Swedish Committee for Afghanistan is looking for
Advocacy Senior Advisor
Posted at Kabul Management Office, Kabul, Afghanistan
Swedish Committee for Afghanistan
SCA has been working in Afghanistan since 1982 and is presently
managing development programmes along strategies within Health,
Education, Livelihoods and Community Governance with a total annual
budget of roughly USD 40 million. The total number of staff is around
6,000 of whom 15 are non-Afghans. The SCA presence in Afghanistan
consists of the Kabul Management Office (KMO), five Project Offices and
three Field Offices. In Sweden SCA has 20 staff working at the Stockholm
Management Office (SMO) and around 4 000 members organized in local
chapters across the country.
In the last decade, SCA has undertaken a change process moving from a
primarily humanitarian service delivery approach towards more of a
developmental role, putting increasing emphasis on capacity development,
rights-based programming and outcome orientation. The mission of SCA is
to empower individuals, communities and local organizations, primarily
in rural areas and with particular focus on women, girls, boys and
vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities, so that they may
participate fully in society and influence their own development.
SCA Advocacy Work
In SCAs Strategic Plan 2014-2017, advocacy features in all strategies
and it is envisioned that all operational parts of the organization
contribute to advocacy objectives. Furthermore, SCAs rights based
approach defines advocacy as a key method to influence change, a method
that should be applied at local, national and international level.
The outline of the advocacy work will be further developed during
2014 but it is clear that a more strategic approach to advocacy will
imply focusing on fewer issues and an attempt by the organization to
speak with one voice. SCA will work with advocacy locally and nationally
in Afghanistan and in Sweden as well as internationally.
Scope of Work
The Advocacy Senior Advisor is responsible for the overall
development and guidance of SCA advocacy work. S/he reviews present
advocacy efforts and outlines the organisation’s advocacy engagement in
Afghanistan. S/he will be responsible for capacity development of SCA
staff and partners in Afghanistan within the area of advocacy, both in
terms of conceptual and practical understanding.
The Senior Advisor will take active part in analysing donor policies,
Afghanistan’s development context as well in networking with relevant
actors within civil society, public sector and donor community. When
required, s/he will be commission research so as to support analysis of
policy processes.
The Senior Advisor collaborates with Information Unit at KMO and the
Policy/Research Officer and the Press Secretary at SMO to ensure
strategic alignment, collaboration and common approaches between the two
offices and is responsible to gather and analyse information needed for
advocacy work in Sweden/Europe.
The advisor supervises a national Advocacy Senior Officer at KMO.
Entry Requirements
Qualifications
- Master Degree, or equivalent, in relevant professional field. Preferably in Political Sciences, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Communications, International Relations or Economics
- At least five years of relevant work experience within international development, with CSOs, UN agencies and/or research institutions
Essential competence
- Understanding and experience from advocacy work at practical and conceptual levels.
- Having been based abroad in international assignments
- Experience of capacity development on advocacy with an NGO or similar context
- Sound understanding of strategy, policy and methods to strengthen emerging civil society actors in their advocacy work
- Skills in social media
- Excellent command of English
Desired competence
- Knowledge of Dari and/or Pashto languages
- Previous experience from Afghanistan or a similar environment
Responsibilities
The specific tasks will include:
- Provide technical assistance to programmes and strategic guidance to management in regards to advocacy work
- Work closely with programmes to ensure adequate capacity is built within SCA, at all levels, to carry out advocacy work in an effective way, including supporting local civil society partners and the use of social media
- Develop a framework, including objectives, methods and approaches, for SCA’s advocacy work in Afghanistan for 2015-2017
- Participate in policy analysis on development in Afghanistan, including commissioning research when so required
- Identify and participate in networks of like-minded actors working in Advocacy in Afghanistan
- Develop workplan and budget within the area of responsibility, manage coding, financial monitoring and reporting
- Coordinate with Policy/Research Officer and Press Secretary at SCA Stockholm Management Office
- Actively participate in relevant management groups and other internal forums to enhance internal communication, monitoring and follow-up of SCAs advocacy
- Supervise the national Senior Officer´s work and develop his/her capacity
- Any other duties within his/her capacity assigned by the line manager
Application information
Contract period: 2 year contract with an initial 6 months probationary period
Conditions: Non family posting. SCA offers competitive salary, free housing, insurances and other benefits
Duties to begin: October/November 2014
Last date for application: July 20, 2014
Download a 1-page letter explaining why you are interested in and
suited for this position and your CV (no more than 2 pages) in English.