Policy and Advocacy Manager

JOB ADVERTISEMENT

Internally & Externally

                                                          CARE International in Timor-Leste – CITL

Department/Project	HATUTAN
Position Title	Policy and Advocacy Manager
Supervisor	Chief of Party
Position Grade	8/1
Salary	From $2,086 per month plus benefits
Location of work	Dili
Contract Period	1 year
Areas of experience required	The Policy and Advocacy Manager provides technical leadership and communication channels with the relevant government officials at the national level. The Policy and Advocacy Manager identifies areas where the program can support the Ministry of State Administration (MSA) and Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) to strengthen institutional capacity at the national, municipal and school-cluster level to improve the delivery of the School Feeding Program. Using evidence from research and monitoring data, the Policy and Advocacy Manager may recommend options to refine the policy and regulatory framework and improve accountability, service delivery and collaboration across ministries.
Position Supervises	Capacity Strengthening Trainer; Community Score Card Lead
Applications required by	29th of August 2022
Application should include	CV and Application letter only
Application should be sent to	[email protected]

INTRODUCTION

CARE is a leading humanitarian and development organisation dedicated to fighting global poverty and social injustice with special emphasis on human rights, gender equality and women and girls’ rights. As a non-religious and non-political organisation, CARE works with communities to help overcome poverty by supporting development efforts and providing emergency assistance. We believe supporting women and girls is one of the most effective ways to create sustainable outcomes in poor communities.

CARE International in Timor-Leste (CITL) implements a 5-year[1] United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded program called HATUTAN, to build a partnership between schools and their communities to improve literacy, learning, health and nutrition for children and adults in the municipalities of Ainaro, Ermera, Liquica and Manatuto. The program partners with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports as the lead Ministry to strengthen pre-school and primary school performance in literacy, health and nutrition and support the full implementation of the government school feeding program.

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

ThePolicy and Advocacy Manager provides technical leadership and communication channels with the relevant government officials at the national level. The Policy and Advocacy Manager identifies areas where the program can support the Ministry of State Administration (MSA) and Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) to strengthen institutional capacity at the national, municipal and school-cluster level to improve the delivery of the School Feeding Program. Using evidence from research and monitoring data, the Policy and Advocacy Manager may recommend options to refine the policy and regulatory framework and improve accountability, service delivery and collaboration across ministries.

This position oversees the Capacity Strengthening Trainer for budget planning, financial management and reporting. Together with the Gender Program Manager, this position will supervise the Community Score Card Lead who is responsible for working with communities using a social audit mechanism to enable communities and school personnel to work together to improve the quality of education at their local school.

The role requires a high level of professionalism, good leadership and vision, excellent interpersonal and consensus building skills, with an ability to work in a cross sectoral approach with a wide range of government officials and other stakeholders. This position is based in Dili with travel required to municipal administration offices, schools and the HATUTAN field offices.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:

Planning and Research:

• Identify key bottlenecks and opportunities for change in the school feeding program (SFP) and how changes in policy and practice could contribute to strengthen its outcomes through analysis.
• of program studies, field staff and M&E reports and liaising with senior HATUTAN staff and key government stakeholders;
• Conduct research on the guidance and rules provided by MEYS to municipal education offices and school administrators on HR management, managing the concessional budget and managing the SFP as well as issues in the implementation of these policies at the school level;
• Assist the Health and Nutrition Manager to design and conduct operational research and pilot projects on nutrition, hygiene and other health practices that contribute to the learning agenda; 

Government Liaison:

• Work with MEYS to organize the program management oversight meetings on schedule and provide secretarial support for the meetings;
• Liaise with government officials, in particular with MEYS and MSA, and prepare and present HATUTAN program updates;
• Organize and facilitate joint observation or monitoring trips that enables national and municipal government officials to directly interact with school administrators and observe the application of national policies at the school level; 

Policy Advocacy:

• Support MSA and MEYS to advocate for improvements in the School Feeding Program (SFP) financing mechanism to enable schools to provide schools meals at the start of the school year in January, providing continuous school feeding through the school year as per the plan;
• Use the SFP study results and data from monitoring to recommend and advocate for improvements in SFP policy and guidance with MSA and MEYS and involving relevant departments of other ministries (e.g. MOH and MAF);
• Support an annual or bi-annual dialogue on the SFP implementation, bringing together representatives of the Municipal Administration, MEYS, MOF and other stakeholders to identify and sustainably rectify issues in the disbursement and reporting process;
• Together with the Field Office staff, support the municipal government to strengthen systems of monitoring and improve accountability of school administrators and their supervisors to deliver quality education including the SFP, consistently meeting health and hygiene requirements and preventing violence and/or bullying;
• Together with the Gender Program Manager and Education Team, identify advocacy issues to promote gender equality, reduce gender-based violence, reduce violence and bullying at schools and improve school quality;
• Advocate and support MSA, MEYS and MOH’s collaboration at national and municipal level to implement the School Health Manual and School Feeding Manual;
• Create dialogue and advocacy opportunities at the national, municipal and individual school levels between GOTL officials (at municipal and national level), civil society, school administrators, and teachers to find solutions on better school management and how to improve student literacy outcomes;
• Assist MEYS, MSA, Municipal Administrations and schools to identify government or other development partner programs resources that could support improvements in school kitchen, water and sanitation facilities;
• Develop strategies to assist MEYS to engage with relevant ministries to advocate for resources for water, sanitation and hygiene improvements at schools as part of a multisectoral approach to preventing malnutrition;

           Implementation and Application of Learning:

• Share program research analysis and results and relevant M&E school-level data with government officials and other stakeholders to support evidence-based policy making;
• Prepare executive summaries or thematic reports based on research data to facilitate information sharing in a timely manner and using appropriate formats;
• Support the Capacity Strengthening Trainer and School Feeding team to use study results of the SFP to design and provide targeted training support for municipal officials and schools administrators;
• Support municipal education officials and school administrators to identify issues and recommend changes when other work tasks or training schedules interrupt teachers’ time in the classroom;

            HR Management and Team Building:

• Supervise the Capacity Strengthening Trainer (responsible for strengthening skills in budget planning, financial management and procurement of municipal government officials and school administrators);
• Supervise the Community Score Card Lead (responsible for applying the Community Score Card social audit mechanism in target school communities);
• Contribute to staff training to regularly upgrade skills using field data, assessment results and feedback from school personnel or community members to improve the delivery of all program activities;
• Contribute to the HATUTAN Consortium meetings as a member of the Steering Committee.

Other tasks

• Participate in the Senior Management Team of the HATUTAN Program;
• Be proactive in identifying risks of fraud on the part of staff, partners or beneficiaries and supporting spot-checks and investigations as needed;
• Accomplish any other job as assigned by supervisor.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Proactively participate in the staff evaluation (APPA) process including the annual appraisal, midyear review and regular 1:1 meetings, ensuring that the APPA process (including the paperwork) is an integral component of Annual Work Plans and activities;
• Engage in emergency preparedness, assist in any emergency response as required;
• Promote a safe and secure work environment; foster a culture of safety and security awareness and consistently follow all CARE safety and security policies, procedures and directives; and
• Assist MEYS at national and municipal level to review current practices and policies guiding teacher training or other work tasks that may interfere with scheduled class time; 
• Demonstrate an ongoing commitment to gender equality, diversity and child protection.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s Degree in Education, Administration, Management, Public Policy or equivalent and minimum 8-years relevant work experience, preferably in public administration, policy development and planning, advocacy work, and/or work in education an asset; Alternatively a minimum of Bachelor’s degree with 10 years of relevant work experience.
• Excellent communication skills in both Tetum and English, Portuguese skills an advantage;
• Strong  interpersonal skills, patience and an ability to build consensus;
• Demonstrated good leadership, decision making, problem solving, strategic planning, analytical and influencing skills;
• Demonstrated high level time management skills, including the ability to plan and manage workflows and balance competing priorities to ensure timely processing to meet deadlines in a complex environment;
• Demonstrated research skills and ability to use monitoring data to advocate for policy change and adapt program approach;
• Ability to write and present regular reports to management and partners within short timeframes;
• Ability to understand, comply and uphold all relevant CARE International in Timor-Leste policies, code of conduct and standard procedures;
• Representational skills including developing networks and relationships with key stakeholders;
• Proven understanding of working with an International Non-Government Organisation (INGO) and a willingness to learn about CARE, gender equality and women’s empowerment activities; and
• Ability to work with Google suite, Microsoft Office with knowledge in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

In return of your commitment you will benefit from ongoing professional development fostered within an innovative and forward thinking environment, plus a comprehensive benefits package.

To apply to this position, please email your submit the application letter and Curriculum Vitae with two references (Please DO NOT attached the other documents) to [email protected]  by email before or by date deadline on 29^th of August 2022. Only successful candidates will be contacted for the interview.

CARE is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse workplace. Women are strongly encouraged to apply.

CARE International Timor-Leste is committed to protecting the rights of children in all areas we work. CARE International Timor-Leste reserves the right to conduct screening procedure to ensure a child-safe environment.

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[1] The HATUTAN Program is under consideration for a four year extension through 2027.