ADVOCACY & COMMUNICATION ADVISOR

Work Location:                     Dem Rep of Congo - Goma

Other Possible Locations:            

Expected Travel:                 

Language Requirement:  

Employee Duration:           Active Full-Time

Type of Post:                         Accompanied - Family

Funding:                                  Approved

*For U.S.-based positions, applicants who are not currently employed by CARE must be U.S. citizens or authorized to work in the United States.

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 Our diversity is our strength; we encourage people from all 
backgrounds and experiences, particularly women, to apply.

                                                  

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DESCRIPTION

CARE is currently seeking an Advocacy and Communication Advisor (ACA). Under the supervision of the Country Director, the primary role of the ACA is to lead the CO advocacy initiatives and ensure communication flows about the Country Office work in DRC.  The position holder will ensure the CO has developed and implement a coherent advocacy and communication strategies through the overall programming. He/she makes sure relevant advocacy and communication opportunities are utilized during emergencies in order to influence policy makers and to raise the profile of CARE’s work in the country. This will require capacity assessment around the Cos EPP in one hand and in another hand strengthening and streamlining existing information management systems to respond to demands from internal and external stakeholders.  The ACA will also help to develop and implement an advocacy agenda at field level related to identified program priorities that can be used to inform CI Members to influence broader / global advocacy work regarding the DRC.

Responsibilities:
Advocacy 

• Support the development and implementation of the CO advocacy strategy
• Build relationships with stakeholders in the field i.e. staff, partners and beneficiaries.
• Identify key DRC specific advocacy issues to address locally
• Collaborate with the CDs and other Senior program staff to identify and respond to key advocacy issues and feed DRC and the region perspectives advocacy issues into wider Great Lakes advocacy initiatives.
• Represent CARE in DRC based advocacy forums.
• Develop press releases to address the identified advocacy issues
• Represent CARE in INGO advocacy working group in the East
• Participate as need in advocacy meetings and events in Kinshasa
• Provide awareness raising and training to CARE staff on advocacy and communications approaches and principles.
• Support de development and the updating of the CO’s advocacy strategies and tools as needed

Information Management and Data Collection 

• Through desk and field research identify, collate and store effectively, materials relevant to program activities and advocacy priorities.
• Attend internal briefings and external meetings (e.g. cluster meetings in Goma and Kinshasa Advocacy Working Groups) representing CARE and its work in the field.
• Produce regular sitrep to share within CARE network
• Contribute updated material for CO websites and other electronic information sharing forums.
• Act as a reference/contact point for CARE DRC staff on general information requests related to DRC and CARE program activities.
• Ensure effectiveness and functioning of existing information management systems and information resource availability

Communication

• Assist Country Office in the production or updates of necessary materials to disseminate information throughout CARE International and externally. Such materials may include situation reports, programme strategy, fact sheets, briefing notes, annual report etc.
• Undertake field visits as appropriate to collect and produce human interest stories from the field, carry out interviews with staff and beneficiaries in the field and remain up to date on the unfolding context and CARE’s response.
• Support the communication and dissemination of research outputs from the programs. Provide editing support and identify formats and methodologies appropriate to effective sharing of findings.
• Build and maintain local media contacts, supporting journalists researchers and others in awareness raising on key advocacy issues and CARE’s program activities.

Capacity Building

• Build staff capacity in producing Human Interest Stories, success stories, blog etc to illustrate CARE’s work in the field.
• Conduct Staff capacity assessment in the COs in communication and advocacy
• Design and implement staff and partners capacity building initiatives

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in International law, Communication or social science or in related field
• 2-3 years in similar position in development field
• Degree in Communications, International Law, Social Sciences, Information Management or similar
• Experience in emergency and in post conflict context
• At least 3 years experience in advocacy, communications and information dissemination
• Proven experience  of communicating information and advocacy with a wide range of different audiences
• Ability to review and edit reports and other written documentation for dissemination and publication
• Ability to collect and analyse information and undertake research under potentially difficult and constraining conditions.
• Ability to develop and present information and communication products for a range of different audiences
• Experience of media liaison and media tools e.g. photography, video etc.
• Awareness of potential sensitivity of information in the context of CARE’s emergency response and development programming and ability to differentiate between information for internal versus external audiences.
• Willingness to work and travel in difficult circumstances and adhere to agreed security procedures.

Apply now