Advocacy Specialist At CARE

CARE INTERNATIONAL IN UGANDA JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title

Advocacy Specialist

Name of Job Holder

TBC

Date of Hire

TBC

Job Grade and Step

E

Department/Program

APEAL III

Duty Station

Fort portal

Supervisor

Consortium Manager

Supervisees

None **

Status of JD

New

Revised

No Change

Expected travel time

40%

Date submitted to HR

Introduction **

CARE International in Uganda will be leading a Protection-focused project funded by ECHO in a consortium with Five other international NGOs and four local partners, intervening in general protection, GBV, and child protection, and targeting South Sudanese and Congolese refugees in Uganda. CARE will be responsible for the implementation of general protection and GBV in Kyangwali and Imvepi settlement. All CARE staff must adhere to and model CARE’s core values, commitment to gender equity and diversity, and safeguarding policies, as well as promote the various complaints, feedback, and reporting mechanisms.

Job Summary

As a member of the senior project team of APEAL, the advocacy specialist is responsible for providing technical support and leadership to the project on advocacy. S/he will support and lead CARE and partners in influencing the implementation of relevant international, regional, and national level frameworks for the protection of women and girls’ socio-economic rights, promotion of a life free from violence, and for women to have Peace and Security (WPS). The advocacy Specialist will provide leadership on evidence-based advocacy on the above-mentioned topics, strengthen the capacities of CARE’s partners and women, youth, and refugee-led organizations, and support their advocacy initiatives and actions, networking and collaboration with relevant stakeholders and networks/alliances/working groups at local, national, regional, and international level and introducing social accountability mechanisms. The advocacy specialist will also ensure external communication and visibility of advocacy successes as well as wider project outcomes. S/he also will support the MEAL function and ensures lessons learned and the impact of the above interventions during project implementation are captured and disseminated.

Responsibility 1: Evidence-based advocacy 40%

• Lead on implementation of the advocacy commitments stipulated in APEAL and strengthen functionality of coordinated advocacy initiatives across APEAL partners.
• Identify advocacy issues and lead/guide on evidence-based advocacy actions of APEAL.
• Work collaborating with other Country Office (CO) advocacy staff and / or CO projects working on similar advocacy issues.
• Work in alliance with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), particularly with the women movements but also with women, youth and refugee led CSOs and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to advocate on identified issues.
• Actively coordinate with the REF (Refugee Engagement Forum) task force to ensure increased functionality of REF.
• Develop and disseminate advocacy briefs, position papers, etc as required for different advocacy interventions.
• Contribute to the implementation of CARE Uganda’s Advocacy Strategy and the advocacy pillar of the Great Lakes GBV Impact Growth Strategy.
• Support the monitoring of the enforcement of the 3rd National Action Plan (NAP) on UNSCR 1325, UNSCR 1820 and the Goma Declaration and its localization in Gulu and Arua Districts.
• Specifically oversee interventions at Community, District and National level aimed at increased implementation of the Domestic Violence Act 2010 working in close coordination with CEDOVIP and with CARE as an active member of the National Domestic Violence Act Coalition.
• Introduce and support social accountability mechanisms like Community Score Cards and policy dialogue for citizens and refugees to hold their leaders accountable on the enforcement of the various policies and frameworks.
• Support implementation of the Policy Dialogue initiative within APEAL
• Undertake relevant policy dialogues targeting different actors.

Responsibility 2: Strengthening of capacities of different stakeholders 15%

• Capacity Building for CARE, partners and women, youth and refugee led organizations and activist groups focusing on knowledge and skills required for effective advocacy.
• Build capacity of targeted community structures eg Refugee Engagement Forum and the Refugee Welfare Councils to effectively perform their role, monitor and advocate for implementation of key policies.
• Provide advice to Consortium partners in the development and implementation of their advocacy strategies, and in specific advocacy campaigns.
• Work closely with other projects implementing in refugee context to identify critical issues for POCs and develop and implement advocacy activities to address them.
• Communicate effectively with local partners and project participants to monitor implementation, identify project or capacity gaps and advocacy issues, identify / anticipate emerging and / or unanticipated risks and addressing these accordingly in liaison with team members, CARE Uganda and CARE Austria.

Responsibility 3: Networking 15%

• Establish and maintain networks and alliances with local, national, and regional (in collaboration with Great Lakes IGS team) advocacy/coalition organizations and participate in relevant local, national, and regional working groups and networks.
• Membership and participation in relevant CARE platforms, networks, and associations relevant international advocacy team, etc) regarding advocacy and communications.
• Collaborate closely with the Advocacy Subgroup of the INGO Refugee Network that aims at influencing several key issues affecting refugees though the CRRF and in collaboration with International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) seconded expert to the CRRF Secretariat and follow up on relevant elements of the CCRF Road Map.

Responsibility 4: Communications 15%

• Develop and disseminate external communication materials on the project and on advocacy actions, including publications, social media, audiovisual materials, in line with CI Communication Policy and protocols.
• Provide capacity building to Consortium partners to enhance their communications capacities.
• Produce and disseminate advocacy materials based on evidence generated by the project.
• Contribute to the production of regional and international advocacy materials and messages, in close cooperation with APEAL partners.

Responsibility 5: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) 10%

• Work closely with MEAL of CO and project to ensure advocacy activities of APEAL are measured using CARE’s Advocacy Impact Measurement tools and are reported into PIRRS, CARE International’s system to report on CO’s reach and impact.
• With support from MEAL team, train implementing partners in monitoring and evaluation of advocacy activities.
• Review the M&E systems/ key advocacy indicators and support team to monitor the quality and impact of the implementation of all advocacy activities, ensuring data is tracked by age, gender, origin, refugee’s status etc,);
• Contribute to generating and documenting lessons learnt and knowledge on all advocacy activities, writing briefs and papers to capture these.

Active contribution and participation in knowledge management processes and products, under the leadership / co-coordinated by the Consortium Manager, MEAL Specialist and CARE Austria.

Responsibility #6: Promote Gender Equity and Diversity and Safeguarding Practices (5%)

• Practice a behavior consistent with CARE’s core values, and promotion of gender equity and diversity goals.
• Plays a leadership role in identifying and implementing initiatives that enhance CARE’s commitment to gender and diversity.
• Ensure that CARE Safeguarding policies and procedures are adhered to by all and the staff that S/he supervisors both directly or indirectly.
• Ensure that staff and related personnel under your jurisdiction are familiar with the following organizational policies and procedures and can identify when needed how these may have been breached; The CI Safeguarding policy, Protection from Sexual Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse and Child Abuse, The anti-discrimination and harassment policy, The code of conduct and the organizations Values.

Responsibility 7: Any other duties assigned 5%

• Engage in Networking forums

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Excellence: Sets high standards of performance for self and/or others; successfully completes assignments; sets standards of excellence rather than having standards imposed; ensures interactions and transactions are ethical and convey integrity.

• Integrity: Maintains social, ethical, and organizational norms; firmly adheres to codes of conduct and ethical principles inherent to CARE.

• Communicating with Impact: Diplomatically, logically, and clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the recipient / audience and helps them understand and retain their message.

• Facilitating Change: Supports and manages the change process at CARE Uganda by developing a culture affirmative of change; encouraging others to seek and act upon opportunities for different and innovative approaches to addressing problems and opportunities; critically analyzing evolving and fluid situations; facilitating the implementation and acceptance of change within the workplace; actively engaging with resistance to change.

• Strengthening Partnership: Identifying and utilizing opportunities within and outside of CARE Uganda to develop effective strategic relationships between one’s area and other areas/departments/units or external organizations to achieve CARE’s objectives.

• Management Excellence: Makes the connection between values and performance. Influences the performance of others, and ultimately, the performance of the organization. Sets direction, coaches & develops, promotes staff wellness & safety, practices & promotes compliance, models gender equity & diversity, communicates effectively.

• Developing Teams: Using appropriate methods and a flexible interpersonal style to help build a cohesive team; facilitates the completion of team goals.

• Diversity: Promoting, valuing, respecting and fully benefiting from everyone’s unique qualities, background, race, culture, age, gender, disability, values, lifestyle, perspectives or interests; creating and maintaining a work environment that promotes diversity.

• Adaptability: Expected to well adjust with the country, the Co-operating environment and with the Project team to function effectively and efficiently

• Coaching: Ability to demonstrate to enhance skills and capacity of staff working in the field and office for them continue to serve CARE in the future program activities

WORK CONDITIONS

The position is based in Fort Portal.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree required in relevant subject area (human rights, gender studies, international humanitarian law, advocacy communications development) or equivalent work experience;
• A post graduate Diploma/ Masters in a related filed is a MUST.
• Advanced technical knowledge and at least 5 years of hands on proven practical professional experience in a senior Advocacy role tackling relevant topics such advocacy for refugee response, understanding of key policy frameworks guiding refugee response internationally and nationally, GBV advocacy, community led advocacy, displacement, and refugee rights, etc;

· Experience in capacity building on advocacy processes and tools.

• Unshakable commitment to gender equality and clear understanding of GED
• Experience working with large, cross cultural teams with multiple deliverables.
• Excellent team work, networking, communication and collaboration skills with a wide range of actors, both within the CARE International network, the Great Lakes IGS team on GBV, the CARE International Advocacy team and other actors on a number of deliverables
• Experience/ knowledge of international development and relevant humanitarian frame works, refugee rights, preferably in Uganda.
• Ability to network, build relationships and establish collaboration with different partners, agencies local and international networks.
• Ability to link with community activists and social movements and experience/ understanding of the SASA methodology.
• Strong inter-personal communication and facilitation skills.
• Knowledge of Monitoring and Evaluation for advocacy interventions plus strong skills report writing, documentation and presentation.

· Experience with social media, digital media highly desired

• Knowledge of some of the local languages used in the participating districts are considered an added value.

SIGNATURES:

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