The International Rescue Committee responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, IRC offers life-saving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in more than 40 countries and in 22 U.S. cities, IRC restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted by conflict or disaster. IRC leads the way from harm to home.
CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND
The IRC's ten-country Horn of East Africa and Zimbabwe (HEAZ) region consists of some of the world's most complex ongoing crises - South Sudan, Yemen, Somalia and Burundi - as well as the neighboring countries most-impacted by the conflict and disaster induced migration caused by these crises - Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. The tenth country in this dynamic region is Zimbabwe, which is also now an extremely fragile state. In addition, the region is subject to recurring natural disasters, worsening already precarious contexts, and resulting in increased humanitarian and protection needs.
Given the IRC's regional footprint, are at the forefront in tackling the complex humanitarian issues affecting the region. Currently, we are co-chair to the Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat (ReDSS) based out of Nairobi, Kenya. IRC is also member to the global Solutions Alliance, based out of Geneva, and has been a founding member of the Solutions Alliance Somalia, of which we are participant to the Steering Committee. IRC is an active participant in fora of the Interagency Working Group (IAWG) and other regional refugee and emergency response working groups in Nairobi.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Regional Advocate is a key member of IRC's regional senior management and global Policy and Practice teams, charged with strategically positioning IRC on key humanitarian policy debates and raising its profile locally and internationally. He/she oversees the development of appropriate, coherent and compelling messaging at local, national and international levels, with the aim of influencing the policies or practices of key actors, enhancing the impact and increasing the coverage of IRC's work.
The Regional Advocate works closely and collaboratively with a number of stakeholders, including regional and country program staff, global public policy and advocacy staff, and global communications staff. The Advocate supports advocacy focal points in country programs. He/she reports to the Deputy Regional Director and works closely with the Vice President of Public Policy & Advocacy and Advocacy Officers in the U.S. and Europe. The Advocate is based in Nairobi with frequent travel in the region, and occasionally to New York, Washington D.C., London, Brussels and Geneva.
SCOPE OF WORK
- Using real-time, credible data, facilitate the development and implementation of influencing strategies within the region in coordination with country programs and regional teams, as well as IRC technical units (eg., emergency response, health, women's & children's protection, etc.); ensuring consistency in messaging and information flow from the local to global arena;
- Represent the IRC in regional fora, and develop or strengthen networks/alliances to push forward topics of shared concern within the humanitarian community - bridging understanding of key issues from the local/national, to regional, to global level;
- Foster an expanded and coordinated dialogue about improvements to international architecture and corresponding systems and tools for more effective response; and
SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES
- Assist in developing and implementing regional advocacy strategies and ensure timely revisions as the context evolves
- Ensure that country priorities are integrated into appropriate strategy documents and plans
- Help develop the capacities of country programs on influencing response in complex contexts
- Work closely with advocacy and communications staff in Washington DC, New York, London, Brussels and Geneva, sharing the strategy and other information
- Closely monitor policy debates and ensure relevant information is disseminated to advocates throughout the IRC
- Act as IRC spokesperson on advocacy issues where appropriate and take part in relevant country and international policy/advocacy fora as guided by key stakeholders
- Lead qualitative research projects at field level including evaluating and analyzing data and assess impact on assigned countries/areas and policy, making key recommendations.
REQUIREMENTS:
- At least two years of experience in delivering advocacy work responding to complex humanitarian crises and/or post-conflict environments;
- Must have at least five years of professional experience in humanitarian affairs; protection; refugee affairs; and international human rights
- Demonstrated creativity, ability to apply innovative thinking and problem solving skills;
- Excellent analytical, presentation, communication and reporting skills;
- Fluency in English (written and spoken) is essential;
- Must be willing to travel regularly to remote sites and endure basic living conditions when traveling to these field sites;
- Ability to work well in unstable security environments, and under significant administrative and programmatic pressures;
Positions Reports to: Deputy Regional Director, HEAZ
Works Closely With: Global Policy & Advocacy team in the U.S. and Europe
HOW TO APPLY:
Please follow this link to apply: http://www.aplitrak.com/?adid=a2F0cmluYW1pbGxlci40NzY1NS4zODMwQGlyYy5hcG...
