Position: Advocacy Officer

Duration: One Year Renewable upon Fund being Raised

Location: SPII Offices, Newtown, Johannesburg

Date of Commencement: 1 January 2015

Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute is a not- for- profit research and advocacy institute based in Newtown, Johannesburg.

Purpose of the Position:

The position provides management implementation and strategic direction to the advocacy and campaigns work in South and Southern Africa. He/she is responsible for the development and implementation of advocacy and campaigns strategies that will influence government and other institutional policies and implementation, as well as mobilisation of civil society partners and networks to achieve structural changes that will promote the realisation of Constitutional, regional and international socio-economic rights aimed at the reduction of social and economic vulernerabilities and inequalities.

Key Perfomance Areas:

• Provide vision, strategic  direction  and  management  of  SPII’s  national, regional and international advocacy and campaigns work;
• Ensure advocacy coherence and reinforce strong and effective synergies between research and advocacy to maximise SPII’s impact;
• Position SPII  as  a  leading  organisation  for  innovative  and  effective  poverty  and  inequality reduction in South and Southern Africa;
• Ensure that advocacy is an integral part of SPII’s work to achieve lasting changes and ensure that advocacy and campaigns approach and plans are part of the Strategic Plan, the Annual Plan

and programme strategies;

• Build advocacy capacity of SPII staff, including in the monitoring and evaluation of the advocacy initatives;
• Ensure coherence of messaging across projects, programmes and  broader  institutional objectives.

Advocacy strategies:

• The post holder will ensure that active advocacy, campaigns and external communications are used to  influence  public  opinion  and  political  commitment  nationally  in  support  of  the realisation of human rights, with an emphasis on socio-economic rights as being key drivers of transformation and the reduction of poverty and inequality in South and Southern Africa;
• Develop and maintain an in-depth understanding of key advocacy issues and of the positions of key actors, including key ministers, political, civil society and economic leaders, donors, media

editors etc regarding national, regional and international issues;

• Establish and maintain  an  advocacy calendar  with  key moments  and key opportunities  for advocacy;
• Work closely with SPII research staff on specific issues to inform present and future advocacy choices and to build SPII’s position and coordinate high-quality briefings, letters and other

written material for internal and external use;

• Produce policy briefing papers, policy position statements and public communication related to key advocacy issues;

• Develop media lines and media strategy and  make optimal use of national and international media to influence key advocacy targets and public opinion;
• Identify and  build  coalitions  with  external  organisations  and,  in  consultation  with  SPII

programme staff, work closely with other organisations to develop joint advocacy initiatives when relevant.

Monitoring, evaluation and risk management:

• Lead in identifying and managing potential risks associated with SPII’s public positions and design strategies to mitigate the risks that have been identified;
• Establish  planning,   monitoring,   evaluation   and   reporting   (PMER)   processes   and   their implementation.

Person Specification:

• An M-degree in Development, Social Science, Development, Law, Public Policy or equivalent;
• A minimum  of  five  years  advocacy  experience,  with  experience  in  successfully  leading  the development and implementation of advocacy and campaign strategies;
• Experience of a range of campaigning and advocacy techniques and approaches and of linking national, regional and international advocacy;
• Experience in influencing government, donors, and other organisations through representation and/or advocacy;
• Knowledge and experience of advocacy at regional and international level is desirable.
• Fluency in written and spoken English is a pre-requisite.  Fluency in at least another South African language is desirable.

Preference will be given to South African applicants.   Total cost to company: R350 000

Kindly submit a short CV that includes relevant information on qualifications and campaigning experience and three contactable references, with a one page letter of motivation to advocacy@spii.org.za on or before 30 November 2015.  Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for an interview.