PURPOSE OF POSITION:

The position will provide leadership and support in the development and execution of advocacy strategic framework supporting influencing WVs policy, advocacy and campaign work in East Africa. It will ensure policies on issues affecting children are addressed to contribute to child well-being. It will lead coordination and implementation of the advocacy and campaigns strategy for East Africa Regional Office, including engagement with the African Union and other strategic regional partnerships.

The position enhances WV’s influence and position as a leading child-focused agency across East Africa. The aim is also to work with regional, Support Office (SO) and National Office (NO) resource development teams to mobilize adequate resources to effectively run advocacy and campaigns work in East Africa.

The position will ensure the integration and delivery of advocacy services that is in alignment with WV regional and partnership strategy, Our Promise 2030; policies, standards and priorities, in order to achieve the well being of MVC.

The Advocacy and External Engagement Director’s position will ensure that the regional sector programmes and National Offices can access adequate technical support in influencing policy formation that affects the well-being of children. The Regional Advocacy function will support the development of advocacy strategic guidance and integration of evidence-based advocacy approaches into field programs that will strengthen WV’s voice to advocate issues concerning children at local, national and regional levels.

The Advocacy and external engagement director will support Field Offices and region in successful delivery of advocacy project models, Sustainable Development Goals, WV’ flagship campaign “It Takes a World to end violence against children and social accountability. This will involves providing strategic input, support and direction to ensure campaign is integrated across all sectors and functional areas at the national level as well as ensuring campaign implementation meets quality standards defined by the Global Center.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Leadership:

• Develop an advocacy, campaigns and external engagement strategy and policy agenda for East Africa focusing on the following key priorities:

1. It Takes a World Campaign to end violence against children
2. WV’s contribution’s towards Sustainable Development Goals
3. Humanitarian Advocacy
4. Social Accountability

• Coordinate the Strategic Engagement with the African Union in collaboration with the two regional offices in West Africa and Southern Africa.
• Develop a strategic plan of action to enhance the collaboration and partnerships at the regional level with the Joining Forces Alliance and the All Africa Conference of Churches.
• Provide support to National Offices to enhance capacity of advocacy in the delivery of the new strategy period (2021-2025) including embedding advocacy into the Technical Programmes of National Offices.
• Support the development of National Advocacy Strategies and build capacity of National Offices in embedding advocacy in all Technical programmes and ensuring measurement of advocacy strategic measures is aligned to Horizon reporting.
• Provide oversight to major policy and advocacy initiatives in the region and ensure compliance with WVI advocacy and campaigns standards, protocols and policy.
• Engage and support in regional and national strategy development, execution and measurement processes including the uptake of CVA databases in the NOs.
• Coach, develop and manage a strong Policy and Advocacy Team, fostering a culture of learning, innovation and collaboration as well as, high performance, accountability and mutual support.
• Promote WV as a leader in CWB and child rights, by identifying key opportunities for strategic research, partnering with credible research institutions to maximize the regions CWB impact and provide a regional and global voice on Child
• Well Being (CWB) and child rights issues.
• Lead the development and implementation of an integrated operational plan for Advocacy function that is aligned with NOs Annual Business Plans and East Africa strategies. Specifically, contribute to the development of Annual Business
• Plans of the Regional Team Members and NOs Advocacy Teams.
• Lead the process of continuous learning related to advocacy and integration of advocacy with other lines of ministries and sectors and themes.
• Encourage mutual learning between National Offices within the region and with other regions by linking NOs advocacy leads within the Africa region to promote peer to peer learning.
• Lead scaling up of field evidence to influence regional policy discussions.

Advocacy Coordination and External Engagement:

• Support the development and execution of regional external engagement plans.
• Coordinate strategic engagement with regional institutions including the AU, IGAD, EAC and COMESA.
• Build strategic partnerships with civil society, donors, Governments and corporations, UN entities and other organizations to enhance collective response to child well-being.
• Strengthen partnership and collaboration with faith based organizations at National and Regional Level to influence and monitor policy implementation to enhance child well-being.
• Support regional and national leadership in articulating policy positions and enhancing the visibility of WV in their respective countries.
• Strengthen and coordinate the representation and participation in strategic advocacy platforms in the Nairobi regional hub and other engagement platforms.
• Represent WV in global, regional and national advocacy and campaigns events, conferences, fora, seminars and technical working groups.
• Coordinate support to national offices required in HEA responses within the regions for advocacy integration. In close collaboration with the Regional Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs Director and Regional Leadership, provide
• operational support as needed to all CAT II and III disaster responses in the region.

Campaigns Management:

• Provide leadership to planning and coordination of the global campaign, “It Takes A World campaign”.
• Ensure mid-term review of the Campaign (It Takes a World) in FY21 and support the development of NO Campaign Strategies for FY21-25 and their implementation across the region.
• Develop a regional Campaign agenda with clear policy ASKS and products (policy position, briefs) in the context of COVID-19.
• Support NO level embedding of the Campaign across all Technical programs and secure the support of National Directors and Operations Directors to fund campaign activities at national and sub-natioonal levels.
• Coordinate documentation of best practices and evidence related to WVs advocacy work and campaign in East Africa region.
• Ensure that children’s voices are represented through local level advocacy efforts and local-national-regional-global linkages.
• Coordinate regional level campaign events and influencing opportunities in collaboration with the Communications and Resource Development Unit to deliver on the Influence, Impact and Income agenda.
• Support WVIs regional leadership team’s participation in external engagement fora.
• Coordinate efforts in resource mobilization for EVAC campaign as well as related advocacy and social accountability initiatives.
• Ensure ongoing monitoring and reporting for EVAC campaign in East Africa through the CVA database and quarterly reports from the NOs.
• Act as a focal point person for external and media engagement on child protection and ITAW Campaign which may require profiling and advocacy interventions.

Collaboration and cross functional work:

• Participate in the global advocacy and campaigns coordination work.
• Collaborate with key WV functional departments and sectoral experts to monitor implementation of policies.
• Collaborate with other units to leverage the impact of advocacy and campaigns work in the national office.

Resource Development:

• Support exploration of potential funding sources for advocacy work including social Accountability (CVA), campaigns and policy influencing agenda.
• Collaborate with the EAR Resource Development Unit (RDU), NOs and SO to support resource development.
• Ensure the inclusion of a resource development target in key advocacy and campaign staff JDs.
• Provide technical assistance for advocacy and campaign design work in the region.
• Work with Support Office, GC advocacy & campaigns team, NO teams, and other regional ministry functions to ensure that grants and other specially funded initiatives incorporate advocacy and EVAC campaign elements.
• Provide support in development of multi-country proposals.

Other responsibilities:

• Keep the Senior Director of Operations, Ministry Impact & Engagement informed of accomplishment, critical project issues and status.
• Carry out any other additional responsibilities as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Master’s degree in social sciences, communication, public policy, management etc.
• 10 years of experience in advocacy and campaigns work in developing countries.
• Knowledge on Child Rights, regional bodies, CEDAW, etc.
• In depth knowledge of advocacy, social accountability and child Protection issues in the Africa region.
• Excellent communication (written and oral) and interpersonal skills, particularly in a cross-cultural environment.
• Strong planning and organizational skills and ability to prioritize multiple activities.
• Ability to influence internal and external stakeholders and represent WV, particularly with donors and partners.
• Experience managing field-level programs.
• Experience in leading campaigns.
• Proven advocacy experience on Child Protection issues.
• Experience in programme management.
• Experience leading and managing a professional technical team.
• Significant bi-lateral, multi-lateral donor grant experience with program design, implementation, funding acquisition and reporting.
• Strategy development.
• Theory of change and logical framework development.
• Advocacy and campaigns.
• Budget development/management, including knowledge of general accounting and budgeting principles.
• Coaching and mentoring.
• Experience in Africa, mainly East Africa and programming in fragile contexts.
• Professional experience in training/capacity building.
• Research and evaluation experience.
• Multi-sectoral/integrated program design and implementation.

Preferred Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

• Achieving Capabilities
• Thinking Capabilities
• Self-Managing Capabilities
• Relational Capabilities
• Networking and collaboration
• Humanitarian diplomacy

Work Environment/Travel:

• The position requires ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 30% of the time.