POLICY AND MEDIA ADVOCACY LEAD

Country: Kenya

Organization: Faith to Action Network

Closing date: 16 Jun 2023

The External Relations Department

Faith to Action Network's External Relations Department is responsible for offering leadership in developing and maintaining positive relations with external stakeholders, including faith organizations (including member institutions), policymakers and power holders, donors/partners, and the general public. In particular, the Department is responsible for advocacy, communications, and movement building work, including the development and implementation of guiding strategies.

Overall Purpose of the role:

As a Policy and Media Advocacy Lead, you will play a crucial role in shaping public policies, influencing decision-making processes, and raising public awareness about faith actor’s engagement according to our organization's mission and goals.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Policy Analysis and Advocacy

• Leading Faith to Action Network's policy analysis, mapping out key policy advocacy, and advising on the ones to engage in relation to our thematic work, producing regular policy briefs, organizing high-level policy engagements with media, providing communications technical support, and representing the organization in designated spaces.


• Conducting research, analyzing policy issues, developing policy positions and recommendations, and monitoring the work of regional economic blocks, the African Union Commission, bilateral institutions, and UN agencies and their decentralized structures and functions to inform the program's engagement strategy and support the Secretariat in conducting meaningful strategic policy advocacy and media engagements.


• Developing and updating key advocacy calendars, including regional and international processes, to inform advocacy and support our partners and hubs to develop, monitor, and respond to national/regional and global calendars.


• Preparation of powerful specific Policy Briefs targeting specific audiences for specific outcomes and gatherings.


• Impact Monitoring and Evaluation: Tracking policy changes, evaluating the impact of advocacy efforts, and measuring the effectiveness of media strategies to inform future advocacy approaches.


• Leading in tracking policy advocacy implementation; this includes mapping policy spaces and developing a comprehensive global policy portfolio on issues that need the Secretariat's attention.

Informing and Influencing Policymakers and Power Holders

• Facilitating access to key decision-makers.


• Establishing and maintaining contacts and strengthening dialogue with decision-makers and power holders at the international, regional, and national level.


• Ensuring the Secretariat's and members' active participation in relevant meetings and processes, including creating civic spaces, seizing invited spaces, and claiming spaces.


• Representing and positioning Faith to Action Network during external events, liaising with network members, partners, and other stakeholders.

Building Internal and External Issues-based Coalitions

• Using the advocacy spaces opportunities to position Faith to Action Network as a key inter-religious interlocutor to engage with 'on policy advocacy specific' emerging issues or opportunities.


• In collaboration with the relevant team members, coordinating input and participation of hub members and potential like-minded allies on specific issues or opportunities.


• Representing Faith to Action Network secretariat in working groups of selected alliances, consortia, and partnerships.

Media Management and Organization of High-level Events

• Developing a media engagement strategy to raise public awareness, promote our organization's messages, and mobilize public support for key issues.


• Cultivating relationships with journalists, media outlets, and influencers to secure media coverage and opportunities for our organization.


• Creating compelling and persuasive communication materials, such as press releases, op-eds, and policy briefs, to effectively communicate our organization's policy positions.


• Leveraging media platforms, storytelling, and strategic messaging to influence public discourse, challenge misconceptions, and promote alternative perspectives on religion and SRHR, Gender Justice, Women's rights, and Peaceful and just communities.


• Engaging diverse, strong, regional, Africa-based, and global media contacts.


• Developing and leading policy advocacy media products (both traditional media and social media).


• Leading, coordinating, and organizing high-level events that bring together influential stakeholders including policymakers, media, civil society actors, faith leaders, etc., on specific issues.


• Mobilizing key speakers at events, collaborating with others, and obtaining key international media support.

Editorial Quality Assurance

• Exercising editorial control over all advocacy and communication products, including annual organizational reports, website, newsletters, social media channels, etc.


• Ensuring all advocacy and communication products comply with branding guidelines.


• Establishing and maintaining quality standards in all oral, audio-visual, and written advocacy and communication products and channels.

Success Factors in this role:

• Must have a bachelors/Master's degree in political sciences, Public Policy, Communications, Political Science, social sciences, or development studies.


• With a minimum of 10 years of experience in advocacy and strategic media/communications planning focusing on influencing public policy.


• You possess a deep understanding of research, policy analysis, and high-level representation.


• Impeccable writing skills and fluency in English will enable you to develop powerful messages that resonate with diverse audiences.

In addition, you will have;

• Proven ability to support the coordination of complex international advocacy and communication interventions, experience in an interfaith context is highly desirable


• Excellent knowledge of the advocacy cycle and application of advocacy tools in an international and intercultural context.


• Experience working on human/women's rights, reproductive rights, and/or in the social justice sector with demonstrable expertise in advocacy and/or representation and influence at high policy levels.


• Experience adapting context-specific analysis, strategy, policies, and procedures to suit different audiences.


• Experience in developing and managing the rollout of communication programs and media strategies.


• Experience in high-profile representation.


• Proven and demonstrable experience in high-level writing, documentation, and information packaging. Impeccable writing and editorial skills in English.


• Language skills - fluency in English (knowledge of French would be an added advantage).


• Capacity to work independently, strong ability to prioritize and meet multiple deadlines.


• Experience in working in a multicultural environment, with remote-based colleagues while maintaining teamwork.

How to apply

Interested candidates should submit their applications (CV and cover letter) to HR@faithtoactionetwork.org by June 16th, 2023. Applications should include a full curriculum vita (including comprehensive details of key achievements and responsibilities, a list of references and current salary) along with a covering letter addressing the job description, academic and professional qualifications and indicating motivation for the role.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Faith to Action Network is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse workforce including gender, Nationality, cultural and religious diversity. Candidates from all sections of the community are welcome to apply. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting wellbeing and upholding human rights; and all staff and post holders are expected to share this commitment. As part of implementing our diversity and inclusion policy, this position is open to both Kenyans and non – Kenyans