Advocacy Communications Manager, Youth Advocacy Project at Amref Kenya

Job Summary

Applications are invited from qualified persons for the above vacant position.

Job Description

Amref Health Africa is the continent’s Leading health development organisation, founded and headquartered in Kenya. Our vision is lasting health change in Africa. As we celebrate 60 years of progress with the Launch of our new five-year growth strategy, we are seeking an experienced and ambitious Advocacy Communications Manager, Youth Advocacy Project. Amref Health Africa began 60 years ago as the Flying Doctors of East Africa to provide critical medical assistance to remote communities in East Africa. Today, Amref Health Africa works with the most vulnerable African communities through its country programmes in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, and its Southern and West Africa regional hubs. With its Laboratory, clinical outreach and training programmes, Amref Health Africa reaches more than 35 countries across the continent. The organisation’s work is supported by 11 offices in North America and Europe.

Project Department: Amref Institute of Capacity Development Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Main Purpose of the Job:

The Youth Advocacy Project is a two-year initiative of Amref Health Africa and the Advocacy Accelerator to support increased capacity and action by youth across Kenya to advocate for their gender and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) priorities to be reflected in government policies and actions. The project is seeking a hands-on Advocacy Communications Manager to deliver the advocacy communications capacity-strengthening and communications functions of the Youth Advocacy Project. The Advocacy Communications Manager will report to the Project Director and will partner closely with the Advocacy Accelerator and other internal partners to carry out his or her responsibilities.

Principal Responsibilities

• Advocacy communications capacity strengthening
  • Identify cutting-edge training content, tools and publications on advocacy communications
  • Develop youth-friendly advocacy communications curriculum and training suite for the youth
  • Lead the dissemination and uptake of training modules by youth advocates on the Youth sub-site hosted by Advocacy Accelerator, and hold related webinars
  • Provide direct support to youth advocates in developing and implementing their advocacy and communication campaigns in line with project priorities (Gender & SRHR)
  • Lead the development and review of supporting policy advocacy and communication materials including blogs, key messages, issue briefs, etc.
• Project Communications
  • Develop guidelines to manage communication with internal and external partners such as the youth networks, media
  • Serve as a connector and facilitator of partner engagement with media at the county and national levels
  • Manage and coordinate consultancy services relating to communication activities.
  • Develop and oversee the implementation of the project's communications strategy.
  • Ensure relevant project content is captured and shared on appropriate internal / external platforms and channels to enhance the visibility of the project and youth organizations.
  • Co-ordinate the communications working group consisting of various technical leads/units within Amref (Amref Communications, LEAP,
  • Enterprise, developers, and the public relations agency)
• Digital and Social Media Management
  • Support the development of the Advocacy Accelerator youth sub-site
  • Implement an online outreach strategy that will ensure the participation of the youth in the Youth sub-site hosted by the Advocacy Accelerator
  • Use Advocacy Accelerator and Amref Health Africa online and social media outlets to reach youth advocates with resources and remote trainings
  • Assist in the management of youth grantee profiles on the youth sub-site Manage (edit) and coordinate posting of relevant data of youth on the youth sub-site Event management
  • Develop strategy and guidelines of events for the project
  • Provide technical support in planning, participation and visibility of the project in key events.
  • Organize country-wide national youth mobilization day in Nairobi Documentation
  • Develop and implement documentation plan for the project
• Knowledge Management
  • Manage the distribution and dissemination of relevant knowledge products during events including launch campaigns.
  • Produce/update briefing notes, concept notes, issue notes, fast facts, toolkits and other advocacy products to strengthen the community of learning and practice on gender and SRHR issues.
  • Develop and maintain mailing lists and/or database of contacts related to the project.
  • Facilitate creative strategies that will encourage sharing and learning amongst youth advocates on best practices and experiences.

Required Qualifications Education and Knowledge

• Strong understanding of Kenyan context, with a focus on advocacy communications with and for youth.
• Understanding of advocacy communications skill and resources for engaging with policymakers to bring about policy change.
• Experience working on advocacy communications capacity building.
• Fluency in Kiswahili

Desirable Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or post graduate degree in communications, public relations, or other field relevant to advocacy communications.
• Experience in advocacy communications to support policy change on topics including gender and/or SRHR.
• Experience training youth in communications for advocacy.
• Priority will be given to youth applicants
• Experience At least 5 years of experience in advocacy communications in Kenya.
• At least 4 years of experience working with youth.

Skills

• Proven written and verbal communications skills
• Be hands-on on both managerial and operational tasks
• Training and capacity strengthening skills
• Ability to work with a range of different partners and stakeholders
• Ability to prioritise and multi-task
• Ability to exercise confidentiality, tact and discretion when dealing with diverse groups of people
• Public relations skills
• Problem solving
• Competences
  • Passionate about youth in all their diversity.
  • Strong and passionate commitment to advocacy communications in the Africa region with a specific focus on youth.
  • Ability to work and report to multiple partners.
  • Understanding of political contexts internally and externally.
  • Tactical and strategic abilities.
• Environmental Conditions
  • Corporate Policies, Systems,
    • Procedures and Methods
    • Knowledge of organisation policy
  • Work Environment
    • An office space in Nairobi within Amref Health Africa headquarters
    • Ability to travel at least 30% time.