Africa (HCD+) is a platform funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and serve as an African voice for advocacy, accountability and transparency on HCD. It seeks to accelerate political commitments, decision-making and funding for key priorities towards realising SDGs #1-6 in Sub-Saharan Africa. It aims to incubate regional advocacy and technical assistance hub on Human Capital Development towards increasing African Government’s commitment, funding, and accountability to HCD. The platform, through increased HCD advocacy, focuses on three pillars: (i) Health and Health Security, (ii( Nutrition and Food Security; (iii) Education, skills and labour participation; (iv) Entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and digital economy, and (V) Gender transformative Human Capital Deveelopment.
Also, HCD sits across multiple Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in many African governments. Hence, no organisation holds an integrated vision for HCD. An HCD-focused institution can further help the HCD agenda on the continent. HCD+ mission is to serve as a regional advocacy and technical assistance hub that contributes to increasing government commitment, funding, and accountability and accelerate HCD outcomes in Africa, and contribute to the continent’s economic growth.
HCD+ is built around 4 Objectives: (i) Create transparency on the HCD performance across the continent through publication of an integrated HCD index with potentially a gender specific index as well as a bi-annual HCD report around performance and challenges, (ii) Advocate with heads of state and decision-makers to make HCD a priority; (iii) Ensure effective coordination and collaboration with stakeholders and decision-makers; (iv) Selectively drive the implementation of flagship programs in education, health and economic inclusion.
Job Summary
The Advocay and knowledge management Specialist will be responsible for providing technical support and management of HCD+ on evidence-based advocacy on the five thematic areas, implement advocacy plans and awareness-raising initiatives, driving forward impacts on HCD+’s priority issues and positioning the organization with partners and target audiences. He/She will network and collaborate with relevant stakeholders and advocacy groups/alliances/working groups at local, national, regional, and continental level and ensure external communication and visibility of advocacy successes as well as wider project outcomes.The Specialist will support the implementation of the HCD+ strategic knowledge management, and learning portfolio. He/she will produce high-impact deliverables – such as newsletters, case studies, discourse events, websites, knowledge-sharing events, social media, online resource platforms, and media campaigns as required. In addition, keep abreast of the latest trends in international and domestic policy, and assess and revise HCD+ policy and advocacy priorities, platform and messaging—as and when necessary, including informing stakeholders of the latest global trends in Human Capital Development.
Specific Responsibilities & Duties:
Advocacy Responsibilities
- Contribute to the development and implementation of strategy for the Advocacy intervention.
- Identify advocacy issues and lead/guide on evidence-based advocacy actions.
- Engage key HCD+ stakeholders—partners, and decision-makers—in high-level policy and advocacy forums, meetings, and events.
- Provide strategic advocacy resources, including training, production and dissemination of tools and guidelines.
- Support HCD+ in building and nurturing advocacy-oriented strategic partnerships at country and regional levels.
- Identify and implement creative, efficient and effective ways to engage HCD+ audiences and stakeholders including through organising events such as field trips, missions, seminars, workshops, forums, guest lectures and seize conference participation opportunities in different thematic areas.
- Develop and produce advocacy instruments and materials, including briefing materials, press releases, and articles and coordinate its dissemination through effective channels.
- Engage in capacity building for partners and stakeholders, HCD focal points and champions focusing on knowledge and skills required for effective advocacy to effectively perform their role, monitor and advocate for implementation of key policies.
- Lead the formulation and implementation of project publications documents by ensuring timely and high quality of publications both in terms of contents and layout for which the specialist will work closely with graphic artists, designers, printers, and other experts.
- Provide support in the preparation of speeches, opinion pieces, press releases and advocacy advisories in support of advocacy priorities.
Knowledge Management Responsibilities
- Conceptualise, plan, manage, and execute successful knowledge-sharing events, including roundtables, seminars/webinars, workshops, conferences, and peer learning sessions.
- Lead and manage the creation of knowledge products that showcase results and impact, to effectively profile HCD+ with donors, partners, civil society organizations and other stakeholders. This includes case studies, stories, reports, briefing notes, etc.
- Provide analytical reviews, evidence-based opinion pieces, success stories, case studies, resources, guides and toolkits.
- Manage HCD+ brand and visual elements.
- Develop and manage the internal & external newsletter.
- Engage partners and learning champions to lead the coordination of learning activities.
- Identify and curate technical content for the HCD+ website in collaboration with HCD+ ICT team.
- Develop communications products for both internal and external audiences, implement strategies to increase visibility and brand credibility among target audiences.
Qualifications and Competencies Required.
- Master’s degree in Research/Social Sciences, mass communications, public relations, law, knowledge management or a related field.
- Over 6-8 years of work experience in a similar role with steadily increasing responsibility, with at least 5years in international development in research & analysis, communications, media, advocacy or knowledge management roles.
- Good qualitative and quantitative research skills and the ability to deliver technically rigorous documents.
- Demonstrated ability to influence policy decisions and build consensus across an extensive range of stakeholders.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, including synthesising large amounts of information and repurposing messages for different audiences.
- High attention to detail and commitment to high-quality work.
- Experience using technology as a medium for knowledge sharing and capacity building.
- Experience in capacity building on advocacy processes and tools.
- Excellent team work, networking, communication and collaboration skills with a wide range of actors.
- Knowledge of Monitoring and Evaluation for advocacy interventions plus strong skills report writing, documentation and presentation.
- Language: Fluency in English language is required and French language is desirable.
How to apply
Qualified candidates should please send their CV and cover letter to using the titlerecruitment@hcdplus.comby the 8th of September 2023. Africa HCD+ will only contact candidates who are successful at this pre-qualification stage. More information can be found on the DAI website; www.dai.com