Governance and Influencing Coordinator at Oxfam

Contract Type: Full time one year
Level: C2 national
Reporting: Position reports to the PROACT Project Manager

Job Purpose

• To lead the development and implementation of PROACT project’s advocacy and influencing works in Adamawa and Kebbi States linking with local, state, national, regional and global Oxfarn advocacy and influencing initiatives.
• The Position Holder will also lead in community development planning in all PROACT rural communities using participatory approaches.

Key Responsibilities

• To design and develop PROACT project’s approach to advocacy and influencing work, as part of Oxfam overall strategy.
• To lead the implementation of PROACT Project’s advocacy, influencing and campaigns working in collaboration and with support from relevant units at Oxfam Nigeria Country Office.
• Developing and implementing sound advocacy and influencing strategies targeted at principal policy actors at the State and Local Government levels in Adamawa and Kebbi States towards sustaining the gains of PROACT in the two States.
• To develop PROACT project’s profile with international development advocacy forums working in close collaboration with the Project Team and Oxfam Nigeria Country Office.
• Lead in the design and implementation of campaigns around key moments such as World Food Day, International Women’s Day, Davos, International Youth Day etc to align with Oxfam in Nigeria on-going campaigns.
• To represent PROACT project at relevant pubic events and in the media, including speaking at supporter events after due clarification from the Project Manager.
• To work closely with other Project Staff (Oxfam and Partners) in ensuring that communities are adequately mobilized towards having comprehensive Community Development Plans.
• With supports of the Project Team, engage with Community Leaders, Traditional Institutions and Community-level Project Management Committees to develop plans for each community in line with their developmental stages, identified needs and available resources.
• Lead in the identification and documentation of stories of change and evidences of changes on the ground using case studies and other related approaches, the output of which shall be used for advocacy engagements at all levels in alignment with the project’s theory of change.
• Provide support to other Project Staff (Oxfam and Partners) towards understanding how to implement community development planning strategies and stakeholders’ influencing strategies.
• Work with key government officials at the state and local levels who engage in reforming ways of working in relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies - (MDAs) to design and implement a strategy to achieve and track progress on resilience building of target communities (social protection, early warning systems and National Agricultural Resilience Framework) and participatory budget monitoring
• Identify and develop collaborative relationships with key stakeholders in government, civil society and at the community level, who are working for, or supportive of, change in the area resilience building of target communities (social protection, early warning systems and National Agricultural Resilience Framework) and participatory budget monitoring.
• Map existing networks and complementary or cross-sectoral initiatives to help build a State level network of resilience building and budget monitoring partners and other women’s rights organizations, experts and practitioners focused on common goals.
• To ensure at all times that Oxfam’s Policy on Safeguarding is strictly adhered to and provide supports to colleagues and beneficiaries to report any suspicious act of sexual harassment, inappropriate behaviors and fraud using appropriate communication channels.

Persons Specification
Educational Qualification:

• University degree or equivalent in Development Studies, Sociology, Rural Sociology & Extension, Services, Development Communications, Agricultural Policy Administration or other relevant fields, with a minimum of five (5) years cognate experience. OR,
• Post-graduate qualification in Development Studies, Sociology, Rural Sociology & Extension Services, Development Communications, Agricultural Policy Administration or other relevant fields, with a minimum of three (3) years cognate experience.
• Relevant trainings on thematic professional areas will be added advantage.

Experience:

• Experience of developing and delivering policy and advocacy strategies and influencing policy change targeting different categories of stakeholders.
• Experience of working with high, mid and low level influencers across different socio-economic grouping and geography.
• Experience of advocacy and campaigning targeting diverse stakeholders in a similar position.
• Working with rural communities and facilitation of community development plans using participatory methodologies.
• Experience working with vulnerable rural people, including women and young children.
• Working in difficult terrains with limited access to urban facilities.
• Cultural awareness of the northern Nigeria and/or experience of the socio-cultural and religious issues of the region.

Skills and Attributes:

• Demonstrable negotiation, influencing and relationship- building skills.
• Skilled at communicating in a clear, concise and compelling marner to a wide range of audiences.
• Fluency in spoken and written English language. Hausa language proficiency will be an added advantage.
• Strong written communication skills.
• Proven organisational and administrative skills.
• Computer literate in Word, Excel and Outlook, tech savvy and skills in digital campaign
• Proven ability of planning and carrying out training sessions.

Personal Qualities:

• Self-motivated and able to work under pressure and prioritise effectively.
• Good team player prepared to contribute to the overall success of the organisation.
• Personality with a ‘can do’ spirit and a great deal of attention to detail.
• Willingness to live in, carry out extensive and frequent travels in northern Nigeria.