Policy and Advocacy Lead

ABOUT THE GIRL GENERATION: Support To The Africa-Led Movement to End FGM/C Programme (TGG:ALM)

The UK Government (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – FCDO) has a vision of a world free from Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) by 2030, in line with the SDGs. The Girl Generation: Support to the Africa-led movement (ALM) to end FGM/C the programme, was established to contribute to a significant reduction in the practice of FGM/C in four focal countries in Africa (Senegal, Somalia (Somaliland), Kenya and Ethiopia) by 2027, by accelerating positive changes in social attitudes towards ending FGM/C, within a broader vision of a world where girls and women can exercise their power and rights, have expanded choice and agency, and where they can be free from all forms of violence. The programme consortium, led by Options, includes Amref Health Africa, ActionAid, Orchid Project, Africa Coordination Centre for Abandonment of FGM/C and University of Portsmouth. It works closely with the Population Council’s Data Hub, the programme’s data and measurement arm.

Amref Health Africa seeks an experienced policy and advocacy professional to join TGG:ALM programme. We are looking for someone with demonstrated expertise and impactful achievements in policy and advocacy work. This role entails inspiring others with the vision to end FGM/C and utilizing your experience to drive consortium activities.

JOB PURPOSE

The Policy and Advocacy Lead position is a regional role intended to facilitate the coordination of TGG:ALM advocacy efforts among consortium partners at multiple levels across the four focal countries of the TGG:ALM programme—Senegal, Somalia (Somaliland), Kenya, and Ethiopia. The successful candidate will play a crucial role in offering guidance, coordination, and technical support to Amref Country Offices, consortium partners, TGG:ALM grantees, and frontline community champions. This support encompasses diverse interventions in advocacy, communications, and movement building. Special focus will be directed towards empowering frontline grassroots champions, TGG:ALM grantees, FGM/C survivors/activists, journalists, youth-led, women-led and feminist organizations/movements. This includes strengthening their organizational capacities, fostering activism, enabling active campaign engagement, and cultivating heightened leadership in the efforts to end FGM/C.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic, Planning and Direction (25%)

• Provide thought leadership and strategic direction to the TGG:ALM consortium regarding its Advocacy, Communications, and Movement Building work aimed at promoting the adoption of a girl-centered approach to ending FGM/C within the movement and beyond.
• Work with the consortium’s senior leadership team, technical leads, and Amref’s senior management to broaden understanding of strategic and operational Advocacy, Communications and Movement Building issues.
• Support in the development, implementation and monitoring annual advocacy consortium work plans and budgets, mentor and coach advocacy team members, and ensure coherence across country -based, regional and global advocacy activities.
• Oversee the finalization and implementation of TGG:ALM’s Advocacy, Communications, and Movement Building Strategy, ensuring alignment, an integrated approach to influencing and a unified approach among the TGG consortium, grantees, and partner organizations.
• Support the consortium to develop ‘core’ intervention models that are scalable and can achieve and evidence ‘Proof of Concept’
• Support partners to develop interventions that are tailored to their contexts, supported by best practice approaches
• Lead the development of advocacy, communications and movement building tools such as briefings and key messages; guidelines; training modules; and awareness raising material/communications in collaboration with the COs, working group members and local implementing partners for a variety of stakeholders

Technical Support and Capacity Building (25%)

• Build the capacity of TGG:ALM consortium, grantees and partners offering coaching, mentoring and on-demand technical assistance and training in the areas of advocacy, communications and movement building., social-norm change and girl-centered programming in relation to ending FGM/C
• Provide technical oversight to the advocacy components of the programme, including undertaking field visits to consortium partners to oversee implementation, provide on-site feedback on required improvements and generate field visit reports with timely and appropriate follow up on action points
• Develop and disseminate relevant manuals, strategies and tools, communications and curriculums
• Attend Amref and consortium level working group meetings and monthly performance management and learning meetings.

Partnership Management (25%)

• Build strong partnerships with all consortium delivery partners and consortium Prime, getting to know their work and building positive ways of working
• Identify and build strategic partnerships and engagement to advocate and negotiate with diverse, relevant external actors’ such as organisations, networks, political contacts, technical experts, civil society, and other key stakeholders to further the delivery of the FGM influencing agenda and build a stronger movement.
• Coordinate collective action efforts across the participating countries, including supporting and building CO capacity, and connecting national level initiatives to regional/global opportunities and spaces such as Day of the Girl, regional bodies, African Union, Women Deliver, CSW etc.
• Provide oversight of the relationships with civil society partners, regional bodies and consultants and ensure timely execution of joint work plans.
• Identify and bring on board new partners as needed and ensure timely execution of joint work plans.
• Lead and Chair the Advocacy, Communications and Movement Building Working Group on behalf of the consortium
• Build a solid knowledge of intervention packages and approaches across partners, consolidating and disseminating accessible summaries to all consortium members
• Seek opportunities to represent the consortium at relevant meetings and conferences, amplifying positive stories of change from the grassroots
• Have regular contact with other advocacy roles within Amref working on FGM/C
• Participate in relevant Community of Practice (CoPs) with staff in relevant country offices and HQ units.

Adaptive Learning and Management (25%)

• Work with the MEL Lead to monitor and evaluate the progress and impact of advocacy, communications and movement building interventions, ensuring ‘Proof of Concept’ can be demonstrated
• Facilitate the sharing of best practice, case studies and learning from other experiences, including the design and delivery of conferences, workshops and other events
• Spearhead adaptive learning, programming and management across the consortium, ensuring true learnings inform the adaptation of the programme
• Support the MEL Lead and in-country MEL staff to adapt methods for provision of quality and appropriate evidence from ongoing monitoring and evaluative initiatives (baselines, midlines, evaluations and reviews) in a rapidly changing, complex and high security contexts.
• Support the compilation of Country Office progress reports, working closely with UK office counter-parts
• Support the development of key research and evaluations
• Support the development of innovate and creative approaches to demonstrating impact and ‘proof of concept’

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Professional Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Public Policy, Communication Studies, Gender Studies, Development Studies, Public Health, International Relations, Human Rights, Social Sciences and/or other related fields.

Required Experience

Essential

• At least eight (8) years of professional experience at the regional and/or international level, demonstrating a proven ability to coordinate advocacy interventions across multiple levels.
• Experience supporting country offices, building capacity, and providing technical support is essential.
• Extensive experience in facilitating alignment and collaboration among consortium members, diverse groups of stakeholders and other relevant partners in multiple geographies
• Experience in developing and implementing high impact advocacy campaigns and strategies to influence governments and other audiences (including media)
• Preferably experience in influencing on FGM/C or related issues such as gender equality, harmful practices, VAWG
• Experience of working directly with girls, youth and feminist movements in participatory ways to develop girl-led influencing strategies and campaigns for change including experience of developing and delivering advocacy strategies and/or campaigns preferably with a gender equality or girl-led focus an advantage
• Experience of working with coalitions and networks, building effective relationships, demonstrating leadership and exerting influence with various stakeholders through acting in an advisory capacity
• Understanding of movements and activism approaches and trends across Africa including intersectionality with youth/feminist movements and of strategies to support cross-movement and intergenerational learning, collaboration and influencing.
• Ability to at times work autonomously combined with an ability to work as part of a consortium leadership team
• Able to consult, gather and integrate feedback into internal and external influencing briefings and materials

Desirable

• Deep familiarity with at least one country where FGM/C is practiced

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

• Proficiency in leveraging social media for impactful advocacy
• Excellent communications, collaborating and influencing skills
• Resourcefulness, highly organized, detail oriented
• Analytical, strategic
• High integrity/ethics, commitment and respect for diversity
• Good interpersonal skills
• Training and presentation skills
• Project management skills
• Problem solving skills
• Proficiency in ICT and strong technical systems acumen

Languages

• Fluency in English
• Proficiency in French could be an asset, but not required