Position: Policy Assistant
Reports
To: Policy
Coordinator
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Start
Date: ASAP
Eligibility: Position open to local Kenyan hires only
About Innovations for Poverty Action: Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a rapidly growing, global organization, and operates in almost 40 countries.
About Innovations for Poverty Action: Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a rapidly growing, global organization, and operates in almost 40 countries.
This
occurs both through the dissemination of results to policy makers,
practitioners, and donors, as well as through supporting the large-scale
implementation of evidence-based programs.
IPA-Kenya
(IPAK) is IPA’s oldest country program, and the site of many of its most
influential projects, including seminal studies on deworming, clean water
promotion, bed-net usage and fertilizer subsidies.
IPAK
employs more than 400 contracted staff working on 20 different projects across
multiple offices.
Job
Purpose: Assist
in the design and execution of IPA Kenya's policy communication and outreach
work.
Description of Duties
- Policy
outreach and dissemination. Assist with making and storing presentations
on IPA-Kenya's work, disseminating research findings to policymakers and
the media, and encouraging the scale- up of evidence-based policies.
Support the organization of policy dissemination events at Country Office
and project level as well as other other events. Timely disseminating
approved materials (e.g. scientific literature, policy briefs) to relevant
stakeholders.
- Engagement
and advocacy: In coordination with the Policy Coordinator, organize
meetings and build relationships with key partners, record meeting minutes
and ensure that follow-up activities are timely carried out. Work with the
Policy Coordinator and the projects’ management teams to perform
project-level stakeholders’ mappings and build project and Country Office
policy influence plans.
- Mapping:
Conduct a policy and stakeholder mapping exercise with management,
identify key bodies (government, donors, NGOs and private sector) at the
national or local level as appropriate, and work with management to create
an engagement plan.
- Information
management: Regularly update and maintain the IPA internal database of
stakeholders’ contacts. Ensure that all policy-relevant activities and
meeting minutes are timely and correctly logged into the internal
information management system.
- Communication:
Support the production of internal and external communication materials,
help coordinating the publication of the monthly IPA-Kenya newsletter,
support the publication of quarterly newsletters on major research topics,
and work with the Global External Relations team to provide materials for
the global newsletter.
Job Specification / Qualifications
Education:
- Bachelor’s
degree in economics, public policy or communications.
- Strong
interest in domestic policy as demonstrated by coursework and/or
professional experience is strongly preferred.
- Interest
in international development issues is required to better understand the
work of other IPA centers worldwide.
Experience:
- At
least 1 year of relevant experience working in a research or policy
organization.
- The
ideal candidate for this position will be very knowledgeable about
domestic public policy issues in Kenya.
- Any
prior experience working with players in the various Kenyan policy and
communications spaces is an added advantage.
Communication:
- Attention
to detail and advanced writing and presentation skills for communicating
policy lessons from academic papers in ways that policymakers
understand.
- This
requires clear, precise, non-technical writing, and confident, effective
public speaking skills.
Time Management:
- Proven
ability to multitask and successfully complete projects on tight deadlines
with little supervision.
- A
willingness to work hard, be self-motivated, and learn will be essential
for doing well in this position.
Other: Willingness
to travel within Kenya.
How to Apply:
If you meet the above requirements, please CLICK HERE to submit your application online
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted by email for an interview.
Applicants
are encouraged to apply early, as applications will be reviewed on a ROLLING
BASIS.
Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the Policy Assistant. The statements are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all possible duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Management reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organizational needs as necessary. Please note that IPA will never request any form of payment from an applicant. Applicants are encouraged to confirm the information listed above with IPA prior to releasing any extensive personal information to the organization.
