Policy and Advocacy Coordinator at CARE International

Job Summary

• The goal of the Netherland Ministry of Foreign Affairs funded Catalyzing Strengthened Policy Action for Healthy Diets and Resilience (CASCADE) project is to improve food security and contribute to the reduction of malnutrition of women of reproductive age and women under the age of 5 years.
• CASCADE will achieve this goal by 1) increasing access to and consumption of healthy diets amongst household members particularly women of reproductive age and children under 5years. 2) increasing resilience to economic and climate change-related shocks and stressors of household members particularly women of reproductive age and children under five years.
• The Policy and Advocacy Coordinator will lead the project’s advocacy efforts, including policy advising, lobbying efforts and advocacy on nutrition.
• S/he will enhance the effectiveness of the program’s advocacy efforts and help manage risk and reputation by developing an integrated approach to engaging key actors in government and other stakeholders (private sector, developmental agencies, communities), including CASCADE implementing partners to advance CASCADE’s support for the Government of Nigeria Nutrition development agenda.

Job Responsibilities
Project Policy and Advocacy Technical Support:

• Lead CARE Nigeria’s advocacy efforts from development to implementation including producing issue analyses, policy proposals, campaign messages, campaign strategies, and action alerts.
• Leadership, supervision and guidance of staff, and consultants to ensure coherence in the implementation of CASCADE work plan and quality delivery of policy and advocacy initiatives.
• Effectively manage the Project’s resources towards the successful achievement of the Project’s outputs and objectives based on CARE-GAIN consortium best practices.
• Develop and implement advocacy strategies and corresponding work plans to achieve anticipated nutrition policy changes at the state and federal levels in Nigeria.
• Develop supporting documentation (agenda, talking points, presentations, agreements, and meeting notes) for all multi-sector engagements.
• Support, develop, and maintain relationships with relevant stakeholders, including the private sector, civil society and other development partners as well as research institutions and academia to achieve the desired impact for CASCADE project.
• Organize policy dialogues, maintain regular communication with stakeholders, represent CARE and CASCADE program externally as may be appropriate.
• Gather evidence to support the development of advocacy documents and presentations, including policy briefs, and fact sheets for both internal and external purposes.
• Work in consultation with CARE communication team to document and translate CASCADE program implementation experiences for policymakers and advocacy partners.
• Building capacity of local partners, including providing technical assistance to local partners, on the development and implementation of effective advocacy strategies/initiatives or approaches on key CASCADE areas of interest and leading grassroots activism.
• Contribute to the development, documentation, and dissemination of cross-program lessons learned, best practices, and experience.
• Ensure synergy with other emerging Advocacy issues in other programs across CARE Nigeria.
• Develop and ensure timely submission of project reports and other deliverables, as may be directed by the Team Leader and Project Manager from time to time.

Innovation and Judgment:

• Conceptualizes and analyses problems to identify key issues, underlying problems, and how they relate.
• Generates creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations.
• Devises new systems and processes, and modifies existing ones, to support innovative behaviours.

Knowledge Management and Learning:

• Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture within CARE
• In-depth knowledge of policy issues affecting Nutrition.
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice.
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas.
• Acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills

Resource Mobilization:

• Contribute to CARE’s resource mobilization efforts
• Other Responsibilities as Assigned.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience
Required:

• Advanced Degree in Public Policy or International Policy and Development or related qualification.
• 5 years or more of relevant experience with a preference for Agricultural/Food Security/ Nutrition policy and advocacy experience.
• Deep knowledge of policy and development issues on hunger and nutrition (Sustainable Development Goal 2).
• In-depth understanding of how food and nutrition development policies at the federal, as well as state-level, are formulated, enacted and implemented.
• Ability to identify and initiate strategic partnerships as well as leverage on and build networks.
• Ability to work across teams in a highly matrixed environment.
• Demonstrated experience and expertise in relevant policy work and building government capacity, particularly regarding policy development.
• Demonstrated ability to build, negotiate and maintain relationships with senior-level government and private sector counterparts, donors, and other key stakeholders and partners
• Ability to successfully recruit, train, build capacity, motivate, and manage staff, consortium partners, and/or sub-contractors.
• Experience with regional organizations, including regional economic communities, will be an added advantage.

Competencies:

• Approachability
• Building Effective Teams
• Customer Focus
• Integrity and Trust
• Drive for Results
• Comfort around Higher management
• Business Acumen
• Negotiating
• Organizational Agility.