Policy LINK – Program and Communications Coordinator 63 views

Project Background

The five-year (2019 – 2024) Feed the Future Policy LINK project will strengthen the capacity of local actors and institutions to lead and manage the agricultural transformation process and contribute effectively and collectively to improved, broad-based food security policy outcomes.

 Specifically, the program aims to strengthen food security policy systems by investing in and reinforcing productive human and social capital and developing strategic partnerships that help bring these innovations and capacity investments to scale in order to achieve a critical mass of local actors with the ability and opportunity to effect positive policy change through collective action.

 Policy LINK’s general approach is grounded in facilitative leadership and collaborative governance, which emphasize engaging stakeholders from civil society and public and private sectors in consensus-oriented decision making, collaborative problem solving, and adaptive learning.

 Policy LINK in Ethiopia

USAID Ethiopia is developing a five-year activity with the overall objective of supporting the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) and other policy system actors as they transition to a more inclusive policy development process. Specifically, the activity will facilitate the transition from an almost exclusively government-led and implemented policy development paradigm to one driven by multiple stakeholders.

This new approach to policymaking will require strengthening the capacity of Ethiopia’s main agricultural policy system actors and institutions and supporting them to engage in a new collaborative environment. This approach will lead to significant improvements in the policy process and the resulting policy environment. For example, there will be greater clarity around roles and increased participation in policy processes by stakeholders traditionally excluded from decision-making, including academia, financial institutions, the judiciary, CSOs and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private sector representations from the national, regional, and local levels. Under the new policy development paradigm, development partners will be expected to align their approaches to fit within this broader collaborative framework.

 This approach will be underpinned by Policy LINK’s overarching theory of change focused on increasing human and social capital, engaging policy system actors in collaborative processes, and developing mechanisms for collaborative governance and dynamic learning systems and platforms to sustain collective action.

 The activity will support the GoE objectives of inspiring sustainable agriculture-led economic growth, strengthening resilience among people and systems, and creating a well-nourished population, especially women and children.

 Responsibilities

Program Coordination

Program Support:

• Support planning, execution and follow up of program activities to ensure tasks and deliverables are accomplished per the activity description, work plan, budget, program policies, procedures, practices, and compliance requirements.
• As part of activity teams, support the overall conceptualization, development, and smooth implementation of LINK’s program activities.
• Coordinate with logistics, finance, procurement, and activity teams to ensure necessary preparations, logistics and payments are made for successful implementation of program activities; Tasks may include obtaining venue, equipment, materials, travels and managing RSVPs, reconnaissance visits and on-site support.
• Under the guidance of Program lead(s) lead, coordinate regular program and team meetings and debriefs to set targets, review progress, coordinate teams and draw lessons for successful implementation of program activities.
• Support in tracking and updating program activities, expenditures, contracts, and budgets including portfolio activity matrix and budget, activity description deliverables, implementation tracker and consultants’ tracker, in consultation with finance, procurement/ contracts and activity teams.
• Under the guidance of Program lead/s, contracts manager and activity team leads, coordinate/ support recruitment, contracting, proper orientation, supervision and performance evaluation of consultants, interns, field staff, temporary data entry person and other staff as may be required, to ensure tasks and deliverables are being met as specified in the contracts (for successful delivery of their contracts) and performance records are compiled for future reference.
• Monitor the status and performance of projects activities and teams and report to the relevant program lead including issues that require urgent attention.
• Conduct periodic reviews and provide feedback to activity teams on use of TAMIS and other LINK, DAI and USAID systems.
• Undertake regular checks, reconnaissance and field visits to activity sites and venues as required, to ensure adequate preparations and provide support as needed.
• Support the overall preparation and facilitation of project trainings, meetings, workshops, seminars, conferences and events.
• Support the preparation or review of draft documents (e.g., technical and workshop reports) to ensure quality and conformity with agreed templates, consistent with investor/donor/client requirements.
• Coordinate, support and as part of the activity team populate and update, and follow up LINK activity teamwork with tasks, deliverables, milestone and timeline to ensure successful implementation and accountability on roles by the teams.
• Support and maintain good communication and relationships with program partners, consultants and participants on matters regarding program activity, expectations, logistics, deliverables, timelines and compliance requirements.
• Represent LINK in meetings and processes as required and appropriate.

Activity Teams Coordination:

• Support the Program Lead/s to coordinate activity teams; ensure proper planning, coordination across teams and effective team functioning (avoid duplication, paralysis and conflict).
• Coordinate team meetings calendar and with various teams to ensure all meetings are well organized and set on time, useful, not conflicting (overwhelming) and resolutions acted upon including scheduling meetings/events, maintaining agenda, communicating and following up on agreed actions from the meeting.
• Ensure that program and activity team minutes, reports, resolutions and action plans are compiled, shared and actions followed up.
• Liaise with activity team leaders, to identify areas of support and seek solutions to program challenges that would impede successful implementation of activities.
• Ensure that activity folders are well organized by working with activity teams and conducting regular audits.

 Communications Coordination:

• Collaborate closely with the global Communications team to ensure that all components of communications plan are well implemented, including overseeing elements of the plan as the coordinator’s skill set develops. In this respect, s/he will interface with the broader communications team on behalf of the Ethiopia activity.
• Coordinate communications activities on the Ethiopia buy-in with the global Strategic Comms team
• Participate in regular meetings, trainings and ongoing coordination functions for the global comms team
• Think creatively to produce innovative ideas and concepts and support in the development of clear briefs and interactive design for communications products targeted at different audiences.
• In his/her role as an activity team member, support in the design and implementation of targeted communications mini-strategies for reaching key people (e.g., government officials) as well as for reaching key audiences (community, CSOs, CBOs, etc.) which may involve a variety of communications mediums such as social/digital/mainstream broadcast and print/ community media etc.
• Work with the learning and knowledge management teams, and the IT and Knowledge Systems Manager to organize and manage production of digital events, including webinars and podcasts.
• Draft smart, engaging and relevant regular content such as updates, announcements and blogs on the Ethiopia activity for the Ethiopia landing page on the Policy LINK website and activity pages on key partner networks as well as monitoring engagement.
• Create dissemination toolkits for learning and communications events and products.
• Support the Ethiopia team to compile, prepare and edit reports and publications.
• Share relevant new trends, information, and insights with the broader project team to support the MEL functions.
• Support in managing all project-related communications events and trips, assisting to coordinate all logistics, and ensuring that everything runs smoothly (including with internal and external actors) to create a good name for the project and ensure project visibility.
• Regularly capture success stories, project statistics, data, news, updates, pictures etc.  in line with the LINK “newsroom approach” that can be used in reports and on digital platforms.
• Manage and regularly update a “media bank” of project activity photos, videos and texts, in line with existing guidelines.
• Master Feed the Future and USAID branding and work closely with the Strategic Communications Manager to ensure compliance with Feed the Future and USAID branding and marking guidelines for all communications products. including donor reports and project materials.
• Manage other tasks as assigned.

Reporting

The Program and Communications coordinator will report to the LINK/Ethiopia Capacity Strengthening lead, with dotted line to the Strategic Communications Manager.

 Supervisory Responsibilities

The Program and Communications Coordinator will not have supervisory roles though may supervise consultants and intermittent employees and provide regular guidance to LINK/Ethiopia staff during the execution and implementation of consultant and sub-award agreements.

Contract Name: USAID/Feed the Future Policy LINK

Status: Long Term Technical Assistance

Supervisor: LINK/Ethiopia Capacity Strengthening Lead

Education and Work Experience:

• At minimum, a basic degree in the relevant field/s.
• 7 years of work experience in Program or Communications in the development sector.
• Experience supporting fast-paced donor program, USAID experience will be an added advantage
• Experience in program management; activity management cycle.

 Skills:

• Effective communication with colleagues and stakeholders within and outside Ethiopia.
• Ability to balance competing priorities and information shared by colleagues, policy and procedure manuals, stakeholders, etc. and produce well-informed procurement recommendations.
•  Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Close attention to detail and the ability to plan .
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent organizational skills and adherence to deadlines.
• Ability to work with diverse and multi-disciplinary teams.
• Professional fluency in English and Amharic.