Oxfam
**Internal Job Grade:**B2
Contract type: Fixed term 1 year (renewable)
Reporting to: MENA Regional Director; matrix management to Regional Head of Programmes
Staff reporting directly to this post –
Media & Communications advisor
Regional Inequality Advisor
Regional Humanitarian Policy Advisor
Senior Policy Advisor (20%)
Key relationships/interactions: Matrix line management of Regional Gender Justice Advocacy Advisor
Key interactions with Regional Management Team at RP, Influencing leads in MENA, MENA CDs, influencing and policy staff in affiliates and OI; regional business development manager, regional humanitarian coordinator and regional technical advisors.
Location: The position is based in Oxfam in MENA region, preferably Beirut, Amman or Tunis, but any other Oxfam office in the region may be possible.
Budget responsibility
No predefined budget responsibility, but there might be some specific initiatives that may require it.
Shaping a stronger Oxfam for people living in poverty.
Department Purpose
The Regional Platform (RP) of Oxfam in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has a mandate to:
· Provide strategic leadership, management & accountability of and to Oxfam country and cluster programmes in MENA.
· Deliver regional impact, developing partner relationships, brand and impact in the region through relevant influencing and advocacy work, public engagement and programming
· Connect, coordinate, convene – Connect practitioners to sources of expertise, convene people to share knowledge and learnings, and coordinate capacity building initiatives
· Enable operational agility and efficiency – Provide support to Oxfam country offices
In MENA, Oxfam works in development, humanitarian, and campaigning, with a large part of the current transformation focused on becoming a major influencing & advocacy, knowledge-for-impact global reach organisation.
Job Purpose
To develop, manage, lead and support the influencing, advocacy, campaigning, policy work of Oxfam in MENA to ensure the achievement of the organizational goals as set out in the regional and country strategies in the MENA region.
Job Responsibilities
1. External engagement and building of an influencing agenda at regional level – 30%
– Provide strategic vision and maintain an influencing agenda ensuring full understanding of key regional issues and positioning Oxfam on these- with a focus around inequalities- together with MENA influencing colleagues at regional and country level, including risk management.
– Develop an influencing, policy and advocacy strategy that supports the advancement towards the achievement of Oxfam goals in the region, as per regional and country strategies. This should include external engagement plans with regional stakeholders , pushing for joint initiatives on key common issues including: inequalities, economic recovery, social protection and informality, as well as International Financial Institution engagement,
– Develop, nurture and manage a network of key influential external regional stakeholders (partners, allies, collaborators; including regional NGOs, coalitions, networks, academia, multi-lateral organization, state institutions when relevant, etc.) that can help position Oxfam and partners’ priorities in the region.
– Consistently explore opportunities for regional and multi-country influencing/ advocacy and campaigns engagement/programmes that add value to the achievement of the programme goals in the region
– Stay abreast of and adjust to changing circumstances and understandings regarding international and regional context developments, as well as latest state-of-the-art thinking on diverse public policy issues and programmes, ensuring that the region’s ideas and approaches include the latest thinking
– Promote the integration of women’s rights into national, regional and global influencing including programme and advocacy and campaigning strategies.
– Provide specific support to Regional Business Development Manager and other regional colleagues in developing multi-country and regional proposals to include a strong influencing component in support of national and regional influencing strategies.
– Support the OI Regional Director in external representation, regional level representation and external engagement as required
– Represent MENA in various Oxfam influencing, policy and campaigning foras in the confederation and bring the MENA perspective and lens to those platforms
– Identify key influencing moments globally and within Oxfam that advances regional and country influencing goals
2. Provide guidance, advice and leadership to Oxfam Country Offices’ influencing and policy teams – 30%
– In line with MENA regional strategy and the individual country strategies, guide and support countries to develop influencing programmes and approaches linking country-level goals to regional and global-level influencing or campaigning opportunities.
– To support country programmes mainstream influencing as understood in Oxfam in their work and the development of programmes and strategies that have a one programme approach to advocacy and direct delivery at their core
– Support countries to identify critical influencing, campaigning, advocacy and policy capacity gaps in country level long-term development and humanitarian programming and develop a plan of action that can support the development of such capacities.
– Provide guidance for the development and implementation of advocacy and campaigns at the country level, ensuring regional and global linkages.
– Consistent with Oxfam standards on advocacy, policy and influencing, ensure that countries embed them in their country strategies, programmes and operating models and are regularly reviewing compliance to such standards, including adherence to principled humanitarian work and coherence of programme and operational work with policy and advocacy standards and positions.
– Ensure adequate resourcing allocated within budgets to scale up influencing including advocacy and campaigns at national and regional level and support initiatives for resource mobilisation.
– Forge meaningful links between local to global (also south-south)
– Ensure that country and regional policy work is evidence-based and embedded in programmes
3. Management and Leadership – 40%
– Lead and manage a team of regional policy, comms and media advisors.
– Support Regional Director in management decisions and deliberations as part of the Regional Management Team and Regional Leadership Team of Oxfam in MENA.
– Actively participate in the Regional Management Team, bringing strategic vision, influencing perspectives, and risk management to emerging issues
– Provide high level advice and support to regional policy advisors, and facilitate the development of quality policy papers.
– Lead on or contribute research pieces, policy papers and advocacy activities related to MENA
– Ensure there is a clear communications and media strategy in place, that serves the purpose of our regional goals and programmes, including overseeing and guiding the digital and social media work.
– Ensure alignment of regional policy work with regional strategy and priorities, as well as internal coherence across the different policy areas (inequality, humanitarian, etc.).
– Direct signoff or signoff oversight of main policy and advocacy reports, documents and comms products that are mandated to him/her as part of Oxfam ways of working and signing-off processes.
– Together with other RMT members, analysis of risks to Oxfam in the region, especially to Oxfam brand and reputation as a result of our engagement in programmes and influencing work.
– Participate in global and other Oxfam confederation meetings and forums to ensure MENA’s priorities (RP and CO’s) on influencing are considered.
Job Requirements
Essential
· At least 10 years of experience in social, development and humanitarian policy, advocacy, and programmes
· Academic degree in economics, social studies, development studies, political science studies or related.
· Proven experience working in MENA on policy, advocacy and campaigning.
· In-depth understanding of the economic, political and social causes and dynamics in MENA of humanitarian suffering, poverty, injustice, vulnerability and inequality and a familiarity with policy issues related to these issues
· Ability to think and act strategically and understand the relationship between national and regional dynamics and the global objectives of Oxfam
· Proven experience of leading and/or supporting others to design and deliver advocacy and campaigns, programme and research and policy work in one or more countries in the global south, especially in MENA.
· Several years of work experience in more than one country in the region
· Excellent inter-personal and collaboration skills, particularly in cross-cultural contexts
· Excellent management and leadership skills to effectively manage and steer a strong technical team.
· Excellent written skills to draft and to oversee the development of high quality policy, advocacy and communications materials.
· Very strong analytical and conceptual thinking skills; able to understand highly complex issues and translate them into simple, workable actions and plans.
· Excellent communication and influencing skills, with experience of external representation strategies, lobbying, advocacy and campaigning in the region.
· Collaborative ways of working as part of a leadership team
· A high level of energy, stamina and flexibility. Ability to adjust to constantly changing situations while maintaining focus on delivery and follow-through, often working under pressure and to tight deadlines
· Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic is essential
Desirable
· Fluency in French highly desirable.
· A network of contacts in the region
· May need to work after hours or at the weekends as per Oxfam policies.
· Ability to travel frequently and at short notice, including to remote and difficult locations
Other
Eager and required to adhere to Oxfam’s principles and values (click here) as well as the promotion of gender justice and women’s rights (click here).
· Understanding of and commitment to adhere to equity, diversity, gender, child safety and staff health and wellbeing principles.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Most importantly, every individual at Oxfam International Secretariat needs to be able to:
- Live our values of INCLUSION, ACCOUNTABILITY, EMPOWERMENT, COURAGE, SOLIDARITY and EQUALITY (read more about these here)
- Ensure you commit to our ORGANIZATIONAL ATTRIBUTES (including adhering to the Code of Conduct):
1. Be committed to our feminist principles, and to applying them in your day-to-day behavior and your work. Be ready to keep learning, with accountability to those who experience oppression as a result of their identities, such as their gender, race/ethnicity, disability, class, or LGBTQIA identity.”
2. Be committed to undertaking Oxfam’s safeguarding training and adhering to relevant policies, to ensure all people who come into Oxfam are as safe as possible.
SAFER RECRUITMENT: 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 promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. 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. Offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks.
How to apply
Please click on the
https://recruitment.oxfam.org/VacancyDetails.aspx?FromSearch=True&MenuID=6Dqy3cKIDOg=&VacancyID=742
to start the application process. Please upload an up-to-date CV and a covering letter, clearly explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile.
Kindly note that only shortlisted candidates will be shortlisted- usually within 2 weeks of the closing date.