Head of Influencing & Public Engagement at Oxfam

Internal Job Grade: C1 national
Contract type: One year Fixed term (renewable)
Reporting to: Country Director
Staff reporting directly to this post: Media & Communication Officer, GROW Coordinator

Job Purpose

• To align programme strategy with global campaigns, develop, advise on Country pubic engagement and wider influencing objectives across all areas of programs in line with Oxfam Country Strategy.
• The job holder is responsible for leading the strategic thinking and implementation of Oxfam Nigeria’s campaign, advocacy, media and communication platforms to promote programs and change policies in delivering on Oxfam’s WorldWide Influencing Strategy (WIN) to address the root causes of poverty.  This will include managing high level external stakeholder relationships including funding partners, media; the middle class, leading internal strategic thinking about how to integrate stakeholders wherever possible and devise ambitious media and communication strategies and mobilise the power of people against poverty.

Job Responsibilities
Technical:
Program, Project and Partnership Management:

• Actively work with national programs and partners to build research capacity of Country Program teams and Partners’ staff and develop effective, evidence-based campaigns
• Lead the development and management of projects and programs in order to create verifiable social impact and value for money for Oxfam and the funding donor.
• Ensure Oxfam quality and compliance standards and the integration of good practices in the Public Engagement and Influencing program in close liaison with Oxfam’s technical advisers and Project Manager from the regional platform and affiliates headquarters, and the wider team in the Abuja office
• Ensure Oxfam’s gender justice and gender mainstreaming in the full cycle of project and program management and guarantee verifiable result achievement related to Oxfam’s gender objectives.
• Support implementing partners in their capacity to implement projects and achieve results.
• Develop and facilitate cooperation with civil society organizations (including non-implementing partners), the private and public sector, media, philanthropic, academic and other knowledge institutions.
• Coordinate and mobilise technical support for program and project partners and ensure high quality of programming.
• Support extensive networks that promote Oxfam’s work in the thematic areas related to this position. Especially deepen the collaboration with private and public actors towards a greater impact of the program.
• Ensure synergies between the program and other Oxfam initiatives on transparency and accountability in Nigeria as well as within the region and on global level.
• Represent Oxfam at the various coordination platforms at national and regional levels ensuring compatibility with overall commitments and policy/project priorities

Communication and Relationship Management:

• Identify and establish opportunities for engagement with and influencing of the public, ministers, media, press and senior public servants to further Oxfam’s influence and agenda
• Represent Oxfam Nigeria and establish strong and productive relationships with key stakeholders, across the Nigerian Government including ministers, public servants, parliamentarians and their staff.
• High level liaison with staff in Oxfam Nigeria, international affiliates and external partners to develop and contribute to policy priorities and strategies for influencing political change
• Provide strategic advice and facilitate the planning of events targeted at, or for the benefit of, public, government representatives, media or partners
• Oversee the collection, collation and reporting of all information relevant to Oxfam Nigeria’s public engagement and influencing, including the establishment of an effective digital database and website
• Represent Oxfam Nigeria as appropriate on internal and external bodies, working/steering groups external contacts in meetings with networks, alliances, institutional/government officials on wide range of research topics, and acting as key external spokesperson including contribute to relevant Oxfam International groups and fora as required.
• Act at all times in the best interests of Oxfam Nigeria while continually promoting the vision and mission within all sections of the community as well as the media and/or at appropriate events as required.
• Be accountable for internal communications regarding Public Engagement and Influencing and support the organisation’s internal communications strategy as appropriate.

Leadership:
Strategic Leadership of our Public Engagement & Influencing Unit:

• Develop long-term vision and strategic planning, long-term research strategies to achieve significant impact on Oxfam’s public engagement and influencing work from research, policy and advocacy
• Builds influential relationships and develops networks for effective change, both internally and externally, and is committed to maximising our influencing capability.
• Lead and coordinate the development of Oxfam Nigeria’s Public engagement and Influencing Strategy that embodies the One Oxfam’s Program Approach addressing inequality in the food system, on gender, and rights in crisis and addressing transparency in public and private governance systems in line with a new and highly complex environment
• Accountable for ensuring that appropriate tools and technology are in place to allow a strong flow of positive and consistent programme content to influence and communicate with internal audiences and external stakeholders including but not limited to government, media, donors, nongovernmental sector and supporters.
• Lead on synergy on all Oxfam’s Nigeria Public engagement and influencing strands of work ensuring that they build on each other both geographically and thematically.
• Lead and provide strategic oversight of Oxfam Nigeria’s public engagement and influencing with the objective of bringing about public engagement, influencing and practice changes aligned with Oxfam’s Strategic Plan and which ultimately achieve positive and lasting change in people’s lives.
• Oversee the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of strategies and projects with a public and WIN focus
• Responsible for identifying policy gaps and opportunities to affect change within or through the Nigeria Government, and directing the development of policy in priority areas of Oxfam Nigeria’s work
• Provide specialist technical advice on:
• Plitical context and relevant policies of major political parties
• Public Service and perations of specific government departments and agencies
• Ensure consistency with best practices in public engagement and influencing across programs at Federal, State and LGA levels; ensure a direct link between Oxfam Nigeria’s programme work and our media coverage through familiarisation with Oxfam’s work on the ground and the development of stories to be used in media work for advocacy, campaigns and fundraising.
• Develop work practices and procedures for, and oversee the preparation of meeting requests, briefing papers, submissions and general correspondence

Management:
Leadership & People Management:

• Proactively contribute to the Country Office’s leadership team as an important member of the team; working with thematic teams to champion change in the way we relate to the public
• Manage the operations and output of Oxfam Nigeria’s Public Engagement  and Influencing priorities
• Provide general advice to, and build the capacity of, staff, partners and coalitions in relation to public engagement and Influencing, as required
• Other related duties as delegated.
• Manage the Public engagement and Influencing team to deliver on the OCS, providing leadership, Inspiration and guidance and ensuring that the management of the team is in line with Oxfam’s HR policies and procedures.
• Provide people line management, including performance management of Public engagement and Influencing staff
• Motivate and develop staff by empowering and inspiring them to want to do things, providing appropriate coaching and mentoring supports, acting as a role model for behavior
• Provide challenging and stretching tasks or assignments and provide coaching to support staff in meeting those challenges
• Be a team player on Oxfam Country Management Team and the wider office

Financial management:

• Direct responsibility for budget management of up to 2- 4 million EUR project per year including significant donor funds.
• Manage all revenue streams related to public engagement and Influencing to maximize contributions to Oxfam.
• Responsible for formulating, managing and monitoring an annual budget to facilitate Oxfam Nigeria’s public
• Support the Country Director in identifying funding priorities that can support delivery on key income targets and determine appropriate distribution

Other:

• Eager and required to adhere to Oxfam’s principles and values (click here) as well as the promotion of gender justice and women's rights (click here).
• Understanding of and commitment to adhere to equity, diversity, gender, child safety and staff health and wellbeing principles.

Job Requirements
Education:

• First degree in the Humanities, Social Sciences, Administration with a postgraduate degree in Development, Public Policy, Administration or a relevant subject

Knowledge & Experience:

• Minimum of 8 years’ experience leading and providing strategic oversight of public engagement and influencing with the objective of bringing about policy and practice changes
• In-depth understanding of the economic, political and social causes and dynamics of poverty, vulnerability and inequality and a familiarity with policy issues related to the creation or reduction of poverty, vulnerability and inequality
• Comprehensive understanding and experience of advocacy and campaigning tools and techniques
• Demonstrable experience of working across complex organisations and managing internal and external stakeholders to get the best outcome
• Knowledge of Africa and global media; Ability to apply knowledge of internal and external environment to complex media and reputational issues.

Key Attributes:

• Ability to analyse, interpret and act on complex information from varied and diverse sources.
• Delivery orientation and ability to inspire and work collaboratively and build cohesive relationships with others to achieve outcomes
• Identifying and establishing opportunities for engagement and influencing with various stakeholders with the view to being able to influence an organisation’s agenda
• Well-developed conceptual, critical, and analytical thinking with the ability to convey complex information in a straightforward way and influencing this to a wider audience
• Strong interpersonal and representation skills including good team work, and experience of working in multi-cultural and virtual teams
• Personable and professional approach when working with others internally and externally
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal English) and the ability to write clear, concise reports including effectiveness in representation and the ability to translate policy into clearly written material for decision-makers
• Ability to demonstrate sensitivity to cultural differences and gender issues, as well as the commitment to equal opportunities.
• Ability to demonstrate an openness and willingness to learn about the application of gender/gender mainstreaming, women’s rights, and diversity for all aspects of development work.
• Commitment to Oxfam’s safeguarding policies to ensure all people who come into contact with Oxfam are as safe as possible.

Organisational Values:

• Accountability – Our purpose-driven, results-focused approach means we take responsibility for our actions and hold ourselves accountable. We believe that others should also be held accountable for their actions.
• Empowerment – Our approach means that everyone involved with Oxfam, from our staff and supporters to people living in poverty, should feel they can make change happen.
• Inclusiveness – We are open to everyone and embrace diversity. We believe everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of visible and invisible differences.

Key Behavioral Competencies:

• Decisiveness: We are comfortable to make transparent decisions and to adapt decision making modes to the context and needs.
• Influencing: We have the ability to engage with diverse stakeholders in a way that leads to increased impact for the organization We spot opportunities to influence effectively and where there are no opportunities, we have the ability to create them in a respectful and impactful manner.
• Humility: We put ‘we’ before ‘me’ and place an emphasis on the power of the collective, nurture the team and play to the strengths of each individual. We are not concerned with hierarchical power, and we engage with, trust and value the knowledge and expertise of others across all levels of the organization.
• Relationship Building: We understand the importance of building relationship, within and outside the organization. We have the ability to engage with traditional and non-traditional stakeholders in ways that lead to increased impact for the organization.
• Listening: We are good listeners who can see where deeper levels of thoughts and tacit assumptions differ. Our messages to others are clear and consider different preferences.
• Mutual Accountability: We can explain our decisions and how we have taken them based on our organizational values.  We are ready to be held to account for what we do and how we behave, as we are also holding others to account in a consistent manner.
• Agility, Complexity, and Ambiguity:  We scan the environment, anticipate changes, are comfortable with lack of clarity and deal with a large number of elements interacting in diverse and unpredictable ways.
• Systems Thinking: We view problems as parts of an overall system and in their relation to the whole system, rather than reacting to a specific part, outcome or event in isolation. We focus on cyclical rather than linear cause and effect. By consistently practicing systems thinking we are aware of and manage well unintended consequences of organizational decisions and actions.
• Strategic Thinking and Judgment: We use judgment, weighing risk against the imperative to act. We make decisions consistent with organizational strategies and values.
• Vision Setting: We have the ability to identify and lead visionary initiatives that are beneficial for our organization and we set high-level direction through a visioning process that engages the organization and diverse external stakeholders.
• Self-Awareness: We are able to develop a high degree of self-awareness around our own strengths and weaknesses and our impact on others. Our self-awareness enables us to moderate and self-regulate our behaviors to control and channel our impulses for good purposes.
• Enabling: We all work to effectively empower and enable others to deliver the organizations goals through creating conditions of success. We passionately invest in others by developing their careers, not only their skills for the job.  We provide freedom; demonstrate belief and trust provide appropriate support.