Humanitarian Advocacy and Policy Deployable Specialist (Interim) at Plan International

Travel required: 90%
Functional Area: Disaster Risk Management (DRM)
Reports to: Global Hub Humanitarian Advocacy and Policy Advisor (interim)
Effective Date: December 2021
Grade: GH4
End date: Six month secondment. June 30, 2022

Role Purpose

• Plan International is a rights-based development and humanitarian organisation working for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We are independent of government and have no political or religious affiliation. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 80 years and are now active in more than 70 countries.
• As Humanitarian Advocacy Deployable Specialist (interim) your main responsibility will be covering up to two specific crises by deploying in-country and implementing humanitarian influencing actions, representing Plan in prioritised networks and providing evidence-based advocacy recommendations and products across the organisation.

Dimensions of the Role

• To provide in country support and advice to Country Offices and Emergency Response Teams during the development and implementation of humanitarian advocacy strategies.
• Represent the organisation in the humanitarian ecosystem of the specific crises to which you are deployed. To undertake advocacy activities in the context of specific emergency responses.
• Develop relevant advocacy products for Plan International representatives on specific crises.
• To provide training to Plan International staff on advocacy in emergencies.
• To support advocacy at different levels of the organisation through documentation and sharing of relevant experience and evidence from the areas in which we work.

Accountabilities
Support to and advising Country Offices:

• Advise country and emergency response staff on humanitarian and political issues, legal frameworks and humanitarian standards relevant to advocacy, particularly those related to children’s rights and gender in emergencies.
• Develop of crisis specific policy positions and messages
• Develop briefings and other policy documents for external and internal audiences.
• Support communications planning and messages to ensure communications and media work strategically supports influencing objectives.
• Support with internal advocacy coordination with emergency response teams and with different levels of the organisation, including convene and chair internal advocacy working groups where relevant.
• Support on inclusion of policy and advocacy in to funding submissions.

Advocacy and representation:

• Represent Plan International and advocate with decision makers, partners and other key stakeholders such as donors, at national level.
• Assist in the establishment of effective policy and advocacy relationships with the humanitarian community in country and engage in external advocacy working groups
• Share information on upcoming events, visits and strategic meetings in a timely and effective manner.

Supporting humanitarian advocacy at other levels:

• Documenting and sharing of case studies and evidence for use in thematic and crisis specific advocacy
• Advising on crisis specific advocacy at the international and capital levels.
• Building and maintaining an internal network amongst DRM and advocacy staff.

Key Relationships
Internally:

• Works closely with Director DRM and the Humanitarian Policy and Advocacy Adviser
• Specific-crisis Regional Heads of DRM
• Specific-crisis CDs and ERM in the countries of response
• NOs disaster risk management network to coordinate global DRM coordination and Advocacy
• NY, Geneva, Brussels and African Union Liaison Offices.

Externally:

• Peers, policy makers, information officers and other officials of host government, donors and donor governments, other agencies and groups, and media representatives responding to the emergency.

Technical Expertise, Skills and Knowledge

• Demonstrable and substantive knowledge of humanitarian issues and relevant legal and policy frameworks.
• Considerable and demonstrable experience in advocacy strategy and messaging development, particularly in humanitarian contexts.
• Specific knowledge and expertise on children’s rights and gender in emergencies.
• An in-depth understanding of the humanitarian architecture, coordination mechanisms and its various working groups, including experience of influencing within these structures.
• Discretion and sound reasoning in dealing with sensitive matters; ability to independently solve complex and challenging problems.
• Strong networking and negotiation skills.
• Ability to develop and maintain collaborative relationships in a range of cultural contexts.
• Committed to actively uphold Plan International's vision, values and behaviours and policies
• Adherence to humanitarian values and standards
• Working proficiency in English language. Ability to work in French and/or Spanish is an asset
• Working proficiency in Microsoft applications and able to effectively adapt to relevant Plan International data systems

Physical Environment:

• This post may be based at any Plan Office with good communications links. The post-holder will be expected to travel to specific crises at short notice to join humanitarian responses.

Level of Contact with Children:

• The job responsibilities of this position requires occasional/mid contact with children and it is expected that children shall be protected at all times.