Policy Officer 281 views0 applications

The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is an African-led and Africa-based international research institute engaged in multidisciplinary, evidence-informed policy research. Our researchers are contributing to the body of evidence about the critical issues in population health and wellbeing impeding Africa’s development in order to provide strong direction and recommendations to policy- and decision-makers at all levels. Our commitment to policy engagement, advocacy, management and learning is a critical component of our evidence generation and knowledge translation model. We recognize that institutionalizing a culture of evidence requires stronger capacity – both within APHRC and among the stakeholders with whom we engage in order to deliver development impacts.

APHRC has embarked on a four-year research-to-policy program called ‘challenging the politics of social exclusion’ (CPSE). The program seeks to support the full domestication and translation into practice of continental commitments, forged collectively by African States. This is to enhance the sexual and reproductive health and realize the rights of all, including young people and women, in pursuit of the aspirations of Agenda 2063 and development that leaves no one behind. The aim of the CPSE program is to act as a critical and neutral knowledge partner to the constellation of actors working towards the full domestication and implementation of continental commitments on sexual and reproductive health, and the rights of Africa’s young people and women. As a knowledge partner, CPSE will work to support these actors in developing and deploying effective, evidence-based advocacy, specifically on three focal SRHR issues:

1) The sexual and reproductive health and the rights of adolescents;

2) Access to safe abortion and post-abortion care; and

3) The discrimination of marginalized sexual and gender minority groups.

Project Approach

CPSE’s work is anchored on partnerships with key government and civil society bodies at the regional and sub-regional levels, in Eastern, Southern and Western Africa in seven countries: Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, and Liberia. Across these geographies, CPSE encompasses three key pillars of work, namely:

1) Research – generating policy-relevant evidence;

2) Supporting the use of evidence in advocating for change; and

3) Strengthening capacities of policy partners to use evidence and learning to achieve change.

The APHRC seeks to recruit a Policy Officer to work in the CPSE project within the Policy Engagement and Communications Division. The officer will report to the CPSE Advocacy Manager, while working closely with the CPSE project team, the Policy Engagement and Communications Division (PEC) and other APHRC units. Externally, the officer will work closely with national parliaments, Civil Society Organizations, UN agencies such UNFPA, WHO; regional economic groups such as EAC, EALA, SADC PF and ECOWAS/WAHO among others.

Duties/Responsibilities

1. Coordinate and work with the CPSE policy team in management of partnerships.
2. Coordinate policy engagement, communications and capacity strengthening activities for partners.
3. Respond to rapid response requests from partners while managing the rapid response service.
4. Work closely with the CPSE research team to develop knowledge translation products such as evidence briefs, policy briefs, fact sheets and others for partners.
5. Conduct policy analysis on relevant issues related to CPSE thematic areas.
6. Work closely with the project team in ensuring compliance with donor requirements such as writing of annual progress reports and updates to the project funder.
7. Provide support to the wider Policy Engagement and Communications Division as requested including writing division’s reports and fundraising efforts.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience

● Master’s degree in public health, public policy, public administration and social policy, anthropology, economics, politics and internal relations, or sociology.

● At least three years’ post-qualification experience in advocacy, policy engagement and a year in research and analysis in sexual and reproductive health (including quantitative and qualitative), needed to build an evidence base from which you will work.

● Excellent communication (written and spoken) skills to absorb complex information and present it to different audiences in a clear and accessible way.

● Good interpersonal skills, to work and build relationships with a wide range of people holding different views.

● Experience of policy development and advocacy in social or economic policy areas at a national level, regional or international level.

● Production of high quality written work to influence policy outcomes.

● Experience working with different stakeholder including NGOs, CSOs and government bodies such as EAC, AU, SADC and ECOWAS/WAHO to inform and influence policy development would be an advantage.

● Experience and evidence of fundraising work.

● Good organization skills, to track priorities, work to deadlines and manage projects.

● Flexible and adaptable approach, in order to respond to shifting priorities and a rapidly evolving external environment.

● The ability and desire to acquire and maintain knowledge of a policy area or areas with a focus on sexual and reproductive health.