Jobs at International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Job purpose

• The Senior Officer, Humanitarian Diplomacy will lead on all aspects of Humanitarian Diplomacy for the Abuja Country Cluster Delegation. The post holder will be responsible for creating and implementing plans to influence policies and decisions for the benefit and enhancement of IFRC and the National Societies. With a strong focus on delivering the Africa Agenda for Renewal and the four flagship initiatives, the Senior Officer Humanitarian Diplomacy will actively lobby and advocate for specific outcomes with major African bodies and organizations in Abuja country cluster (like the ECOWAS, AU, UN, etc) and will position IFRC and the National Societies as partners of choice and agents of humanitarian change within the delegation.
• The Senior Officer Humanitarian Diplomacy will work closely with the Head of Delegation(HoD). He/she will provide the head of the delegation with in-depth information to develop advocacy content and activities. The post holder will also have a strong collaboration with the regional humanitarian diplomacy unit to provide support to the cluster.

Job duties and responsibilities

• Lead under the guidance of the Head of Delegation, the diplomatic engagements of the Abuja country cluster delegation
• Represent and maintain IFRC on behalf of the HoD at various platforms and international organizations to advocate for the position of the IFRC and national societies
• Lead on planning and delivering Humanitarian Diplomacy and advocacy to achieve the Africa Agenda for Renewal and four Pan-African Flagship Initiatives
• Act as the Humanitarian Diplomacy focal point for the Abuja Country Cluster region, advising IFRC and the National Societies on Humanitarian Diplomacy approaches and tools
• Position IFRC leadership among key institutions and forums to achieve maximum influence
• Research and identify decision-makers and power structures, and develop engagement plans
• Identify key policy opportunities and processes (such as those within key international policy frameworks and related platforms for the Abuja Country Cluster Region, Inter-Agency initiatives, etc), events, conferences and forums
• Lead on IFRC Abuja Country Cluster region’s participation, including positioning IFRC and representation, preparation for the meetings, organizing side events, briefing colleagues and following up on actions and next steps
• Develop and deliver advocacy plans in line with IFRC’s principles and strategic priorities, including identifying opportunities, developing key messages, identifying policy targets and entry points and representing IFRC at key fora
• Lead on policy engagement on relevant topics such as Climate Change, Sustainable Development Goals, Disaster Risk Reduction and set traction indicators for ACCD in the Decade of Action
• Engage with key stakeholder institutions in Africa, including governmental and inter-governmental bodies (e.g. AU, SADC, ECOWAS) to influence policies in support of humanitarian principles and IFRC strategic priorities
• Prepare and promote policy position papers and briefs on relevant topics
• Coordinate with Movement and external partners on policy and advocacy efforts to ensure strategic use of Movement capacities and resources
• Coordinate with and support IFRC Geneva and other regional offices to ensure alignment of messaging and approaches.
• Coordinate with IFRC Humanitarian Diplomacy offices in New York, Brussels and Addis Abeba to promote the humanitarian and development work of African National Societies to High-level decision and policymakers.
• Foster knowledge sharing and exchange of best practices on Humanitarian Diplomacy via a network of Movement actors and stakeholders.

Position Requirements

• Master’s degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience. Required.
• Undergraduate degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience. Required.
• At least 5 years of work experience within the same or related position. Required.
• Work experience in the international humanitarian and development sector. Required.
• Extensive experience in Humanitarian Diplomacy, advocacy, policy and strategy. Required.
• Proven track record of influencing policy or decision-making in line with agreed strategic priorities. Required.

Successful experience in the development of policy campaigns, including

• strategy-building, inter-governmental advocacy, and evidence-building. Required.
• Experience supporting multidisciplinary and complex programs. Required.
• Experience in building strategic partnerships with tangible outcomes. Required.
• Work experience in the ACCD (Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, and Benin). Preferred.
• Experience in the UN system, ECOWAS, AU, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other intergovernmental organizations and/or development banks. Preferred.
• Experience in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. Preferred.

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong understanding of policy frameworks, systems, and initiatives relevant to humanitarian organizations in Africa. Required.
• Excellent understanding of the dynamics, institutions and political context of the international humanitarian and development sectors. Required.
• Strong understanding of the issues which impact humanitarian organizations. Required.
• Knowledge of international financing systems. Required.
• Exemplary influencing and networking skills. Required.
• Self-sufficient with the ability to plan and deliver own work to a high standard. Required.
• Culturally sensitive and comfortable working with people from diverse backgrounds. Preferred.
• Excellent relationship management and networking skills. Preferred.
• Strong strategic planning and project management skills . Required.
• Ability to exercise initiative with discretion and judgment and apply risk management controls as needed. Required.
• Excellent presentation and public speaking skills. Required.

Languages

• Fluently spoken and written English Required.
• Fluently spoken and written French Preferred.

Competencies

Values: Professionalism, Respect for diversity; Integrity; Accountability

Core competencies: Proactive outreach and innovative creativity; Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National Society and customer relations;

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Job purpose

• To provide grant management and coordination of funding in Abuja Country Cluster Delegation (Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana). Support the IFRC’s on resource mobilization, development of quality proposals and research of funding opportunities, and grant management. Support the National Societies with resource mobilization and grant management.

Job duties and responsibilities

Coordinating engagement and relationships strategy with targeted partners across multiple income streams (NS/governments, private sector, and multilaterals):

• Work proactively with COs/ACCDs and technical/thematic leads to ensure coordinated partnership engagement based on common targets and longer-term priorities.
• Develop, broaden and strengthen the network of national societies, private sector, and multilateral influencers and advocates in support of IFRC’s mission.
• Lead on regular engagement of, discussion with, strategic partners with a view to ensuring donor care on the implementation of IFRC Africa plans and for forward-looking purposes.
• Develop a knowledge base on IFRC Africa’s private sector and multilateral partners as a shared resource for maintaining and developing partnership engagement across the cluster.
• Serve as the focal point for the assigned portfolio of partners and provide guidance to COs/ACCDs for partnership engagement and coordination.
• Contribute to the analysis of relevant government policies, decisions and funding trends to help develop funding targets and identify opportunities for partnership to match future IFRC needs.
• In collaboration with the Operations Coordinator and the IFRC Africa Head of PRD, ensure the overall monitoring and overview of partnership development as part of the IFRC Africa strategy map and PRD operational plan.

Support the organization of partnerships and cooperation meetings at all levels.

• Funding and resourcing plans, especially for Abuja Country Cluster Support Team
• Support the development, and monitor the implementation, of funding plans together with relevant IFRC offices, technical leads and Finance focal points.
• Track and analyze emergency appeal and operational plan coverage, lead and coordinate actions to be taken to increase coverage, and provide regular updates and recommendations to management.
• Process all pledges properly and in a timely manner, ensuring pledges reflecting agreed criteria are shared with donors and understood by relevant budget holders.
• Take the lead in the coordination and writing of specific funding proposals, including acting as a close liaison with National Societies, technical teams and delegations to ensure quality.
• Contribute to funding gaps by monitoring, analyzing, and proposing/implementing corrective measures.
• Ensure proactive negotiation of pledges together with IFRC budget holder in relation to assigned portfolio of partners.
• Ensure quality control and partner stewardship for pledge management, and coordination with PRD team members as well as Finance focal points.
• Develop an engagement strategy for IFRC Abuja Country Cluster programs and projects.
• Work with budget holders and Finance to ensure that donor reports are prepared to quality standards; in compliance with donor conditions and requirements, and that all deadlines are met.
• Support the program coordinators to ensure IFRC reporting standards are upheld.

National Society Development in partnerships and resource mobilization

• Provide technical guidance and support to our member National Societies in all matters related to partnerships and resource mobilization.
• Lead and contribute to the Cluster office and Regional office efforts to develop the domestic resource mobilization capacities of our member National Societies, with a particular focus on the Abuja Country Cluster countries.
• Promote and facilitate a sub-regional network of PRD focal points from each National Society to promote networking, collaboration and learning.
• Travel when required to support the National Societies, facilitate donor visits and events and attend meetings.

Planning support and coordination for Abuja Country Cluster

• Ensure effective coordination with COs, Regional office’s technical units, and PRD focal points to be involved in performing tasks;
• Oversee the development of the plan of action (PoA) and subsequent updates that help operationalize the IFRC Secretariat strategy.
• Lead IFRC Secretariat inputs as needed to Federation-wide strategic planning efforts.
• Support program coordinators and other staff in the design of project proposals, meeting IFRC and international project design standards.

Position Requirements

Education

• University degree in a relevant discipline (eg. International Relations, Marketing, Humanitarian Affairs, Business Administration, Economics, Finance). Required.
• Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (eg. International Relations, Marketing, Humanitarian Affairs, Business Administration, Economics, Finance). Preferred
• Relevant professional training courses (Red Cross/Red Crescent related, humanitarian and development sector, management). Preferred

Professional Experience

• At least 3 years of relevant experience in managing relations with donors and partners. Required
• Experience of working with multilateral partners e.g. European Commission, development banks, and specialized funds. Required
• Experience of managing complex, major grants. Required
• Experience of developing and implementing funding plans. Required
• Work experience with Red Cross Red Crescent, other international organizations, large NGOs and/or governmental development agencies. Preferred.
• Experience of developing winning funding proposals and grant applications. Required

Knowledge and Skills

• Proven grant management skills.
• Excellent project management and coordination skills.
• Demonstrated ability to negotiate funding agreements, to structure financial instruments, and to navigate complex funding mechanisms.
• Ability to navigate complex funding instruments and requirements.
• Outstanding networking, representational, communication and negotiation skills contributing to a client-focused culture.
• Experience in identifying and articulating issues, risks and priorities that need to be brought to the attention of senior management.
• Proven ability of donor communications, proposals and reporting.
• Track record in producing high-quality work within short deadlines, managing competing priorities and ability to make effective timely decisions.
• High degree of discretion, tact and sensitivity in dealing with internal and external clients and stakeholders at all levels.
• Highly organized, with the ability to work as a strong team player.
• Ability to coordinate with teams based in different geographic locations.
• Ability to work in a multicultural, multilingual, multi-disciplinary environment.
• Excellent communication, presentation, diplomacy and negotiation skills.
• Excellent networking and relationship-building skills.
• Strong budgeting and financial management skills.
• Demonstrated skills in analytical and strategic thinking.
• Excellent writing and editing skills in English.

Languages

• Fluently spoken and written English. Required
• Good command of French. Preferred

Competencies

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability.
Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust.
Functional competencies: Strategic orientation; Building alliances; Leadership; Empowering others