Advocacy Manager at Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

Webcruiter ID: 4137362037
Location: Abuja with 50% travels to Maiduguri and Northern Nigeria
Full-time/part-time: Full-time
Employment type: Temporary
Percentage of full-time: 100
Start date: 04/11/2019

Background
Since 2009, violent attacks on civilians by the armed group Boko Haram have left widespread devastation in northeast Nigeria. At least 17,000 people have been killed and approximately two million people are displaced within Nigeria. More than 14 million people in northeast Nigeria today are affected by the crisis caused by Boko Haram. Out of these, seven million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Around 92 per cent of displaced people reside in either informal settlements or with low-income host communities, creating a strain on already limited resources. The remaining 8 per cent live in more formalised camps. NRC has been in Nigeria since 2015.

Purpose

• The purpose of the Advocacy Manager position is to ensure the implementation of advocacy activities in Nigeria.
• The position is based in Abuja with 50% travels to Maiduguri and Northern Nigeria

About the Role

• The Advocay Manager reports to the Country Director and is advised by the Regional Communication and Advocacy Specialist
• The Advocacy Manager provides overall leadership, management and strategic direction to NRC’s policy and advocacy work in Nigeria.
• S/he is responsible for identifying priority protection concerns for advocacy, strengthening the incorporation of advocacy into all aspects of NRC’s activities and guiding NRC’s advocacy messaging to promote an improved in collaboration with the Protection coordinator protection and humanitarian response environment in Nigeria.

Duties and Responsibilities
Generic Responsibilities:

• Identify and coordinate NRC’s advocacy response to prioritised issues both within the country and internationally
• Develop and implement country-specific advocacy strategy, aligned to overall country strategy and support the development of the advocacy part of program strategies.
• Ensure advocacy coherence and reinforce effective synergies between programmes and advocacy by working closely with programme staff to integrate advocacy into programme planning and implementation.
• Line management, including development of staff if applicable
• Ensure systematic training on advocacy and communication and build capacity of technical staff
• Provide high quality analysis on key humanitarian and displacement trends and prepare evidenced-based policy briefing papers, policy position statements and other public-facing advocacy products when strategic and relevant
• Liaise with other NRC Country, Regional and Global Representation Offices to coordinate the strategic delivery of advocacy messaging and to maximise impact
• Advise on media lines and media strategy, ensuring potential risks associated with NRC’s positions are assessed and sign-off procedures are adhered to
• Represent NRC to key stakeholders, strengthen strategic advocacy networks and identify opportunities to advocate NRC’s position

Specific Responsibilities:

• Keep Advocacy strategy for NRC Nigeria updated.
• Active participation in INGO advocacy working group
• Support the CCs advocacy work with stakeholders
• Continuously identify and follow-up opportunities for influencing based on NRC Nigeria’s advocacy priorities, both in country and internationally through NRC’s Representation Offices;
• Ensure the provision of high quality analysis on the humanitarian situation pertaining to displacement-affected population, contributing to improved NRC programmatic response and informing internal and external advocacy products
• Support programme staff in incorporating and integrating advocacy into all aspects of NRC’s programme activities, strategy and budgeting
• Ensure that relevant NRC Country Offices and departments (Field Operations, External Relations,
• Partnership & Policy) are informed and briefed on responses

Qualifications

• Post-graduate with minimum 5 years of relevant Manager/ Adviser experience within the humanitarian field
• Experience from working in complex and volatile contexts
• Professional knowledge about protection principles and advocacy, and the use of media for public advocacy
• Strong managerial and interpersonal skills
• Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities
• Good leadership skills/profile
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal
• Knoweledge of Haussa prefered

Personal Qualities:

• Solid understanding of international legal and policy processes relating to displacement
• Documented/proven results related to the position’s responsibilities, particularly in analysis, drafting of messages, coordination and networking
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal (English)
• Knowledge of the Lake Chad region
• Representation experience

We Can Offer

• Commencement: ASAP
• Duration: Fixed term contract of 12 months (renewable/extendable provided funding and good performance)
• Salary/benefits: According to NRC’s general directions - Grade Level 9
• Duty station: Abuja with 50% travels to Maiduguri and Northern Nigeria - Travel outside location is dependent on changing security conditions, especially for certain roads in the area.
• Designation of position: non-family non accompanied position
• Approved health certificate will be requested before contract start