Deadline extended to 28 October!
Vacancy name: Advocacy Manager
Reports to: Executive Director
Period: Starting as soon as possible (1 November 2021) with a two-year contract, with the possibility renewal.
Scope: Global
Location: Geneva, Switzerland (or willing to relocate in the slightly longer term).
Hours: fulltime
Critical requirements: Swiss work permit or EU citizen, strong understanding/lived experience of Global South / East contexts
Staffing level: senior, salary range commensurate with experience
About GIN
GIN is a global network of LGBTIQ++ people of faith who use their faith traditions as a source of insight and energy to advocate for the human rights of LGBTIQ++ people globally. GIN has a specific focus on what we call Key Affected Contexts, places where violence and power collude with religion, culture and tradition most viciously to instigate homophobic and transphobic discrimination, many of which are in the Global South. Our Secretariat is based in South Africa, and we have approximately 450 members (both individuals and organisations) worldwide.
Job context
The Advocacy Manager is an ambassador, trainer, and public speaker. They will direct GIN’s Advocacy Programme, and are responsible for the delivery and quality of the programme results, for sound financial management, and to manage other staff involved in the programme.
GIN’s advocacy programme, established over the last 5 years, has been highly successful in establishing GIN as a presence at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, and to a lesser extent, at CSW in New York. We are also working on increasing our presence in regional human rights fora, such as ACHPR or the OAS. We have strong partnerships with a number of CSOs and some states, especially in Geneva.
The current advocacy strategy for 2021 for GIN consists of the following elements:
- The Speakers Bureau, bringing forward the voice of LGBTI leaders of faith in international human rights spaces, through the organisation of targeted side events, amongst other activities, addressing the intersections of faith, gender, sexuality and human rights.
- Intersessional meetings with delegates, UN representatives, faith-based groups and civil society groups providing resources to support and capacitate state delegates to engage in affirming conversations at the intersection of faith, gender and sexuality
- Research and input to UN officials’ reports on a systematic yearly basis
- Network expansion and regional presence
They are accountable to uphold GIN values and principles, and they lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive program management process at operational levels. They represent the program with regard to the results in implementation, expertise & learning, both internally and externally. They will be called up on to perform in congruence with the expectations of multiple stakeholders, document and disseminate their work products, and actively participate in the technological, educational, strategic, and financial aspects of GIN. They report to GIN’s Executive Director, who in turn reports on the programme to the GIN Board.
Expectations of Competency
- Program management capacity that extends to resource development, financial management, volunteer supervision, and successful implementation on-site or online of deliverables
- Strong facilitation skills
- Sharp intellect for political analysis at the global and local levels;
- Strong speaking and written communication skills that marry political analysis with community-oriented education;
- Comfort, curiosity, and cultural competency in engaging in LGBTIQ+ organising and/or communities;
- Comfort, curiosity, and cultural competency in engaging in faith-based organising and/or religious/spiritual communities;
- A commitment to cultivating faith and spirit-based narratives as central to our strength and uniqueness;
- A familiarity with and commitment to the practice and development of inclusive understandings of faith traditions.
- Highly developed, demonstrably excellent, written and spoken communication skills in English (other languages, especially French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic or Swahili will be an advantage);
- Facility in grant management, documentation, and reporting on deliverables, expenditures, and qualitative measurables (stories, quotes, videos, and/or photos);
- Well-developed knowledge of formal human rights mechanisms, such as the United Nations or the African Union;
- Skills in implementing an online communications strategy;
- Ability to develop the leadership of others through training, networking, and resourcing;
- Engaging partners, stakeholders and colleagues on a one-to-one and one-to-many basis to create a sense of relationship, accountability, and belonging.
Responsibilities
- Develop, manage and implement GIN’s advocacy strategy in collaboration with partners to advance our goals and secure policy wins
- Establish and manage the Geneva office over time
- Build and facilitate diverse and effective coalitions and lead coordination with partner organizations on shared advocacy goals and strategies
- Support and grow authentic and meaningful partnerships with state delegates, international CSOs, LGBTIQ+ leaders, and other stakeholders
- Organize convenings, and other online/offline events to support our advocacy and movement-building efforts
- Support alongside others the development and implementation of media, social media, and digital engagement strategies, aiming, in part to engage and expand our membership and increase GIN’s footprint in the movement
- Write and edit policy briefs, concept notes, contributions to UN reports, programme plans, and more
- Provide leadership in and ensure visibility of LGBTIQ+ people of faith and issues.
- Is the ambassador of the program; applies partner management with stakeholders; promotes GIN’s agenda in professional forums by sharing and profiling practice-based results and experiences and sets the quality standard, proposes and delivers sustainable solutions.
- Supervise advocacy staff, consultants, volunteers, or fellows
- Maintain and update learning across the program, stimulate internal and external knowledge exchange, integrate learning into practice and share learnings and best practices across regional and international contexts
- Document and report on programming activities and ensure compliance with Board and grant-mandated requirements
- Govern the use of resources and budget reporting as a participant in the financial management of the organisation
- Aggregate, create, and disseminate resources and educational materials to our constituencies
- Alongside others, convene and coordinate members in member-led and GIN-led programming
- Engage members on a one-to-one and one-to-many basis to create a sense of relationship, accountability, and belonging
- Participate openly and enthusiastically in a collaborative environment that includes supervision and review of the Advocacy Manager’s performance in an informal ongoing process and a formal process once per year
- Conduct work in a transparent and accountable format within an international and long distance setting
- Actively engage the Board and other employees in a creative and collaborative process
- Fulfil other roles and responsibilities as required
Requirements
- EU citizenship
- Strong understanding/lived experience of Global South / East contexts
- Believes in / embodies what GIN stands for, acknowledges the importance of Global South / East ownership and of faith, and is inspired by and willing to be accountable to GIN’s values and principles;
- Master’s degree in international relations, political science, theology or similar field or equivalent combination of education and work experience
- At least 3-5 years of professional experience in organizing and/or advocacy – ideally with experience working on progressive national or international advocacy causes
- Builder, able to listen actively and sensitively and synthesise multiple inputs into a coherent whole that resonates with stakeholders
- Excellent interpersonal skills, including proven ability to work effectively with a diverse set of stakeholders and LGBTIQ+ communities, organisations and partners;
- Professional expertise and up to date knowledge on LGBTIQ+ issues, inclusive faith (preferably across multiple faith traditions), marginalization, and lobbying and advocacy;
- Experience organizing and managing volunteers / part time-staff
- Strong written and oral communication skills in English, including experience drafting policy briefs, and communicating with external stakeholders. Other languages will be an advantage.
- Strong writing and editing skills, including experience writing direct response advocacy emails, social media, and related communications
- An appetite and aptitude to learn our technology systems, including Microsoft Office, Zoom and Asana. Proficiency in these systems a plus
- Demonstrated experience with event planning and logistics
- Proactive, self-motivated problem solver who can take initiative and use sound judgment
- Proven leadership skills, based on inspiration, trust and influence rather than hierarchy;
- Strategic thinker, able to link operational learning to wider programme outcomes;
- Ability to work with changing priorities and manage multiple projects simultaneously in a timely manner
- Sense of humor, brings good energies and positive vibes, dynamic;
- Imaginative, able to make unorthodox connections to solve challenging problems;
- Able and willing to travel regularly.
We particularly welcome applications from people in the Global South or East diaspora, and women, trans and/or intersex people (in the broadest sense of each of these terms). We offer a contract based on Swiss local labor conditions, with a remuneration commensurate with the experience and expertise requested.
Want to Apply?
Kindly submit your resume and motivation letters to hr@gin-ssogie.org by 28 October 2021
