Save the Children is the world's leading independent organisation for children. We work in 120 countries. We save children's lives; we fight for their rights; we help them fulfil their potential.
We work together, with our partners, to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.
We have over two million supporters worldwide and raised 1.9 billion dollars last year to reach more children than ever before, through programmes in health, nutrition, education, protection and child rights, also in times of humanitarian crises.
Following a major transition, our international programmes are now delivered through a merged operation with c15,000 staff, managed through seven regional hubs and reporting to a relatively small, central office. We're changing to become more efficient, more aligned, a better partner, a stronger advocate, a magnet for world-class people and relevant for the 21st century.
Contract length: 10 months
The role
The Food Security and Livelihoods Policy and Advocacy Adviser is responsible for supporting the development and delivery of our regional FSL advocacy strategy in West and Central Africa. The Adviser will ensure that advocacy efforts focus on child well-being and ensure that appropriate linkages are made with Save the Children's Child Poverty Global Initiative.
Early warning, including the Household Economy Approach (HEA), and nutritional outcomes will be key pillars of Save the Children's FSL Advocacy Strategy. The post holder will contribute to these thematic areas, working closely with relevant Technical Advisers, Programme Managers and the Advocacy Department. The post holder will contribute to the creation of a community of practice within Save the Children's Country Programmes in the region, establishing an efficient learning platform and ensuring evidence is generated and documented. The position holder will also actively engage with regional institutions and initiatives such as AGRHYMET, AGIR, PREGEC and RPCA, and contribute meaningful participation at key regional and global events and forums.
SCOPE OF ROLE:
Reports to: Regional PDQ Director with matrix line to Regional Advocacy Director
Dimensions : Advocacy, Technical support, Representation, Coordination
Staff directly reporting to this post: N/A
Technical responsibility: Technical advocacy support to the HEA project and regional initiatives, and upon request for country offices
Budget responsibility: N/A
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
- To develop, articulate and champion the strategic vision and direction for Save the Children to advocate on key Food Security and Livelihoods topics, especially but not limited to Early Warning, HEA and Nutrition in West and Central Africa ensuring linkages with child well-being are highlighted, and oversee their implementation at regional level:
a) To conduct a mapping of critical Food Security and Livelihoods events and forums in the region and identify those where Save the Children should prioritize efforts;
b) To contribute to and/or lead on Save the Children's policy position papers, briefings, publications, talking points, and responses on FSL topics in the region, often in close collaboration with partners such as Oxfam and ACF;
c) To represent Save the Children at key forums and meetings, such as the PREGEC and RPCA meetings and forums, and to lead the preparation of talking points with relevant TAs and partners, and ensure active and meaningful contributions at the meetings
- To ensure internal coordination around FLS learning and advocacy objectives with specific objectives:
a) To develop a network of key FSL contacts in the international policy and advocacy community and to build relationships with key contacts in the region in governments, international bodies, corporates, NGOs and others as required;
b) To establish strong coordination and knowledge management forums between Country Office FSL teams in the region and with Save the Children's Child Poverty Global Initiative, to generate cross-country learning and evidence, to document best practices, and to demonstrate quality
c) To monitor FSL trends in the external environment with relevant TAs, identifying opportunities to promote our advocacy objectives;
d) To build strong relationships with key country programmes in West and Central Africa to ensure that national level advocacy work is integrated into regional debates and provide targeted, strategic FSL advocacy support to Save the Children country offices, upon request.
3) To support advocacy efforts within the HEA project, including developing and supporting the implementation of a detailed HEA advocacy strategy, and drawing links between HEA and regional debates on social protection, nutrition, etc;
4) To produce policy briefs, positon papers and lead on strong knowledge management within the region around FSL to better position Save the Children and ensure FSL will become a priority for the organisation from a learning and advocacy point of view;
5) Provide monthly updates to PDQ and Advocacy Directors
WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
Internal: With Regional FSL Adviser, Regional HEA team, PDQ Director, Advocacy Team, and other Regional TAs; as well as with Country Offices upon request
External: NGOs (especially ACF, Oxfam); Regional Institutions (Cadre Harmonise, PREGEC, etc), Regional Working Groups, Governments, etc.
Qualifications and experience
Essential
- Experience of developing and implementing policy and advocacy programming for food security and livelihoods, with a track record of influencing successfully ideally both in advanced and in developing countries;
- Significant understanding of advocacy in the context of NGOs, understanding of advocacy in different contexts (especially developing countries), with different types of stakeholders (e.g. UN, governments, etc) and understanding of international advocacy;
- Good knowledge early warning, food security and nutrition issues, especially in West Africa;
- Superior written communication skills, including the ability to translate complex arguments into accessible English for a non-specialist audience that will have political cut-through, and the ability to write articles that would be published in the mainstream press;
- Proven experience working effectively in coalitions/networks of civil society organisations;
- Excellent verbal communication skills, appropriate for high-level external international representation;
- Good understanding of the external advocacy environment and ability to assess trends and developments likely to affect advocacy;
- Commitment to Save the Children's mission, values and approach;
- Experience of effective team work and outstanding inter-personal communication skills;
- Fluent in French and English
Desirable:
- Demonstrated understanding of HEA, as well as the IPC and/or CH;
- An academic qualification at post graduate level or equivalent on issues directly related to food security, livelihoods and nutrition or international development policy;
- Experience of policy research, having written and published policy reports and briefings and evaluating evidence of their impact;
- An understanding of human/child rights and development, international relations and humanitarian emergency response, and trends in donor policy.
We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
To see a full a job description, please visit our website at www.savethechildren.net/jobs
Please apply in English or French using your CV and covering letter as a single document, including your salary expectations for this role.
HOW TO APPLY:
Application Email: Please apply with a covering letter and up-to-date CV to: 'Fsy.38698.3830@savethechildrenint.aplitrak.com'
