About CARE

CARE International is a global leader within a worldwide movement dedicated to ending poverty. CARE works around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty, and achieve social justice. We put women and girls in the centre of our work because we know that we cannot overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities. CARE has been working in Uganda since 1969 and we work across all the regions of Uganda. The goal of our 2021-2025 business plan is to reach 10 million people, through our lifesaving and gender-transformative humanitarian, development, and nexus programs. We are committed to working with the government, the private sector, and local civil society, especially women-led and women’s rights organizations.  Our annual portfolio is $15 million, funded through a diverse range of donors.

Project Summary

The Women and Youth Resilience Project (WAYREP) supports women and girls as well as young men in refugee, host and urban communities to realize their rights through socio-economic strengthening, resilience building, and reduction of Gender Based Violence (GBV). It contributes to SDG 5 “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” with a focus on ending all forms of discrimination and violence against all women and girls.  It is implemented in Arua city, Gulu city, and Terego district of Uganda, targeting urban community as well as refugee communities in Omugo settlement as well as host communities. CARE is looking for a self-motivated individual to fill the position of Advocacy Specialist in the above project.

 Job Summary

As a member of the senior program team of WAYREP, the Advocacy Specialist is responsible for providing technical support and leadership to the project on advocacy. S/he will support and lead CARE and partners in influencing the implementation of relevant international, regional, and national level frameworks for the protection of women and girls’ socio-economic rights, promotion of a life free from violence, and for Women to have Peace and Security (WPS).

Key technical areas under the leadership of this role include joint evidence-based advocacy on the above-mentioned topics, strengthening the capacities of CARE’s partners and women, youth and refugee-led organizations and supporting their advocacy initiatives and actions, networking and collaboration with relevant stakeholders and networks/alliances/working groups at local, national, regional, and international level and introducing social accountability mechanisms.

 Specific Responsibilities

Responsibility 1: Evidence-based advocacy (35%)

·        Identify advocacy issues and lead/guide evidence-based advocacy actions of WAYREP.

·        Provide technical support in the implementation and institutionalization of Policy Dialogue, in particular mainstreaming into the Country Office advocacy plan.

·        Work in alliance with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), particularly with women Activists, advocacy groups, CBTs, youths, refugee-led organizations, and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) to advocate on identified issues.  

·        Develop and disseminate advocacy briefs, and position papers, as required for different advocacy interventions.  

·        Contribute to the implementation of CARE Uganda’s Country Advocacy Strategy and the advocacy pillar of the Great Lakes GBV Impact Growth Strategy.

·        Support the monitoring of the enforcement of the 3rd National Action Plan (NAP) on UNSCR 1325, UNSCR 1820, the Goma Declaration, and its localization in Gulu City, Arua City, and Terego district.

·        Introduce, support, and build on social accountability mechanisms like Community Score Cards for citizens and refugees to hold their leaders accountable for the enforcement of the relevant policies and frameworks.

·        Implement the Policy Dialogue initiative within the WAYREP project.

·        Plan and implement advocacy-related media campaigns including relevant capacity development for media, media activities such as investigative journalism, and social media campaigns among others.

Responsibility 2: Strengthening of capacities of different stakeholders (25%)

·        Capacity Building for CARE, partners and women, youth and refugee-led organizations, and activist groups focusing on knowledge and skills required for effective advocacy.

·        Provide advice to partners in the development and implementation of their advocacy strategies, and in specific advocacy campaigns.

·        Identify priority Women, Peace & Security initiatives and support their implementation (as much as possible with colleagues from CARE in Great Lakes Region).

·        Work closely with other specialists to ensure synergies with other result areas, to identify critical issues in urban poverty and GBV in urban areas and develop advocacy plans, generate evidence, and implement advocacy activities to address them.

·        Communicate effectively with local partners and project participants to monitor implementation, identify project or capacity gaps and advocacy issues, identify/anticipate emerging and/or unanticipated risks and address these accordingly in liaison with project staff, partners, and CARE Austria.

Responsibility 3: Networking (20%)

·        In coordination with the Project Manager, Represent CARE Uganda and the Project in relevant advocacy forums.

·        Collaborate with relevant Civil Society actors at local, national, and international levels and networks on the United Nations Resolution Security Council (UNRSC) 1325, and CARE Austria.

·        Establish and maintain networks and alliances with local, national, and regional (in collaboration with the Great Lakes IGS team) advocacy/coalition organizations and participate in relevant local, national, and regional working groups and networks.

·        Participate in relevant CARE advocacy platforms.

·        Collaborate with the Advocacy Subgroup of the INGO Refugee Network on issues affecting refugees through CRRF.

Responsibility 4: Communications (5%)

·        Provide capacity building to implementing partners to enhance their communications capacities.

·        Contribute to the production of regional and international advocacy materials and messages, as well as learning briefs, in close cooperation with CARE Austria.

Responsibility 5: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (10%)

·        Work closely with the MEAL unit to ensure advocacy activities of WAYREP are measured using CARE’s Advocacy Impact Measurement tools and are reported into PIIRS.

·        With support from the MEAL team, train to implement partners in monitoring and evaluation of advocacy activities.

·        Review the M&E systems/ key advocacy indicators and support team to monitor the quality and impact of the implementation of all advocacy activities.

·        Contribute to generating and documenting lessons learned and knowledge on all advocacy activities, writing policy briefs and papers.

·        Active contribution and participation in knowledge management processes and products, under the leadership of the Project Manager, PQL Manager, and CARE Austria.

Responsibility 6: Promote Gender Equity and Diversity & Safeguarding Practices all the time (5%)

• Practice a behavior that is consistent with CARE’s core values, and promotion of gender equity and diversity goals.
• Plays a leadership role in identifying and implementing initiatives that enhance CARE’s commitment to gender and diversity.
• Adhere to CARE Safeguarding policies and procedures, Protection from Sexual Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse and Child Abuse, the anti-discrimination and harassment policy, The code of conduct, and the organization's values are adhered to at all times.

 Job and Person Specification (requirements)

• Bachelor’s degree in law, Human rights, or international relations. A post-graduate Diploma in any related field is a MUST.  
• Practical 6 years of experience in advancing advocacy initiatives on issues of GBV, displacement, urbanization, refugee rights, and women’s rights.
•         Experience in capacity development on advocacy processes and tools.

• Excellent teamwork, networking, communication, and collaboration skills with a wide range of actors, both within the CARE International network, including CARE Austria, the Great Lakes IGS team on GBV, the CARE International Advocacy team, and other actors on a number of deliverables
• Experience/ knowledge of international development and relevant humanitarian frameworks, and refugee rights, preferably in Uganda.
• Ability to network, build relationships and establish collaboration with different partners, agencies local and international networks.
• Ability to link with community activists and social movements and experience/ understanding of the SASA methodology.
• Strong commitment to Gender Equity and Diversity (GED).
• Strong interpersonal communication and facilitation skills
• Knowledge of Monitoring and Evaluation including report writing, documentation, and presentation.