Advocacy Officer

WRC - Women's Refugee Commission

Washington, D.C., United States

SCOPE OF WORK:

The primary role of the Advocacy Officer will be to advance WRC’s priorities and support the organization’s advocacy with policymakers, practitioners, and nongovernmental organizations working on humanitarian issues. The Advocacy Officer will support advocacy initiatives to influence the UN, the US government, and other policymakers, including diplomatic missions, the World Bank, and other institutions on humanitarian and gender equality policies and programs.

In this highly visible and collaborative role, the Advocacy Officer will also represent the organization with a wide range of partners, civil society coalitions and working groups, and other bodies relevant to WRC’s work.

As a member of WRC's external relations team, the Advocacy Officer contributes to the design and implementation of the organization's advocacy strategy and work plan, provides guidance to and supports program team members on the integration of advocacy considerations into their initiatives, and works with the communications and development teams to continue to reflect and advance WRC’s advocacy initiatives.

This position reports to the Vice President of Advocacy and External Relations, who is based in Washington, DC.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Under the direction of the Vice President of Advocacy and External Relations, engage UN agencies, bodies, and member state missions, the US administration and Congress, diplomatic missions, the World Bank, and other relevant institutions and policymakers to influence humanitarian and gender equality policies, programs, and practices;
Manage a thematic portfolio related to at least one of WRC’s key areas of focus—gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health and rights, economic empowerment and self-reliance, or gender and social inclusion;
Help design and implement advocacy initiatives related to emerging humanitarian issues, such as context-specific crisis response and climate change;
Participate, and, where appropriate, take a leadership role in coalitions and working groups related to humanitarian policy and gender equality issues;
Develop talking points, issue briefs, policy recommendations, advocacy messages, fact sheets, and other resources to elevate WRC’s programs and support WRC’s advocacy objectives;
Represent WRC at meetings, conferences, and other public events;
Liaise with WRC teams to design advocacy strategies related to program and research initiatives;
Identify new supporters for WRC's work and new opportunities to promote WRC initiatives and research;
Plan events to promote WRC's priorities;
Occasional travel required.

What We’re Looking For:

Minimum 3-4 years of work experience on advocacy related to international humanitarian, human rights, development, and/or gender equality issues;
Demonstrated experience in policy advocacy, including implementing advocacy initiatives for multiple audiences, particularly the US government, the UN, or other influential bodies;
Strong understanding of the humanitarian system and gender equality in humanitarian response;
Substantive expertise in one of WRC’s key advocacy areas (gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health and rights, economic empowerment and self-reliance, and gender and social inclusion) strongly preferred;
Excellent written and verbal communication skills: proven ability to effectively communicate complex issues in a clear manner to multiple and diverse audiences and to produce persuasive advocacy materials for a range of audiences;
Solid diplomatic skills: must be able to manage a variety of internal and external relationships in a cross-cultural professional environment, demonstrate political acumen, and represent the organization with senior-level diplomats and other policymakers;
Strong interpersonal skills: must be able to work collaboratively, manage professional relationships, seek out diverse perspectives, provide and receive feedback constructively, be solution-oriented, meet and communicate deadlines effectively, and embody WRC’s core values of inclusion, equality, integrity, dignity, and forward-thinking;
Demonstrated ability to work effectively with minimum supervision, including the ability to be proactive and self-driven in pursuing initiatives;
Bachelor’s degree in international affairs, political science, law, or related field strongly preferred. Master’s degree or professional degree preferred, but not required.

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