Strategic Communication and Advocacy Manager – CAADP 237 views0 applications

About Policy LINK

The USAID Feed the Future Policy LINK program strengthens the capacity of local actors and institutions to lead and manage the agricultural transformation process and contribute effectively and collectively to improved, broad-based food security policy outcomes.

Specifically, the program aims to strengthen food security policy systems by investing in and reinforcing productive human and social capital and developing strategic partnerships that help bring these innovations and capacity investments to scale to achieve a critical mass of local actors with the ability and opportunity to effect positive policy change through collective action.
Policy LINK’s general approach is grounded in facilitative leadership and collaborative governance, which emphasize engaging stakeholders from civil society and the public and private sectors in consensus-oriented decision-making, collaborative problem-solving, and adaptive learning.

The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) is one important policy initiative supported by Policy LINK, with support from the USAID Bureau for Resilience and Food Security (RFS). The CAADP framework guides continental efforts to achieve agricultural transformation, wealth creation, food and nutrition security, economic growth, and prosperity. Policy LINK provides technical, facilitation, coordination, and logistical support to CAADP, including supporting the Biennial Review (BR) process, CAADP Partnership Platform (PP) and Malabo Policy Learning Event (MAPLE), inclusive stakeholder engagement processes, and business plan implementation support. Policy LINK will expand this support to include facilitating African Union (AU) stakeholders’ efforts to define the post-Malabo agenda and offer other support based on the need, interest, and responsiveness of the AU and the availability of resources.

Position Objectives

This position will support communication, learning, and advocacy for Policy LINK’s CAADP work. The Manager will provide thought leadership and bring innovative thinking in communication to support technical design, implementation, and reporting of CAADP-related activities. S/he will design and implement communication and advocacy activities as well as support stakeholder engagements, outreach, and learning activities to promote the CAADP agenda and related Policy LINK project objectives.

As part of Policy LINK’s global communications community of practice, the Manager will reinforce a unified brand for the program, operationalizing specific global principles and approaches to ensure consistency across the project, liaising with communications colleagues in other parts of the world to share best practice and ensure compliance with the program’s USAID-approved branding and marking plan, and participating in Policy LINK global communication meetings. S/he will interface with the global communications director to ensure CAADP communication efforts and products are compliant with the global program’s overall messaging and USAID guidelines.

The objectives of this position are to:

• Ensure that communication is a key component of CAADP, used strategically for effective outcome and impact and to enhance capacity and outreach; stimulate learning and action; and emphasize the creation and sustainable use of dissemination, networking and learning processes, tools, and products driven by the AU and its partners.
• Develop strategies to ensure that CAADP activities are inclusive and fully promoted among key audiences, using communication to sensitize, mobilize, and engage diverse CAADP constituencies to support and implement CAADP activities.
• Develop strategies to successfully deliver communication and advocacy functions and outcomes for the CAADP process and strengthen advocacy by key stakeholder groups.
• Support effective documentation of CAADP processes, activities, and lessons, working closely with teams to compile, manage, and share relevant CAADP and project resources and reports to support overall learning and reporting.
• Contribute to and support Policy LINK’s overall communication needs, including communication with USAID and key partners.

The Strategic Communication and Advocacy Manager will help to position communication efforts as a core part of CAADP implementation. The manager will support African Union Department for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (AU-DARBE) and New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUC-NEPAD) and CAADP partners to develop a communication and advocacy strategy and support its implementation. The manager will also work with individual Policy LINK activity teams to ensure that communications is used strategically for greater outreach and impact, and to create sustainable stakeholder-driven mechanisms and platforms for engagement, networking, and learning. This includes playing a critical role in enhancing engagement and inclusivity of certain CAADP constituencies (e.g., youth, women, non-state actors), building strong coalitions and synergy within these groups to enhance their inclusivity, active representation, and voice in CAADP processes and decision-making at country level.

In addition, the manager will work closely with the Policy LINK team to undertake and support internal and external project-wide communication, advocacy, and learning activities to achieve overall Policy LINK objectives. This will include supporting the design and implementation of project communication, knowledge management and learning plan, integration of communication strategies and tools in buy-in activities, supporting activity teams to develop communication tools and products, stakeholder engagement, and project reporting.

S/he will continually reinforce Policy LINK’s core purpose and principles and ensure all decision-making is rooted in the purpose and principles. S/he will contribute to a communication and learning environment in which personal and team growth is supported, with a shared understanding that the “team” always comes before the “individual.”

Detailed Roles and Responsibilities

The Strategic Communications and Advocacy Manager will manage all aspects of communication, knowledge management, learning, and advocacy, to support the implementation of CAADP, and to contribute to Policy LINK communication needs, with the support of the CAADP Program Lead, East Africa Regional Director, and Strategic Communications Director.
The communications manager will:

Support AU to develop and implement communication strategy for CAADP. The manager will provide proactive communication support to make communication a substantive CAADP activity that enhances outreach, advocacy, learning, and behavior change.

Specific tasks include:

• Support AU to develop communication strategy to meet the objectives of CAADP.
• Technical input and guidance on matters relating to communication and advocacy and build capacity of AU CAADP team to execute communication strategy and to develop tools and products to promote CAADP agenda.
• Develop strong relationship with AU CAADP team, strategic partners, CAADP technical teams, working groups, coalitions, and platforms for effective planning, co-creation, coordination, and execution of CAADP activities.
• Support AU to develop appropriate communication tools and products to facilitate dissemination and outreach, awareness, dialogue, learning and commitment as well as adoption and scale across CAADP constituencies and platforms. This includes supporting the use of CAADP reports and documents (i.e., the CAADP Framework, Business Plan, and Biennial Review [BR] reports) among key CAADP constituencies and through events and platforms; and supporting AU’s initiatives to mobilize, engage, and educate decision makers at continental, regional, and national levels.
• Support engagement and advocacy work of specific CAADP groups through i) development and implementation of strategies to enhance groups’ engagement and influence in CAADP processes and events and ii) development and use of strategic advocacy channels and tools to achieve relevant advocacy outcomes for CAADP. This will include facilitating groups of youth, women, parliamentarians, media, and private sector representatives, and civil society actors to strengthen structures and processes to continue to engage in, coordinate, lead, or collaboratively undertake CAADP activities.
• Lead, envision, and execute specific Policy LINK activities that are linked to CAADP but which are not directly implemented by AU.

Provide communication support and services to planned CAADP events, processes, and platforms. This area focuses on providing communication support to Policy LINK-facilitated CAADP meetings (virtual and in person), workshops, training, Technical Working Groups (TWGs), and other platforms, including:

• Supporting design and content development of tools and products as well as documentation and reporting (e.g., working with the global communications team to prepare and share highlights, slide decks, policy briefs, press releases, and reports, including materials generated for Policy LINK through contractors).
• Coordinating communication activities between AU CAADP, Policy LINK, and key CAADP partners for the planned CAADP activities and events.
• Developing promotional materials to pitch the planned events to media and to ensure they are appropriately disseminated through available channels to grow participation and engagement in CAADP. This includes content to sustain and maintain an active and vibrant online presence through existing Policy LINK social media and website channels.

Support Policy LINK communication needs, including communication with USAID RFS, Bilateral Missions, and other external parties. This may involve but not be limited to:

• Supporting project-wide Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) and reporting activities to capture, evaluate, produce and disseminate learning, research, and results to targeted audiences, ensuring strong technical content, clear messaging, and presentation. This includes CAADP reports, stories for the Policy LINK website, activity reports, and project reports to USAID.
• Working closely with Policy LINK MEL team, the manager will promote the use of (internal and external) knowledge management platforms, tools, products, and approaches in CAADP processes, and where applicable provide inputs to strengthen project-wide knowledge management initiatives, ensuring these platforms are updated and populated with key learning materials.
• Support the development and implementation of the Policy LINK learning agenda to ensure that learning and knowledge products are designed for and disseminated to key project audiences.

Carry out any other relevant duties as may be required, as part of Policy LINK’s communications team, including communication support to Policy LINK’s Kenya Program.

Reporting

The Strategic Communications and Advocacy Manager will report to the CAADP Program Lead with dotted line to the Strategic Communications Director.

Supervisory Responsibilities

S/he may supervise specific deliverables of specialized communications vendors, including for videography, data visualization, photography, event production, graphic design, and technical report writing.

Qualifications

Master’s degree or equivalent experience in communications, international relations, public relations, policy, or related field.

Experience

• Minimum seven years of experience in a high-profile communications role, including designing communication, press and marketing strategies, oversight and design of strategic communication activities, and multi-media and multi-stakeholder platforms.
• Significant experience in project management, policy change, and advocacy (at national, regional and continental levels), preferably with a focus on agriculture, trade, or economic development.
• An understanding of CAADP and national, regional, or continental policy processes is preferred but not a must.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with demonstrated experience in working with diverse stakeholders and senior leadership at institutional, national, and continental level.
• Excellent oral, written, design, and interpersonal communications skills, with demonstrated ability to write high quality reports and briefs.
• Experience using different communication tools and channels for advocacy and to create awareness, enhance stakeholder participation and commitment, and build greater impact.
• Experience working with USAID-funded projects will be an added advantage.

Skills

• Highly organized with ability to prioritize tasks and manage tasks efficiently to achieve deliverables within a planned time.
• Ability to work well in diverse teams, lead activity teams, and support the work of others to achieve results. Self-motivated and flexible, with a problem-solving attitude and ability to work in a fast-paced and highly evolving environment with shifting priorities and occasional heavy workloads.