Policy and Advocacy Advisor (Humanitarian)

Policy and Advocacy Advisor (Humanitarian)

The Position

The Policy and Advocacy Advisor will play an important role in Plan International Canada’s Policy & Advocacy Unit and engage closely with many business units such as the Humanitarian Unit, Youth Engagement Unit, and the Public Relations and Communications Unit. The purpose of the Policy and Advocacy Team is to step up Plan International Canada’s policy and advocacy impact vis-à-vis the Canadian government and global policy decision-makers, as well as align and streamline advocacy efforts across the organization. A cornerstone of this approach is Plan International Canada’s Policy and Advocacy Strategy. You will support the team by executing key elements of Plan International Canada’s Policy and Advocacy Strategy, including the development of evidence-based policy positions, and coordinating policy and advocacy activities.

What success looks like?

With the leadership of and in close regular collaboration with the Director of Youth Leadership and Policy Advocacy, and the Senior Advisor, Policy and Advocacy, the main responsibilities of the Policy and Advocacy Advisor (Humanitarian) will be

Government Relations and Influencing (30%)

• Assist with Plan International Canada’s efforts to influence federal government policy to promote gender equality and adopt gender transformative strategies, in global development and humanitarian action with a particular focus on humanitarian policy advocacy priorities such as education in emergencies, food security and the global hunger crisis, refugee rights, meaningful youth engagement and ongoing humanitarian topics aligned with Plan International Canada’s Policy and Advocacy Strategy and Plan International’s Global Advocacy Strategy.
• There will also be ongoing policy influencing, advocacy, and strategic communications work supporting Plan International Canada’s priorities in global development such as education, health, and meaningful youth engagement and youth advocacy.
• Represent Plan International Canada at key Plan International Federation-wide and Canadian civil society coalitions and working groups related to humanitarian action.
• Support the Director of Youth Leadership and Policy Advocacy, Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor, Director of Humanitarian Assistance, President and CEO, Executive Team members and other relevant internal Plan International Canada influencers in preparation for and follow-up to key policy meetings.
  Represent Plan International Canada vis-à-vis Government of Canada stakeholders such as Members of Parliament, Ministers, Senators, political staffers and the federal public service staff relevant to delivering advocacy objectives and on issue-based coalitions and builds relationships with relevant NGO partners to promote joint policy and advocacy positions, research and events.

Policy Research, Product Development, and Federation Engagement (30%)

• Work closely with the Senior Advisor, Policy and Advocacy on the research and development of policy products (e.g., briefing notes, key message documents, policy statements).
• Support the Public Relations and Communications Unit in the production and targeted distribution of policy products, key messages, media engagement, and social media content.
• Serve as subject matter expert across Plan International Canada on priority policy and advocacy issues, bridging technical and non-technical audiences.
• Work closely with Plan International staff across the Federation such as at Global Hub, Liaison Offices, National Offices, Regional Offices, and Country Offices.

Youth Leadership Programming and Advocacy (20%)

• Work closely with the Youth Engagement Unit and Plan International Canada’s Youth Council in meaningfully engaging young people in the organization’s policy advocacy and influencing campaigns.
• Lead capacity-building initiatives to support young people’s understanding and ability to engage in policy influencing, working very closely with the Youth Engagement Unit and collaborating on the delivery of workshops, briefings, and seminars on key policy advocacy priorities for Plan International Canada as well as key policy advocacy and influencing skill sets.

Project Management, Knowledge Management and Operations (20%)

• Organize external meetings and events, including ensuring effective preparation for, scheduling, tracking and follow up.
• Contribute to monthly, quarterly and annual planning and reporting related to policy and advocacy achievements.
• Draft quarterly and annual unit reporting and drafting any separate reporting necessary to Plan International’s global hub.
• Provide strategic advice and contribute to weekly information sharing, intel gathering and planning meetings of Plan International Canada’s Policy and Advocacy team.
• Chair / Co-Chair monthly meetings on Humanitarian Policy Advocacy at Plan International Canada
• Support the Director in the preparation of the unit’s annual budget and work plan.
• Track results of policy and advocacy initiatives at the output and outcome levels.

Education

Master’s degree in international relations, international development, humanitarian action, political science law or relevant field or equivalent professional experience.

As Our Ideal Candidate You Will Have

• Experience in successful policy and advocacy work, preferably in humanitarian action and international development, with preference for those that have professional experience working in Latin America, Africa and/or Asia.
• Demonstrated understanding of Canada’s current political landscape and humanitarian assistance, international development, and foreign affairs policies that impact the fulfillment of the rights and well-being of children, particularly girls.
• Highly skilled at developing effective, engaging, action-oriented presentations for internal and external audiences.
• Proven track record drafting and contributing to a range of products (presentations, internal briefing notes, policy briefs, op-eds).
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English. Fluency in French is a strong asset.
• Recognized capacity in translating complex information in a compelling and accessible way for non-technical audiences.
• Project management experience, particularly working on complex projects with large cross-functional teams, with the ability to manage deadlines and deliver quality results.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and advocating for gender equality and child rights policies.
• Demonstrated experience meaningfully engaging young people in policy advocacy and influencing campaigns preferred.
• Experience working with young people through youth program facilitation, workshop design and resource design, through both in-person and digital delivery
• Strong policy research and analysis skills.
• Demonstrated ability to develop analytical evidence-based policy papers and reports.
• Experience with ensuring adherence with lobbying rules and regulations for Canadian NGOs/charities preferred.

To express interest in this exciting opportunity, submit your resume and cover letter to https://plancanada.ca/apply  by August 9, 2023.