All NRC employees are expected to work in accordance with the organization’s values. To be dedicated, innovative, inclusive and accountable are attitudes and beliefs that shall guide our actions and relationships. NRC has a commitment to safety and wellbeing and together we build a positive working culture to feel valued, empowered, supported, safe and have a sense of belonging. NRC does not tolerate employees exploiting or abusing people and has zero tolerance to inaction.

What we are looking for

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is seeking a strategic, partnership-oriented advocate who connects humanitarian response to durable solutions, helping to enable local Nigerian civil society in their efforts to shape the policies that serve those affected by displacement. displaced communities. The Advocacy Manager provides overall leadership, management, and strategic direction to NRC’s policy, communications, and advocacy work in Nigeria. The post-holder should be a strategic thinker with the ability to collaboratively design advocacy strategies that bring together NRC’s programmatic evidence and partners’ priorities. The Advocacy Manager is responsible for ensuring that NRC’s advocacy is informed by and by the priorities and expertise of NRC’s partners, evidence from NRC’s Programmes, by NorCap expertise, and by IDMC research. 

What you will do

• Identify and coordinate NRC’s advocacy response to prioritised issues both within the country and internationally.

• Develop and implement country-specific advocacy and communication strategy, aligned to overall country strategy. This includes ensuring linkages and coherence between programmes and advocacy by working closely with programme staff to integrate advocacy into programme planning and implementation.

• Provide high quality protection analysis on key humanitarian and displacement trends and prepare evidenced-based policy briefing papers, policy position statements and other public-facing advocacy products when strategic and relevant.

• Develop strong, collaborative relationships with NRC brands and partners to understand their priorities and initiatives and identify opportunities for joint action and co-designed influencing efforts. The aim is to strengthen locally led advocacy through joint agenda-setting, analysis, and collective influencing.

• Advise on advocacy and policy lines and strategy for influence, ensuring potential risks associated with NRC’s positions are assessed and sign-off procedures are adhered to.

   

Please download the detailed job description to learn more about the position. 

What you will bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Political Sciences, Journalism, Law, Human Rights, Public Communications, English, or any other relevant field.

• Minimum 5 years of experience working in advocacy in the humanitarian context and/or development or human rights. 

• Professional knowledge of humanitarian and protection principles.

• Experience in partnership-based programmes and with Nigerian civil society organisations.

• Experience from working in complex and volatile contexts.

• Communications and media skills, including internal communications and communicating with communities.

• Experience planning and overseeing joint advocacy or strategic initiatives with partner organisations or coalitions.

• Experience in managing a team and working within senior country management teams. 

• Fluency in English, both written and verbal, and fluency in one or more languages spoken in Nigeria is an advantage.

• Knowledge of the context in Nigeria

• Knowledge of civil society networks and protection and legal issues in Nigeria

• Experience with humanitarian protection programmes and humanitarian policy and advocacy

• Strong writing skills and analytical skills, preferably with a history of writing communications materials, and ability to produce quality advocacy work within tight deadlines.
• Excellent teamwork and collaboration skills, with experience working closely with programme teams, local partners, technical experts, and management.
• Strong organizational and personal management skills, with ability to priorities work issues to meet deadlines.
• Ability to work creatively, effectively and in an innovative manner and to identify and develop new ways to use advocacy and media to amplify partners’ work and NRC priorities.  
• Excellent networking and negotiation skills to develop good working relationships.

What we offer

• Duty station:  Abuja, Nigeria 

• Contract: fixed national contract (12 months renewable)

• Travel: up to 40% to the areas of operation of NRC in Nigeria 

• Salary/benefits: grade 9 on NRC’s salary scale, with accompanying terms and conditions

• NRC is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to diversity without distinction to age, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, and physical ability.

• We think outside the box, encourage ideas, and give responsibility to all employees at all levels. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative.

Find out more about the benefits of working for NRC

Important information about the application process

• Internal candidates only: please click on the suitcase icon labelled “I am an employee” to be redirected to NRC’s internal careers site.

• When creating your profile, include your full name as given on your passport. Complete all the system-required fields for experience, employment history and education.

• Submit your application and CV in English, taking care to attach your latest CV.

• Applications that do not meet the minimum standards in terms of experience or qualifications will generally not be considered. Unsolicited applications not related to this specific job advertisement will not be considered.

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. We receive many applicants for each vacant position.

• If you have any questions about this role, please email aela.recruitment@nrc.no with the job title as the subject line.

Why NRC?

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee. Our 15,000 staff work in crises across 40 countries, providing life-saving and long-term assistance to millions of people every year.

Watch this short video to see NRC in action.

We contribute to the development of policy aiming to protect the rights of the displaced and we call for increased humanitarian funding and engagement on processes that will generate structural changes in protection and assistance in the region.

Since 2015, NRC Nigeria has been working to help displacement-affected communities meet their basic needs, improve their livelihoods, access essential services, and enhance their resilience to future shocks through our six core competencies: water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), Shelter, Education, Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA), Livelihoods and Food Security (LFS), Camp Management, and Protection. NRC provides immediate assistance during the onset of emergencies through the rapid response mechanism (RRM). In 2024, NRC and its partners reached approximately 685,000 people.

The crisis in Nigeria is marked by brutal violence against civilians causing acute humanitarian needs and displacement. In the north-east, the conflict has shattered lives, infrastructure, basic services, and social fabric.

NRC is expanding its partnership portfolio of local partners in Nigeria - including national and local government authorities, civil society organizations, and private sector actors, to scale up service delivery and enhance localisation commitments. It is committed to working partners on questions of IDP rights and systems strengthening to serve vulnerable communities.

We are looking for people who are passionate about helping refugees and people forced to flee. Are you one of those people? If you are, NRC offers you the opportunity to:

• do demanding and professional work, often in challenging contexts.

• join a work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility.

• be part of a welcoming and supportive community committed to human dignity.

Learn more about NRC