Governance & Influencing Officer at Oxfam

Req ID: 5037
Location: Bauchi
Internal Job Grade: D
Contract type: 1 Year Fixed Term
Reporting to: Project Manager
Key relationships/interactions: Project Officers and PMU Staff

Team Purpose

• To promote agriculture-driven economic growth and improve the living conditions for 10,000 rural farmer households (60% women) with a specific focus on women and youth.

Job Purpose

• To lead the development and implementation of LINE project’s advocacy and influencing work in Bauchi State linking with national, regional and global Oxfam advocacy and influencing initiatives.

Major Responsibilities

• To design and develop LINE project’s approach to advocacy and influencing work, as part of the Oxfam overall strategy.
• To lead the implementation of LINE Project’s advocacy and influencing campaigns working in collaboration and with support from Oxfam Country Office and with the project’s key implementing partners.
• To liaise closely with the other Project Officers to ensure advocacy is rooted in all LINE project activities.
• In coordination with the project’s MELSA Officer, to compile, document and share the project’s lessons learnt, best practices and success case studies/stories for and with a wide range of audiences, locally, nationally and abroad.
• Other duties commensurate with the post.

Key Tasks
Design and development of advocacy and campaigning:

• To work with the Project Manager and other Officers to develop advocacy and influencing strategies that are line with the LINE project objectives as outlined in the Governance strategy and overall Oxfam advocacy and influencing strategy.
• To take the lead within LINE project for the development and coordination of all advocacy, influencing and campaigning activities and work with all relevant partners to ensure advocacy outcomes are met.
• To identify, work with, and collaborate, where necessary, with relevant civil society organisations in and around Bauchi State on advocacy, influencing and campaigning on improving the business enabling environment.
• To establish a monitoring framework that tracks, and documents changes and impacts related to advocacy, influencing and campaigning activities under the LINE project in line with Oxfam’s Worldwide Influencing Network (WIN).
• To advise the Project Management Unit on the development of reactive and opportunistic policy statements as required.

Lead implementation of advocacy, influencing and campaigns:

• To develop LINE project’s profile with international development advocacy forums working in close collaboration with the PMU and the Oxfam country office.
• To establish and develop relationships with relevant high profile influencers, including but not limited to Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries, Local Government Chairmen, civil servants, think tanks, etc.
• To work closely with the LINE project officers and Oxfam country office to develop popular advocacy, influencing and campaigns materials.
• To represent LINE project at relevant pubic events and in the media, including speaking at supporter events after due clarification from the Project Manager.

Rooting advocacy and campaigning in local partnerships:

• To work closely with the PMU to understand the ‘voices’ of LINE project partners on advocacy-related issues.
• To identify, work with and mentor local implementing partners on advocacy, influencing and campaign activities.
• To ensure LINE Project advocacy and influencing work supported through local partners is incorporated into Oxfam country office advocacy, influencing and campaigning where appropriate.
• In association with the relevant officer(s), to identify any potential impact of LINE Project’s advocacy or influencing or campaigning on our local partners and advise the PMU.
• To provide targeted advocacy, influencing and campaigning support to LINE project partners as required.
• To undertake partner visits as required.

Other Duties:

• To work closely with all relevant parts of the project as appropriate to ensure that tasks deliver what is required both within the organisation and to our supporters and other stakeholders.
• To play an active part in the wider LINE project team by offering help and support as required.
• To undertake any other tasks that may be regarded as appropriate for a role of this nature within the organisation.
• To travel as required and represent LINE project at appropriate forums, both nationally and internationally.
• 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.

Person’s Specification
Education:

• University degree or equivalent in a relevant course of study

Experience:

• Minimum of five years’ experience with at least 2 years in a similar role in a development organisation.
• Experience in developing and delivering policy advocacy strategies and influencing policy change.
• Experience in working with senior influencers.
• Experience in developing popular campaign materials.
• Experience in documenting change and lessons learnt through success stories, case studies, learning manuals, etc.

Personal Attributes:

• Self- motivated and able to work under pressure and prioritise effectively.
• Good team player and prepared to contribute to the overall success of the organisation.
• “Can do” attitude.
• Attention to detail.
• Willingness to carry out overseas travel as required.

Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrable negotiation, influencing and relationship-building skills.
• Skilled at communicating in a clear, concise and compelling manner to a wide range of audiences.
• Excellent written and spoken English and Hausa.
• Strong communication skills.
• Proven organisational and administrative skills.
• Computer literate in Word, Excel and Outlook.

Desirable

• Cultural awareness of Northern Nigeria and/or experience with the issues of the region.
• Proven ability of planning and carrying out training sessions.
• Creative and innovative approach to work and result delivery

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.
• We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organization. Therefore, people of all gender identities, sexes, sexual orientations, races, colors, religions, cultures, abilities, etc. are eligible for this position.