Lead on Rights-Basedanalysis, Drafting and Validation of Advocacy Resources
TEAM/PROGRAMME: Depatment of Programme Development, Quality and Advocacy / LOCATION: Sittwe, Rakhine State, Myanmar
GRADE: TBC / CONTRACT LENGTH:8 months
CHILD SAFEGUARDING:
Level 3: the post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.
ROLE PURPOSE:
Background
Rakhine State is one of the poorest states in Myanmar. Difficult geographic terrain, low levels of capacity, and a complex political environment have hindered economic development and left communities mired in a cycle of poverty. Longstanding limitations on movement and other restrictions have disproportionately affected the state’s Muslim population, further limiting their economic opportunities and ability to access basic services. Intercommunal violence in 2012 led to the displacement of more than 100,000 people, many of whom remain displaced today. In August 2017, attacks by a Muslim militant group and subsequent military operations led to widespread allegations of human rights violations and further displacement of at least 629,000 Muslims into Bangladesh.
INGO Rakhine Initiative
The INGO Rakhine Initiative (IRI) is an innovative advocacy project led by a group of six leading INGOs, including AccionContre la Faim, International Rescue Committee, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Solidarite International, and Save the Children. Based in Sittwe, Rakhine State, the IRI project is made of a small but dynamic team that is dedicated to generating useful and actionable information to drive policy and programming changes in the Rakhine State context. Its purpose is to develop an evidence platform on which to base rights-based advocacy efforts, with the goal of increasing access to health and education services and livelihood opportunities for communities across Rakhine State.
Advocacy Coordinator Role
The Advocacy Coordinator will play a key role in developing and driving IRI’s advocacy efforts. He/she will work closely with the Project Lead to design IRI’s advocacy strategy by identifying key messages, targets, and avenues for advocacy, and pushing forward those efforts by building relationships with key partners and actors in Rakhine State. He/she will collaborate with the IRI Information Officer to design methodologies for data collection and conduct rights-basedand legal analysis of evidence gathered from field visits; when required, the Advocacy Coordinator will assist the Information Officer during field visits.
Building on the analysis conducted of evidence gathered in the field, the Advocacy Coordinatorwill lead on the project’s incorporation of a human rights lens into its advocacy efforts. This includes linking barriers to accessing services identified in the analysis to national and international legal frameworks, conducting human rights analyses of monitoring data, and developing rights-based advocacy resources, which can include a human rights monitoring dashboard, reports, briefs, policy notes, presentations, and speeches. These resources will be validated and disseminated to relevant partners; in tandem with the Project Lead, the Advocacy Coordinator will lead advocacy efforts at the Sittwe level, meeting with UN and INGO partners as well as visiting political and donor missions, in order to drive IRI’s advocacy messages. In addition, when required, the Advocacy Coordinator will travel to Yangon and elsewhere around the country to support the Project Lead with advocacy efforts at the national level. He/she will be responsible for tracking progress towards the project’s key advocacy goals.
SCOPE OF ROLE:
Reports to: Project Lead, INGO Rakhine Initiative
Works with: Information Officer, Project Officers
Travel: extensive and as required, throughout Rakhine State
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY :
- Lead on rights-basedanalysis, drafting and validation of advocacy resources
- In collaboration with the Information Coordinator, conducts regular rights-based analysis on data collected from the field.
- In collaboration with the Project Lead and Information Coordinator, identifies advocacy priorities and key messages resulting from analysis.
- Maintains a rights-focused advocacy dashboard and develops other advocacy resources as required, including reports, advocacy briefs, presentations, and speeches.
- Validates findings from analysis and advocacy resources with key partners and relevant technical experts.
- In coordination with the Project Lead and Information Officer, develops the concept and implements the project’s human rights monitoring framework.
- Driver of advocacy initiatives
- In conjunction with the Project Lead, heads IRI advocacy efforts at the Sittwe level, driving advocacy messages and priorities developed by the IRI team through advocacy meetings with UN and INGO partners, as well as political and donor missions.
- Develops ideas and concepts for new advocacy initiatives, using IRI criteria for the selection of strategic advocacy objectives. Works with Information Officer to develop plan for data collection on these issues.
- In collaboration with the Project Lead, develops a strategy for developing and driving forward IRI advocacy priorities based on findings from data collection.
- In collaboration with Project Lead, meets with partners, advocacy targets and other relevant actors to drive forward advocacy priorities
- Develops and maintains a system for tracking progress towards advocacy priorities.
- IRI Representative across Rakhine State
- While the Project Lead is in Yangon, serves as a representative for IRI in Rakhine State, developing relationships with key actors at Save the Children, partner INGOs, and other international actors in Sittwe, Maungdaw, Mrauk U and other parts of the state.
- Represents IRI at weekly and monthly coordination meetings when the Project Lead is not available.
- Continues engagement with advocacy partners on all IRI advocacy priorities.
- Meets with key advocacy targets in coordination with the Project Lead, in accordance with the IRI Advocacy Strategy.
- Remains aware of all changes in Rakhine context and relays notable developments to the project team.
BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)
Accountability:
- holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
- holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.
- sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
- widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
- future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.
- builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
- values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
- approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.
- develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
- willing to take disciplined risks.
- honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity
QUALIFICATIONS
- Demonstrated experience in rights-based advocacy in human rights crises or humanitarian contexts.
- Proven skills in communication, including the ability to craft concise and effective advocacy messages, public speaking, writing, and editing.
- Strong analytical skills, including analysis from a legal perspective.
- Comprehensive understanding of international legal frameworks which can we be linked to rights issues in the Rakhine context.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to quickly form strong professional relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, lobbying, presentations and public speaking.
- Strong understanding of the Rakhine State context, including knowledge of the humanitarian and development sectors’ work, conflict dynamics, and political situation.
- Ability to live and work in a humanitarian emergency setting.
- In collaboration with the Project Lead, develops a strategy for developing and driving forward IRI advocacy priorities.
- Willingness and capability to comply with all relevant Save the Children policies and procedures with resepct to health and safety, security, equal opportunities and other relevant policies, including the Child Safeguarding Policy
EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
Essential
- 3-5 years relevant experience working in Global South contexts, particularly on development, humanitarian or human rights projects.
- Demonstrated experience in advocacy and/or human rights analysis in humanitarian or developing contexts.
- Demonstrated experience in building coalitions and relationships with a wide range of actors, driving advocacy efforts through meetings with key advocacy targets and stakeholders.
- Communications skills, including writing, editing, public speaking, and lobbying.
- Familiarity with and understanding of the history and current political and social context in Myanmar, and in particular in Rakhine State
- Fluency in written and spoken English
- Familiarity with qualitative research in conflict settings is a plus
- Fluency in Burmese, Rakhine and/ or Rohingyan would be highly regarded
- Master’s degree in human rights, humanitarian aid, development studies, or other relevant subject
Additional job responsibilities
The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.
Equal Opportunities
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.
Child Safeguarding:
We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
Health and Safety
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.
JD written by:David Gilmore, IRI Project Lead / Date:13/12/17
JD agreed by: / Date:
Updated By: / Date:
Evaluated: / Date: