Director of Advocacy, Campaign, Communications and Media, CIV Country Office Senior Management Team – Save The Children International Côte d’Ivoire- Abidjan

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

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As a member of the Senior Management Team, contribute to:

Leadership of the Cote D’Ivoire Country Office Support the development of an organisational culture that reflects our dual mandate values, promotes accountability and high performance, encourages a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation, and frees up our people to deliver outstanding results for children and excellent customer service for our Save the Children Members and donors. Help design and implement a coherent organizational structure that is consistent with agency practices and appropriate to programme needs. Support the development of program strategies and annual plans ensuring participation of the operations team and active contribution to the CSP. Help establish, maintain, and improve active and regular working relationships with: host government authorities, donors, partner agencies including major institutional donors, and local and international NGOs Ensure Cote D’Ivoire Country Office complies with all Save the Policies, Essential Standards, and Procedures of the Quality Framework and KPIs. Ensure that all required support is provided promptly, during emergencies, working closely with the Regional Office

Advocacy 

Lead the development of an advocacy strategy for the Cote D’Ivoire Country Office. Support thematic advisors to articulate their top priority advocacy objectives in line with the new Country Strategic Plan. Identify key opportunities and events in Cote D’Ivoire for Save the Children to position itself as the leading organisation for children’s issues in the country.  Ensure that Save the Children receives national recognition for achieving proven and innovative national impact from well-managed child development programs and emergency response. Oversee thematic advisors and other program staff in their work related to ACCM, including development of a plan for achieving their priority advocacy objectives in both an emergency and development context. This should include guidelines on the meaningful and safe participation of children in campaigning and advocacy initiatives. Build capacity of programme staff to undertake advocacy through training, development and implementation of advocacy strategies. Work with the Senior Management Team to build a culture of developing advocacy strategies that are funded for all thematic areas as part of our Theory of Change and ensure that programme staff are held accountable for advocacy. Support programme staff to develop appropriate advocacy messages across thematic and programme areas, and ensure the CO has a set of advocacy messages as required for thematic/strategic areas. Take the lead in Humanitarian responses for advocacy and support the development/management and implementation of advocacy strategies, while keeping abreast of the humanitarian advocacy issues across the global, regional and country.

Media & Campaigning

Liaise and maintain contact with members and implement communication activities including facilitating media visits and working within incoming media & communications surge support during emergencies. Ensure that the branding and communication guidelines of Save the Children are uniformly and consistently followed across the Cote D’Ivoire Country Office.  Build capacity of programme staff to handle media through training and simulation of various media opportunities. Develop briefing documents for various audiences, including country briefs, programme briefs and update these regularly. Lead the management of Cote D’Ivoire-specific campaigning and communications materials and work closely with the team to successfully implement the Global Campaign in Cote D’Ivoire 

Communication

Proactively develop a high profile for Save the Children in Cote D’Ivoire through the production of high quality, well researched, and well written products (in a variety of mediums) reflective of the dual mandate portfolio, responding quickly and appropriately to external requests for information, especially in emergencies Develop and deliver a clear and effective system for internal and external communications including the dissemination of newsletters and other documents and publications for internal external stakeholders. Update the Cote D’Ivoire profile on the various SCI platforms. Lead the Country Annual Reporting Process for advocacy and support the dissemination of strategic programme findings including evaluations, research, programme success stories. Coordinate field visits by member staff, donors and others as needed, in close liaison with admin, logistics and field office teams. Establish Standard Operating Procedures for the management of all visits to the Cote D’Ivoire CO programs including standards for briefings, debriefings, evaluations and communications. Disseminate and train staff in the implementation of these SOPs. Keep abreast of current programme portfolio including attending programme visits and develop strategies to link evidence from programme to advocacy work.

Staff Management, Mentorship, and Development 

Ensure appropriate staffing within CO to undertake Advocacy, Campaigning, Communications and Media Relations work. Ensure that all staff understand and are able to perform their role in an emergency. Manage Advocacy, Communication, Media and Campaigns Team; define expectations, provide leadership and technical support as needed, and evaluate direct reports regularly. Ensure the recruitment, training, and promotion of staff as appropriate and ensure availability of appropriate professional development opportunities for staff. Incorporate staff development strategies and Performance Management Systems into team building process. Establish result-based system and follow up Manage the performance of all staff in the advocacy, campaigning, communication and media work area through:  Effective use of the Performance Management System including the establishment of clear, measureable objectives, ongoing feedback, periodic reviews and fair and unbiased evaluations. Coaching, mentoring and other developmental opportunities. Recognition and rewards for outstanding performance. Documentation of performance that is less than satisfactory, with appropriate performance improvements/ workplans. 

Other

Serve as Acting Country Director as requested. Represent the Country Office as requested. Any other relevant tasks as requested by the Country Director 

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Masters degree in an area of social development, policy, communications or equivalent.  A general appreciation of the issues concerning the INGO sector with an in-depth knowledge in communications, marketing and/or fundraising.  Recommended a minimum of 5 years management experience in a corporate or an NGO environment, with experience in successfully leading the development and implementation of communication and campaign strategies for an international humanitarian organisation, preferably in Cote D’Ivoire or the East Africa Region. Demonstrable track record of leading change which has led to significant results for the organisation and their stakeholders. Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching. Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Strong results orientation, with the ability to challenge existing mindsets. Ability to present complex information in a succinct and compelling manner. Experience of building personal networks, resulting in securing significant new opportunities for the organisation.  Has a strong international network within media and marketing to draw. Excellent writing and presentation skills in English and French. Similar skills in other local languages an advantage. Preferred: experience and skills in using computer software, publishing packages, web-design and knowledge management systems to produce and manage high quality communications materials for presentations, publications and for online platforms. Ability and willingness to dramatically change work practices and hours, and work with incoming surge teams, in the event of emergencies. Willingness to travel to Save the Children’s field offices and operational areas on a regular basis. Experience of solving complex issues through analysis, definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy in Understanding of Save the Children’s vision and mission and a commitment to its objectives and values.

The Organization 

We employ around 25,000 people worldwide and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises or those in need of better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest level, to realize children's rights and to make their voices heard 

We are working on three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030

No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday  All children have a quality basic education and that,  Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We understand that great people make a great organization and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, as well as a collaborative and inclusive workplace where ambition, creativity and integrity are highly valued.

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