Advocacy Manager Afghanistan

What we are looking for

NRC is looking for an Advocacy Manager to join the Afghanistan mission. The role holder will provide overall leadership, management, and strategic direction to NRC’s policy and advocacy work in Afghanistan. He/she will be responsible for identifying priority protection concerns for advocacy, strengthening the incorporation of advocacy into all aspects of NRC’s activities, and guiding NRC’s advocacy messaging to promote an improved protection and humanitarian response environment.

This is an exciting opportunity to support NRC’s response in one of the organisation’s largest country programmes. Leading a productive advocacy team and supported by a global NRC advocacy network across several key capitals, the Advocacy Manager will be responsible for delivery of the NRC Afghanistan programme-led advocacy strategy.

As a member of the Country Management Team, the role holder will support and guide NRC’s response to displacement-affected Afghans, as well as engage with key decision-makers and policy makers to advance NRC’s advocacy and change objectives. The Advocacy Manager will work closely with advocacy colleagues in NRC’s Iran Country Office on sub-regional workstreams, manage country research and programme learning projects, contribute to policy development, and act as a media spokesperson. He/she will work collaboratively with peer agencies and steer engagement with the Asia Displacement Solutions Platform (ADSP) in Afghanistan.

If you are an independent, proactive, analytical, and seasoned leader with a background in developing and integrating distinctive strategies; who holds a track record of fostering a collaborative environment and building and leading engaging and effective teams; with strong interpersonal, networking, and stakeholder management skills; as well as the dexterity to meet new challenges and navigate through insecure environments, then this is the role for you!

What you will do

• Advocacy strategy review and update.
• Protection analysis on key humanitarian and displacement trends and prepare public-facing advocacy products.
• Advocacy messaging strategic delivery.
• Media strategy and media lines guidance.
• Humanitarian situation analysis contributing to improved NRC programmatic response and informing advocacy products.
• Communications delivery to support advocacy goals and objectives.
• NRC representation and position’s advocacy.
• Sub-Regional advocacy and policy initiatives support.

What you will bring

• Advanced degree.
• Manager or Advisor experience in humanitarian assistance.
• Protection, advocacy, and media use for public advocacy expertise.
• Policy process understanding, related to forced displacement, migration, and humanitarian response framework.
• Regional refugee and internal displacement understanding, relevant to the Afghanistan context
• Complex, and volatile context exposure.
• English fluency, both written and verbal.

What makes this position attractive?

• NRC Afghanistan established operations in 2003, and currently maintains four area offices, as well as field offices in hard-to-reach provinces.
• The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is complex, protracted, and worsening. The country has been impacted by decades of conflict and recurrent natural disasters which have induced massive levels of forced displacement – both internally within Afghanistan’s borders and from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran, where Afghan Refugees continue to be returned from.
• Following the Taliban takeover of the country in August 2021, NRC’s operations have been characterized by an increasingly challenging aid delivery environment and a backdrop of growing levels of humanitarian needs. Afghanistan is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis with a risk of systemic collapse and human catastrophe.
• NRC interventions are based on humanitarian principles, which are promoted to increase the acceptance of humanitarian assistance amongst target populations, as well as to facilitate and enable access.
• This is an opportunity to contribute to the protection and assistance of vulnerable and crisis-affected women, girls, boys, and men. NRC Afghanistan is one of the leading humanitarian response agencies (particularly for Afghans forced to flee), maintaining a presence of 12 offices and over 1,000 staff in 14 provinces across the country.
• Meaningful work that responds to the diverse needs, priorities, and concerns raised by beneficiary communities. NRC Afghanistan meets immediate humanitarian needs, prevents further displacement, and contributes to durable solutions.
• Female candidates are strongly encouraged to join our work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility.

What we offer

• Kabul, Afghanistan duty station.
• 18-month contract duration.
• 40% travel, approximately.
• Grade 9 in NRC’s Salary Scale, with accompanying terms and conditions. NRC offers a competitive compensation and benefits package.
• NRC is an equal opportunities employer and aims to have staffing diversity in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, and physical ability.
• We think outside the box, encourage ideas, and give responsibility to all employees at all levels. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative.

The full Job Description can be found on our website.