Role purpose

The role’s aim is to maximise the impact and effectiveness of Christian Aid’s and partner’s advocacy and influencing in a Pan-African context, ensuring a clearly focused, collaborative and coordinated approach from across relevant departments, country programmes and partners. With a focus on our two main campaigns on economic justice and climate justice, as well as supporting crisis context the role will connect national movement building in our country programmes with influencing strategies at a pan-African level, including at the Africa Union and other regional influencing targets. Much of this work will be done in collaboration with the ACT alliance, of which Christian Aid is a part, and in collaboration with relevant church-based and ecumenical networks active at the pan-African level.

As a strategic role for the organisation, the post holder will ensure Christian Aid delivers impactful advocacy and influencing work by deploying the relevant tools and tactics at Christian Aid’s disposal to be most effective in achieving the changes we seek across national and pan-Africa level, and where appropriate engaging at a global level. This will include seeking to develop relationships with regional coalitions and networks, including with church organisations and faith-based partners, to ensure that Christian Aid brings a distinctive faith voice to our international advocacy and campaigns.

The post holder will closely with the Global Advocacy Lead, the Africa Advocacy Advisor for country support, the Policy leads, and Theology and Church Relations Advisors, the Head of Africa Division and Africa Senior Management to ensure close integration between African and global influencing across Christian Aid, and between our national and regional level advocacy in Africa.

Key outcomes

• Lead on pan-Africa advocacy agendas, with priority given to our campaigns on economic justice and climate justice
• Effective advocacy strategies on priority campaigns are delivered in the Africa region that influence key targets and processes from the national to regional and occasionally global level, ensuring that the organisation’s influencing work is impactful, coherent, measurable and accountable.
• Effective and coordinated influencing strategy towards the UN agencies, Africa Union, multilateral banks and other significant advocacy targets in Africa.
• Support for advocacy and influencing strategies across countries where we work and seek to influence within the context of a clear coherent strategy at regional and global levels.
• Efficient, transparent and collaborative processes are established for coordinating advocacy and influencing, ensuring the right level of engagement and sign-off, seizing opportunities while maintaining a coherent approach.
• External effective representation is undertaken in selected international coalitions, partnerships and networks to contribute to the overall international agenda and help deliver impact for Christian Aid.
• Management of grants and partnerships to support impactful pan-African advocacy within a strategic approach and compliant with the organisation’s grants policies and procedures.
• All international campaigning, advocacy and influencing work remains compliant with the relevant legal and regulatory requirements for each context and enhances the organisation’s reputation for bold, prophetic advocacy.

Role agility

Expected travel per annum

Up to 30 days

Applied skills/knowledge and expertise

Essential

• Relevant degree or equivalent.
• An advanced knowledge of international development, human rights and political economy in the African context.
• Experience of working in a pan-African setting, and of engaging regional institutions
• Experience of, and ability to navigate and engage regional civil society, and to understand how it connects to national and global level influencing
• Experience of working in broad alliances, which will ideally have included church-based organisations and faith groups.
• Experience of representing an organisation at a senior level (including participating in coalitions).
• Excellent analytical skills, and ability to communicate to diverse audiences
• Experience of managing complex projects, including strategic planning and managing budgets
• Track record of public speaking
• High quality skills in cross-organisational coordination and relationship management
• Able to provide high quality leadership and support to staff, including remote management.
• Ability to negotiate with, influence and persuade others in a collaborative manner.
• Commitment to Christian Aid’s mission, vision and values

Desirable

• Ability to work in French, or a major African language
• Existing high-level network of contacts in pan-African institutions
• Experience of working with church leaders in the global south
• Post graduate qualification in development or related subject.