Advocacy Officer At Asylum Access

Innovative Human Rights NGO Seeks Advocacy Officer for the Resourcing Refugee Leadership Initiative (Remote)

About Asylum Access

We are human rights advocates who support forcibly displaced individuals and communities as they reclaim their rights, agency and power.

Our unique combination of legal empowerment, policy advocacy and global systems change creates conditions in which refugees can live safely, move freely, work legally and go to school. Our work transforms the traditional approach of endless humanitarian handouts to a sustainable solution that honors refugees’ freedom, dignity and autonomy, and equips them to make choices about their own lives.

Asylum Access’ global team and family of local civil society organizations advocate to make human rights a reality for refugees throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. Our national organizations are led and staffed primarily by community members in those countries, and there is strong mutual trust and respect between us and our clients. On the international stage, we work with established institutions to shift the global system to better uphold and promote refugees’ human rights. We can help catalyze and lead systemic transformation because, uniquely among NGOs in the refugee response sector, we focus exclusively on rights and governance.

Project Description

The Resourcing Refugee Leadership Initiative (RRLI) is a six-organization strong global coalition dedicated to shifting power and resources to refugee-led organizations (RLOs). The initiative is convened by Asylum Access, and includes 5 prominent RLOs around the world: Basmeh & Zeitooneh in Lebanon, Saint Andrew’s Refugee Services (StARS) in Egypt, Refugiados Unidos in Colombia, Refugees and Asylum Seekers Information Center (RAIC) in Indonesia, and Young African Refugees for Integral Development (YARID) in Uganda. Together, the initiative aims to reach over 1,000,000 people by supporting 45 RLOs to access 40 million USD across 10 countries in 5 years.

Position Description

Asylum Access is looking for a creative, committed and dedicated Advocacy Officer to manage the advocacy work of RRLI. The ideal candidate should have experience working in the forced displacement sector in an advocacy and research capacity, and should possess knowledge in engaging with local and international advocacy efforts specifically related to refugee leadership and participation.

The Advocacy Officer is responsible for managing the development and implementation of RRLI’s advocacy strategy and has a key role in bridging between the coalition members, grant recipients and global and regional actors on various advocacy efforts.

Key Responsibilities

All duties are carried out in combination with and the guidance of the coalition and the Project Team. An excellent joint working relationship with the coalition’s team and members is essential to the success of this role. The Advocacy Officer will perform a wide range of duties including the following:

Advocacy Strategy Creation (50%)

• Manage the development and implementation of RRLI’s advocacy strategy to promote the resourcing of Refugee-led Organizations and the inclusion of refugee leaders in key decision-making spaces;
• Liaise with the RRLI Coalition to maintain a unified vision and collaboration for RRLI advocacy strategy development and implementation;
• Support the development of strategic partnerships between the coalition and external stakeholders, particularly refugee-led initiatives and institutions that might further the coalition’s advocacy goals.

Evidence Gathering & Promotion (15%)

• Work closely with the RRLI Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Manager to develop case studies and gather evidence useful for advocacy purposes, including assisting the Manager in methodology development and project implementation where necessary
• Develop key messages and talking points around the impact of RLOs using case studies developed by the RRLI team
• Identify opportunities for promoting RRLI’s evidence on the impact of RLOs

Refugee Leadership Network-Building (20%

• Work closely with the RRLI Program Officer to build a global network of refugee-led organizations
• Facilitate opportunities for Coalition members and RLO-to-RLO Fund grantees to participate in local, regional, and global advocacy spaces
• Offer support to Coalition member and RLO-to-RLO Fund grantee advocacy staff to further local advocacy efforts

Ambassadorship (15%)

• Represent RRLI to external stakeholders in meetings, conferences and other global and regional advocacy events, including by effectively articulating the activities and impact of the coalition organizations and other RLO grant recipients
• Prepare briefs, reports, presentations and other written outputs in accordance with advocacy goals.
• Develop Coalition talking points and support Coalition members to participate in advocacy activities

Reports to: RRLI Coalition Lead.

Required Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience in designing and executing advocacy strategies, particularly in different contexts and/or on a regional or global level;
• Knowledge of the dynamics of the global forced displacement sector, including the work of UNHCR, donor governments, and other key stakeholders;
• Excellent oral and written English to communicate in an effective and compelling manner to diverse stakeholders;
• Exceptional relationship building skills with an ability to develop and maintain nuanced relationships according to interests, requirements, and need;
• Cultural competence and intelligence, ability to work in a diverse, multicultural workforce;
• Notable initiative and ability to take ownership of projects, manage multiple deadlines, and work effectively independently and collaboratively in a team environment;
• Knowledge of methodology-building, research and survey design is a plus;
• Fluency in Spanish and/or Arabic is a significant plus;
• Prior experience working with refugee-led organizations or involvement in community-led initiatives is an asset

The ideal candidate must have experienced forced displacement.

Hours and Location of Work

This is a full-time remote position and candidates should be aware that flexibility regarding working hours is required in order to take off hours calls and meetings with international colleagues. The Advocacy Officer will ideally be located in one of the countries of operation of the coalition members in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the United Kingdom, or North America.

Compensation

The position comes with a well-paying nonprofit salary commensurate of experience, and suitable to the location of the Advocacy Officer. The Advocacy Officer will also receive a robust benefits package.