Head of ECOWAS Advocacy and Influencing Desk at Oxfam International (OI)

Oxfam International (OI) is a confederation of 20 organizations working together with over 3000 partners in more than 100 countries to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice. The Oxfam International Secretariat is headquartered in Nairobi, with offices in Oxford, Washington DC, New York, Brussels, Geneva, and a liaison office with the Africa Union in Addis Ababa. This new position will be a pilot to see the effectiveness to open an advocacy office in Abuja to strengthen the relationship with the regional west Africa institution, ECOWAS.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Head of ECOWAS Advocacy and Influencing Desk

Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Contract type: Fixed term (1 year) renewable.
Internal Job Grade: C1, National terms and conditions
Reporting to: Regional Influencing Manager – WAF
Staff reporting to this post: None
Annual Budget: N/A

Job Descriptions

Team Purpose:

To work as part of West Africa platform team, which works to realize the vision of a region free from chronic vulnerabilities and inequalities, where each citizen enjoys her/his rights for assistance in crisis situation and where sovereign resources drawn from extractive industries, a fair taxation system and inclusive farming development are sufficient and fairly redistributed, bringing an end to extreme inequalities, vulnerability and poverty.
In collaboration with our country programs, we identify and work with networks of social movements, CSOs and their coalitions and alliances, West African institutions and governments to influence, develop and implement key international and regional policies, programs, pledges and human rights instruments.
The Regional Platform is created in order to:
- Provide strategic leadership, management and accountability
- Achieve regional impact through regional programming according to the West Africa Oxfam Regional Strategy
- Connect learning and capacity building processes across the region and provide cost-effective capacity building to countries

Job Purpose – Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

The main concept is investing in strategic locations to work with and engage regional institutions and / or influencing hubs, ECOWAS for this position. A unique selling point (USP) of Oxfam is its ability to work with others to make change happen by influencing different layers / levels involved in change. For this to happen, Oxfam in general and in the region, needs to transform our country and regional programs to focus more on influencing while optimizing and building on its long-term development and humanitarian works.
The Head of ECOWAS advocacy and influencing desk will have the overall objective of leading West Africa and country team’s engagement with ECOWAS and its organs as well as facilitating Oxfam’s engagement with ECOWAS.
The specific objectives of this position are:
- Exchange intelligence, information, data, or knowledge with ECOWAS to inform their development policies and strategies as well as Oxfam work at national, regional, pan African and global levels
- Facilitate participation of regional and national CSOs in policy definition and support citizens monitoring and influence.
- Strengthening influencing capacities of CSOs by providing information on current policies and processes.
- Facilitate collaboration with ECOWAS in line with our programs to improve alignment and create synergy.
- Lobby ECOWAS to develop and implement policies and strategies that are gendertransformative and address the root causes of poverty and inequalities in the region and in countries.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership and Management:

Serve as a member of the Influencing team of the west Africa regional platform, and as adviser to the program platform team on engagement with the ECOWAS commission and related institutions relevant for the campaign and policy objectives of Oxfam’s regional strategy
Collaborate with the Oxfam Nigeria team that will host the position and ensure the synergy of Oxfam Nigeria’s influencing agenda with the regional one.
Participate in the design of the new program orientation in Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal as influencing hubs.
Lead policy development on issues relevant to ECOWAS in collaboration with thematic teams, and advise the OI Regional Director on sign-off for relevant internal and external campaign products and policy positions
Facilitate a high level of collaboration between Oxfam affiliates and country teams and regional platform on ECOWAS-targeted advocacy and campaigning
Support Oxfam colleagues (Country teams, regional platform colleagues and global Campaign teams) to engage the ECOWAS and its organs
As delegated by the OI West Africa regional Director, act as spokesperson including giving media interviews on OI agreed positions.
Participate in Oxfam International Advocacy and Campaigns teams as appropriate
Facilitate partnership and alliances with regional civil society organizations and building coalitions in issues around fighting inequalities

ECOWAS:

Develop and maintain key relationships with ECOWAS and its organs, and relevant country representatives’ missions
Maintain high level of expertise on ECOWAS processes and strengthen Oxfam’s relationship with West African Civil Society Organizations.
Develop and implement coalition-based strategies for advocacy on ECOWAS
Act as target manager between OI and ECOWAS and advise the regional platform and countries on all engagements with the ECOWAS commission

Civil Society:

In collaboration with the regional program team, facilitate partnership and alliances with regional civil society organizations and building coalitions in issues around fighting inequalities
Implement strategies for engaging and partnering with CSO coalitions and networks around ECOWAS affairs.
Facilitate exchange and coordination of the CSO working on ECOWAS policies and practices, and represent Oxfam on the network of NGOs working with ECOWAS
In collaboration with influencing and programs team, provide advice, support and technical assistance to CSO coalitions working on ECOWAS affairs

Technical Skills, Experience & Knowledge

Essential:

At least 8-10 years of Advanced knowledge of ECOWAS and or related policies, West African civil society and regional advocacy work
Demonstrable experience developing and implementing high impact advocacy strategies that integrate lobbying, research, media and other campaigning tools in order to influence decision-making bodies
Demonstrable experience effectively representing issues and institutions before high level decisionmakers, colleagues, media and the general public.
Strong people- and project-management skills, with experience working in diverse alliances
Excellent communication skills for advocacy and media work, and awareness of political sensitivities
Strong interpersonal skills that include experience with mediation and consensus building
Strong communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively in writing
Languages: Fluency in English and French required

Other:

Eager and required to adhere to Oxfam’s principles and values (click here) as well as the promotion of gender justice and women’s rights (click here).
Understanding of and commitment to adhere to equity, diversity, gender, child safety and staff health and wellbeing principles.

Key Attributes:

Ability to demonstrate sensitivity to cultural differences and gender issues, as well as the commitment to equal opportunities.
Ability to demonstrate an openness and willingness to learn about the application of gender/gender mainstreaming, women’s rights, and diversity for all aspects of development work.
Commitment to Oxfam’s safeguarding policies to ensure all people who come into contact with Oxfam are as safe as possible.

Organizational Values:

Accountability – Our purpose-driven, results-focused approach means we take responsibility for our actions and hold ourselves accountable. We believe that others should also be held accountable for their actions.
Empowerment – Our approach means that everyone involved with Oxfam, from our staff and supporters to people living in poverty, should feel they can make change happen.
Inclusiveness – We are open to everyone and embrace diversity. We believe everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of visible and invisible differences.

Key Behavioral Competencies – (based on Oxfam’s Leadership Model)

Competencies – Description

Decisiveness – We are comfortable to make transparent decisions and to adapt decision making modes to the context and needs.
Influencing – We have the ability to engage with diverse stakeholders in a way that leads to increased impact for the organization We spot opportunities to influence effectively and where there are no opportunities we have the ability to create them in a respectful and impactful manner.
Humility – We put ‘we’ before ‘me’ and place an emphasis on the power of the collective, nurture the team and play to the strengths of each individual. We are not concerned with hierarchical power, and we engage with, trust and value the knowledge and expertise of others across all levels of the organization.
Relationship Building – We understand the importance of building relationship, within and outside the organization. We have the ability to engage with traditional and non-traditional stakeholders in ways that lead to increased impact for the organization.
Listening – We are good listeners who can see where deeper levels of thoughts and tacit assumptions differ. Our messages to others are clear, and consider different preferences.
Mutual Accountability – We can explain our decisions and how we have taken them based on our organizational values. We are ready to be held to account for what we do and how we behave, as we are also holding others to account in a consistent manner.
Agility, Complexity, and Ambiguity – We scan the environment, anticipate changes, are comfortable with lack of clarity and deal with a large number of elements interacting in diverse and unpredictable ways.
Strategic Thinking and Judgment – We use judgment, weighing risk against the imperative to act. We make decisions consistent with organizational strategies and values.
SelfAwareness – We are able to develop a high degree of self-awareness around our own strengths and weaknesses and our impact on others. Our self-awareness enables us to moderate and self-regulate our behaviors to control and channel our impulses for good purposes.
Enabling – We all work to effectively empower and enable others to deliver the organizations goals through creating conditions of success. We passionately invest in others by developing their careers, not only their skills for the job.
We provide freedom; demonstrate belief and trust provide appropriate support. We give more freedom and demonstrate belief and trust, underpinned with appropriate support.