Advocacy Specialist at Plan International November, 2021
Location: Dodoma, Tanzania
Company: Plan International
The Organisation
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.
We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it’s girls who are most affected.
Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.
We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.
We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.
BACKGROUND
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Plan has over 80 years’ experience and works in more than 75 countries across the world. We strive for a just world, working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners.
Plan International has been working in Tanzania since 1991. Our work supports marginalised children and youth, especially adolescent girls, to grow up physically and mentally healthy and ready to shape their future. We create an enabling environment and empower girls to be active drivers of change in realising their rights. We prioritise working with local partners, and ensuring all of our works are evidence based.
role PURPOSE
Advocacy Specialist is an integral member of the Influencing, advocacy and communications team, serving as a technical resource to the influencing, communications and advocacy strategic planning and implementation. S/he will support Plan International Tanzania in designing advocacy initiatives and assist national and field level implementation of the advocacy activities having close collaboration with various advocacy-based external networks and stakeholders in providing support in launching effective advocacy responses to help marginalized groups, especially girls raise issues and concerns in the right forum. This role will work on Plan International Tanzania cross-organizational advocacy priorities and in collaboration with Programs staff and Country Leadership Team, to strategically co-ordinate and strengthen relationship with the government, local and International institutions and organizations to achieve change.
S/he is expected to coordinates the Advocacy work in line with the Country Strategic Plan (CSP) and Areas of Global Distinctiveness (AoGD) to ensure Plan Tanzania is represented effectively. The work of the Advocacy Specialist will centre on advocating for Plan work, specifically the right of children, especially girl’s rights initiative, that will result in influencing public policies change in the country, tracking policy developments relevant to Children, girls and Yong people safeguarding, participating in strategy development and execution, and closely liaise with the government offices and ministries in Dodoma. Reporting to the Influencing, Communications and Advocacy Manager, and managing Administrative Assistant in Dodoma Office.
Dimensions of the Role
- Ensure that advocacy components are integrated in program sector strategies and that field priorities are included in the annual advocacy strategy.
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of the wider social, political and economic contexts as well as sector-specific issues and best practice to ensure that PIT stays at the forefront of national policy debates.
- Build Plan brand as the key actor and government partner in the girl rights arena
- Develop and maintain productive working relationships with key actors including government officials, development partners and representatives of civil society
- Set, manage and monitor expenditure budget for advocacy strategic and annual plans and adhering to financial guidelines, ensuring value for money and acting as appropriate within delegated authorities.
- Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of Safeguarding policies.
- Identify potential risks in conducting influencing and advocacy activities and ability to identify possible mitigation plans
- Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
- Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
- Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding children and young people and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring Plan and Partner’s staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures
Accountabilities
Key Result Area 1: Advise on policy and political analysis to inform on advocacy strategies and projects activities planning and implementation that influence change in policies.
Indicators for success:
- Coordinate delivery of internal and external policy and advocacy briefings and materials
- Coordinate influencing initiatives and position Plan International as a go to agency on child, youth and gender-led development in Tanzania through evidence based policy analysis and advocacy
- Delivery of advocacy strategies in line with development and humanitarian context objectives
- Identify and engage with the government and relevant stakeholders in opportunities that contribute to long term goals and objectives for policy and advocacy work at relevant levels
- Monitor and influence policy processes in order to identify emerging opportunities for policy and advocacy work through the National Development Plans and the Sustainable Development Goals
- Build effective internal and external working relationships
- Coordinate and conduct capacity building to staff and partners on advocacy and influencing
- Identify potential risks in conducting advocacy and influencing activities and ability to identify possible mitigation plans
- Work with the Influencing, Communications and Advocacy manager to design and implement a country program advocacy and influencing strategy
- Support policy and political analysis in humanitarian contexts and develop relevant policy messaging
- Advise and think creatively about potential advocacy entry-points on ERM specific priorities
Key Result Area 2: Contribute and guide on strategic engagement with the media houses to support our advocacy work at all levels
Indicators for success:
- Oversee the compilation and dissemination of information from all Plan International offices (Country Office, PU and Project offices) to monitor and ensure messaging consistency and content to be in line with Plan Global and Country strategy and policies
- Ensure appropriate Plan branding is utilized in all communications.
- Oversee the preparation and dissemination of high-quality advocacy IEC materials for PU’s and Projects;
- Develop and maintain contact information, materials and relationships with journalists and media outlets to increase coverage of Plan work in the media.
- Collaborate with the media by organizing activity site visits; facilitate photo coverage and TV footage and utilizing both web-based and traditional media as appropriate.
Key Result Area 3: Identify processes, events, institutions and other influential spaces relevant for identifying opportunities for advocacy campaign activities
Indicators for success:
- Develop updates on current events which are of interest to Plan Strategic focus
- Facilitating consultations and events with wide range of stakeholders including the government high level officials
- Identify key government departments, stakeholders and strategic power institutions and engage them in various influencing activities linked to Plan International’s areas of work
- Advice on strategic engagement of CMT and other relevant staff on opportunities that positions and promotes Plan International’s influencing agenda
- Maintaining government and relevant stakeholder contacts and relationships
- Assist in organizing and generating public support for special events and campaigns to promote strategic goals.
Key Result Area 3: Coordinate youth-led programs and initiatives that engage children and young people to develop youth-led advocacy events for influencing change.
Indicators for success:
- Document and share replicable model for successful youth-led advocacy.
- Support to build a coalition of youth-led organisations including young people with disabilities-led group to form youth advocacy group, in order to amplify meaningful participation of youth in decision making
- Train youth on how to lead campaigns, amplify their voices and advocate for change at the local and national levels.
- Collaborate with other youth focused organizations and advocates in campaigns to promote rights empowerment of young people in the country
- Develop a network of young leaders and eensure meaningful youth participation in designing advocacy strategy
- Develop communication and advocacy materials on the youth agenda to enhance public support.
- Support content development for toolkits and material for youth leadership training.
Key Result Area 4: Generating commitment and buy-in from leaders and decision makers in supporting Plan mission.
Indicators for success:
- Lead in the development of relationships and partnerships and represent Plan in key networks, ensuring that participation reflects the perspective of Plan mission
- Take lead to facilitate special visits to the field, stakeholder or meetings with Ministers or government officials
Key Result Area 5: Create an enabling working environment that model our value-based leadership framework underpinned by our feminist leadership principles.
Indicators for success:
- Take appropriate measures ensuring PU staff are well motivated and supported to contribute to the mission and vision of the organization
- Across different department units to foster excellent teamwork and high performing staff;
- Support team members to gain the necessary skills through learning and development in key areas of programme, finance, logistics and human resources management
- Establish, communicate and monitor standards of performance and behaviours of the team through development of Individual Accountability Plans (IAP), and key performance indicators (KPI’s) and provide honest feedback of performance.
- Consistently promote high standards through personal example and roll out through the team so that each member of the team understands the standards and behaviours expected of them
- Succession plans are in place to ensure staff retention within PUs.
Key Result Area 6: Ensure that all project expenditures are on time and according to the budget (within permissible variance limits) and oversee and guide any budget reforecasting and reallocation exercises that are required.
Indicators for success:
- Work with the finance team to ensure that project budget enables delivery as designed;
- Monitor project performance and budget utilization and advise on corrective measures;
- Oversee the coordination in the budget, preparation, consolidation, analysis and timely submission’;
- Ensure the timely implementation of grants and sponsorship budgets. The creation of POs and closing of grants in SAP is done expeditiously;
- Ensure that all grants/sponsorship projects have opening/launch, regular grants and projects monitoring and closeout workshops/meetings;
Key relationships
Internal:
- This position works closely with the Influencing, Communications, and Advocacy (high)
- This position works closely with the Operations (high)
- This position works closely with the Program Unit Managers (PUMs) (Medium)
- This position works closely with Technical Leads (Medium)
External:
- This position works closely with the local government (Medium)
- This position works closely with the implementing partners (Medium)
- This position works closely with Media houses & Journalists (Medium)
Technical expertise, skills and knowledge
Required experience and Qualifications
- Bachelor degree in communication, journalism, international relations, Law, Policy or related field, Master’s level will be of advantage
- A minimum of 3 years’ experience in professional experience of policy, advocacy, research and/or political representation with an international organization.
- Strong networking skills and excellent collaboration traits with proven experience in building and managing effective relationships and partnerships.
- Strong policy analysis, advocacy and influencing experience including experience of organizing events;
- Excellent understanding of current policy debates relating to gender, children and girls’ right;
- Knowledge of Tanzania Government budgetary and legislative systems
- Excellent written and verbal communication including the ability to produce clear articulate evidence-based policy analysis.
- Demonstrated experience on right based approaches, gender equality and inclusion in programming.
- Excellent interpersonal, networking and negotiation skills with staff and other stakeholders
- Ability to think clearly and analytically, setting priority, solving problems and making timely and appropriate decisions.
- Track record of successfully influencing policy change
- Experience using MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, and knowledge sharing networks.
Essential:
Knowledge
- In-depth knowledge of policy analysis
- Knowledge of gender analysis and assessments, including approaches, methods, and frameworks;
- Demonstrated knowledge in developing and leading gender-transformative campaigns
- Knowledge in leading a diverse team and in context of multiple stakeholders with complex relationships
- Demonstrated knowledge to successfully planning, delivery and monitor activities with rigorous timelines and deliverables
- Knowledgeable of Tanzania Adolescent girls and gender challenges and possible solutions.
Skills
- Excellent communication skills, with outstanding analytical and writing skills ability
- Excellent organizational skills with a willingness to assume responsibilities and take initiative;
- Demonstrated leadership, and people management skills
- Strong process and time management skills and ability to motivate others to develop and practice these skills.
- Strong critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgment and operationalize innovations.
- Strong relationship management skills and the ability to work effectively with culturally diverse, cross-disciplinary, and geographically disperse groups.
Behaviours
- Hardworking with capacity to work independently with minimum supervision
- Honest, integrity, open and transparent personality.
- A team player and working towards achieving a team goal
- Persuasive and be able to respect all groups of people and able to work with different cultural settings
- Motivated, energetic and strives to develop and support others
- Working for the best interest of the organization and children
- Appreciate of child rights and gender equality
- Proactive, resourceful, solutions oriented and results-oriented
- Positive and pragmatic approach to achieving results
Desirable
- Data-driven, detail-oriented, self-starter with excellent analytic skills
- Strong advocacy management, presentation and interpersonal skills
- Evidence in influencing policy change
- Operate in a high-pressure deadline-driven environment with minimal supervision
- Experience with rights based approaches in advocacy and campaign.
- Experience in civil society capacity building and partnership development
- Experience managing staff, including demonstrated experience in staff training, coaching and mentoring.
- Experience in designing and monitoring evidence and result based programming
Plan International’s Values in Practice
We are open and accountable
- Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.
- Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.
- Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.
- Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.
- Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organisation for all children, girls & young people.
We strive for lasting impact
- Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.
- Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.
- Focuses resources to drive change and maximise long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.
- Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.
We work well together
- Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
- Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
- Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
- Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.
We are inclusive and empowering
- Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
- Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
- Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
- Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.
Physical Environment
- Working environment will include both typical office environment and field environment
- The position requires regular field travels, at least 25% of the work time
Level of contact with children
Mid contact: Occasional interaction with children during reflection meetings, evaluations, and research
Location: Dodoma
Reports to: Influencing, Communications and Advocacy Manager
Grade: D1
Closing Date: 30th November, 2021
