Description

WaterAid Nigeria has recently completed its 2022-2028 country programme strategy which sets a 5-year building block towards delivering a more influencing led programme over a 10-year horizon. This new country strategy rather than reflect a progression from previous country programme strategies, outlines key shifts in focus required to catalyze change and achieve maximum impact for our work in Nigeria.

The Advocacy, Policy, and Communications Team are custodians of WaterAid Nigeria’s advocacy, policy, and communications strategy, and are responsible for planning and delivery of all advocacy and policy and communications-related activities in support of the CP’s various programmes. The team encompasses communications, campaigns, advocacy, policy, and branding. WaterAid Nigeria’s ability to deliver policy analysis, institutional strengthening, sector capacity and related support as well as being able to communicate strategically to influence various stakeholders and audiences to adapt her methods, approaches and standards, raising her visibility and sharing her successes is pivotal to the success of the Country Programme strategy.

Job purpose

The key focus for this role is to develop and pursue national and state level advocacy strategies that will help deliver the policy changes necessary for sanitation and water to reach the poorest communities. This role supports WaterAid Nigeria’s influencing-led programmes through the delivery of quality research and policy analysis to serve as inputs shaping advocacy, campaign, sector capacity strengthening etc initiatives. The post holder will be responsible for implementing an overall policy & advocacy approach that will ensure that evidence generated from WaterAid Nigeria’s field work and technical innovations are used in the influencing of policies and programmes at national, state and local levels to improve access to WASH in Nigeria.

Accountabilities

Advocacy

• Under the guidance of the Head of Advocacy, Policy, and Communications, develop strategies and plans to deliver WANG’s advocacy, policy influencing and sector strengthening focus.
• Support the analysis of policies, budgets, and related issues affecting the WASH sector in Nigeria and effectively capture information in case studies, position papers and policy messages/briefing notes, targeting different audiences, in order to pro-actively influence the effectiveness of WASH investments in Nigeria.
• Support active engagement with research teams to develop and manage collaborative case studies, to adequately inform stakeholders about the critical issues in WASH service delivery and design.
• Support in carrying out WANG advocacy and campaign activities and managing projects
• Support the communication team in digital advocacy and development of communications material with clear advocacy content for dissemination on WANG Social Media platforms
• Support the advocacy efforts and activities in the states to achieve WANG advocacy and influencing objectives with state governments and stakeholders.
• Support in generating analytical briefs, advocacy materials and case stories of evidence and excellence generated from programming at field in line with the CP and global priorities.
• Support the Head of Advocacy in ensuring WaterAid Nigeria’s intent and purpose in the WASH sector strengthening arena is clearly understood across the organisation.
• Support the development of strategies and plans and other advocacy materials to market WANG’s models and approaches to key sector stakeholders

Policy Analysis, Influencing and Dissemination

• Monitor and analyse national legislation, policies, strategies, sector financing and sector strengthening initiatives in WASH and related sectors (e.g. health, education etc) to inform influencing & advocacy plans
• Identify the key policy change objectives and develop robust advocacy plans to bring about that change
• Synthesize findings and recommendations from completed research, analysis and service delivery work into policy briefs, policy messages, position papers and briefing notes
• Develop and share case studies, position papers, policy messages /briefing notes, web articles, etc on key WASH sector issues to achieve influencing outcomes
• Act as a recognized WaterAid spokesperson and expert advisor on policy issues and represent WaterAid in external discussions
• Raise public awareness of issues in collaboration with Communications colleagues.
• Support the design and delivery of activities targeted at strengthening policy analysis capacity of WANG partners.
• Carry out activities designed to strengthen the sector at a national level, maintaining oversight of these activities at the state level
• Initiate and support dissemination events to share policy research reports.
• Prepare background papers, discussion papers, project research reports, donor reports, policy briefs, and briefing notes for dissemination

Research and Documentation

• Identify the emerging issues in WASH from the key policy debates and WaterAid Nigeria’s own experience.
• Conduct, commission and supervise research that strengthens the case for WASH policy change.
• Document and share learning on WASH policy issues and civil society engagement.
• Perform various tasks involving data collection, data maintenance, and data analysis using statistical software and other computer programs.
• Conduct literature review and synthesis analysis.
• Develop, administer and periodically evaluate institutional development tools which take into account access and rights, equity & inclusion and other key components to effectively evaluate the performance of the WASH sector.
• Contribute to a culture of learning and knowledge management. Role model effective documentation and sharing of learning through workshops, seminars, exposure visits, sharing meetings, etc.
• Support documentation and learning processes among partners and sector institutions

Working with others 

• Network, collaborate and work in coordination with other agencies and partners at a national level to maximize influence and achieve change.
• Support the State Programme Managers to deliver effective influencing-led programmes and build partner influencing & advocacy capacity
• Manage consultants and discrete research projects and related budgets
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across the country programme and global organization to enable effective delivery against goals

Other Responsibilities

• Undertake other responsibilities, tasks or activities assigned by the Head of Advocacy, Policy and Communications

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• University / Master’s Degree in Social Sciences or related field
• 5 years post NYSC experience of which a minimum of 3 years should be specifically with working on policy and/or advocacy issues – including a successful record of contributing to public policy or institutional reforms
• A demonstrable understanding of public policy change and decision-making processes
• A demonstrable commitment to social justice or international development through experience in campaigns, voluntary work, or academic research.
• Strong analytical and research skills
• Demonstrable understanding of sector development in Nigeria
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to write and present persuasively
• Strong time management and organizational skills. Able to manage multiple priorities and deliver on time and within budget.
• Track record of building strong relationships with a variety of stakeholders including colleagues within the team and across the organization, high levels decision-makers, government officials and donors
• Ability to influence the thinking and actions of others
• A commitment to learning
• Excellent organization and time management skills. Able to prioritize workload and work under pressure
• Good IT skills in Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook
• Commitment to WaterAid’s values and a working style that reflects these

Desirable

• A professional or academic background in political economy of sustainable development, water resource management or climate change
• Experience working in networks and coalitions, especially with NGOs and/or government
• Experience in and knowledge of WASH, including existing links and network within the WASH sector
• Experience working with senior government officials
• Knowledge of the rights-based approach to development
• An interest in international development and understanding of national, regional and international WASH platforms and stakeholders.

Apply

If you are interested in the position and have the right skills and attributes, complete the application form by clicking this LINK

Closing date for this application is 14 June 2023

Source: https://www.wateraid.org/uk/safeguarding-at-wateraid