Senegal: West and Central Africa Regional Advocacy & Campaigns Director
Closing date: 03 Sep 2013
Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organisation for children. We work in 120 countries. We save children’s lives; we fight for their rights; we help them fulfil their potential.
We work together, with our partners, to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.
We have over two million supporters worldwide and raised 1.6 billion dollars last year to reach more children than ever before, through programmes in health, nutrition, education, protection and child rights, also in times of humanitarian crises.
The role
As a key member of the Regional Leadership Team, you will take lead responsibility for working with the countries in West and Central Africa while collaborating with the Africa Advocacy office to deliver the advocacy and campaigns elem ents of Save the Children’s strategy.
Campaigning and advocacy are central to Save the Children’s theory of change and to achieving our ambitious goals for children, particularly through our global campaign to save children’s lives, EVERY ONE, our humanitarian work and our Global Initiatives. Generating and marshalling evidence, including from our own programme experience; advocating with policy makers and decision makers; generating political pressure and fostering an enabling environment through public mobilisation; and using media to amplify our messages are all essential parts of our influencing ‘toolkit’. Used well, they can lead to changes in policy and practice by governments and other actors that have lasting benefits for children, on a much bigger scale than what we can achieve through our direct programme activities. Most Africa campaigns and advocacy activities are delivered nationally, but a ded icated regional campaigns and advocacy capacity is essential to help catalyse and coordinate this. This role is not rooted in a thematic specialism, but in leadership and expertise in influencing policy and practice through synergized advocacy and popular mobilization. The role will be located in our West and Central Africa regional office, , and will help to bring about change in over 10+African countries in West and Central Africa, where Save the Children has a presence.
Key areas of accountability
* Leadership and management
* Develops advocacy products in collaboration with the global advocacy team to support lobbying of donors and decision-makers in capitals to ensure early action to prevent further deterioration of the food security situation in the Sahel.
Qualifications and experience
* Strong background in advocacy leadership at a senior level, including policy development and the ability to link programmes with advocacy work.
* Experience in engaging the public in campaigns, including the ability to identify “campaignable” objectives within the policy goals, and to plan and evaluate campaign activities
* Experience in leading the creation and implementation of a strategy, demonstrating the ability to identify the necessary steps towards an ambitious goal.
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills to motivate influence and negotiate both internally and externally.
* Sound understanding of the major economic, social development and poverty issues in Africa.
* Experience of building, leading and developing colleagues and staff with different backgrounds and expertise. Cultural sensitivity, with highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation an d coaching.
* Experience of working within a complex and matrix organisation structure. Excellent training, facilitation, and team building skills. Innovative and creative approach to problem solving. Able to lead by example.
* Experience of building personal networks at senior levels, resulting in securing significant new opportunities for the organisation.
* Commitment to Save the Children values.
* Fluent English essential; French and Portuguese desirable
* Experience of travel, and a willingness to travel in a broad range of African countries and more widely, sometimes at short notice
* Demonstrated understanding of news media and experience of acting as a spokesperson.
* Familiarity with social media to achieve policy changes an advantage.
We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
Plea se apply in English using your CV and covering letter as a single document, including your salary expectations for this role.
How to apply:
Please apply with a covering letter and up-to-date CV to:
jobs.68923.3830@savethechildrenint.aplitrak.com
