Policy & Advocacy Officer

Description

• World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has been working in Mozambique from the early 2000s. The Mozambique Country Office (MCO) has made significant contributions over the years, ranging from supporting the establishment of Conservation Areas (CAs) to working with local communities to strengthen their capabilities and motivation to engage in conservation, as well as, actively influence decision making processes and practice. WWF MCO is currently implementing its second country strategy (2020-2030), whose goal is to influence and ensure sound management and responsible stewardship and use of Mozambique’s unique biodiversity for the benefit of present and future generations. The strategy, underpinned by the fact that the wellbeing and prosperity of Mozambicans is dependent on nature and that, today, the rate of loss of this life-support system demands urgent and effective action, is anchored around three conservation pillars, namely: i) inclusive conservation of habitats and species; ii) sustainable and equitable livelihoods; and iii) greening the footprint of economic development
• In order to achieve this goal, our delivery model rests on our ability to work with natural resource right holders and other stakeholders to engage with duty bearers on conservation issues at local, national, regional and international levels. This engagement depends upon the credibility and relevance of our work and requires that WWF has a firm policy and advocacy mission that is effectively executed and well represented
• Further, to escalate the challenge to the top of the global agenda, WWF aims at 1) engaging and supporting the national government in translating the recently adopted Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) and other key global commitments (e.g. Paris Agreement, Global Treaty for Plastic Pollution, and others) into ambitious national targets and urgent actions across key policies, legislation, budgets and sectoral work, as well as developing and implementing ambitious and inclusive National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan (NBSAP); and 2) mainstreaming KM-GBF implementation into WWF’s own conservation strategies and programs. It strives to mobilize key stakeholders to encourage global decision makers to play a leadership role including the public and civil society, business and the financial sector, as well as political players. Effectively engaging the stakeholders requires the strong involvement of teams in the country office, the region and across the WWF Network, supported by strong scientific research in order to make a strong science-based and economically sound case for urgent action
• Therefore, WWF Mozambique seeks to recruit a highly motivated, enthusiastic and knowledgeable Policy & Advocacy Officer to support the implementation of policy and advocacy related projects and actions towards achieving the objectives defined by WWF MCO strategic plan (2020-2030). We are looking for someone with the right set of skills, attitude and approach, and who is able to support the policy & advocacy unit to achieve positive change for people and nature
• The Policy & Advocacy Officer will:
• Provide technical support and knowledge to the implementation of activities under policy and advocacy related projects
• Provide support and advisory to key advocacy processes in cross-cutting areas (e.g. climate change, waste management and plastic pollution, inclusive conservation, natural resources management and biodiversity conservation, human rights, gender and youth engagement)

Duties

Implementation of project activities (60%)

• He/She will support the conservation team on the development of positions papers, policy briefs, advocacy campaigns and strategies for the achievement of the goals and outcomes of the WWF Mozambique strategy
• He/She will work closely with the Policy & Advocacy Unit to support the engagement with partners and stakeholders (including government, civil society, private sector and others)
• Assist and support the policy & advocacy coordinator on the development of annual work plans and budgets policy related projects
• Assist and support the policy & advocacy coordinator on the development of technical and financial reports for policy related projects
• Support on the development and implementation of policy advocacy strategies as necessary
• Plan and operate under a quarterly workplan system, which will be reviewed monthly by the Policy Coordinator and prepare costed workplans for implementation of activities
• Support the Policy & Advocacy Coordinator on the preparation of ToRs for the implementation of specific activities and the development of specific technical reports of execution of these activities
• Support the implementation of workshops, field missions and exchange experiences, as well as, other required activities
• Participate in regular coordination meetings with WWF MCO and other WWF programmes (regional and international) as appropriate, and participate in regular donor and government coordination meetings as appropriate
• Support the Policy & Advocacy Coordinator on the development of proposals to mobilize financial resources for the policy & advocacy projects portfolio
• Support the Policy Unit on the development of strategic actions for engagement of civil society (including groups, forums and platforms working in conservation, gender, and youth) in key policy & advocacy processes

Policy Communication (30%)

• Support the dissemination and implementation of policy and advocacy plans & priorities
• Assist on the development of policy briefs, position papers and other advocacy materials, as appropriate, in coordination with the Policy Unit and civil society partner organizations
• Work closely with the Conservation and Communications teams to link key advocacy messages with our country interventions and campaigns, as well as, develop national level campaigns that support our policy agenda
• Work with the communication team, to support the delivery of high-quality events, activities and communications necessary to deliver against our Policy and Advocacy strategy (e.g. workshops, position papers, briefings, consultations, roundtables, online media)

Other duties and responsibilities (10%)

• Perform other related duties as may be assigned by the Policy & Advocacy and Conservation Manager for the smooth and efficient implementation of the MCO conservation program

Requisites

• At least a diploma, but a degree is preferred in environmental policy, environmental science, political science, public policy, international affairs, social sciences or related fields. Experience of at least one year will be an advantage
• Knowledge and/or experience in development of workplans and budgets
• Knowledge and/or experience with monitoring and evaluation for advocacy projects
• Knowledge and/or experience in development of advocacy strategies and action plan
• Knowledge and/or experience in planning, implementation, management, monitoring and reporting of project activities
• Knowledge of cross-cutting issues, such as, climate change, waste management and plastic pollution, inclusive conservation, civic space, gender, human rights-based approach)
• Understanding and knowledge of Mozambique’s regulatory frameworks and legal system
• Skills and good understanding of undertaking literature searches and critically appraising literature
• Knowledge on global policy advocacy processes and key conventions (UNFCCC, CBD, Ramsar, CITES, UNCCD)
• Understanding of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF)
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to converse and engage with a different type of project stakeholder (local communities, government, donors, private sector, etc.)
• Public speaking ability and experience to raise points and present information in conferences and seminars etc.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills demonstrating the ability to understand and discuss complex issues in relation to environmental policy in a context relevant to various audiences
• Report/ writing and documentation skills
• Ability to develop messages for key advocacy campaigns, and ato prepare informative project documents and training materials and conducting workshops and awareness activities
• Self-motivation and the ability to work independently and as part of a team, including successful experience of working collaboratively with representatives from other organisations
• Fluency in both Portuguese and English
• Good interpersonal skills
• Computer literacy in MS Office (MS Word), spread sheets (Excel), presentations (MS PowerPoint), email and internet search is essential
• Ability to embrace and represent the Organization’s core values, which are: Courage, Integrity, Respect and Collaboration

Notes

• Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted
• Internal -Interacts with WWF Mozambique conservation staff on daily basis; interacts with the WWF Network staff as appropriate
• External - Interacts as required with national and provincial administrations, nongovernmental organizations, local Partner NGOs, civil society, decision makers, private sector and donors