Frontlines Humanitarian Advocacy Specialist

UNICEF

2d • Remote

About The Position

The Frontlines Humanitarian Advocacy Specialist provides technical and strategic surge support to requesting Country Offices to advance humanitarian advocacy objectives in crisis contexts. Responding to increased demand during emergencies, and in line with broader UNICEF humanitarian advocacy efforts, the Specialist offers tailored, time-bound support, adapted to the specific needs of each office, to strengthen timely, principled, and evidence-based humanitarian advocacy, thereby contributing to UNICEF’s fulfillment of the Core Commitments for Children (CCCs), accountabilities under the Emergency Procedures, and organization-wide humanitarian advocacy objectives.

Requirements

• Expertise and experience in humanitarian advocacy, humanitarian diplomacy, or related fields, ideally at country-level. Includes development and/or implementation of humanitarian advocacy strategies and engagement plans, development of advocacy materials, and stakeholder engagement to advance collective advocacy.
• Experience supporting humanitarian response in emergency and crisis contexts.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, including building partnerships across UN agencies, inter-agency mechanisms, and civil society as well as internal cross-team engagement and coordination.
• Excellent communications skills, including developing advocacy messages, briefing notes, and targeted talking points, ideally on humanitarian issues.
• Strategic thinking and analytical skills, with the ability to translate complex contexts into actionable advocacy approaches.
• Ability to operate effectively under pressure and adapt to rapidly changing humanitarian situations.
• Familiarity with the UN system, humanitarian architecture, and relevant humanitarian standards and principles.

Responsibilities

• Monitor and analyze national, regional, and international influencing environments on key humanitarian issues, including Member State positions, inter-agency coordination, and shifts in power and geopolitical landscape at national, regional and global levels, providing timely and actionable insights for advocacy planning and informed decision-making.
• Conduct and update stakeholder and relational actor mapping and analysis to inform humanitarian advocacy strategies and engagement plans. Identify advocacy targets, influencers, potential partners and allies across UN agencies, IASC, broader civil society, private sector and other stakeholder, and support engagement in coordination forums as needed.
• Lead or contribute to (as needed) the development, updating, and operationalization of humanitarian advocacy strategies and engagement plans, including for humanitarian diplomacy at national, regional and international levels, based on actor mapping and analysis. Support the identification of SMART outcomes, key influencing opportunities, risk-informed tactical approaches, and evidence-informed decision-making.
• Support the office in collective advocacy planning, including in development and implementation of real-time engagement plans. Track developments in the influencing landscape relevant to advocacy objectives, flagging emerging risks and opportunities, such as for rapid response campaigns or targeted diplomacy initiatives, or new advocacy partnerships. Establish and/or manage dedicated humanitarian advocacy coordination and implementation channels, including creation of joint knowledge management and information platforms, shared workspaces, and regular or ad hoc coordination calls, as needed.
• Develop and adapt timely, targeted and evidence-based advocacy messages, talking points, briefing notes, advocacy briefs, and other advocacy products tailored to specific audiences and evolving contexts. Ensure messaging is evidence-based, principled, and strategically aligned, including across public and/or private advocacy, as needed. Ensure advocacy products have clear dissemination plans to maximize reach, engagement and influence with advocacy targets and influencers.
• Identify gaps in data, evidence, partnerships, or access to decision-makers and influencers that may limit advocacy effectiveness. Recommend opportunities to leverage evidence, relationships, and strategic moments to advance advocacy objectives, and contribute to analysis and framing of relevant data and evidence to maximize advocacy value.
• Track progress against advocacy objectives, maintain monitoring tools, facilitate review sessions, and prepare periodic reports with key successes, lessons learned, best practice, and recommendations for strategy refinement.
• Provide remote or in-person coaching, guidance, and tools to strengthen local advocacy capacity. Share best practices, facilitate peer learning, and support teams in receiving offices in applying strategic advocacy approaches in rapidly changing humanitarian contexts.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed