Policy and Advocacy Advisor (vacancy)

15 March 2024

Status: Full-time (5 days/week, 37.5 hrs.)
Duration: Permanent Contract
Preferred starting date: April 15^th, 2024

About Plan International

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. We believe in the power and potential of every child and gender equality. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected. Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing all children and especially girls. We are active in over 80 countries across the world.

The purpose and ambition of Plan International EU Liaison Office (EULO) is to advance children’s rights and equality for girls in the EU’s external action. We work together with the EU in its three roles as a donor, policymaker and promoter of human rights.

In line with Plan International’s Global Strategy, All Girls Standing Strong, we will contribute to ensuring that the lives of 200 million girls are improved by 2027.

Role Specification

Plan International’s EU Liaison Office is recruiting a Policy and Advocacy Advisor to join our dynamic Influencing team in Brussels. The Policy and Advocacy Advisor will undertake both policy-related and programmatic advocacy and will support the communications actions of the office. This role covers development cooperation policy analysis and advocacy, with occasional support on humanitarian advocacy always with a strong focus on the gender-related aspects of both.

The Policy and Advocacy Advisor’s role is to analyse EU policies from a children’s rights perspective, with a focus on gender equality, to develop materials for use by the organisation, to carry out advocacy activities in agreed areas and to liaise with different Plan International entities. This will involve working closely across all departments and functions of the EU Liaison Office, including the Partnerships Team, the Communications Lead and the Head of Office.

An important element of the role is to raise Plan International’s profile towards the EU, namely the European Commission, the European External Action Service (EEAS) with EU Delegations (through the Country Programme Offices), the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, especially through the rotating Council Presidencies. The Policy and Advocacy Advisor will be responsible for working on various youth–related priorities such as youth economic empowerment (YEE), youth participation and inclusive quality education.

Finally, we are collaborative, working not only with programmes, strategy, research and innovation, and communications teams across Plan International, but also externally, constantly seeking to new ideas and perspectives from others in the development and humanitarian sector and beyond.

Key Responsibilities

All policy and advocacy positions and activities are to be developed and executed in collaboration with the Head of Influencing and the wider organisation. Within this context, the Policy and Advocacy Advisor will have responsibility for the following:

Policy, Monitoring and Analysis (20%)

Keep abreast of current issues relevant to Plan International’s work, particularly YEE, youth participation and inclusive quality education.
Monitor trends in EU development and humanitarian policies and communications, particularly the EU Gender Action Plan and the EU Youth Action Plan, to determine their impacts on children, youth and gender equality for girls.
Develop power maps for key policy issues to identify and influence priorities and targets.
Support the development and execution of creative influencing strategies.
Identify policy and advocacy opportunities relevant to Plan International’s work at EU level.

Advocacy (45%)

Support the work relating to inclusive meaningful youth participation in decision making and girls leadership and empowerment, with a focus on external action linked to children’s rights, gender equality, youth issues. Develop appropriate messaging, participate in meetings with policymakers and garner support for girls’ empowerment and leadership.
Develop advocacy strategies, workplans and messaging relevant to the EULO objectives.
Coordinate Plan International’s Europe-wide advocacy efforts with relevant Plan national offices in support of our common goals.
Join relevant external Brussels-based networks and liaise with the wider Plan International organisation as relevant to ensure that the EULO contributes to all Plan International positioning on the offices’ prioritised issues.
Actively cultivate impactful relationships with key EU political and policy decision makers to bring about favourable results for children and youth, with an emphasis on girls and young women.
Lead the overall theme development, messaging and advocacy activities relating to the annual European Week of Action for Girls, together with its safeguarding process, in line with Plan International’s safeguarding standards.
Facilitate and provide support for Plan office’s engagement with EU Delegations as appropriate.
Contribute to work on other relevant issues as agreed with the Head of Influencing.

Networking, Outreach & Capacity-Building (30%)

Internally

Coordinate and communicate regularly with advocacy staff across Plan International.
Support the planning of the annual Influencing Forum meeting and coordinate related advocacy actions.
Communicate and coordinate with Plan programming teams on issues of strategic interest to the organisation, such as the EU Gender Action Plan, EU Youth Action Plan, consultations or other EU policy initiatives, including regarding their implementation and follow-up.

Externally

Develop and maintain a network of contacts in the EU institutions, to raise Plan International’s visibility and credibility.
Represent Plan International in relevant NGO networks such as CONCORD (eg. Regional Alliances Group, Gender Equality Group), the Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN) and the Children’s Rights Action Group (CRAG).
Represent Plan and act as spokesperson at events with EU institutions and other external stakeholders to advocate for policy change.

Other responsibilities (5%)

Contribute to EU office wide regular reporting to the Plan International Europe Board.
Support the work of the Advocacy Assistant on areas of joint work.
Participate in training and other activities as requested by the organisation.
Ensure that all activities undertaken on behalf of Plan International, externally or internally, are executed in accordance with the overall purpose and values of the organisation and in line with Plan’s policies and procedures, in particular on meaningful and safe youth engagement.
Function as a focal point on youth safeguarding in all relevant events and engagements.

Person Specification

The successful candidate will balance excellent organisational and coordination skills with strong interpersonal communication in a multicultural context, and the ability to plan and implement under their own initiative. They will share Plan International’s Purpose and Values.

Qualifications & Knowledge

University degree in related subject; advanced university degree is of advantage;
Knowledge of children’s, women’s and human rights standards and conventions;
Very good understanding of gender equality;
Good knowledge and understanding of EU institutions and policy-making processes;
Knowledge of development and international cooperation required; knowledge of humanitarian affairs is of advantage.

Experience

Proven experience in advocacy in Europe and beyond;

Track record of policy and advocacy successes;

Additional experience in other domains, sectors or geographic regions an advantage;

Experience of writing briefings or reports on International cooperation/Humanitarian assistance or related issues, including making complex topics accessible for non-experts;

Experience of organising events and coordinating different entities.

Skills & Personal Qualities

Strong analytical and research skills;
Strong interpersonal and diplomatic skills with proven ability to build solid relationships with advocacy targets;
Confident and flexible, proactive and self-motivated, able to move easily between tasks;
Good organisational and planning skills;
Capable networker, able to coordinate and operate effectively in coalitions;
Excellent written and oral communication skills, for a variety of audiences and in a variety of settings, with the highest level of attention to detail
Excellent level of written and spoken English; working knowledge of French desirable; other European languages is of advantage;
Computer literate, familiar with standard software.

Working conditions

Based in: Brussels, Belgium (Plan International EU Office, Galerie Ravenstein 27, 3rd floor.)
Duration:  Permanent contract
Status: Full-time (5 days = 37.5 hrs./week)
Salary: 3219,62 EUR
Benefits: 20 legal holidays + 4 PLAN International holidays, pension scheme, life assurance cover, hospitalization and outpatient cover, meal vouchers, work-related public transport costs. Flexible working environment; entitled to up to six weeks maximum of working from abroad/teleworking.
Travel: Travel might be necessary depending on need, within or outside Europe
Reporting: The position reports to the Head of Influencing

How to apply

If you meet the skills requirements above and are interested in applying for this post, please send your CV (no Europass) and cover letter in English to EUORecruitment@plan-international.org with “Application: Policy and Advocacy Advisor” in the subject.

Deadline for applications is March 29th at 23:59, Local Time in Brussels, Belgium.

Applications received after the deadline will not be reviewed. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Successful candidates must hold the right to live and work in Belgium.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International’s Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy. Plan International is fully committed to promoting the realisation of children’s rights including their right to protection from violence and abuse. That means we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with. Plan International believes that it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. We must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk. 

Plan International is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We encourage women, minorities, individuals with disabilities or members of other underrepresented groups to apply.

Thank you for your interest in working with Plan International and for your time in reviewing the vacancy.