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Job Title:   Advocacy Officer

Organisation: Action Against Hunger-USA

Duty Station:  Adjumani, Uganda

About the Company:

Action Against Hunger-USA is part of the Action Against Hunger International network, which provides humanitarian relief in over 40 countries worldwide in the sectors of nutrition, health, water/sanitation, and food security. Action Against Hunger-USA, an independent NGO, currently manages operations in 8 countries: Kenya, South Sudan, Cambodia, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Haiti and Somalia. Action Against Hunger-USA has over $75 million in programs, and approximately 2000 staff based in in the various country offices, Head Quarter in New York City and Operational Centre in Nairobi. Additional growth is anticipated.

Job Summary:   The Advocacy Officer will provide strategic leadership in policy, advocacy and program related learnings at Local government level and ensure that the learnings from local government level inform national level legal and policy advocacy. The role will include; development and implementation of local government advocacy initiatives focusing on nutrition and other thematic areas of focus for the organization that ultimately results to political will and commitment towards nutrition.The Officer will also map out key participation forums at both local and national level to ensure community voices contribute to the realization of the project’s objectives besides packaging information/research findings and developing appropriate communication channels for dissemination of information/research findings; project documentation and dissemination; capacity building, learning and knowledge management. This role will also support additional advocacy activities from the other projects within the field office and national level on need basis.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategy development and implementation

• The Advocacy Officer will provide leadership in advocacy, learning and policy support to the area office on Nutrition and WASH and ensure there is a coherent process linking the district and national level advocacy efforts.
• Maintain an in-depth understanding of key budgetary cycle moments, law and policy reform initiatives at the local government and national level.
• Ensures that all advocacy messages and documents are evidence-based and of high quality.
• In close collaboration with Nutrition, WASH and FSL Coordinators, Communications Coordinator and the Head of Advocacy, develop and implement local government advocacy plans that will seek to draw synergies in integration of Nutrition, and WASH and other relevant sectors.
• Responsible for the delivery of an annual advocacy implementation work plan.
• Develop and implement relevant context specific strategies for effective community participation within the advocacy activities in collaboration with the field office teams and relevant staff at the country office.
• Support Program Manager in identifying policy and practice change, which would improve nutrition related outcomes.
• Support budget advocacy and budget tracking to improve public investment in Nutrition.

Advocacy and Communications

• Lead the Local Government level monitoring and evaluation of advocacy-related objectives, mapping of key opportunities and events, organization of ACF’s moments’ and events.
• Linking to international process and in collaboration with field office staff and technical Coordinators oversee the development of advocacy materials – including policy briefs, position papers, issues papers, press releases, Questions and answers and opinion pieces for county and national advocacy.
• Develop good knowledge of Local Government structure, political processes and key decision-making structures and how to influence them on issues related to Nutrition and WASH, resource mobilization. Conduct power mapping to identify and engage key influencers in Local Governments for increased resource mobilization and allocation to Nutrition interventions.
• Lead the production and/or contribute to the development and dissemination of policy briefs/IEC fact sheets and county profiles to get Nutrition on District and national agenda,
• Build systems for research, analysis and documentation that underpin evidence based advocacy and influencing at local government level. This will include undertaking audience research and knowledge services mapping to inform communication and advocacy work.

Building Partnerships

• Identify local networks and coalitions and develop sustained partnerships/ alliances that are critical in the dissemination and/or application of research findings and/or learning to influence the policy and practice landscape. This includes representing ACF at strategic forums, networking with strategic CSOs and other social movement processes that are relevant to ACF work.
• Support area offices to build partnerships with communities and program beneficiaries in establishing accountability mechanisms, capacity building and knowledge management.
• Support the capacity building of program and field staff and key partners on advocacy through training, sharing best practices and supporting learning and knowledge management.

Programme Development & Management

• Participate in proposal development processes, in particular liaising with relevant Technical staff and program staff to ensure that advocacy approaches are integrated within and contribute to the achievement of project results and objectives and that sufficient funds are budgeted for implementation.
• Participate in ACF program meetings and related sessions to draw out research-based advocacy messages in programs. Keep abreast of current research, national and donor policies and debates in Uganda, relevant to advocacy for Nutrition

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• An academic qualification directly related to Law, Political Science, Governance, International development or Community development.
• At least 3 years of experience in advocacy related work, as well as contributing to the development and implementation of advocacy plans. Experience working within the nutrition sector is an added advantage.
• Highly knowledgeable on Nutrition Governance including Public Investment in Nutrition and related matters
• Understanding of Uganda’s budget cycle (both at local government and national level) and moments.
• An understanding of policy and legislative development processes at both national and local government levels.
• Good written communication skills, including the ability to translate complex arguments into accessible English for a non-specialist audience, and the ability to write articles that would be published in the mainstream press.
• Knowledge of the Local Government processes, and its impact on the health/nutrition sector.
• Excellent verbal communication skills, appropriate for high-level external representation (for example lobbying
• Experience of developing advocacy plans, knowledge and understanding of a range of advocacy techniques
• Experience of effective teamwork and outstanding inter-personal communication skills
• Experience of coalition building and working with civil society actors to deliver change
• Experience in policy and advocacy.
• Good knowledge of the nutrition and health field, including the work of academic/research contacts, NGOs, UN agencies
• Good presentation and persuasion skills.

How to Apply:
All suitably qualified candidates should apply online at the link below.

Click Here

Deadline: 20th September 2024

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