Regional Advocacy Adviser for Africa wanted for employment by VSO International. VSO is a leading international development organisation that delivers innovative and effective interventions through international and national volunteers. VSO's overarching goal is to eradicate poverty in its widest sense. We deliver relevant and cost effective work that promotes volunteering to fight global poverty in over 20 countries around the world. We believe that people are the most effective agents of change and that real progress is only possible through working together, sharing knowledge and acting globally.

VSO Ghana has recently introduced a new and exciting 5 year strategy that has refocused most of its resources in the three northern regions where we will realise our ambition of providing partner organisations with a wide range of support, putting people at the centre of our work and ensuring accountability across our whole programme.

Description Of Job

VSO works through its volunteers and partners to fight poverty around the world.  Through our volunteers and partners, we harness the talents, enthusiasm and skills of ordinary people to bring about lasting change.

It is an exciting time for VSO as we have an ambitious global strategy People First. Underpinning our strategy is a commitment to scale up our advocacy work.

VSO's Africa division has identified HIV and Health as priorities for its advocacy work, specifically focused on influencing regional bodies, drawing on evidence from our programme work across the continent.

At the same time, in the past year VSO has identified global advocacy priorities around: a global campaign on women's political participation in political and public life; the Millennium Development Goals; Volunteering for Development; and education.

The job
As the Regional Advocacy Adviser, you’ll be leading and driving our strategic advocacy work in Africa around the thematic areas of Health, HIV and AIDS. You'll work with colleagues across the continent to develop an Africa-wide Health, HIV and AIDS advocacy strategy and policy positions to support our work.

You'll carry out advocacy work at a regional level on behalf of Africa group. In addition to leading on regional advocacy, you will support programmes to improve their advocacy capacity and input into funding proposals which bolster our advocacy work.

While a technical understanding of Health, HIV and AIDS issues and sound experience in advocacy are important, this role carries broader responsibilities as the focal point for advocacy in the region. You will be in hot demand so it’s crucial you can prioritise and balance needs of a wide range of stakeholders. It is therefore essential to build effective relationships with partners and country and regional offices.

This role is part of a global advocacy and research team that is spread across Africa, Asia and supported from the UK.  We expect you to contribute to our global strategy, bringing your skills and expertise to work with colleagues in other regions and to shape VSO’s global advocacy approach. This role will involve regional and international travel for up to 2 months per year.

Us
We’ve been working through volunteers to fight poverty for more than 50 years. In fact, we’re the leading organisation in the field.  We work in almost 50 countries and we’re constantly exploring new ways to use the time, energy and skills of people to make a difference. Even if you know us, it’s worth checking out our website – we might not be the organisation you think we are.

Qualification Required & Experience

You
You will have a solid background in advocacy in a development context, at both a national and regional level, and a sound understanding of Health, HIV and AIDS in the Africa region.  You have demonstrable experience of working well in coalitions, with key allies and external stakeholders and strong relationship management skills. You have some experience of fundraising, and of M&E for advocacy.

You will be a self-starter who can deliver under pressure working with multiple stakeholders, and prioritise and manage your own workload. You'll be looking for an exciting challenge.

How To Apply For The Job

Ready to apply?
Please send your CV and supporting statement stating how your skills and experience meet the requirements of the post – to HR at:

recruitment.international@vsoint.org

When submitting your application please place in the subject bar: "Regional Advocacy Adviser for Africa Health and HIV" and the country you wish to work within.

This role is offered to eligible nationals on local terms and conditions based in either: Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Accra, and Pretoria”.

Please click to apply: http://www.vso.org.uk/job/37820/regional-advocacy-adviser-africa-for-health-and-hiv-

•  Salary: Competitive national salary and benefits package.
•  Location: Nairobi, Kenya; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Pretoria, South Africa or Accra, Ghana
•  Interview dates: w/c 22 October 2012 (Round 1) w/c 7 November 2012 (Round 2)
•  Closing Date: 08 October 2012