Advocacy Officer

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job title:  Advocacy Officer                                                              Work type:  Full-time

Department: Advocacy and Impact                                                 Start Date:  Immediately

Reports to: Program Manager                                                          Location: Dakar, Senegal

   Niyel is an international firm specializing in campaigns, advocacy, political influence, and public affairs, based in Dakar since 2008 with offices in Kigali and Port Louis. Its interventions cover all human rights issues and aim to ensure the respect, protection, and fulfillment of human rights.  We work to promote public policies conducive to the development of all and to influence practices to ensure that as citizens, individuals, and communities, we understand and defend our own rights while respecting those of others and assuming fully our responsibilities.  

In a nutshell, we are a diverse and dynamic team that provides innovative and creative advocacy and campaign strategies to support communities and organizations in their fight for social justice.  

Background

Niyel has : 

• A diverse and dynamic team from around the world 
• Almost 120 projects were carried out to influence policies and practices. 
• An experience in over 35 countries worldwide 
• Experience on a variety of themes such as health, sanitation, migration, environment, education, agriculture, nutrition, citizen participation, political campaigns, etc. 
• Collaboration and relationships built with hundreds of development organizations, governments of civil society as well as political and cultural actors

 Proven experience in: 

o research and analysis of situations and issues 

o the development of advocacy strategies and 

o the planning, implementation, and evaluation of campaigns.  

ABOUT YOU

As our Advocacy Officer you will utilize your communication skills to work across several Niyel led fellowship programs.  You will utilize your relationship management abilities to engage with fellows, media and mentors and demonstrate your event planning, project management and organizing skills and abilities.   

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

     Advocacy

• Responsible for relationship management being the key point of contact for the fellows, media and mentors.  
• Organizing seminars, workshops and special events; shall spend much of the time   in correspondence with speakers, press and invitees.
• Work closely with the team and external stakeholders to ensure that partner’s positions on key matters of interest are effectively and accurately transmitted to internal and external stakeholders
• Support strategic planning; help national and international organizations develop road maps for impact
• Consult with partners to develop national, regional and international advocacy   strategies
• Develop killer facts, FAQ, and other documents to support campaigns and advocacy projects
• Manage outreach campaigns, coordinate public and partner relations and lead a series of events

Communication

• Working closely with the team in writing and designing concept notes, advocacy strategies and campaigns. 
• Develop creative concepts for engaging communication and positioning initiatives for each fellowship
• Develop and manage relationships with celebrities, influencers and opinion leaders as spokespersons for projects and campaigns positioning and impact
• Responsible for effective verbal and written communication in both English and French
• Support the dissemination of policy work
• Researching, preparing fact-checking, editing, and producing professional media

and communications materials for various audiences and ensuring their timely

dissemination and amplification

• Take the lead in organizing media outreach; arranges all media contacts, press

briefings, and interviews; provides talking points and other materials as needed;

responds to media inquiries quickly and effectively.

• Build partnership with strong national media voices and develop and implement a

roadmap of activities

Research and Analysis

• Data collection and analysis of content to inform policy influencing strategies and projects
• Coordinate and produce reports as well as updates on projects as required by the line manager
• Research and develop written materials for Niyel and partners
• Contribute to the production of highlights, website content, and other written materials as needed
• Maintain up-to-date information on political and advocacy developments on the continent as well as international governments and organizations’ respective positions to those developments
• Work with other advocacy and campaigns officers to research relevant information for campaigns and contribute to strategic planning and messaging
• Coordinate the proofreading and editing of documents in French and English as required
• Work with the creative team and the communication team to map out and deliver on research and learning outputs

Knowledge management and report writing

• Work with the teams to develop monitoring and evaluation frameworks
• Monitor project progress and develop lessons
• Identify learning opportunities and work with colleagues to develop assessments and reports of internal and external projects.
• Work with the creative team and the communication team to translate the learning outputs into publishable content

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

As a prerequisite, the Advocacy Officer must believe in the core values of Niyel Innovation, Accountability, Ethics, Positive Work Environment and be driven by the mission. The candidate should demonstrate a passion for breaking new ground to lead social change. Beyond that, we are seeking a candidate that has proven experience in advocacy and campaigns across different issues, as well as different political and cultural contexts. They must also have demonstrated the ability to both lead and build the capabilities of a driven, bright, diverse team.

Key Qualification

University degree – Bachelor level in social sciences, communications, public relations, marketing with at least 3 years of experience in a similar position or field.

Skills and Experience

• Proven communication experience 
• Experienced in strategy development and implementation of projects
• Understanding of development issues and contexts
• Project management experience
• Demonstrated experience in content creation
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills in english and French (written and verbal)
• Solid research and analytical skills especially in public policy (qualitative data collection and analysis – while quantitative research skills would be an asset)
• Ability to rapidly analyze and integrate diverse information from several different sources
• Ability to deliver oral presentations to various audiences
• Ability to produce a variety of written and visual communication products in clear and concise style
• Well versed in Social Media communication   
• Experienced in events planning and organizing
• Knowledgeable in public relations

Personal traits 

• Holds a high interest for Capacity Building, Advocacy, Public Policy, Public Affairs, Communications, Public Relations and Research 
• Self-accountable and takes full ownership for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, and achieving impact 
• Strong interpersonal skills to handle sensitive and confidential information and situations with tact and professionalism
• Action-oriented, entrepreneurial, flexible, and innovative approach to operational management. 
• Passion, humility, integrity, positive attitude, mission-driven, and self-directed. 
• Remain focused in the face of pressure, delivers against timelines, not intimidated  by tasks/time/budget limitations 
•  Thinks strategically and on a global scale 
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to  
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength 
• Work well within a team and comfortable in social and culturally diverse environments 

WHY WORK AT NIYEL?

We welcome you to a team of dynamic advocates, political operatives and mobilizers who are learners that do make mistakes, but never stop trying.  We believe in compassion, empathy and have an open and respectful culture. Providing a place where your views matter and you have space to make an impact. We offer competitive compensation, medical benefits, vacation, mental health days, hybrid remote working, fun company team building and ongoing learning opportunities to grow your career.

Niyel is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information and pregnancy. This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and internship.  Niyel makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply, please visit our website www.niyel.net and click on JOIN US and then CAREER to fill out an application and upload your cover letter and CV. Please address your cover letter to Tasha Mills, Director of People and Partnerships.

Position will be open until filled but candidates are encouraged to submit applications as soon as possible.