Education Out Loud is seeking a Regional Policy Advocacy Advisor

Are you motivated to support civil society efforts in education policy and advocacy? Do you have experience and relevant qualifications in one or more of the following fields: public policy development and analysis, Advocacy and campaigning, highly developed communication skills, do you speak/write excellent English and Arabic? Then read on…

Recruitment Background

Education Out Loud (EOL) – www.educationoutloud.org supports civil society organisations in shaping education policy to ensure the right to free inclusive education to all, especially for the most marginalized communities. We promote inclusive, gender responsive and equitable national education policies and systems through enhanced civil society capacities and participation in social accountability and policy advocacy processes.

Managed by Oxfam Denmark and financed by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), EOL is the biggest fund in the world for education advocacy with grants awarded to approx. 80 organisations in more than 60 countries. Created in 2019, the EOL programme has been extended to mid-2027 bringing the total funding of EOL to USD 133 million.

The EOL programme consists of five entities: A Global Management Unit (GMU) based at Oxfam Denmark’s offices in Copenhagen, Denmark, and four Regional Management Units (RMUs) in Senegal, Guatemala, Nepal, and Uganda. Altogether, our grant agent set-up for EOL comprises 28 full time positions, 5 of these sits in the Regional Management Unit for the Horn, East and Southern Africa and MENA Regions based in Kampala, Uganda.   

What we are looking for

We are looking for a candidate with qualification, experience and expertise in public policy and Advocacy. EOL is an extensive, complex, and ambitious programme with a wide outreach to a diverse range of stakeholders. The ideal candidate should consider it a meaningful challenge to be responsive to individual grantees across the EOL regions while at the same time maintaining consistent and systematic approaches to ensure fair and transparent assessments and decision-making processes. S/he should be willing and able to travel across the EOL regions up to 5-8 weeks per year.

JOB PURPOSE: The Regional Policy Advocacy Advisor will support grantees in evaluating the effectiveness of existing education policies, designing action-oriented solutions to policy-related challenges in education, and modelling the potential outcomes of proposed policy changes that should be pursued in respective countries. Working closely with EOL grantees in different countries and with the RMU team, the role will involve gathering and analysing data related to existing educational systems, processes, and policies and make research-based recommendations in the development of new policies, evaluate the potential impact of proposed policies, and measure outcomes as policies are implemented while monitoring current events, political, social and economic developments and trends that may have an impact on education policies across the regions of EOL presence.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Technical:

• Lead EOL support to developing the capacity of EOL grantees in policy development, analysis and advocacy 
• Support EOL grantees to engage in policy dialogues with the Government and other key stakeholders as a way of incorporating the right to quality and inclusive education for all groups into national policies, strategies and plans. 
• Develop capacity of grantees to Identify policy gaps in the fulfilment of quality and inclusive education and translate knowledge gained from programming into policy recommendations. 
• Provide critical overview and enrich the quality of grantees proposal assessment process on policy influencing 
• Support capacity building of EOL staff in policy analysis, advocacy and campaigning 
• Support EOL grantees in designing and implementing policy advocacy and campaigns strategy and plans
• Identify best practices, lessons learned in education policy advocacy and share across the EOL portfolios and Regions
• Identify risks associated with education policy advocacy in grantees countries and support grantees to design mitigation strategies
• Develop terms of reference and other documentation for the acquisition of technical services 
• Forecast political, social and economic trends that may affect education policies in the future at local, national, regional and international levels 

Leadership:

• Lead the EOL policy advocacy efforts and engagements with Grantees 
• Provide technical advice to the Regional Management Unit (RMU) Teams on matters pertaining to policy dialogues/advocacy.

SKILLS, EXPERIENCE, AND KNOWLEDGE:

The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following skills.

Essential:

• Minimum of master’s degree in public policy, Political Science, Public Administration or equivalent.
• A minimum of 7 years’ experience working with multi-country policy advocacy programs in INGO environment, preferably in Education sector
• Good understanding of current global education trends 
• Understanding of regional and international legal and institutional frameworks for education 
• Strong research and policy development and analysis skills
• Strong verbal and written communications skills in English and Arabic 

Competency/Knowledge/Experience:

• Experience in undertaking capacity building of national NGOs 
• Demonstrated ability, tact, and sensitivity in working across institutional boundaries, business units, and teams in an effective and productive way
• Demonstrated past ability and experience in influencing changes in public policy 
• Experience in planning, organizing and implementing policy advocacy campaigns targeting decision makers in government, donor and other organizations 
• Experience working in fragile/conflict affected contexts 
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing and negotiation
• Excellent computer skills, including expert knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, POWERPOINT
• Analytical and critical thinking: Ability to organize and interpret large-scale data sets and research findings
• Collaboration: The candidate is expected to be able to work effectively with colleagues to solve problems, conduct research, and meet policy deadlines and develop productive working relationships across a range of stakeholders, from lawmakers to educators, who may hold diverse or conflicting views on policy matters.

Desirable:

• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures
• Postgraduate training in Public Policy Analysis

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:

Location, working hours etc.:

Preferably the position shall be based in the Regional Management Unit (RMU) in Kampala, Uganda, or remotely in a country with an Oxfam presence. 

We believe flexible working is key to building the Secretariat of the future, so we’re open to talking through the type of flexible arrangements which might work for you with possibilities of working remotely as per Oxfam CO and RMU policies. Grading, package and working hours as per the Oxfam policies.

The candidate will work closely with other RMU team members and will be reporting to the Regional Programme Manager. Detailed job description available here. Further information available from the Regional Programme Manager, Richard OLONG at rol@oxfam.dk. 

How to apply:

Only applications submitted via Oxfam Denmark’s online recruitment system will be accepted. Please submit your application via the ‘Apply' button and include your motivation letter and CV.

Application deadline is 26th January 2025 at 23.59 CETGMT. Expected interview date: Week of 17th February 2025. Expected start date: April 1, 2025.

Oxfam Denmark is committed to equal employment opportunity. We therefore encourage everybody – irrespective of age, gender and of religious, sexual, national, or ethnic affiliation – to apply for this position.

Note: All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and may be subject to appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks.

About Oxfam: Oxfam is an international confederation of 21 organisations (affiliates) working together with partners and local communities in about 70 countries to fight inequality and beat poverty and injustice. That means we tackle the inequality that keeps people poor. Our work is underpinned by the following core values: Empowerment, Accountability, Equality, Solidarity, Courage, Inclusiveness. Oxfam Denmark is one of the members of the Oxfam confederation. 

NOTE: Oxfam does not send unsolicited messages or make phone calls that claim the recipient has won a prize, or to request personal or financial information. Oxfam does not ask any potential employees to pay a fee before being offered a job.