Job Opportunity: Become a Regional Advocacy Coordinator (East Africa) at Legal Action Worldwide (LAW)

LAW has an exciting position for an experienced and skilled Advocacy Coordinator. The selected candidate will report directly to the Head of Policy, Advocacy and Research based in Geneva and will work under the supervision of the Programme Manager based in Nairobi to promote LAW’s work and increase visibility, promote key events and advocacy activities.

About Legal Action Worldwide

Deadline for applications: Deadline is 29 November, 2023

LAW is an independent, non-profit organization comprised of human rights lawyers working in fragile and conflict affected areas in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. LAW’s work particularly focuses on gender equality and sexual and gender-based violence, rule of law and accountability, and transformative justice, working to bring justice to those who need it most. LAW’s ground-breaking work has received international and local media coverage, and recognition.

Based in LAW’s Regional Nairobi Office, the Advocacy Coordinator will be responsible for the wider regional context (in particular, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Central African Republic). In addition, the Advocacy Coordinator will work collaboratively with LAW colleagues across Offices and with a diverse range of partners. The ideal candidate will have excellent experience in producing high quality content for a variety of communication platforms, including social media, and in building sensitive advocacy strategies. The selected candidate will help LAW influence relevant stakeholders to improve access to justice for survivors and fight against impunity. They will be proactive, able to meet tight deadlines, fluent in English and have a working knowledge of French or Arabic. The work will be both diverse and challenging

LAW’s Programme in the Africa Regional Office

LAW’s regional office in Nairobi is strategically based to build networks and partnerships, to influence a wide range of stakeholders on the issues related to human rights of the populations and fight against impunity. Programme teams work closely with LAW’s network of international lawyers to develop innovative legal strategies designed to increase access to justice for survivors of human rights violations and abuses.

More about the position

Where? The position will be based at LAW’s Nairobi Office in Kenya.

Duration: 12 Months on a full-time basis with possibility of extension subject to funding.

Salary: Competitive rates of pay apply.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Advocacy Coordinator will work collaboratively with the Department for Policy, Advocacy and Communication (DPAC) to promote LAW’s work and to increase visibility, promote key events and advocacy activities in country, in the regions, and globally. The post holder will perform duties in accordance with the responsibilities outlined below:

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Advocacy:

• Report to Head of Policy, Advocacy and Research and to Programme Manager, without bias, on local and regional contexts, with regards to humanitarian, human rights, legal and security issues, to provide reliable information for further decision-making.
• Support collection and analysis of data (briefing papers, talking points, reports etc.) to inform legal strategies and advocacy efforts.
• Implement advocacy activities to influence others’ practices, policies, narratives, in order to bring positive changes for the benefit of LAW clients and affected populations.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key interlocutors – authorities, local communities, UN agencies, other humanitarian actors, international stakeholders etc., to promote LAW’s priorities, concerns, and coordinate initiatives.
• Organise discussions, training, briefings, monitoring/data collection, stakeholder mapping and current and future advocacy activities etc. and liaise with LAW colleagues accordingly.

Communications:

• Support the Communications Coordinator in Geneva to develop a social media plan and identify various audiences for LAW’s social media channels, and plan how to increase LAW’s engagement in the region.
• Support the Communications Coordinator in Geneva to design and implement a social media schedule, ensure content is planned well in advance for key activities, and proactively respond to breaking news.
• Collaborate to populate the global social media plan, in coordination with the Communications Coordinator.
• Assist in the creation, and design of innovative, information toolkits (audio, digital) that will be used by Survivor Advocates for their field work.
• Support the Communications Coordinator to maintain and update content for regional website pages.
• Conduct field visits and interviews and take professional photos and videos for championing and profiling successful stories and social media posts.
• In coordination with the Communications Coordinator in Geneva, collate information from the country programmes for the global newsletters and website content.
• Any other task requested from the line manager.

About you

Masters degree or equivalent in political sciences, anthropology, social sciences, law, migration studies, human rights or a related subject.

• At least four years professional experience working for a humanitarian organization or similar (e.g. NGOs, UN agencies, donors, human rights, government) in advocacy or related field (e.g. research, analysis, human rights).
• Preferably two years of field experience in humanitarian settings.
• Track record of strong advocacy experience: policy research/analysis/making, lobbying/diplomacy, strategy formulation, experience of influencing policy/practice change, representation, public communication.
• Demonstrated experience in data collection (e.g. qualitative research, human rights monitoring, refugee casework etc.)
• Excellent writing, research and analytical skills.
• Good understanding of current humanitarian debates
• Fluency in English (plus preferred working knowledge of French, Spanish or Arabic.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and strong technical literacy.

How to apply

If you have the passion to support vulnerable individuals to advocate for their rights and relevant experience and skills, we would like to hear from you. Please send an email with a CV and statement of interest (neither exceeding 2 pages of A4) in English to [email protected] subject of the application should read ‘Regional Advocacy Coordinator, Nairobi’.

Deadline for applications: Deadline is 29 November, 2023. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We advise applying as early as possible.

Start date: January 2024

At LAW we are strengthened by the diversity of our colleagues, reflecting the people and communities that we represent and support. Our team includes diverse professional backgrounds, nationalities, and cultural, religious, gender and sexual orientations. This enables us to deliver and understand the cultural and political contexts on the ground and to tailor our support effectively and appropriately.