With over 70 years of experience, our focus is on helping the most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. We help children of all backgrounds, even in the most dangerous places, inspired by our Christian faith.

Come join our 34,000+ staff working in nearly 100 countries and share the joy of transforming vulnerable children’s life stories!

Key Responsibilities:

Sr. Humanitarian Policy and External Engagement Advisor

JOB PURPOSE

In line with the WVI Disaster Management Team Core Mission, Mandate, and Management Policy, this this position fills an essential function in the External Engagement and Resource Development (EERD) Team. This role is critical to represent WV in global capitals, engagement with food-based agencies, and advancing operations in the areas of food and cash assistance.

The incumbent will be responsible for strategic engagement with external stakeholders, specifically WFP, as well as priority global events and processes related to food security in humanitarian response. He/she will develop time-bound, intensive and targeted influencing strategies to achieve shifts in operations and international policy towards children and families affected by Disaster/Crisis, with a focus on addressing hunger. Specifically, this will focus on addressing operational constraints to ensure World Vision can reach the most vulnerable children with humanitarian assistance, especially in the areas of food and cash assistance, and ensure alignment of WV’s operations with the global campaign on hunger and malnutrition. He/She will engage closely with technical and operational teams to advance on-the-ground priorities and be expected to support the mobilization of resources as a critical member of the EERD team.

She/he will have strong representation, negotiation, policy knowledge and influencing skills, as well as a well-developed network of external industry contacts. The external engagement aspects of this role will be contributing towards positioning World Vision with key stakeholders to grow response income from UN/other multilaterals, as well as increase World Vision’s influence on the international response, and strengthen existing partnerships. S/he will be responsible for providing direction to and supporting World Vision’s external engagement priority stakeholders, specifically WFP, in coordination with sector leads, global capitals, regional and field leadership. S/he will identify influencing opportunities, lead planning and preparation for events and engagements, as well as represent World Vision externally. They will support senior leaders and other World Vision staff to do the same.

This role will lead internal coordination mechanisms including the WFP External Engagement Group and related communication processes. It will likewise engage closely with Food and Cash and GAM Communities of Practice, tracking with financing trends for intel, advocacy and influence. This role will be responsible for reporting on advocacy and external engagement impact, as well as ensuring appropriate internal communication and knowledge management at the global level on advocacy and external engagement related to food security in humanitarian response.

KEY RESPONSIBILITES

30% Relationship management

Manages Tier 1 stakeholder WFP relationship ensuring the regular, high-quality, and positive external engagement between the two organizations.

End Results

• WFP relationship is managed well with relationship Lead and Principle receiving regular support in their engagements at both operational and strategic levels.
• Senior Director for External Engagement and Resource Development is supported in her external engagements with WFP
• WFP External Engagement plan is prepared, regularly updated and disseminated internally.
• External Engagement Stakeholder Group works effectively and is engaged to support WV alignment to External Engagement goals.
• Participation and/or support priority events and engagements, including 3 Executive Board meetings, joint field travel and at least 1 external event annually.
• Quarterly email update prepared and disseminated internally within World Vision.
• The relationship is tracked and metrics regularly reported to Advocacy and External Engagement team.
• Large scale and high-quality food assistance portfolio is maintained and grown, where possible.
• Positive feedback from WV stakeholders on WFP relations, resource mobilization, field offices, and DM lead.

30% Policy Advocacy and External engagement

Leads policy development and advocacy on principally on famine prevention and food security

End Results

• WV is represented in and contributes to key humanitarian policy processes and coalition work products central to its strategic aims, particularly on famine prevention and food security.
• Relevant Rome-based relationships are nurtured to advance WV’s humanitarian policy priorities.
• Regular contact with UN member states, UN agency representatives, and NGO partners, including ICVA on food security.
• WV’s strategic priorities on food security and famine prevention are well represented in appropriate events, donor conferences, and forums.
• Policy, advocacy and research products are contributed to and/or developed on regular basis.
• Global Hunger Response and Enough Campaign is fully supported in its advocacy, policy, and external engagement work.

20% Operations and Field Support

Provides regular support to humanitarian field operations on areas of policy expertise and deploys to field operations to support humanitarian advocacy efforts.

End Results

• An effective regional focal point and a strong attention to ensuring country files for CATIII emergency responses are followed and supported.
• Targeted support to response offices is provided as and when needed in the areas of policy expertise.
• Field operations are regularly supported on issues relating to food security, famine prevention, and climate change.
• World Vision’s capabilities, processes and structures in humanitarian advocacy are supported.
• Works collaboratively across field offices and ministry, including with communications and campaigns, including WV’s corporate ENOUGH Campaign.

20% Deployments

Deploy to support field operations with a focus of CATIII responses in harsh humanitarian environments.

End Results

• Regular deployments (physical and in person) result in stronger humanitarian advocacy in response contexts and stronger links between Disaster Management team and the field.
• The field operations are well supported in their advocacy, policy, and external engagement. The activities are carries out at local, regional, and global levels as appropriate.
• The staff on the field level are guided in the areas of policy expertise, especially on food security and famine prevention.
• WV’s capabilities, processes and structures in humanitarian advocacy are supported and continually improved upon.
• WV is increasingly well positioned with WFP and other UN agencies and NGO partners at a field level fostering effective relationships and collaborations.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND EXPERIENCE

Required Education, training, license, registration, and/or Certification

• 10 years relevant job experience, including in management, with significant time spent in active humanitarian response contexts and food security
• A post graduate degree in a relevant field (equivalent of a Master’s in international or public relations, international development, or law)
• Professional fluency in English
• An excellent understanding of food security, International Humanitarian Law, and the humanitarian sector and its derivate standards, guidelines and tools, with a well maintained network of external industry relationships.

Required Professional Experience

• Experience working with a food-based agency at HQ or field level
• In depth understanding of civil society leverage points in the global humanitarian community including strong familiarity with relevant UN and coalition processes across NY and Geneva
• Excellent writing skills and the ability to translate complex material and data into coherent narratives that resonate with policy makers and peers

Required Language(s)

• Effective written and verbal communication in English. Other UN languages such as French, Arabic, Spanish, and Portuguese, are preferred.
• Required travel and/or work environment accommodations
• Ability to travel to/within domestically and Internationally as needed
• Work hours are often in excess of 12 hours per day during difficult periods of the response and require flexibility per time zone
• For deployments, responses are often mounted in insecure or natural disaster-prone contexts, which may disrupt normal work patterns and generate staff safety issues.
• Work and housing environments may at times be well below normal standards in terms of facilities, equipment, food availability and hygiene.

Position’s physical requirements

Can pass HEAT training

Preferred Experience, Knowledge and/or other Qualifications

• Professional-level fluency in a second UN language (esp. French or Arabic).
• Management of multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams, including virtual teams.
• Excellent negotiation and collaboration skills with a demonstrated ability to think strategically, synthesize complex information and develop innovative influencing approaches.
• Strong communication skills with a demonstrated ability to communicate successfully with players in all segments of the humanitarian field, including high level decision-makers.
• Leads independently on fast-paced issues, tight deadlines and juggle competing demands.
• Ability to travel internationally including support to field programmers in remote and challenging environments.

Applicant Types Accepted:

Local Applicants Only