Advocacy/Policy Manager
The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is a leading Africa-based, African-led, international research institution headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, and engaged in multidisciplinary, evidence-informed policy research. Our research contributes to the body of evidence about the critical barriers preventing optimal population health and wellbeing among the most vulnerable of Africa’s urban poor: the six in 10 people who live in the informal settlements, or slums, that crowd the continent’s urban centers.
Responsibilities:
Qualifications
The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is a leading Africa-based, African-led, international research institution headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, and engaged in multidisciplinary, evidence-informed policy research. Our research contributes to the body of evidence about the critical barriers preventing optimal population health and wellbeing among the most vulnerable of Africa’s urban poor: the six in 10 people who live in the informal settlements, or slums, that crowd the continent’s urban centers.
APHRC is recruiting for an exciting
new role for a seasoned communications, political science or campaigning
professional ready to lead in the execution of a pivotal piece of our 2017-2021
strategy: driving our evidence-to-policy model.
The right candidate for this
manager-level position will be able to design and develop pathways to increase
the use of evidence by civil society campaigners demanding accountability from
those who make decisions, as well as by decision-makers themselves, at the
sub-national, national or even regional levels. She or he will be comfortable
with tight deadlines requiring thoughtful translation of research findings into
forward-looking recommendations that can lead to smarter policymaking, improved
resource targeting and better service delivery – ultimately achieving impact by
transforming the lives of communities.
This role will be evenly divided
between two portfolios of work: improving coverage of safely managed sanitation
services for urban populations; and achieving a more equitable and inclusive
approach to quality sexual and reproductive health care for adolescents, women
seeking safe abortions and sexual and gender minorities. Both portfolios address
sensitive, often contentious topics in sub-Saharan Africa, even as the failure
to address the challenges in reaching these marginalized populations is
stalling meaningful social and economic development.
Key responsibilities of the role
include developing advocacy strategies built on policy research around issues
related to the two portfolios, as part of a multidisciplinary team of
researchers and communications professionals. Strong networking skills
deployable at both the grassroots and decision-making levels will be critical,
as there is a considerable amount of training and skills transfer inherent in
the role.
The best candidate will have an
exceptional ability to set priorities and identify areas that require further
research. She or he will have strong writing and presentation skills, and be
highly organized. Familiarity with policy tracking tools is essential.
Responsibilities:
·
build and manage relationships within
existing networks, technical working groups, regional economic committees and
other decision-oriented bodies, both in and out of government
·
prepare relevant briefing materials
articulating strategic opportunities, key messages and possible entry points
for engagement in policy and budgeting discussions at national and regional
levels, for internal and external use
·
understand existing global policy
instruments and where there are gaps in their domestication to national
contexts
·
understand evidence needs and gaps in
knowledge that are preventing smart decision-making and provide suggestions as
to how to fill them
·
develop briefing papers for use in
consultations by both internal and external stakeholders
·
synthesize and interpret current
trends in the field and in policy circles, and facilitate opportunities to
engage with those trends and key actors
·
deliver effective training and
capacity strengthening modules in using evidence to drive advocacy and achieve
policy change for a variety of audiences
·
oversee production of innovative and
compelling knowledge translation materials
·
participate in the creation of a
monitoring and evaluation framework for advocacy efforts in the two domains
that demonstrates a familiarity with outcome harvesting and other
advocacy-oriented learning tools
Qualifications
·
Master’s degree in Communications,
Journalism, Public Policy or related field;
·
At least five (5) years of
post-qualification work experience in policy review or analysis,
communications, and writing and content creation, preferably at an
international organization.
·
Project or campaign management experience
·
Familiarity with developing,
executing and evaluating the impact of a theory of change; some experience with
monitoring and evaluating attribution of impact desirable
·
Excellent editing and writing skills
as well as the ability to translate technical ideas into accessible messages
·
Familiarity with approaches for
planning, executing, and monitoring impact communications strategies
·
Demonstrated willingness to work as
part of a team
·
Demonstrated ability to multitask and
work without supervision
·
Stellar skills in problem-solving,
writing, editing and meeting deadlines
How to Apply
Interested applicants are encouraged
to apply through jobs@aphrc.org with
the email subject line as ‘Advocacy
and Policy Manager’. Your cover
letter should include an example of a theory of change related to one of the
signature issues in the APHRC Strategic Plan, which is available on the APHRC
website, and a plan for how you would leverage APHRC evidence in a multi-level
advocacy strategy to reach decision-making bodies at the national and African
Union level around that particular issue.
Your written submission should be no
more than 2,000 words. Please indicate at the bottom the length of time it took
to develop your submission.
Applications will be considered up to
October 5, 2018.
Communications Manager
Closing date: 05 Oct 2018
This role reports to the director of the Policy Engagement
and Communications division, and oversees the unit responsible for all internal
and external communications; APHRC’s media and social media strategy; our brand
and its use; knowledge management products including our website; and a host of
creative products from short films to annual reports.
The role requires a strong background in producing,
editing and delivering written and multimedia collateral on tight deadlines,
with an exceptional ability to multitask. The right candidate will be an
outstanding mentor, able to both supervise and delegate with authority, and be
a nimble and innovative user of knowledge to drive change. The role also requires
the ability to deliver both ad hoc and organized training and technical support
in writing, editing, public speaking and presentation, to help highly technical
and specialized research professionals improve their ability to effectively
reach a variety of lay audiences.
A wide network of media contacts is an asset to the role.
Responsibilities:
·
Serve as institutional
editor-in-chief, supporting copy and content editing for a variety of products
across six research units as well as for Center-wide promotional and visibility
products
·
Mentor and guide a team of
communications officers
·
Lead media outreach including
development and implementation of media strategy that includes pitches, field
visits and responding to ad hoc media requests
·
Direct in-house training on public
speaking and presentations for research staff
·
Oversee development of visibility
products including promotional brochures, website content, newsletters and
annual report
·
Contribute to development of
innovative multimedia products including infographics, short films and
animations
Qualifications
·
Master’s degree in Communications,
Journalism, Marketing or a related field
·
At least seven (7) years of
post-qualification work experience in communications, writing and content
creation, preferably at an international organization
·
Excellent editing and writing skills
as well as ability to translate complex scientific facts into accessible
messages for general audiences
·
Visual media skills including use of
still and video camera; ability to develop video storyboards and basic editing
to a professional standard
·
Some knowledge of graphic design and
desktop publishing, including Microsoft Publisher, and Adobe or Corel suites
·
Experience in using social media
channels and extending their reach
·
Experience of creating and editing
digital media and publishing across a variety of platforms including but not
limited to Storify, Prezi, Slideshare and YouTube
·
Familiarity with approaches for
planning, executing, and monitoring communications strategies
·
Excellent existing network of media
contacts
·
Excellent verbal communication and
ability to train and mentor
·
Demonstrated willingness to work as
part of a team
·
Networking, interpersonal, analytical
and organizational skills coupled with resourcefulness initiative and maturity
of judgment
·
French language skills highly
desirable
Communications Officer
Closing date: 05 Oct 2018
The right candidate to join the Synergy Unit within the
Policy Engagement and communications(PEC) division has laser-sharp attention to
detail, is an engaging and competent writer, innovative user of new media,
videography and social media platforms, and is a disciplined adherent to
deadlines.
Whether it’s a blog, a press release, a short film or an
annual report, the right candidate will use his or her communications skills to
support APHRC efforts in bridging the evidence to policy gap, to ensure that
our research in population dynamics, health, education, aging and urbanization
has maximum impact at the national, sub-regional and global levels.
These positions report to the manager of the Synergy Unit
and are based in Nairobi. A portfolio of three samples of written work, one
showing tracked changes edits from one version to a second, revised version,
must accompany the application. Those applications that do not include writing
samples will not be considered. Please ensure that your cover letter includes
two paragraphs on your motivation for applying for the position.
Responsibilities:
·
Develop and implement communications
strategies for cross-cutting, pan-African research programs
·
Generate print and multimedia content
to support visibility of programs including blogs, policy briefs, infographics
and short films
·
Maintain an up-to-date, comprehensive
understanding of and familiarity of with the body of APHRC’s research and
recommendations, signature issues and policy platforms to be used in
development of new collateral for increased cohesion
·
Lead on planning for stakeholder
convening’s, research uptake events, and related activities
·
Conduct trainings in communications
and knowledge translation for researchers and stakeholders
·
Contribute to resource mobilization
efforts
·
Manage and inventory repository of
knowledge management tools at Center level.
Qualifications
·
Bachelor’s degree in Communications,
Journalism, Public Policy or related field; Master’s degree desirable but not
necessary
·
At least four (4) years of
post-qualification work experience in communications, writing and content
creation, preferably at an international organization
·
Excellent editing and writing skills
as well as ability to translate complex scientific facts into accessible
messages for general audiences
·
Visual media skills including use of
still and video camera; use of editing software including FinalCut Pro
desirable
·
Experience in using social media
channels and extending their reach
·
Experience of creating and editing
digital media and publishing across a variety of platforms including but not
limited to Storify, Prezi, Slideshare and YouTube
·
Familiarity with approaches for
planning, executing, and monitoring communications strategies
·
Demonstrated interest in some or all
of the research topics APHRC touches, and a willingness to work as part of a
team
·
Networking, interpersonal, analytical
and organizational skills coupled with resourcefulness initiative and maturity
of judgment
Useful additional skills
·
Experience in data visualization
·
Experience of using email
distribution systems such as Mailchimp, ConstantContact, Salesforce, Pure360
·
Experience of using a contact
database
·
Experience of using website CMS.
How to Apply:
Interested candidates are encouraged to apply and include
their letter of application, portfolio of their work and CV, through our
recruitment portal http://hrs.aphrc.org by October 05, 2018. No
applicant will be considered without all requested materials. We regret that
only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Cover letters should be addressed to:
African Population and Health Research Center, Inc
APHRC Campus, Manga Close, off Kirawa Road, Kitisuru
The Human Resources Officer
P. O. Box 10787-GPO, Nairobi
APHRC is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to
the protection of children
