Save the Children recruits 01 Director of advocacy and communication
Save the Children
Niamey, Niger
DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATION
DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATION – Niger Country Office
TEAM/PROGRAMME: Niger Country Office Senior Management Team
LOCATION: Niamey
GRADE: TBC (Competitive Package)
POST TYPE: National or International
Duree du contrat: 01 year
Child Safeguarding:Level 3 – the responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have regular contact with or access to children or young people
ROLE PURPOSE: As a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) in Niger, the Director of Advocacy and Communication shares in the overall responsibility for the direction and coordination of the Country Office. The Director of Advocacy and Communication in his/her capacity is responsible for providing leadership to ensure excellence in serving members and their donors, in both emergency and development contexts.
SCOPE OF ROLE:Reports to: Country Director
Dimensions: Save the Children has been operational in Niger since 2005, providing support to children through developmental and humanitarian relief programmes delivered both directly and through local partners. Current programming focuses on child protection, child rights governance, education, health, food security & livelihoods, nutrition and WASH. Save the Children has an operational presence in Maradi, Tillaberi, Zinder and Diffa. Currently, we have a staff complement of approximately 350 staff and a budget of approximately US$21million per year.
Staff directly reporting to this post: 2
Advocacy & Campaign Advisor
Media & Comms Manager
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
As a member of the Senior Management Team, contribute to:· Leadership of the Niger Country Office
· Support the development of an organisational culture that reflects our full spectrum values, promotes accountability and high performance, encourages a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation, and frees up our people to deliver outstanding results for children and excellent customer service for our Members and donors
· Help design and implement a coherent organizational structure that is consistent with agency practices and appropriate to programme needs
· Ensure Niger Country Office complies with all Save the Children Management Operating Standards and Standard Operating Procedures
· Ensure that all required support is provided promptly, at scale and in line with the rules and principles during humanitarian responses, working closely with the Regional Office
Advocacy· Lead the development of an advocacy strategy for the Niger Country Office. Support thematic directors/advisors to articulate their top priority advocacy objectives in line with the new Country Strategic Plan
· Identify key opportunities and events in Niger for Save the Children to position itself as the leading organisation for children’s issues in the country
· Ensure that Save the Children receives national recognition for achieving proven and innovative national impact from well-managed child development programs and emergency response
· Oversee thematic directors and other program staff in their work, including development of a plan for achieving their priority advocacy objectives in both an emergency and development context. This should include guidelines on the meaningful and safe participation of children in advocacy
· Build capacity of programme staff to undertake advocacy through training, development and implementation of advocacy strategies
· Work with the Senior Management Team to build a culture of developing advocacy strategies that are funded for all thematic areas as part of our Theory of Change and ensure that programme staff are held accountable for advocacy
· Support programme staff to develop appropriate advocacy messages across thematic and programme areas, and ensure the CO has a set of advocacy messages as required for thematic/strategic areas (e.g children affected by humanitarian situations etc)
· Take the lead in Humanitarian responses for advocacy and support the development/management and implementation of advocacy strategies, while keeping abreast of the humanitarian advocacy issues across the global, regional and country
Media & Campaigning· Liaise and maintain contact with members and implement communication activities including facilitating media visits and working within incoming media & communications surge support during emergencies
· Ensure that the branding and communication guidelines of Save the Children are uniformly and consistently followed across the Niger Country Office
· Build capacity of programme staff to handle media through training and simulation of various media opportunities (especially emergencies)
· Develop briefing documents for various audiences, including country briefs, programme briefs and update these regularly
· Lead the management of Niger -specific campaigning and communications materials
Communication· Proactively develop a high profile for Save the Children in Niger through the production of high quality, well researched, and well written products (in a variety of mediums) reflective of the dual mandate portfolio, responding quickly and appropriately to external requests for information, especially in emergencies
· Develop and deliver a clear and effective system for internal and external communications including the dissemination of newsletters and other documents and publications for internal external stakeholders.
· Update the Niger profile on the various SCI platforms (web-page/xtranet/e-newsletters) and establish knowledge management systems that allow staff to have shared access to documentation related to the CO
· Lead the Country Annual Reporting Process and support the dissemination of strategic programme findings including evaluations, research, programme success stories.
· Coordinate field visits by member staff, donors and others as needed, in close liaison with admin, logistics and field office teams
· Establish Standard Operating Procedures for the management of all visits to the Niger CO programs including standards for briefings, debriefings, evaluations and communications. Disseminate and train staff in the implementation of these SOPs
· Keep abreast of current programme portfolio including attending programme visits, and develop strategies to link evidence from programme to advocacy work
Staff Management, Mentorship, and Development· Ensure appropriate staffing within CO to undertake Advocacy, Campaigning, Communications and Media Relations work
· Ensure that all staff understand and are able to perform their role in an emergency
· Manage Advocacy, Communication and Campaigns Team; define expectations, provide leadership and technical support as needed, and evaluate direct reports regularly
· Ensure the recruitment, training, and promotion of staff as appropriate and ensure availability of appropriate professional development opportunities for staff
· Incorporate staff development strategies and Performance Management Systems into team building process. Establish result based system and follow up
· Manage the performance of all staff in the advocacy, campaigning and communication work area through:
o Effective use of the Performance Management System including the establishment of clear, measureable objectives, ongoing feedback, periodic reviews and fair and unbiased evaluations;
o Coaching, mentoring and other developmental opportunities;
o Recognition and rewards for outstanding performance;
o Documentation of performance that is less than satisfactory, with appropriate performance improvements/ workplans
SKILLS 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 the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved
Ambition:· Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to do the same
· Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
· Future orientated, thinks strategically
Collaboration:· Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, members and external partners and supporters
· Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
· Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to
Creativity:· Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
· Willing to take disciplined risks
Integrity:· Honest, encourages openness and transparency
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Masters’ degree in an area of social development, communications or equivalent.A general appreciation of the issues concerning the INGO sector with an in-depth knowledge in communications, marketing and/or fundraisingRecommended a minimum of 7 years’ management experience in a corporate or an NGO environment, with experience in successfully leading the development and implementation of communication and campaign strategies for an international humanitarian organisation, preferably in Niger, or the West & Central Africa Region.Demonstrable track record of leading change which has led to significant results for the organisation and their stakeholdersHighly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coachingHighly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and culturesStrong results orientation, with the ability to challenge existing mind setsAbility to present complex information in a succinct and compelling mannerExperience of building personal networks, resulting in securing significant new opportunities for the organisationHas a strong international network within media and marketing to drawExcellent writing and presentation skills in English and French. Similar skills in Hausa / Djarma and other local languages an advantagePreferred: experience and skills in using computer software, publishing packages, web-design and knowledge management systems to produce and manage high quality communications materials for presentations, publications and internet/xtranetAbility and willingness to dramatically change work practices and hours, and work with incoming surge teams, in the event of emergenciesWillingness to travel to Save the Children’s field offices and operational areas on a regular basisExperience of solving complex issues through analysis, definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy inUnderstanding of Save the Children’s vision and mission and a commitment to its objectives and values.
The OrganisationWe 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 realise 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 workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.
Application Information:Please apply using a cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document. Please also include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations.
We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply
Applicants are advised that Save the Children International does not require any payment or expense during the entire recruitment process. Any request in this direction should be immediately reported as contrary to the values and practices of our organization.
13 DEC 2020 – 22:59 UTC
NIAMEY, NIGER
ADVOCACY, CAMPAIGNS AND POLICY
FIXED-TERM CONTRACT
FULL-TIMEPOSTULER