Action Against Hunger-USA is part of the Action Against Hunger International network, which provides humanitarian relief in over 40 countries worldwide in the sectors of nutrition, health, water/sanitation, and food security. Action Against Hunger-USA, an independent NGO, currently manages operations in 8 countries: Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda and Action Against Hunger-USA has over $70 million in programs, and approximately 1,600 permanent staff based in New York City, Washington D.C, Nairobi, and country offices. Additional growth is anticipated.

Summary of position

The Regional Advocacy and Communication Specialist will lead the Advocacy and Communications Unit to expand Action Against Hunger’s advocacy, partnerships and communication reach across national government and targeted regional decision-makers and position the organization as a leading voice on nutrition security. He/she will lead the integration of advocacy and communication efforts throughout organizational initiatives and programmes in accordance with the strategic plan. S/he will lead the development of evidence-based policy positions in close coordination with technical experts, coordinate policy and advocacy activities, and represent Action Against Hunger in regional and national networks and forums.

Purpose:

Formulate Action Against Hunger Regional Advocacy Strategy for Horn and East Africa, i strengthen the integration of advocacy and communications into programmes and build the capacity of staff to engage in advocacy communications at National, Regional and Global levels.

Engagement:

Engage with Local and Regional networks to collectively influence nutrition security policies and practices; Track Organizational engagement efforts and advise Management on opportunities to engage stakeholders and promote research and learning to influence policies.

KEY ACTIVITIES IN YOUR ROLE WILL INCLUDE

• Develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate Action Against Hunger East Africa regional advocacy, and partnership strategy and activities with the support of the technical team.
• Coordinate Action Against Hunger participation in advocacy working groups, networks and alliances, and external engagement with policy makers at regional level.
• Working in close collaboration with Action Against Hunger network advocacy colleagues, ensure complementarity and coherence of messages across National, Regional, and Global levels
• Lead on the development and implementation of Action Against Hunger regional communications strategy in collaboration with the New York Communications team.
• Produce high-quality content to support positive advocacy and communication of Action Against Hunger’s programs and advocacy activities in region.
• Support generation of high-quality communication and advocacy materials, especially stories, case studies, quotes, photographs, short videos, in partnership with the New York Communications team.
• Engage local and national media and journalists to support positive communication of Action Against Hunger’s programs and advocacy activities in region and countries.
• Manage regional advocacy grants, ensure activities are carried out and reported on in line with donor requirements.
• Lead the development of successful advocacy funding proposals, preparing narratives, log frames, and budgets in line with donor requirements, either as stand-alone proposals or integrated in larger regional grants.
• Provide technical assistance and training to Action Against Hunger country offices in order to enhance national advocacy capacity, ensuring complementarity between international, regional and national advocacy and coherence of messages across the Action Against Hunger international network.
• As part of the Senior Management Team of Regional Office, support management to articulate priority advocacy and communications objectives and integrate advocacy into all programs, strategies and initiatives.

Physical demands

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit for long periods and to concentrate on work, including typing, and turn out heavy volumes of work accurately, within short time frames in the context of a moderately noisy office with many interruptions. Must be able to proofread own work accurately so that only minor corrections are needed on an infrequent basis.

Working Conditions , Travel Requirements

• The duties of the job require regular job attendance at least five days per week. Must be available to work outside normal office hours or on the weekends if required.
• Must be able to travel as required for standard domestic and international business purposes.
• While performing the duties of this job in the field, the employee may be exposed to precarious settings under high-security risks and/or very basic living conditions and outside weather conditions, as well as infectious diseases.

Gender Equality commitments & Zero Tolerance to Abuse

• Foster an environment that reinforces values of women and men, and equal access to information.
• Provide a work environment where women and men must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills and performance.
• Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all stakeholders, particularly for children, beneficiaries, and members of staff.
• Help to prevent any type of abuse including workplace harassment and sexual abuse and exploitation.
• Respect beneficiaries’ women, men, children (boys and girls) regardless of gender, sex orientation, disability, religion, race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or marital status.
• Value and respect all cultures.

Our Core values.

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate Action Against Hunger-USA-USA’s five core values

Respect – we work with compassion and dedication, treating everyone the same way we expect them to treat us.

Integrity – we believe that being honest and fair is integral to every aspect of our work; conducting our work with a spirit of sincerity, truthfulness and transparency is imperative.

Creativity – we encourage new ideas, embrace innovative solutions, and create opportunities for meaningful and exciting ways to do our jobs and provide solutions to address the needs of the populations we serve.

Excellence – we strive to provide services that meet, and even exceed, the expectations of our stakeholders (populations in need, staff, communities and donors).

Empowerment – we are committed to fostering an environment in which our staff, partners and communities where we work have the space to grow, develop and feel confident about participating.

Safeguarding Commitment

• Action Against Hunger holds strict Safeguarding principles and has zero-tolerance for conducts of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse in the workplace and other places where the organization’s activities are rendered. Parallel to technical competence, recruitment, selection and hiring decisions will give due emphasize to assessing candidates value congruence and thorough background checks, police clearance reference check processes.