Advisor II, Program and Policy Communications

Title: Advisor II, Program and Policy Communications

Div/Dept: Program and Partnerships Division

Location: Washington, DC

Reporting Relationship: Senior Director, External Engagement

summary
The Program and Policy Communications Advisor will lead the development, implementation and evaluation of a communication strategy targeting an external technical audience in support of ChildFund’s mission. This role will be responsible for developing program and policy-related content to share with identified audience markets, including donors, peer organizations, policymakers and thought leaders. This position will support the development of external publications highlighting ChildFund’s engagement with the US Government and ChildFund’s advocacy priorities. In addition, some materials will recognize other relevant global and national current events. The Advisor will work with the Business Development team and technical experts to develop capacity statements and other collateral material to position ChildFund for new funding. This position will promote the organization’s programs and policy successes, with the goal of increasing ChildFund’s name recognition, awareness and influence.

DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
ChildFund International is committed to a workplace culture that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in all its forms. Furthermore, ChildFund International is committed to ensuring a workplace that safeguards and protects all children, including preventing their sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as preventing the sexual exploitation and abuse of its staff, partners, and program participants.
Key duties:

This role will be responsible for developing an action plan to elevate and increase awareness of ChildFund’s brand, programming and policy amongst donors, peer organizations, policymakers and other key stakeholders. Key duties will include:

• Developing and maintaining ChildFund’s policy and programs communication strategy and associated work plan that will outline major objectives; target audiences; key messages; resources; key actions, activities and products; and a monitoring and evaluation plan of the strategy’s impact. Updating the strategy and workplan regularly to capture successes and opportunities for improvement and refines the strategy accordingly.

• Leading collaboration and communication with Fundraising and Engagement colleagues under the direction of the Sr. Director for External Engagement.

• Advising on and develops relevant website updates, as well as a social and traditional media strategy.

• Proactively drafting and leading reactive statements to issues of import to ChildFund and our external stakeholders.

• Creating capacity statements, technical briefs, responsive statements to and for global events and other documentation with a strong sense of ChildFund’s brand and mission in order to position ChildFund with donors.

• Working closely with ChildFund colleagues, including three regional communication specialists, to ensure that policy advocacy and outreach is strongly grounded in the experience and insights of the organization’s programming.

• Supporting the identification and pursuit of opportunities to amplify ChildFund’s advocacy efforts, engagement, policy influence and collaboration, including anticipating and responding to the public and partners’ concerns and priorities.

• Supporting media relations (print, TV, radio, blogs, social media, web, etc.), including writing, editing and producing high quality communication materials.

• Maintaining a database of peers, partners, networks, influencers and donors for dissemination of communications.

• Building an analytical framework to measure progress towards the goal of elevating ChildFund’s technical and policy visibility and influence.

Qualifications
Required

• At least 6-8 years of relevant professional work experience required. Expertise in developing communications strategies and engaging stakeholders including peers, donors and decisionmakers within the US Congress, the US administration and/or international bodies preferred.
• Excellent and engaging writer. Proven ability to translate technical materials and data and articulate information clearly and effectively to decisionmakers and other audiences.
• Strong interpersonal skills. Experience working in cross-cultural settings or teams preferred.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, excellent organizational skills and proactive working style and attitude. Proven capacity to rapidly produce outputs and work with peers and superiors to solve problems and meet deadlines as required.
• Strong desire to learn and grow, a willingness to ask questions and seek clarifications, a persistence in the face of challenges and a readiness to meet ad-hoc demands in a fast-paced professional environment.
• Graphic design experience required.
• Proven experience in expanding social media influence.
• Focused on results. Ability to implement a strategic technical and policy communications strategy while also being able to respond quickly to changes in short-term priorities.
• Possess an entrepreneurial and collaborative spirit – Enticed by the idea of building ChildFund’s policy and program communications strategy. Agile and able to identify ways to get things done in a matrixed, cross-cultural environment. Active listening and ability to quickly gain trust and respect.

• Proficiency in Word, Outlook, Teams and PowerPoint.
  Preferred

• Ability to be based in Washington, DC.

• Experience in policy advocacy communications
  EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, or related field.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties and responsibilities associated with the position.

NOTE: All interested applicants must be authorized to work in the US at the time of application.

EOE/M/F/D/V