Website Healthy Learners
School Health for a Brighter Future
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Healthy Learners is a non-profit organization committed to improving the health of children in Zambia and beyond. Healthy Learners is achieving this through our unique model of school-based community health by training teachers in community health care and making schools entry points into the public healthcare system. We currently serving over 750,000 students across Lusaka, Choma, Ndola and Kitwe, Kabwe, Kasama, Mansa, Chipata and Solwezi, where we are working with the Zambian government to scale nationally. Visit or website to learn more: www.healthylearners.com
Healthy Learners is continuing to expand in Zambia and we are seeking to recruit the services of qualified and dedicated professional to fill the position of Advocacy Engagement Officer to be based in Lusaka. This role will report to the Director of Strategic Partnerships.
PURPOSE
The successful candidate will work closely with the Healthy Learners teams to achieve HL advocacy outcomes with the support of the Director of Strategic Partnerships. The Advocacy Engagement Officer will assist the Director of Strategic Partnerships in all aspects of policy and advocacy integration in HL and the implementation of the Advocacy strategy. The job-holder will work closely with district, provincial, and national programs teams to identify, plan, and implement the relevant policy and advocacy agenda needed to support our school health model in Zambia. S/he will help support our engagement plans, relationship mapping, and policy and advocacy strategy development.
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Policy advocacy frameworks and guidelines developed and disseminated
- Working in liaison with the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Program Officers, develop and roll-out roll-policy and advocacy frameworks, including guidelines, to Programs.
- Facilitate the development of specific advocacy materials to ensure relevant messages and appropriate branding.
Defining evidence-based advocacy agendas:
- Work in close consultation with the Director of Strategic Partnership and Program staff to identify advocacy issues critical for achieving school health outcomes.
- Facilitate evidence building through research, reports from engagements and case studies as well as publication and dissemination of the findings.
Enhance technical capacity of staff and partners in advocacy and campaigning;
- Identify advocacy needs of staff and partners
- Actively contribute to the design and implement an advocacy capacity-building agenda for staff and partners.
- Follow up on advocacy action plans, mentor and coach trained staff and partners to do things differently.
Build partnerships, networks and collaborations for effective joint advocacy engagements:
- Map-out sector-aligned partnerships, networks, and collaborations at constituency, district, provincial and national levels.
- Assist the Program teams, to establish/nurture advocacy related partnership and coalition where there are gaps, at the district, provincial and national levels.
- Facilitate program teams to influence the coalition agendas in the best interest of school health during coordination meetings.
Others Responsibilities:
- Actively support resource mobilization, through proposal writing to ensure integration of Policy Advocacy and Campaigns.
- Contribute to the development of fundable concept notes and share them with the Development team for marketing.
- Support with monitoring and review of policy advocacy to document promising practices, draw lessons, and impact assessment.
- Work with the Media and Communications team to develop and publish stories of the most significant change and case studies for wider dissemination.
- Compile and submit quality periodic progress reports.
- Facilitate regular reviews and reflections on advocacy with peer leaders, as well as mid-term reviews and impact assessments.
- Facilitate publication, launch, and dissemination of products from reviews and impact assessments.
ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE
- Experience and training in media, policy, and advocacy engagements.
- Good knowledge of the health field, including working with media, government partners, academic/research contacts, other NGOs, school and community leaders.
- Proven experience in a technical role in advocacy in education and health fields, implementation and analysis techniques for education and health programs are essential.
- Experience of media engagement, having written and published policy reports and briefings and evaluating evidence of their impact.
- Strong persuasive writing skills with the ability to write a variety of documents and communications for different audiences.
- A strong understanding of the education and health sector, community and school health services.
- Experience in and commitment to establishing or maintaining collaborative approaches and in consulting effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and organizations.
QUALIFICATION, COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS
- Bachelor’s Degree in social sciences, mass communication, humanities, community development or related field.
- Minimum 5 years demonstrated work experience in developing and implementing public sector/government and NGO advocacy, including a detailed understanding of Ministerial-level and national/ provincial/ district/ community-level decision-making and operational structures.
- Excellent verbal and interpersonal skills with the ability to advocate and negotiate with people.
- Good presentation and persuasion skills.
- Capacity to work both independently and constructively as part of a team to meet shared objectives.
- Excellent time management and organisational skills with the ability to multitask, Great team player.
- Capacity to work in a fast-paced work environment. Takes pride in the quality and integrity of s/he work;
- Demonstrable results-oriented, flexible and problem-solving skills.
- Knowledge and ability to use appropriate software packages is a MUST for this position.
- Excellent project management skills, with a capacity to be detail-oriented when circumstances require.
- The successful Advocacy Engagement Officer will also be expected to embrace and role model the core values of Healthy Learners:
How to Apply: Complete an application form in the link below and submit your CV and cover letter. Only applications submitted through this platform shall be considered. Closing date 16/09/2023
Only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted due to the numerous applications.
Healthy Learners is an equal-opportunity employer.