Job Overview / Summary
The
IRC seeks a Senior Advocacy Officer to support efforts in policy advocacy,
and influence rooted in the IRC’s Kenya Country Program Strategic Action Plan
(SAP) and will contribute to the implementation of the Re:BUiLD program’s
influence and adoption initiatives.
The
Senior Advocacy Officer will support implementation of the
Re:BUiLD Extension Phase Influence & Adoption agenda by driving national
and county-level engagement The role will focus on supporting platforms
for engagement at the national level to advocate for an enabling environment
for economic inclusion of refugee and vulnerable host communities.
Additionally, the senior officer will support policy-to-practice adoption
by supporting county planning and budget processes, strengthening coordination
mechanisms, and ensuring that refugee inclusion commitments are operationalized
at different levels. The senior officer will work closely with the implementing
partner to strengthen meaningful participation of refugee-led
organizations (RLOs) in locally led advocacy and accountability processes.
Key Responsibilities
County
Government Engagement and Policy Implementation Support
- Maintain structured engagement with county executives, departments,
county assemblies and coordination structures in Nairobi, Garissa, and
Turkana Counties.
- Develop and support implementation of county engagement plans,
including stakeholder mapping, influencing pathways, and follow-up
routines.
- Support and engage counties to operationalize refugee-inclusive
commitments, plans, budgets and policy/administrative reforms
through practical actions such as workplans, action trackers, technical
meetings, and implementation reviews to improve refugees’ and vulnerable
host communities’ access to services and economic opportunities.
- Provide day-to-day coordination support to ensure decisions
translate into implementation steps and clear accountability.
Evidence-based
Advocacy
- Package program evidence into advocacy materials (policy
briefs, position papers, call to action, advocacy statements, talking
points, presentations and case stories, as required for different
advocacy interventions.
- Support convenings and technical dialogues that promote uptake of
evidence and agreement on practical adoption steps.
- Coordinate inputs from program teams to ensure advocacy messaging is
accurate, consistent, and aligned to program goals.3.) Partnership
Coordination
- Collaborate with partnership department for day-to-day coordination
with local partners on RLO strengthening and locally led advocacy
initiatives.
- Support joint planning, coordination meetings, and follow-up on
agreed deliverables.
- Facilitate and strengthen safe, inclusive participation of RLOs in
county and national dialogues, public participation forums, and
accountability platforms.
- Support capacity strengthening actions that enable RLOs to engage
effectively and responsibly in policy processes.
- Collaborate with private sector, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs),
particularly with refugee-focused advocacy groups/activists, women, youth,
refugee led organizations, and partners to advocate on identified issues
at national and county levels.
Policy
Monitoring, Context Scanning, and Advocacy Moment Response
- Track relevant county policy processes, political economy dynamics,
and regulatory developments affecting vulnerable host communities and
refugee inclusion.
- Identify and document advocacy moments, opportunities, challenges,
and working with the program team, recommend timely engagement
actions to advance adoption and implementation.
- Support preparation of briefs and positioning notes when
needed for key meetings or emerging issues.
Representation,
Convening, and Coordination
- Represent the program in relevant national, county and stakeholder
forums as delegated by the supervisor.
- Support cross-county learning and documentation of lessons between
Nairobi, Garissa and Turkana Counties to enable replication and
adaptation.
- Coordinate with internal teams (Programs, Partnerships, MEAL,
Finance, Safety & Security, Communications) to align advocacy actions
and program delivery.
Documentation,
Reporting, and Internal Accountability
- Maintain engagement trackers, meeting minutes, action logs, and
follow-up plans for each county.
- Contribute to donor and internal reporting on Influence &
Adoption progress, including outcomes, risks, and mitigation actions.
- Support activity planning and spending tracking for assigned
advocacy actions in line with IRC policies and budgets.
Key Working Relationships
Internal
(IRC):
- Advocacy and System Strengthening Technical Coordinator
- Re:BUiLD Program Program Management Team
- Communications, Safeguarding, and Security focal points (as
relevant)
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in public policy, political science, law,
development studies, international relations, communications, or a related
field (advanced degree is an added advantage).
- Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in advocacy, policy
engagement, governance programming, or strategic communications.
- Demonstrated experience engaging government systems, preferably at
devolved/county level.
- Strong facilitation, relationship management, diplomacy, and
stakeholder coordination skills.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills for a wide range
of audiences and ability to produce high-quality briefs and reports. Understanding of
refugee inclusion and barriers to economic participation (e.g.,
documentation, decent work, business environment, service access) is an
advantage.
- Fluency in English and Kiswahili required.
Demonstrated Skills and
Competencies
- Strong influencing and negotiation skills, with ability to build
trust across diverse stakeholders.
- Evidence-based advocacy skills: ability to translate data and
learning into clear policy asks and practical actions.
- Excellent planning and follow-through; ability to manage multiple
workstreams and deadlines.
- Cultural sensitivity and ability to work respectfully with refugee
and host community stakeholders.
- High integrity, discretion, and commitment to accountability and
ethical conduct.
How to Apply
