Advocacy Fellow At MedGlobal

ABOUT MEDGLOBAL

MedGlobal is a humanitarian non-governmental organization working to save lives and serve vulnerable communities around the world by providing healthcare and building resilience. Our health services support refugees, displaced persons, and other marginalized communities in crisis-affected and low-resource settings.

CODE OF CONDUCT

The MedGlobal Code of Conduct reflects our core set of beliefs and values of care, respect, trust, and integrity. These beliefs and values are fundamental to MedGlobal employees, volunteers, interns, consultants, officers, coordinators, and directors to guide their practice and conduct. The Code is organized into categories, as follows:

1. Always act with fairness, honesty, integrity, and openness; respect the opinions of others and treat all with equality and dignity without regard to gender, race, colour, creed, ancestry, place of origin, political beliefs, religion, marital status, disability, age, or sexual orientation.
2. Provide a positive and valued experience for those receiving service within and outside MedGlobal.

POSITION OVERVIEW

As a small but rapidly growing organization, MedGlobal is looking for a Advocacy Fellow who is passionate about advocacy work focused on global health and humanitarian issues affecting communities in fragile and conflict-affected states. The Advocacy Fellow will work with the Director of Policy & Communications to strengthen MedGlobal’s strategic advocacy and policy engagement. They will assist with the promotion of our health work and humanitarian policies related to our countries of operations: Bangladesh, Colombia/ Venezuela, Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and beyond. The Advocacy Fellow will support the implementation of MedGlobal’s strategic priorities including helping to shape a global advocacy strategy, design a biannual advocacy action plan, and create a framework for future advocacy activities.

The Advocacy Fellowship is a full-time 6 month fellowship with a sizable stipend, with the intention of the Advocacy Fellow transitioning into a full-time employee upon successful completion. This is a remote position, with the ideal candidate based in DC or New York.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Advocacy and Policy Strategizing

• Assist with developing and updating MedGlobal’s advocacy strategy.
• Work with the Director of Policy and Communications and country teams to develop and adjust policy priorities related to MedGlobal’s countries of operations and health programming.
• Actively contribute to the development of departmental and organizational planning.
• Assist in the creation of organizational policies and procedures related to advocacy, policy, and media.

Policy Materials, Analysis, and Messaging

• Lead in the researching, drafting, and publication of specific reports related to MedGlobal’s areas of operations, and spearheads the coinciding advocacy strategy related to these reports.
• Research domestic policies, legislation, and potential advocacy actions related to humanitarian issues in MedGlobal’s countries of operation (Bangladesh, Colombia/ Venezuela, Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, Yemen) and global health issues, such as COVID-19 vaccine distribution, access to medical oxygen, etc.
• Analyze key policy trends in areas related to MedGlobal’s work.
• Produce materials such as position papers, talking points, action alerts, blog posts, and content for the website in consultation with the communications department.
• Develop briefing notes and talking points for both internal and external use on key policy issues.
• Brief MedGlobal staff, Board of Directors, Executive Director, and President on key advocacy and policy trends.
• Support the communications department in the drafting of press releases and op-eds.
• Initiate online and grassroots advocacy campaigns in coordination with the communications department.

Direct Advocacy

• Represent MedGlobal to a variety of stakeholders in virtual and in-person meetings, including with the US government, UN officials, and more.
• Build relationships with a wide variety of policy stakeholders and build upon MedGlobal’s advocacy contact list.
• Create advocacy strategies tailored to individual stakeholders, with a focus on Congress and the U.S. administration.
• Coordinate and participate in briefings, public actions, lobby days, and other policy related events in DC and NY as possible.
• Respond to requests for information from government officials, policymakers, and other stakeholders.

Partner Relations and Coordination

• Build strong relationships with MedGlobal’s country teams and support country teams on specific policy and advocacy initiatives.
• Lead in the development of relationships and partnerships with a range of local, regional, and international NGOs.
• Represent MedGlobal in key networks, ensuring that participation reflects the perspective of MedGlobal’s field experience and key policy priorities.
• Participate in several coalitions and working groups, including InterAction, Crisis Action, the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition, and the American Relief Coalition for Syria (ARCS).
• Build and maintain relationships with MedGlobal volunteers, health institutions, foundations, and associations to advance policy goals.

Events

• Coordinate special events such as the Annual Gala and MedGlobal Day.
• Represent the organization at events, which may include some travel.
• Develop and host online events, which highlight MedGlobal programs and advocacy positioning, ensuring key decision makers and stakeholders are present.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in international relations, public policy, public health, or related fields; Master’s degree preferred.
• At least 2-3 years of work or internship experience focused on advocacy or policy work around humanitarian issues and/ or MedGlobal’s countries of operation.
• Experience representing an organization in legislative and advocacy contexts on issues related to international humanitarian crises.
• Excellent advocacy, consensus-building, and coalition-building skills.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, and ability to analyze and articulate complex issues and to communicate them to a variety of audiences.
• Ability to manage several projects simultaneously, work well under pressure, and to adjust to frequently changing demands.
• Ability to lead and support relationship building with relevant partners domestically and internationally.
• Proficiency in Arabic or Spanish is a plus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

MedGlobal is an entirely remote team. Staff must have access to a good internet connection and a laptop, and should plan to be available during the 9am – 5pm EST workday.