Advocacy Officer -Philippines – Manila

Philippine Nationals Only

Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.

Job Purpose

To support the delivery of Oxfam Financial Inclusion (FI) program based on agreed deliverables with donors and partners from civil society, private sectors, local government units and related agencies; provide support to Portfolio Manager on managing all relations, deliverables, activities and communications across the entire project life cycle of assigned projects.

What we are looking for:  SKILLS, EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, ATTRIBUTES AND VALUES:

Essential

• At least five (5) years of relevant experience in advocacy, campaigns, and influencing work supporting development and humanitarian programs
• Skills and knowledge in influencing, networking and alliance building
• Demonstrated competencies in project management cycle, especially in areas of monitoring and learning, financial management of budgets and donor report-writing
• Experience in basic grants management and donor compliance
• Experience of and ability to build, sustain, and manage strong partnerships and work collaboratively with a wide variety of organizations in different geographic areas including government agencies, CSOs, NGOs, and private sector institutions
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work in multicultural settings and with community groups of varying backgrounds, developed capacity for tact, diplomacy and negotiation
• Experience in basic capacity development initiatives across partner organizations
• Organized, with good attention to detail and developed ability to prioritize tasks to meet tight deadlines and organize work in a complex institutional setting
• Good communication skills with fluency in written and verbal communication (i.e. English and Filipino)
• Proficiency in using basic MS office applications (Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint)
• Good people management skills with a good understanding of team development.

Desirable

• Experience of working with disaster affected populations in the Philippines will be an advantage.
• Experience of community-based projects will be an advantage.
• Knowledge in Do-No-Harm principles and conflict sensitivity.
• Proficiency in facilitating and documenting meetings.

 

Key Attributes

• Ability to demonstrate collective leadership, program management, sensitivity to cultural differences and gender issues, as well as the commitment to equal opportunities.
• Ability to demonstrate an openness and willingness to learn about the application of gender/gender mainstreaming and diversity for all aspects of development work.
• Commitment to Oxfam’s safeguarding policies to ensure all people who come into contact with Oxfam are as safe as possible.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Project Management

• Support FI Project Manager in day-to-day coordination of advocacy relationships, activities and communications, particularly for the assigned project/s (including but not limited to Financial Inclusion)
• Lead in financial inclusion policy influencing especially at national level to leverage current strategic partnerships with government and private sectors
• Support FI Project Manager in facilitating grants to partners, ensuring compliance with Oxfam’s mandatory procedures on appraisals, partner selection, monitoring, reporting and project closures (i.e. execution of exit plan, conduct of final evaluation with MELSA team, etc.)
• Support FI Project Manager in producing narrative reports, and collaborate with relevant partners, colleagues, technical advisors, program quality, and business development functions to ensure timely submission of high-quality reporting that complies with organizational and donor requirements

• Support FI Project Manager in disseminating information on project progress and learnings and addressing challenges affecting relevant/assigned projects
• In collaboration with the Policy Advocacy and Communications Team, provide technical advice on advocacy and campaigns to program portfolios to inform influencing agenda and strategies
• Ensure administrative and logistics procedures are followed in all relevant activities of the program and project in close collaboration with logistics and admin officers

 

Partnership Management

 

• Support in developing, improving, and embedding the country program’s Strategic Partnership Model across the organization. Support the Programs and Partnerships unit in developing a diverse portfolio of external partners that both aligns with the Strategic Partnership Model and supports high quality delivery of Oxfam’s Country Strategy in the Philippines
• Support in developing strong organizational relationships with partner organizations under resilience portfolios, coordinate and monitor all activities and communications to ensure that they reflect the spirit and intent of the country program’s Strategic Partnership Model.
• With the FI Project Manager, ensure that partners are equal stakeholders in project management, reporting, and MELSA, and that the way that we engage with partners in these areas are empowering, principled and fully aligned with the Strategic Partnership Model.
• Contribute to the assessment and capability development of partner organizations under remit by initiating and coordinating activities with operations, technical, and business development leads, and ensure that these processes are participatory, fully understood and engaged with by the partner organizations within remit, and that partner organizations remain fully apprised of timing, requirements, and status throughout.
• Coordinate with assigned partner organizations to ensure that all reports are submitted in a timely manner and in accordance with donor and Oxfam requirements, collaborating early to identify potential delays, challenges or capacity gaps and coordinating with colleagues to address and rectify
• Support the timely conclusion of contractual arrangements with partner organizations under remit, ensuring that the process unfolds in line with the spirit and intent of the Strategic Partnership Model.
• Provide and ensure open access to both him/herself and the wider Oxfam team, promoting continuous dialogue and ongoing feedback from partner organizations.

 

Other Responsibilities

• As assigned, represent Oxfam externally, and positively contribute to the promotion of women and girls’ empowerment, and taking a role to contribute to knowledge sharing and program development, where possible and relevant.
• In times of disasters, will be part of the potential humanitarian surge capacity as guided by the Country Humanitarian Team or Humanitarian Advocacy and Strategic Partner Relations Manager.
• Perform priority organizational tasks related to his/her competencies, as may be assigned from time to time.

Contract Length:  Fixed Term from May 2021 until March 30, 2022

Organizational Values:

• Accountability – Our purpose-driven, results-focused approach means we take responsibility for our actions and hold ourselves accountable. We believe that others should also be held accountable for their actions

• Empowerment – Our approach means that everyone involved with Oxfam, from our staff and supporters to people living in poverty, should feel they can make change happen

• Inclusiveness – We are open to everyone and embrace diversity. We believe everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of visible and invisible differences.

Note to candidates: Shortlisted candidates will be assessed on our organisational values and attributes at the interview stage. The successful candidate(s) will be expected to adhere to our code of conduct.

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

Note: All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks.

In response to Covid-19 if you are offered a role where you are required to travel between countries please ensure you have been briefed by the Hiring Manager about any changes to working or precautions you should take as part of your role.