Advocacy, Campaign and Comm Manager (INT6999)

Internal Job Grade: C1

Reporting to: Country Director

Staff reporting to this post: Three staff: Two Policy officers (EFSVL and WASH, One Media Advisor)

Location: Damascus, Syria

Annual Budget: N/A

Shaping a stronger Oxfam for people living in poverty.

Team Purpose

The Syria Influencing Team covers advocacy, campaigns, policy, research, media and communications work within the Oxfam Country Programme. It works in close collaboration with programme teams to deliver high quality and high impact programming; and leverages impact through influencing/advocacy in collaboration with our local partners and allies at national, regional and international level.

Job Purpose

In collaboration with Syria country programme staff, partners and allies as well as Oxfam international colleagues, lead the development and management of Oxfam’s influencing strategy in Syria, covering advocacy, campaigns, policy, communications and media work, closely linking with the regional humanitarian campaign lead.  Ensure that the country programme delivers a coherent policy and influencing strategy, built on programming, cognisant of risk and relevant to the country context.  The position holder is part of the Syria Country Management Team (CMT).

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Influencing:

lead the development of, update and implement the influencing strategy and action plans for Syria (including working with staff in Oxfam’s hub offices across Syria), addressing the causes of the conflict and its humanitarian consequences for civilians, analysing power relations and identifying advocacy opportunities, in coordination with other Oxfam advocacy and campaign colleagues at regional, affiliate and international level. Integrate all elements of influencing, both global and national-level – campaigns, policy, media/communications - into one vision of work. Manage risks associated with the implementation of Oxfam’s advocacy strategy and action plan;

Proactively participate in Syria campaign management decision-making fora (within the region and across Oxfam, linking to the Rights in Crisis campaign), working closely with advocacy and media colleagues across the confederation and in global capitals to ensure consistent and informed messages and strategies at local, regional and global levels.   

Policy advice & development:

Within the agreed Oxfam influencing strategy, work with the Policy officers, the regional humanitarian campaign lead and the Rights in Crisis Policy lead, to develop policy work in relation to Syria. Provide sub-regional policy inputs to briefings and lobby meetings.  Work with Oxfam International in regional and global forums on common policy and communications lines.

• Work closely with the regional humanitarian campaign lead to recommend approaches around high-level public policy decisions, drawing on information from within and outside the organisation, taking into account sensitivities within the political context, and implications for public perception of Oxfam and its programming within the country and globally.
• Work with programme colleagues to collect evidence that can be used for policy work. Support the Country Director and others as relevant with policy advice, inputting into meeting talking points and consultation responses as appropriate.; participate in relevant INGO fora, including policy and advocacy working groups in country. .

Work closely with the Gender and Protection teams to raise the voices of Syrian women and girls and ensure a gender approach of all advocacy work; and to ensure relevant protection concerns are a key part of all influencing work.

• Undertake proactive lobby and policy work with Governments, UN agencies and other actors in the region and globally as required.

Media and Communication:

• Ensure the development of a media and comms communications strategy and  communications plans for Oxfam’s programme work in Syria, working closely with media and communications colleagues.
• Oversee the production of quality media and communication products, both external as well as internal to Oxfam and its back-donors. (press releases, blogs, social media posts and other content from inside Syria, including story gathering.

Relationships & networking:

• Build and maintain relationships with key actors inside Syria, including staff working for UN agencies, INGOs and Syrian Civil Society Organisations based out of Damascus. Maintain proactive relationships with the donor community, in coordination with the Funding Coordinator.
• Disseminate policy work inside Syria, including supporting the Country Director and other staff in developing relationships with key departments of the Government of Syria to discuss Oxfam’s policy work
• Provide and share regular analysis on political and programme developments, from an inside of Syria perspective.
• Advise and brief Oxfam spokespeople ahead of external meetings.

Strategic steer & coordination:

• Provide influencing advice and direction to Oxfam in Syria ensuring a good and productive collaboration within the Influencing team and with Oxfam programs ; coordinate with the wider Oxfam coordination structure on Rights in Crisis and other global campaigns as relevant, feeding in Syria information to global advocacy as needed; Support the Country Director and others in building consensus among Oxfam affiliates on policies, and coordinating the internal sign-off process on all Syria policy issues;

One programme:

• work closely with key programme staff (DCD Programme, DCD Support, Humanitarian Programme Coordinator, technical advisers, Area Managers) to ensure strategic influencing at both global and national levels, including supporting the Media and Communications and Policy staff to work with programme colleagues to deliver their products to the highest standards and support influencing staff with technical advice in relation to policy components in projects.

Contingency planning & emergency response:

• Working with the Humanitarian Programme Coordinator, Media and Communications Adviser and other relevant staff, contribute to Oxfam’s contingency planning from a policy/advocacy/media perspective. In emergency peaks, coordinate the Oxfam advocacy response;

Cooperation with Oxfam partners:

• To degree possible, advise, liaise with and/or facilitate advice to a diverse network of Oxfam partners and allies in their advocacy efforts and contribute to strengthening the link between Oxfam advocacy and the programs of partners;

Information management:

• Ensure Syria advocacy documents are made accessible on Oxfam intranet and shared appropriately within and outside Oxfam;

Brand and programme security:

• Liaise with programme staff and affiliates to ensure proper risk management and ensure project/programme proposals and activities are in line with southern campaigning principles;

Annual planning process:

• Contribute to Oxfam’s internal annual and/or quarterly planning and reporting as part of the Country Management Team;

Staff management:

• Manage the influencing team, including direct management of three team members on a day to day to basis, performing HR tasks such as work meetings, performance interviews, accepting reports of absence and recovery and passing them on to HR, meetings on frequent absence, co-ordinating and advising on the recruitment and selection procedure.

Active engagement in the Country Management Team:

• Participate in and contribute to the Syria Country Management Team (CMT).

General

• Eager and required to adhere to Oxfam’s principles and values as well as the promotion of gender justice and women's rights.
• Commitment to humanitarian principles and action.
• Understanding of and commitment to adhere to equity, diversity, gender, child safety and staff health and wellbeing principles

Technical Skills, Experience & Knowledge

Essential

• Significant and proven work experience, including campaign, advocacy, policy, networking and alliance building in humanitarian crisis context

• Education in social sciences to degree level, or equivalent. Post-graduate and other training qualifications an advantage.
• Strong conceptual and analytical skills and ability to think/operate innovatively and strategically.
• Ability to influence and liaise effectively with key stakeholders and representation in high profile environments
• Proven ability in developing policy (including producing and managing policy products) and implementing and monitoring campaign and advocacy strategies
• Excellent representational and lobbying skills, and experience of advocacy with senior decision-makers.
• Proven evidence of leadership skills including the ability to challenge, motivate and develop direct reports and teams
• Excellent English oral and written communications skills. Ability to write substantial pieces of analysis.
• Ability to work with significant levels of autonomy and make prompt and sound decisions
• Flexibility, stamina and ability to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines, to work unsociable hours as necessary.

• Knowledge and experience of promoting gender equity, and an active commitment to promoting the interests of marginalized people in all aspects of programme work
• Experience of managing staff: challenging, motivating, developing and inspiring team members
• Sensitivity to cultural differences, and the ability to work collaboratively in a wide variety of cultural contexts
• Very high-level of self-awareness, interpersonal and communications skills

Desirable

• Campaign, policy and advocacy experience in Syria or within a Middle East context.
• Experience in media and communications
• Effective oral and written communication in Arabic.