Policy Advocacy Coordinator Vacancy Advert

Zimbabwe Network of Early Childhood Development Actors (ZINECDA) in partnership with the National ECD Coalition of Lesotho (NECDOL), and the Malawi ECD Coalition are implementing a transnational project on strengthening the capacity of ECD coalitions for improved ECDE legislation, policies and measures in Southern Africa (TRANAC). The ZINECDA Alliance seek the services of a Policy Advocacy Coordinator to implement an ECDE regional advocacy project in Southern Africa. The Policy Advocacy Coordinator will report to the National Coordinator. S/He will possess the following skills and competencies

Communication – speaks, writes and listens well

Problem-solving

Interpersonal 

Strategic thinking

Report writing

Policy advocacy

Team building

Facilitation

Strategic planning

The following are some of the tasks required by the position:

Policy advocacy

Develops, plans, implement/oversee, and coordinate policy advocacy strategies and programs at national and SADC regional levels on early childhood development

Develop and implement national and regional policy advocacy strategy plan

Identify strategic partners and build national and regional policy advocacy teams for inclusion of ECD policies and frameworks in national and regional decision-making spaces.

Build the capacity of partners, teams and employees in policy advocacy processes for ECD

Oversee and draw terms of reference for ECD policy advocacy monitoring, learning and evaluation

Oversee media strategy development and implementation

Projects planning, coordination and reporting

Plan, coordinate and oversee all ECD policy advocacy programs, evaluation and reporting

Produce draft narrative quarter, annual and projects/institutional policy advocacy, membership and networking reports

Develop and produce planning, coordination and reporting frameworks for projects

Develop and implement programming systems and structures for efficient and effective management of ECD policy advocacy, capacity building, networking and knowledge generation

Monitors and approves programming budgets

Knowledge generation and Networking

Identify research gaps, trends and policy analyses

Design research and evaluation studies

Develop terms of reference, recruit, implement and review research studies

Facilitate validation and sharing of research

Resource mobilization

Identify gaps and niche ideas for proposal development and resource mobilization

Develop fundable proposals for all programming projects

Build a diversified programming funding portfolio

People management

Recruit, mentor, motivate and capacity build an efficient and effective programming team

Develop individual and team key performance/results areas for the programs

Appraise programming staff performance quarterly and annually

Relationship building

Assist in forging memorandum of understanding with various government, intergovernmental and civil society organisations for ECD policy advocacy, capacity building, networking and research.

Represent ZINECDA on programming issues at national, regional and as assigned by the National Coordinator

Qualifications and Experience

Possess bachelors and master’s degrees in any of the following combinations: public policy analysis, international relations, education especially in early childhood development (ECD), strategic management, law, developmental studies

Have knowledge of influencing governments and international government organisations

Have experience of or worked in government or in international NGO environment

Has excellent protocol, writing and communication skills at high level

Possess reporting, research skills and coordination

Is articulate in facilitation and presentation

Is able to mentor, train, motivate and coordinate other people in a unit nationally and regionally

Is a proactive thinker who identifies, prevents and solves challenges before they manifest

Is able to write winning proposals and mobilise resources for the unit and organization

Can work without much supervision