Head of Advocacy and Communication

Job Title:

Head of Advocacy and Communication

Department/ Program:

Programs

Work Location:

IRC-Bangladesh Dhaka office with 40% travel to Cox Bazar and field locations

Line Manager:

Country Director (post holder will have matrix management with IRC’s Senior Policy Advisor based in UK)

Grade:

6A (National)

Contract Length:

2 Years

Program Brief

Founded in 1933, International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the world’s leading agencies working in post-conflict and development contexts, supporting communities in over 40 fragile, failed and developing states. In this capacity, we work to restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted, struggling to endure and wishing to advance on a path of development.

IRC has been present in Bangladesh since 2017 and obtained registration with the NGOAB in March 2018. Since IRC obtained registration in March 2018, it has moved quickly to expand its integrated emergency health and protection response through both direct and partner-based programming focused on primary healthcare, women’s protection and empowerment, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence and child protection. Through 2018, the IRC’s response strategy will primarily target Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, while meeting the significant needs in both refugee and host populations, as already existing vulnerabilities are compounded with cyclical monsoon and cyclone seasons that impose additional threats to the lives and protection of those refugees as well as vulnerable host populations. IRC is growing its programming to cover education and livelihoods/DRR, as well as its geographic foot print in the host community and to other parts of the country.

Purpose of the Role

Working with the IRC Country leadership, you will develop IRC’s advocacy strategy for the Rohingya crisis on key issues including, but not limited to: humanitarian protection and the needs of women and girls; responses to protracted displacement for refugee and host communities; strategies to bridge humanitarian and development interventions; and the promotion of refugee and international humanitarian law.

Using IRC data, evidence from operations in Bangladesh and Myanmar, external sources, and working with advocates such as think tanks in Bangladesh as well as at capital level (DC, London, Brussels), you will generate evidence, messaging and positions to contribute to policy change. You will also continuously monitor the evolving humanitarian and political context in Bangladesh to understand the implications for IRC’s programming, policy messaging and for affected communities.

Your additional responsibilities will also include: representing IRC in external discussions and working groups to contribute to the development of inter-agency positions; working with IRC’s communications teams locally and in HQ to ensure public messaging is in line with country program advocacy priorities and objectives. You will report to the Country Director.

Key qualifications: a deep understanding of refugee protection and programming approaches for refugees; a good understanding of refugee and international humanitarian law; excellent writing, communication, critical thinking and analysis skills, combined with proven prior experience of developing advocacy strategies. Field experience in a humanitarian context, including high level coordination and representation with donors, Embassies, UN agencies, and NGOs, is desirable.

Highlights of Key Responsibilities

·Develop a targeted advocacy strategy that promotes the protection of refugees and steps to mitigate the impact of the crisis on host communities.

·Working in collaboration with IRC advocacy colleagues in US, Europe and IRC’s think tank partners, develop and drive policy messages targeting in-country, regional, and international policy-makers, ensuring field priorities and perspectives are integrated and prioritized.

·Write evidenced based (including building on IRC’s own program experiences) analysis papers, briefing notes, key messages, articles, blogs, presentations and other documents for internal and external locally and globally.

·Monitoring the evolving humanitarian and political context in Bangladesh (and where necessary Myanmar) to provide written and verbal updates to senior staff in the country program, HQ, and to external IRC partners.

·Actively represent IRC in Advocacy Working Group on Rohingya Crises in Cox Bazar; attend external meetings in Bangladesh.

·Build and manage relationships with diverse, like-minded organizations, groups and individuals to develop networks and increase collective impact.

·Lead efforts to build a shared organizational understanding of IRC’s advocacy goals and define the roles different staff members can play in achieving them.

·Work with communications colleagues, to develop communications products to advance IRC’s key messages in line with the advocacy strategy as well as IRC’s visibility both in country and globally.

·Contribute to development of IRC’s global advocacy strategy for the Rohingya crisis to ensure global level IRC staff can better able influence national policy.

Major Challenges/ Difficulties of This Role

• Coordinating effectively partners across INGOs, L/INGOs, UN, and government of Bangladesh.
• Coordinating internally to collect evidences from IRC’s program due to busy schedule and conflicting priorities of sector leads / technical coordinators.
• Potential risks on IRC’s reputation due to sensitivities associated with the rights and protection of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

Deliverables

·IRC’s Bangladesh Rohingya crisis advocacy strategy.

·Close working relationship with sector leads / technical coordinators and Deputy Director Program (DDP) towards evidence based advocacy.

·Evidence and data to inform advocacy strategy and decision-making.

·Development of strategic and funding partnerships with diverse, like-minded organizations, groups and individuals to increase collective impact.

·Coordinate closely with global policy and advocacy, communications and media teams.

·Policy messages, briefing/research papers.

·Development and effective delivery of communication and visibility plan.