Advocacy Manager

TITLE: Advocacy Manager

LOCATION: Work from home with some travel to Bangkok for meetings

ROLE PURPOSE: The Advocacy Manager will lead Save the Children’s advocacy strategy development and delivery related to the most vulnerable children in Myanmar, and will serve as key focal point for the current humanitarian response advocacy and Rohingya crisis within the Myanmar Country Office.

This will involve close collaboration with Director of Advocacy, Campaigns, Communications, Media, Programme Director, PDQ team, as well as partners to refine and implement Save the Children’s national and international advocacy strategy, promote cross-thematic coordination to support advocacy, campaigns, communication and media (ACCM), and scale up in-country efforts.

As the Myanmar Country Office advocacy focal point, the role will work closely with members from the Save the Children movement to ensure the global network remains informed on local developments and opportunities to influence positive outcomes, especially for children. The role will involve national (Myanmar), regional and international advocacy leadership on the immediate crisis and response – and on related longer-term issues. The Advocacy Manager will seek clarification on any politically-sensitive matters which may impact upon Myanmar operations and seek appropriate sign off on any global messaging or products.

Finally, the Advocacy Manager will support programme teams to ensure international, national, and local level advocacy is evidence-based and reflects programmatic priorities.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Director of Advocacy, Campaigns, Communications, Media

Staff reporting to this post: N/A

Budget Responsibilities: No financial approval

Role Dimensions:

• Interpersonal contact regular and varied in both oral and written. Negotiation and representation with senior level representatives including government level decision makers, donors, wider SC community.
• Myanmar is one of Save the Children’s largest and most complex country programs, with around 980 staff and an annual budget in excess of US$80 million. The event of February 2021 have triggered widespread conflict and insecurity, as well as a nationwide humanitarian crisis. This has deprived many millions of children their rights to health, education and protection and has caused half the population to fall below the poverty line. In this challenging political context of conflict and humanitarian crisis, Save the Children aims to be an outspoken voice for children and their rights.
• It is essential that the Advocacy Manager builds and maintains strong relationships a) across functions within the CO, especially with the Programme team and Country Management Team; b) with other NGO and UN agencies in Myanmar on advocacy messaging; and c) internationally, among Save the Children’s regional office, member offices and advocacy offices worldwide.
• This role demands dedication to advocating for children and their rights and demonstrating how positive outcomes for children can be achieved. The role supports our programming and the achievement of Save the Children’s three Breakthroughs for children, especially for children and families most impacted by inequality and discrimination: no child dies from preventable causes before their fifth birthday; all children learn from a quality basic education; and violence against children is no longer tolerated.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Advocacy Strategy Development and Implementation

• Lead the development and delivery of the country office’s advocacy strategy in collaboration with others at CO, RO and the Humanitarian Advocacy Working Group, ensure it is kept up to date
• Ensure all relevant staff are engaged and informed of the advocacy strategy and clear on the roles they need to play in the delivery
• Define key advocacy opportunities and targets at national, regional and international levels and lead, mobilize and coordinate national, regional and international advocacy colleagues to influence these, as appropriate.
• Based on Save the Children (SC) programme 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.
• Provide information and analysis to the HAWG and other interested parties via regular email updates and on weekly calls to support global advocacy.
• Maintain a strategic overview of issues effecting children’s rights in Myanmar, monitoring trends in the external environment, as well as our own programming.

Producing Advocacy Products

• Draft and otherwise support the production of advocacy products as outlined in the advocacy strategy for use at the country, regional and international levels
• Ensure that all advocacy messages, documents, and strategies are evidence-based, drawn from field experience and assessments, of high quality and effective
• Work with Communications team to ensure visual materials (film, photos etc) are available to support global advocacy opportunities.
• Liaise with members, particularly via the HAWG, on what information and products are required to support international and capital-level advocacy

Policy

• Keep a watching brief on policy makers and other key players in relation to children’s rights issues and identify opportunities to raise awareness and influence policy change.
• Coordinate Save the Children’s engagement with humanitarian policy issues and related advocacy, including by developing briefing papers and helping SC’s team navigate issues relating to humanitarian access and other pressing policy issues.

External Engagement and Influencing

• Develop good knowledge of local and national government structures (in Myanmar and in key Member capitals), parliamentary 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 recommendations.
• Support the development of systems for research, analysis, and documentation that underpin evidence-based advocacy and influencing at national and international levels.

Representation and coordination

• Support the Country Director and other relevant Country Office staff in high-level advocacy work towards relevant authorities, RCHC, Humanitarian Country Teams, key UN actors and Agencies, Donors and other NGOs, as well as media, if necessary.
• Manage country level humanitarian advocacy initiatives in close coordination and cooperation with the ACCM Director, Program Director, Country Director, Regional Office, operations and programme staff, the HAWG, and communications, as well as the media and fundraising staff at the regional level and member headquarters.
• Represent Save the Children at appropriate country-level working groups.
• Develop and maintain a network of external contacts with key individuals in the government, donors, NGO sector, civil society, and the media.

General:

• Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.
• Be an active and engaged member of the Advocacy, Campaigns, Communications and Media team

Child Safeguarding Responsibility:

• Develop specific and contextual country level guidance to ensure that children who participate in media or communications work are protected from exploitation, increased vulnerability, or any form of harm or indignity

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor Degree in Communications/Public Affairs, Law or International Relations – or any other any related field

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential

• Significant prior experience working in advocacy on humanitarian issues, child rights, human rights, or development issues, preferably in emergency response contexts or fragile states
• Experience of influencing and advocacy work including lobbying, policy development and information provision in humanitarian issues at national, regional and/or international level
• Excellent skills in advocating towards government officials, humanitarian actors and UN agencies in developing countries
• Experience of and strong skills in developing and implementing advocacy strategies
• Good attention to detail
• Understanding of UN and donor operations at country level and humanitarian response-planning cycles
• Experience in working with other NGOs and coordinating inter-agency advocacy activities, strategies and products
• High-level analytical and strategic thinking skills and strong research skills
• Cultural awareness and ability to build relationships quickly with a wide variety of people
• Patience, adaptability, flexibility, and ability to improvise and remain responsive and to communicate clearly and effectively under pressure
• Excellent planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to organise a substantial workload comprised of complex, diverse tasks and responsibilities
• Strong leadership skills with an ability to seek people’s views while also taking responsibility to determine the most appropriate course of action and to act decisively
• Strong communication (written and spoken), and interpersonal skills in English

Desirable

• Strong awareness and knowledge of the Myanmar context
• Strong networks and relationships at national level
• Experience developing highly engaging, creative and effective communications products to achieve advocacy objectives.
• Prior experience working in an emergency response contexts or fragile states
• Proven skills in media work
• Extensive knowledge of child rights and international humanitarian law

How to apply

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to apply an Application Letter and Curriculum Vitae to the link below:

For External Candidates:https://stcuk.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=22000811&tz=GMT%2B06%3A30&tzname=Asia%2FRangoon

For Internal Candidates: https://stcuk.taleo.net/careersection/in/jobdetail.ftl?job=22000811&tz=GMT%2B06%3A30&tzname=Asia%2FRangoon

Closing Date : 6 November 2022 (Sunday)

User Guide for Applicants at SCI: https://myanmar.savethechildren.net/sites/stcico.myanmar.savethechildren.net/files/taleo_applicants_user_guide.pdf

Candidates are also requested to mention in the applications if there is, blood/marriage relationships with the existing Save the Children employees. No requirement of photo or copy of certificates and only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Remark: For those who failed to mention or incorrectly mention the apply position title, Programme/Sector name and location in their applications, we will consider those as disqualify and we will not consider for short list.