About Us

Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty. This means that we tackle the inequality that keeps people poor. Together we save, protect and rebuild lives. When disaster strikes, we help people build better lives for themselves and for others. We take on issues like land rights, climate change and discrimination against women. And we won’t stop until every person on the planet can enjoy life free from poverty.

We are an international confederation of 20 organisations (affiliates) plus the Oxfam International Secretariat, all working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries. All our work is led by our core values: Empowerment, Accountability, Inclusiveness, Courage, Solidarity and Equality. To read more about our values please visit our website at: https://www.oxfamnovib.nl/donors-partners/about-oxfam/our-story

Oxfam Novib Somalia / Somaliland is looking for an Influencing & Communications Manager

  • Deadline for applications: 31 January 2022
  • Duty station: Hargeisa, with travel to Mogadishu, Garowe and Nairobi
  • Type of contract: National / International
  • Work schedule: Full-time (40 hours per week)
  • Reports to: Country Director
  • Type of Posting: Single Posting
  • Salary & Scale: € 3.235,= to € 4.976,= / Oxfam Novib’s scale 709 ( Int Grading C1)
  • Contract duration: Fixed term contract for 12 months (with possibility of extension)
  • Start date: February 2022

CONTEXT

Oxfam’s work in Somalia covers both humanitarian and development spheres, with much programming delivered in Hargeisa and eastern Somaliland, both directly and with partners. The humanitarian component focuses on delivery of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), food security (particularly cash grants) and protection, in response to persistent, intense drought that has decimated livelihoods – primarily pastoralism, and caused mass displacement. The development component focuses on women and youth empowerment, economic inclusion, influence in decision-making and access to justice.

Oxfam’s influencing work focuses on the following key areas in relation to humanitarian, development and peace spheres, in addition to extensive ad hoc requirements:

  • Response to new or evolving humanitarian crises and the enabling environment for humanitarian actors
  • Advancing the humanitarian localisation agenda and local humanitarian leadership by Women’s Rights Organisations;
  • Climate Justice for Somalia as part of a larger coalition of aligned civil society;
  • Protection and women’s empowerment and rights;
  • Youth empowerment and economic justice including domestic resource mobilization.

Oxfam has a strong history of influencing work in Somalia, built upon our presence in Somalia since the 1970s. The success of our work is grounded in close collaboration with coalitions and local civil society, while acting upon strategic openings for influence. This includes extensive research, policy briefs, campaigning, and media and communications engagement, while also amplifying influencing efforts through Oxfam’s global networks.

For more information, please use the following links: heca.oxfam.org/countries/somalia, www.facebook.com/OxfaminSomalia, twitter.com/OxfaminSomalia,

OBJECTIVE OF THE POSITION

The Influencing and Communications Manager has a broad mandate overseeing campaigns, advocacy, research, communications, media and other related influencing initiatives of the Country Office (CO). This mandate is further broadened by working across diverse thematic areas mentioned earlier. The ability to balance such diversity of complex tasks is paramount for success in the role.

The CO has a new Influencing Strategy to accompany the overall 10 year Country Strategy, which was finalised in 2021. Influencing has greater prominence in the new Country Strategy, where the CO seeks to address systemic issues of injustice. The post holder is required to engage with a wide diversity of actors, including extensive civil society and government engagement in Somalia and Somaliland, global networks (Oxfam and others) and regional networks. This includes engaging allies and other stakeholders in Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Washington, London, Brussels and other centres for strategic influencing. In line with Oxfam’s commitments towards localisation, the position also delivers technical and institutional support for local civil society on influencing, communications and related areas, with much of Oxfam’s influencing work being partner-driven, and then amplified by Oxfam. The position is dynamic and intellectually stimulating, and reports directly to the Country Director.

JOB PURPOSE

  • Serve as campaigns, policy and communications lead and provide leadership, strategic guidance and supervision to Oxfam staff and partners on these topics.
  • Lead on the initiation, design and review of research on critical issues in collaboration with Oxfam staff, allies and partners, such as on gender, localization and other issues.
  • Identify and respond to ad hoc influencing opportunities, such as in relation to humanitarian and socio-economic developments in Somalia and Somaliland.
  • Ensure an exceptional standard for all of Oxfam’s influencing and communications work, and timely, appropriate and high quality support for partners’ influencing efforts.
  • Maintain and expand partnerships to expand influencing potential, nationally, regionally and globally, according to strategic objectives.
  • Support the capacity and institutional development of partners in relation to influencing and communications, such as through mentoring, coaching, workshops and strategy development
  • Manage Influencing projects such as the 5-year African Activists for Climate Justice Project.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

  • Own Oxfam’s influencing strategy in Somalia, working closely with partners, programme staff and Oxfam’s wider network to monitor and evaluate it, updating and adapting as necessary.
  • Oversee quality control of Oxfam and partners’ research and policy initiatives, from Terms of References (ToR) development to dissemination, including technical design of research and editing particularly, plus thematic inputs such as on gender, economic justice and localisation.
  • Review all Oxfam communications products for external dissemination, ensuring quality control, while also developing and disseminating communication products, such as human interest stories and overseeing (but not delivering) video productions.
  • Plan and implement comprehensive and coherent campaigns on agreed strategic issues, including events, research launches, digital campaigning and more to maximise influencing impact.
  • Promote and ensure the realisation of advocacy integration across Oxfam’s work, including links with communications, MEAL and programmatic activities.
  • Identify and secure funding for influencing initiatives both within Oxfam and externally
  • Link with and feed into various Oxfam networks, including working with regional colleagues in Ethiopia and Kenya, global colleagues such as in Europe and North America, and various thematic groups.
  • Manage the 5-year 2.1million USD African Activists for Climate Justice Project supporting the emergence of climate justice movement in Somalia and access to climate finance and other policies to improve vulnerable Somalis affected by the climate crisis.
  • Produce, commission and/or manage various products including research reports, briefing papers, statements, talking points, Q&A, strategies, thematic briefs and similar products covering humanitarian, development and political issues, both for internal and external use.
  • Provide technical support to Oxfam staff and partner organisations on influencing, research, communications, strategy development and related areas.
  • Line manage two staff members: Media and Communications Officer and Climate Justice Project Coordinator with the possibility of line managing other staff as the influencing and communications department ideally expands.
  • Represent Oxfam in internal and external fora, such as with the Somalia NGO Consortium, UN Agencies, donors and various working groups, particularly the SNC’s Advocacy Working Group, and localisation-focused networks.
  • Identify and capitalise on opportunities for influencing in a strategic fashion that contributes towards Oxfam and partners’ mandates, particularly around women and youth issues.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

  • The post holder must have a proven record and commitment on development and humanitarian affairs and ability to travel within Somalia, plus to Addis Ababa and Nairobi, according to Oxfam standard operating procedures and security protocols.
  • Strong advocacy background, with experience of leading teams and processes regarding policy and advocacy work at local, national and international levels. This experience has ideally been gained in complex environments, with multi-dimensional humanitarian and developmental policy issues, and preferably within larger NGOs.
  • Ability to and proven experience of power and stakeholder analysis, and navigation of highly complex and politically sensitive environments, ideally in a conflict setting.
  • Knowledge and understanding of at least some of protection issues, humanitarian assistance, WASH, food security, localisation of aid, and peace and security dynamics. Expertise on all areas is not expected, but a willingness to learn and preliminary understanding are important.
  • Commitment to and demonstrated understanding of women’s empowerment and gender-related issues in humanitarian, development and armed conflict settings, where a prominent gender lens must be applied to all work, both mainstreaming and standalone.
  • Excellent research, analysis and writing skills and proven capacity to develop position papers, articles and policy notes. These skills and experience will be coupled with significant and proven experience of managing others to produce research and analysis outputs.
  • High level networking skills, including prior experience in alliance building with other organisations and expanding the influencing work of national NGOs and networks, with a particular focus on women right’s organisations.
  • Excellent communication skills, including, but not limited to writing human interest stories, preparing content for social media, and reviewing and signing off on all office communication materials, including photos and videos. Photography skills an asset.
  • Proven ability to communicate verbally with a wide range of actors and audiences, including the ability to build relationships with a variety of stakeholders at different levels from crisis affected Somali women and men to diverse civil society to decision makers.
  • Understanding of and commitment to conflict sensitive programming and demonstrated ability to integrate conflict sensitive principles in influencing and communications work; and
  • Fluency in English; knowledge of Somali an asset.

Desirable

  • Understanding and experience of Somalia's complex and evolving political, humanitarian, and development situation.
  • Clear, demonstrated experience working across nexus programming (peace, humanitarian and development) with a major focus on localisation.
  • Proven experience strengthening capacity of staff and partners in influencing work.

Attitude to the Role

  • The post holder must be highly motivated and take initiative to maximise the potential of the role. Particularly important is building the profile of Oxfam’s work both internally and externally, in addition to building constructive relationships and networks with allies, and realising opportunities for funding influencing initiatives.
  • Adaptability and persistence are also crucial to the role, where the context regularly changes and challenges arise, but this must not derail influencing initiatives.
  • Resilience is highly valued, as the post is based in Hargeisa with at-times long working hours and extensive travel, but with related compensation such as R&R. Challenges can also arise and patience is needed with balancing diverse agendas internally and externally.

WHAT WE OFFER

Oxfam Novib is committed to providing you with a competitive, fair, and comprehensive pay and benefits package that is justifiable to our donors. The salary range for this position is set in scale 709 with a salary range between € 3.235,= to € 4.976,= gross per month.

This vacancy is archived.

Recommended for you