Head of Advocacy, Campaigns and Communications

ECPAT International (ECPAT) is a global network of civil society organisations working collectively for the elimination of all forms of child sexual exploitation. It seeks to encourage the world community to ensure that children everywhere enjoy their fundamental rights free and secure from all forms of sexual exploitation. The ECPAT network currently consists of 124 member organisations in 104 countries. The ECPAT Secretariat coordinates the global work of ECPAT and has a central office in Bangkok, Thailand. The ECPAT Secretariat organization consists currently of about 25 positions and is growing.

Position Background

The Head of Advocacy, Campaigns and Communications is a key role for ECPAT International and is at the core of our programmes and mission to push for the critical systemic and social changes necessary to end the sexual exploitation of children, with governments, intergovernmental institutions, the private

sector, civil society and the general public, including children themselves.

We are looking for a dynamic, motivated and highly skilled professional who will lead the development of our advocacy strategies to influence systemic changes, and will develop impactful campaigns and communications to bring about lasting social changes for the protection of children’s from sexual exploitation.

This role will require a strategic and collaborative person with strong interpersonal skills who likes to take the lead and engage the collective power of children, ECPAT members and various stakeholders to instigate changes around sensitive topics like sexual exploitation of children. It requires an appetite for hands-on work as well as the skills, vision and leadership to bring together high level communications, campaigning and advocacy from the vast ECPAT membership to facilitate their contributions to collaborative initiatives.

Job Purpose

The overall objective of this position is to lead the implementation of ECPAT International’s advocacy, campaigns and communications work, including media relations. This implies strengthening the organization’s strategic development and delivery of targeted and contextualized advocacy, campaigns and communications initiatives to influence changes, nationally, regionally and globally. Supporting, facilitating and amplifying children’s voices and perspectives, including young survivors of child sexual exploitation, through active and rights-based participation and meaningful engagement is central to this work and across all of ECPAT’s programming.

Main responsibilities

Strategy and management

• Coordinate the development and oversee the implementation of effective and measurable advocacy, campaigns and communications strategies aligned with ECPAT Strategic Framework, theory of change and mission
• Lead processes and initiatives to facilitate effective use of data and learning to inform robust policy formulation and implementation
• Utilize effective communications for behavior change approaches to influence social changes and develop user-friendly and adapted resources for targeted stakeholders to implement workable solutions
• Inspire, build consensus and maintain momentum with all ECPAT staff and network members to actively contribute to the implementation of the advocacy, campaigns and communications priorities and initiatives.
• Lead the development and monitor the execution of the plans, within existing resources and report on progress, results and impact, ensuring our communications are result- and cause-driven
• Lead and manage the communication team currently composed of three staff working on communication, social media, and design
• Manage contracts and relationships with a number of external suppliers in areas such as website design and hosting, translation, software, graphic design, print and photography, etc.
• Support the senior management team in identifying and managing potential risks associated with ECPAT International public positions and develop strategies to mitigate those risks;

Advocacy and campaigning

• Determine the most appropriate way to deliver specific advocacy, campaigning and communications activities, guiding in the identification of the most influential channels and approaches to reach objectives
• Lead and develop advocacy and communications materials, including key messages, position papers, briefs, infographics, videos, webinars, press releases on events, meetings, and other important news through appropriate channels of communications, including social medial, website, etc.
• In collaboration with ECPAT members, partners and children, design and execute campaigns on key areas of change and ensure campaigning strategies are mainstreamed and integrated into initiatives

Communications and media and publications

• Enhance ECPAT’s approach to social media and content generation, lead related social media campaigns, ensuring our social media strategy is engaging for ECPAT members and partners and advances children’s rights to protection from sexual exploitation above ECPAT’s branding
• Lead on developing powerful stories, and sharing promising practices and the impact of the ECPAT movement
• Manage and continually improve the development, content creation, user experience and analysis of ECPAT website, using data to inform future plans and development
• Oversee all production related processes from design, quality checks and editing, production, translation, and dissemination
• Strengthen internal communication and ECPAT members’ engagement and knowledge sharing, through e-newsletter, sharing updates from the ECPAT movement and other strategies
• Engage and coordinates relations with media and journalists and responds to their information requests; generate media coverage to build awareness and understanding on the issue of sexual exploitation of children
• Ensure visibility, development and alignment of ECPAT brand and visual identity within the Secretariat and amongst ECPAT members, ensuring it remains trusted and engaging, but also flexible and adapted to needs and purposes
• As needed, act as a spokesperson for ECPAT Secretariat programmes and activities through the media and at external events.

Cross-cutting

• Build and foster good working relationships with key communication, information and campaigning staff from our ECPAT members and other partner organisations. Act as their main point of contact within the secretariat for all issues relating to these areas.
• Lead the development and organization of capacity development initiatives around advocacy, campaigns and communications, including workshops, webinars, podcasts and others
• Work closely with all colleagues in the Secretariat to provide advice and support on activities requiring advocacy, campaigns and communications support and contribute to resource mobilization to ensure advocacy, campaigns and communications are well resourced and appropriately integrated into funding proposals.

Core Competencies, skills and knowledge

• Seven years of experience in similar positions, with responsibility for leading and implementing effective, high impact advocacy, campaigns and communications strategies and initiatives
• Knowledge and understanding of children’s rights and child protection in particular from sexual exploitation
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation, writing and communication skills, with ability to translate data and evidence into user-friendly resources and effective messages and advocacy activities
• Demonstrated ability to lead advocacy processes, influence decision-makers and effect changes
• Track record of effective communication campaigns
• Experience in working across regions and cultures and understanding of approaches to contextualize and adapt messages to various audiences, in multiple languages
• Staff and project management experience is necessary, including managing teams remotely
• Ability to work both as a team player as well as autonomously, under tight deadlines and in a resourced-constraint environment
• Demonstrated commitment to ECPAT’s mission and values
• Fluency in English is a requirement, knowledge of French or Spanish is desirable

As a child-focused organisation, ECPAT has a strong commitment to child safeguarding and rigorous procedures. The successful candidate will be required to provide three referees and a criminal record from country of residence and country of origin (as applicable).