused content that can be used in internal and external communications products.
•In conjunction with country program staff and the regional/global advocacy and communications teams, closely monitor humanitarian policy debates and media pertaining to Yemen, ensuring that relevant information is analyzed and disseminated in a timely and effective manner.
•Represent the IRC in humanitarian coordination and advocacy fora, conferences, lobby meetings, and other events as requested; or provide talking points for other senior representatives, including the Country Director and Regional Vice President.
•Respond to external inquiries on policy issues, including briefing policymakers and media.
•Provide trainings on advocacy and communications to field staff and develop the capacity of national staff to implement impactful advocacy interventions.
Key working relationships
Internal: Direct Reporting to: Deputy Director of Grants and Accountability.
•Management in Partnership with: Regional Director of Advocacy, Policy & Communications.
•Close collaboration with: Program Coordinators, Field Coordinators, Humanitarian Access and Security Coordinator, Regional Context Advisor, Senior Regional Communications and Media Manager, Global Advocacy and Communications Colleagues.
External: Public and private donor agencies, international and national NGOs, UN agencies, partner organizations, foreign governments. Advocacy Coordinators or similar in other organizations, Policy and Advocacy Working Groups.
Required experience/qualification/skills
•At least 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience crafting and delivering policy and advocacy work responding to complex humanitarian crises and/or development contexts;
•Experience in advocating on behalf of marginalized groups in conflict settings;
•Demonstrated creativity, ability to apply innovative thinking and problem-solving skills;
•Excellent analytical, presentation, communication and representation skills;
•Fluency in English (written and spoken) is essential, with demonstrated exceptionally strong writing skills;
•Ability to navigate interpersonal and inter-departmental organizational dynamics to keep focus on goals and products;
•Ability to work well in unstable security environments, and under significant administrative and programmatic pressures;
•Flexible to adapt to changing requirements;
•Culturally sensitive, able and interested in working with a multi-ethnic team;
•Strong commitment to the IRC’s mission, purpose and values;
•Must be able to work independently while being a team player;
•Advanced degree in relevant field desired;
•Experience with training and staff capacity building;
•Yemen and/or Middle East regional experience and Arabic language skills preferred.
Demonstrated skills and competencies
•A commitment to IRC’s mission, vision, values and IRC Way – Professional Code of Conduct.
•Credible written, presentation and verbal communication skills; ability to convey information effectively and solid experience providing training and staff development
•Validated sense of professional discretion, integrity, and ability to handle complex situations diplomatically and to effective resolution.
•Excellent management and interpersonal skills and a solid ability to promote harmonious/cohesive teamwork, in a cross-cultural context.
•Validated ability to plan long-term, organize priorities and work under administrative and programmatic pressures with detail orientation and professional patience.
•Highly collaborative and resourceful; ability to establish positive working relationships with senior level management and all other partners to maximize cooperation and productivity.
•Curiosity, a desire to continually learn and develop and a sense of humor is a must.
•Analytical ability in creating effective solutions to complex matters while adhering to labor laws and internal policies.
Travel: This position is based in Aden, Yemen in a shared IRC guesthouse apartments. All IRC sites have electricity and internet.
Working Environment: There is active conflict in parts of the country and a possibility of the conflict advancing and expanding into other locations. The situation in Aden is currently quiet but remains unpredictable. Security will be thoroughly discussed during the interview process.
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