Background of the assignment

Addis Ababa is home to the African Union, a regional institution with global impact which plays a critical role in shaping children’s lives and helping to ensure their rights are fulfilled.

The AU has a direct role in helping to safeguard the rights of children in Africa who are vulnerable, marginalized, socially excluded and affected by poverty.

Save the Children has a small global advocacy office in Addis Ababa (alongside offices in Geneva and New York) that influences the AU institutions on issues that affect children’s rights and wellbeing in Africa.

The Network for the Rights of the Child in Central Africa (REDEAC), having developed their 5-year strategic plan with the support of Plan International and Save the Children International, with the ultimate goal of strengthening the Network to enable it conduct effective advocacy on children’s rights at national, regional, continental and global levels; and Save the Children Africa Union Liaison and Pan-Africa Office and Plan International Africa Union Liaison Office, in fulfillment of their objective to support the strengthening of civil society organizations on the continent to enhance their capacity to conduct effective advocacy for children’s rights; entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).The purpose of the memorandum of understanding is to support REDEAC to implement various activities as per their strategic plan for the period between 1st November 2020 – 30th June 2021 (with the possibility of extension).  

Save the Children Africa Union Liaison and Pan Africa Office shall be responsible for;

1. Provision of technical capacity support to REDEAC on institutional strengthening and child rights advocacy. 
2. Financial support to REDEAC to implement activities as per the agreed budget and work plan.
3. Financial management in relation to activities to be implemented as per the two institutions’ policies and manuals. 
4. Provide an oversight over the agreed activities and outcomes
5. Convening quarterly update sessions for the parties to this MOU.

The Advocacy and Communications Consultant will play a central part in ensuring that REDEAC implements its obligations under the MoU, and enhances its advocacy, communications and organizational capacity.

A.KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY: 

Advocacy 

•  Support REDEAC in the implementation of institutional strengthening activities, with a focus on enhanced engagement between member countries and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC).
•  Strengthen the REDEAC member capacity to engage with AU bodies on child rights issues
• Undertake timely and strategic advocacy and sustaining alliances with key stakeholders at the CSO Forum, the AU
• Provide monthly and quarterly updates to SCI AAO on relevant targets as per the MoU.                                                    

Advocacy and Communications Strategy

• Support the development and implementation of the Coalition ’s advocacy, media and communication strategy and associated work plan in support of communication and uptake of the coalition ’s products both internally and external audiences.
• Support the development of the Coalition ’s brand, media relations and digital engagement.
• Develop and implement mechanisms to monitor key performance metrics and document the success of campaigns and content on the web, social media, traditional media, etc
• Help develop clear communication baselines against which the objectives of the communication strategy are evaluated.
• Media and digital engagement
• Identify, develop, distribute and evaluate a variety of communication material.
• Help maintain and continually develop contact list of journalists and media outlets; develop media relations to facilitate communication of Coalition ’s papers, events (workshops, conferences), Op-Eds and key messaging.
• Support the Coalition ’s presence in online communications and social media; provide assistance in the maintenance of Coalition online platforms.
• Support the development and execution of communication and advocacy tools (e.g., newsletter websites, posters, brochures, pamphlets) to increase visibility of the Coalition
• Networking and partnerships
• Help maintain contact list of individuals, groups, organizations, think-tanks and institutions whose support could assist in achieving advocacy and communication objectives of the Coalition ’s communication strategy.
• Help maintain a calendar of key regional events and opportunities for advocacy and Coalition’s outreach
• Editorial content
• Work with the technical teams in conceptualizing and executing communication assets, including identifying appropriate formats for crafting and disseminating key messages based on analytical papers and research products, including policy briefs, presentations, short videos, and online products.
• Provide support to technical staff in close collaboration with the design team in data visualization and presentation as well as information repackaging.
• Project Management
• Prepare narrative plans and reports in line with MoU requirements
• Responsible for the management of the financial support provided to REDEAC as per the MoU

KILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (our Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds suppliers accountable to deliver on their responsibilities

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and takes responsibility for their own personal development
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale

Collaboration:

• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to; builds and maintains effective relationships with colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity and different people’s perspectives, able to work cross-culturally.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Cuts away bureaucracy and encourages an entrepreneurial approach

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency, builds trust and confidence
• Displays consistent excellent judgement

Job Requirements

QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE

• University degree in a relevant subject. A Master’s degree or equivalent in human rights, law, international relations, economics, politics or a related policy field is desirable.  
• At least 6 years of relevant experience in a credible organization
• Experience of leading advocacy and communications activities in a challenging environment and a good knowledge of child rights issues in the Central Africa region.
• Evidence of excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and French.
• Experience of successfully operating in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Experience of working with networks of influence, and an ability to manage diverse professional relationships, thereby securing significant new opportunities for the organization 
• Proven project management experience.
• The ability to digest complex information, quickly, and express this crisply and clearly 
• Highly organized and able to solve problems quickly
• Excellent relationship building skills within and outside of the Coalition
• Experience of delivering training, presentations and other capacity building activities to varied audiences, ideally within a country program.
• Excellent IT skills with understanding of effective visual communications for diverse audiences
• Excellent understanding of advocacy, communications, media and campaigning activities

Desirable

• Awareness of international accountability standards including HAP (Humanitarian Accountability Partnership) and a demonstrated commitment to promoting these standards in ways of working and project implementation.
• Experience of working with an international NGO especially in refugee context.
• Experience in managing and supervising the construction of primary schools, latrines and school Wash facilities.
• Experience of effectively communicating findings to internal/external stakeholders.
• Experience in child friendly accountability systems. We offer a competitive package in the context of the role is offered on the basis of national terms and conditions only. 

Generic Competencies

• Being the Voice of Children: Promotes evidence-based policy and public engagement that includes the voices of children and their communities
• Advancing Equality & Inclusion: Displays a commitment to ensuring everything we do considers the most deprived and marginalized children and adolescent
• Building & Strengthening Partnerships: Promotes working with diverse partners as critical to delivery
• Child Rights: Promotes the rights of children in own work and in work with colleagues and peers

Additional job responsibilities

• The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI’s global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Gender Equality Policies, supported by relevant procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Safeguarding our Staff:

The post holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI anti-harassment policy.

Health and Safety

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SC Health and Safety policies and procedures.

We offer a competitive package in the context of the sector. The duty station of the position holder will be in Addis Ababa This role is offered on the basis of national terms and conditions only.

The Organization

We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realize the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
• All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

How to Apply

Application Information:

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application, and include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations. A copy of the full role profile can be found here

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our global anti-harassment policy.