Governance and Influencing Coordinator at Oxfam

Location: Taraba, Nigeria
Reporting to: PROSELL Project Manager
Duration: One Year

Job Purpose

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

Major Responsibilities

• To design and develop PROSELL project’s approach to advocacy and influencing work, as part of Oxfam overall strategy.
• To lead the implementation of PROSELL 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 Taraba State towards sustaining the gains of PROSELL in the State.
• To work closely with other Project Staff (Oxfam and Partners) in ensuring that communities are adequately mobilized towards having comprehensive Community Development Plans.
• 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.
• Works with key government officials at the state and local levels who engage on 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
• Identifies and develops 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.
• Maps 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.

Key Tasks
Design and development of advocacy and campaigning:

• To work with the Project Team in Taraba State in the development of advocacy and influencing strategies that are suitable and relevant to the contexts where PROSELL is being implemented, recognizes PROSELL implementation stages and in alignment with Oxfam Nigeria’s advocacy and influencing strategy.
• To take the lead within PROSELL project for the development and coordination of all advocacy, influencing and campaigning activities.
• To identify, work with and collaborate, where necessary with relevant civil society organisations in and around Taraba State on advocacy, influencing and campaigning on improving food security and agricultural governance systems.
• To establish a monitoring framework that tracks and document changes and impacts related to advocacy, influencing and campaigning activities under the PROSELL project in line with Oxfam’s Worldwide influencing Network (WIN).
• To advise the Project Team on the development of reactive and opportunistic policy statements as required.
• To work closely with the IPE team in generating contents for digital visibility and linking up local- national – global

Lead implementation of advocacy, influencing and campaigns:

• To develop PROSELL project’s profile with international development advocacy forums working in close collaboration with the Project Team and Oxfam Nigeria 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, academia, private sector players and reputable statesmen etc.
• To work closely with the PROSELL Project Coordinators and Oxfam country office in developing advocacy, influencing and campaigns materials.
• To ensure that PROSELL’s communication strategy and visibility plan are properly implemented as evident in adequate visibility of the Donor (European Union), Oxfam and Development Exchange Centre (DEC).
• 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 PROSELL project at relevant public 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 Project Team to understand the development needs of PROSELL communities and amplify their ‘voices’ to policy actors and other relevant stakeholders using suitable media.
• To identify, work with and mentor local implementing partners on advocacy, influencing and campaign activities.
• To ensure PROSELL 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 team members, to identify any potential impact of PROSELL Project’s advocacy or influencing or campaigning on local partners and advise the Project Manager accordingly.
• To provide targeted advocacy, influencing and campaigning support to PROSELL project partners as required.

Community Development Planning:

• Work closely with the Project Team and Implementing Partners to understand the developmental stages of each of PROSELL communities, recognize their peculiar needs and resources available in their communities.
• 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 facilitation of implementation of the development plans developed for the communities.
• Develop relevant tools to monitor and track progress made by the communities in implementing heir development plans.

Reporting back to colleagues and the Board:

• To provide regular reports and feedback on advocacy, influencing and campaigning activities to the Project Manager.
• To provide regular updates on the achievements of PROSELL project’s advocacy, influencing and campaigning to the Project Manager.
• To promote knowledge sharing on advocacy, influencing and campaign within Oxfam and with implementing partners.

Other duties:

• To work closely with other members of the Project Team in delivering on all the objectives of PROSELL.
• 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 behaviours and fraud using appropriate communication channels.
• To play an active part in the larger PROSELL project team by offering help and support to other colleagues as might be required.
• To undertake any other tasks that may be regarded as appropriate for a role of this nature within the organisation and those to be assigned by the Project Manager.
• To travel as required and represent PROSELL project at appropriate forums, both nationally and internationally.

Person’s 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 seven (7) 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 five (5) 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 manner 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.

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.

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.