ADVOCACY MANAGER – DR CONGO (INT9412)

Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.

Do you have Strong knowledge of humanitarian issues, including safe programming, and conflict at the global level, particularly those related to the food crisis, humanitarian principles?

Do you have the Negotiation and facilitation skills?

Do you have the Ability to liaise with a wide range of people?

If so, we'd like to hear from you!

Job Purpose

In collaboration with the DRC country team, partners and allies, and the Oxfam Confederation, the Advocacy Coordinator leads the development and implementation of Oxfam's advocacy strategy for DRC by taking the lead on advocacy and communication efforts.

The Role

We are looking for an Advocacy Manager to:

• Deliver impactful influencing strategies on priority issues (humanitarian WASH and protection advocacy, local humanitarian leadership linked to governance, nexus and sustainable solutions) targeting interlocutors at local, national, regional and international level (note that advocacy at local and national level will be the main responsibility of partners, with support from Oxfam).
• Contribute to the design of opportunities for advocacy work on the extractive industrie, linking with the work of the region and Oxfam US.
• Engage with a wide range of actors, including significant engagement with civil society and the Kinshasa government (and various local authorities), global networks (Oxfam and others) and regional networks. This includes engaging allies and other stakeholders in Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Washington, Geneva, Brussels, and other centres of strategic influence. This engagement will have a particular focus on the role of neighbouring countries and various regional bodies, such as the AU, SADC and EAC.
• Maintain and develop partnerships to increase the potential for influence, nationally, regionally and globally, in line with strategic objectives.
• Promote and ensure the realisation of the integration of DRC advocacy into Oxfam's work in Africa (region) by actively contributing to the development of the advocacy aspects so that DRC influences its shape
• Produce, with programme colleagues, partners and allies, relevant policy documents to support the implementation of the advocacy strategy in DRC, such as private briefings, policy briefs, organisational statements, thematic research, letters, and joint statements.
• Ensure that advocacy efforts, in line with the strategy, adopt a "local to global" approach and evidence-based approaches, in which Oxfam staff and partners in DRC play a key role.
• Work closely with programme staff to ensure strategic influence, including helping them to deliver their advocacy work and establishing working methods that allow for regular information exchange between teams.
• Promote and ensure the achievement of the integration of advocacy into Oxfam's work in DRC, including links with communications, MEAL and programmatic activities.
• Coordinate efforts and information with counterparts in country, regional and affiliate offices and contribute to the work of the Rights in Crisis (RIC) network.
• Work closely with partners involved in the crisis response to understand the challenges they face and the opportunities they identify, supporting their development of policies, approaches and budgeted activities.
• Represent Oxfam in external coalitions and working groups (FONGI Advocacy and Access Working Group, Localisation Coordination Groups - C4C, START - and other ad hoc representation requests such as OCHA meetings).
• Ensure that Oxfam's positions and messages on the above issues are up-to-date, relevant, reality-based, consistent and in line with Oxfam's identity and policies. The tools will be based on a regularly updated contextual analysis. It will also take into account power dynamics, with the aim of identifying needs and opportunities to influence the positions of the states and institutions concerned.
• Brief Oxfam representatives prior to external meetings on relevant developments in DRC.

What we are looking for

Our next Programme Coordinator will need to meet the follow requirements:

ESSENTIAL

• Self-Awareness
• Listening
• Motivation and initiative taking
• Influencing
• Relationship building

In addition:

• Strong knowledge of humanitarian issues, including safe programming, and conflict at the global level, particularly those related to the food crisis, humanitarian principles, protection of civilians, displacement, and the impact of conflict on women and girls.
• Excellent command of spoken and written French as well as advanced oral English.
• Excellent analytical and writing skills, including the ability to adapt writing style to specific audiences, including in a timely manner.
• Strong experience and understanding of developing power analysis, advocacy strategies and theories of change, including understanding political sensitivities.
• Ability to liaise with a wide range of people, both internally and externally and at many levels, with credibility, tact, and diplomacy.
• Negotiation and facilitation skills, with a good understanding of leadership in complex group dynamics and in a multi-stakeholder environment.
• Excellent understanding and continually learning from a decolonial, anti-racist, feminist intersectional and partner-led approach to your work.
• Adherence to Oxfam's vision and principles, including feminist and humanitarian principles.
• Experience as a spokesperson for an organisation.

Please see the attached job description for the full responsibilities that the Advocacy Manager will undertake and the required skills and competencies.

Location: Goma

Job Type: Fixed Term, 6 months

We offer

This role will give you an opportunity to make a difference in humanitarian context, to act as key contributor to Oxfam humanitarian response in DRC, to work with a group of passionate people that are specialists in their fields etc, training and development, offers fair pay and competitive benefits package.

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organization.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organization and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

About us

Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

Oxfam GB is a member of international confederation of 21 organizations working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries.

A thriving diverse Oxfam:

It’s people power that brings about change. To play our part as a global organization working to overcome poverty and inequality, we need equality, diversity and inclusion across our community of staff, partners and volunteers. Together, we’re committed to becoming a more diverse workforce, better able to tackle the global challenges that face our world today.

To do that:

• We need to dismantle the unequal power structures that exist everywhere, this including Oxfam and the wider development and charity sectors.
• We need an inclusive Oxfam where everyone can bring who they are to our work and feels celebrated for the differences they bring.
• We want and need everyone, and that means we need you.

In response to Covid-19 if you are offered a role where you are required to travel between countries please ensure you have been briefed by the Hiring Manager about any changes to working or precautions you should take as part of your role.