Position: Regional Policy and Advocacy Officer
Location: Lomé, Togo (West Africa)
Contract Type: Fixed Term for One Year Starting (by
March 2024)
1. About Caritas Africa
Caritas Africa is formally linked to the Catholic Church as one of the 7 Regions of the global Caritas Internationalis Confederation. Africa Region groups together 46 National Caritas organisations in 46 African countries including adjacent islands in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
It is an International Non-Profit Charity Organisation headquartered in Lomé, Togo; whose function is to promote cooperation and harmonize the work of Caritas members of the Africa Region, in conformity with the priorities determined by the General Assembly of Caritas Internationalis (CI).
The purpose of Caritas Africa is to assist the Catholic Church in Africa in carrying out its social-pastoral ministry of spreading charity and justice by assisting the poor and the needy, responding to humanitarian emergencies, promoting community development and resilience and advocating for peace and respect for the human rights according to the Holy Scriptures and the Teachings of the Catholic Church.
2. Position description
Caritas Africa has defined Advocacy as a critical element of its mission and one of the key StrategicOrientations in its 2024-2030 Strategic Framework and is seeking a dedicated, motivated and passionate Advocacy & Policy Officer to oversee this work. The post-holder will coordinate the Caritas Africa work on advocacy & policy, implementing and monitoring Caritas Africa’s Advocacy Strategy across the key thematic areas of: Democratic Governance and leadership, Food Systems and Climate Change, Effective Multilateralism and Local Leadership in Humanitarian, Development and Peace Sectors.
They will be a Caritas Africa full-time employee, managed by the Caritas Africa Regional Coordinator and working closely with the chair of the Caritas Africa Advocacy Committee. The post is initially for one year and renewable based on the availability of funds.
3. Job Profile
This role will work closely with Caritas Africa member organisations, other Regions of Caritas Internationalis, Caritas Africa Advocacy Committee Members, civil society networks in Africa, Europe and beyond, Religious Congregations and Continental Catholic Bodies such as SECAM. The position will also engage with Continental and Global institutions such as the African Union, European Union, United Nations, Continental civil society networks and other like-minded faith communities.
An ideal candidate will be committed to strengthen the voice of the Catholic Church in Africa on issues of social justice; they will be a clear communicator, relationally focused and able to engage with a wide range of stakeholders.They will have experience in policy development and advocacy at grassroots and continental level and will be able to develop, deliver and monitor advocacy work across a broad and diverse network.
4. Key responsibilities:
They will play a leading role in terms of a) policy and advocacy strategy implementation; b) organisational representation; c) accompaniment.
They will play a leading role in terms of a) policy and advocacy strategy implementation; b) organisational representation; c) accompaniment.
a) Policy and Advocacy Strategy Implementation
- Developing of the Caritas Africa 2024-2027 Regional Strategy on Advocacy and harmonizing it with the SECAM’s and the Caritas Internationalis strategy;
- Coordinating the implementation of advocacy strategies in Caritas Africa’s key areas (Democratic Governance and Leadership responsive to Human Rights; Public Debt Management, Food systems and Climate Change; Human Mobility (international, internal, economic migrants, asylum seekers, all included);
- Monitoring and Evaluation of the Caritas Africa Advocacy Strategy, including development of appropriate tools;
- Coordinating the development of Caritas Africa policy positions including: statements and policy
briefs.
b) Organisational Representation
- Representation of Caritas Africa’s policy positions externally through participating in international meetings/conferences across Africa or internationally;
- Regular participation in conference calls and webinars;
- Represent Caritas Africa or CIMOs in other meetings as delegated.
c) Advocacy Accompaniment
- Accompanying different Caritas Member Organisations and Focal Points both remotely and in person in advocacy strategy development, implementation and monitoring as well as policy formulation;
- Organising meetings, conferences and training sessions as needed.
5. Key Working Relationships:
- Internal: National Caritas organisations, Caritas Africa Advocacy Committee Members and Caritas Africa Member Organizations Advocacy Focal Points, Caritas Internationalis, Caritas Europa and other CI MOs supporting Caritas Africa;
- External: Other national and international NGOs/Organizations working on and involved in Advocacy, other Catholic Bodies e.g SECAM, Religious Congregations, African and European Civil Society networks
6. Required Qualifications and Experience
6.1. Qualifications & Skills:
- Masters’ Degree or equivalent experience in international development, Diplomacy, International Relations or related field;
- Evidence of five years’ experience in International Advocacy targeting decision makers in the: African Union, European Union, the UNFCCC, Governments;
- Experience in multi-sector program design for advocacy, including rapid assessment;
- Experience working with local partner organizations; faith communities and civil society networks;
- Demonstrated understanding of Caritas Internationalis Guidelines on Advocacy;
- Good knowledge of Ecclesial networks, including Caritas and advocacy actors in Africa;
- Ability to cultivate good relationships of fraternal cooperation with: the local Church structures, the representatives of the sister member organizations of Caritas Internationalis supporting programs of Caritas Africa, the 46 member organizations of Caritas Africa and other partners sharing the vision, mission, work values and principles of Caritas;
- Experience with advocacy team leadership, program design, proposal development, administration and financial oversight, campaigns coordination;
- Proposal development (proposals and reports) writing skills;
- Proficient in security protocols and management of advocacy programs in insecure environments;
- Experience with and enthusiasm for coaching, mentoring and on the job training;
- Proven facilitation, planning and coordination skills;
- Ability to maintain performance expectations and strong working relationships in diverse cultural contexts, psychologically & physically stressful environments.
6.2. Required Foreign Language:
- English language proficiency (spoken and written).
- Ability to communicate in French and/or Portuguese is an added bonus.
7. Required Travel:
Travel of approximately 50%, Caritas Africa is committed to exploring alternative ways of working to reduce its environmental footprint.
8. Work Environment:
- Ability to live and work in disaster affected areas;
- Ability to deploy on short notice (within 48-72 hours) when needed.
9. Disclaimer:
This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.
10. Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults
- Caritas Africa recognizes the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect. Caritas Africa and all its staff and volunteers undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse. Caritas Africa’s committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount.
- Any candidate offered a job with Caritas Africa will be expected to adhere to the Safeguarding Policy and sign Caritas Africa’s Code of Conduct and Code of Ethics and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.
11. Location
The Advocacy and Policy Officer will be based in Lomé, Togo.
12. Requirements for the application process
a. cover letter (one page) explaining how your experience and skills fit with the person specification;
b. A current CV (not more than 2.5 pages);
c. Supporting documents or links to documents that demonstrate your experience in: International Advocacy; policy analysis, writing skills or media engagement.
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