Advocacy Manager

Position: Advocacy Manager

Department: Advocacy 

Reporting to: Executive Director

Location: ARM Hamra

Working Hours: 40 hours per week

Contract Type: full-time staff, one-year contract, renewable

Areas of Contribution & Related Accountabilities

1- Advocacy Management:

• Actively contribute to the development of the macro-level strategic framework and long-term political vision of ARM and ensure that all advocacy and communications outputs are consistent with this vision;
• Collaborate with the Advocacy Team and the Executive Director on the development of the Advocacy and Communications strategic objectives, work plans, and timelines to shape and promote ARM’s discourse and positions;
• Contribute to the development of campaign strategies and timelines in coordination with the Advocacy Team;
• Actively contribute to relevant political and policy analyses;
• Contribute to the development of content for campaigning for external and internal use, such as fact sheets, official letters, position statements, background notes, press releases, etc. to be shared on all our portals;
• Revise and edit advocacy outputs prior to publication where needed;
• Contribute to the writing of relevant advocacy reports (such as CERD and UPR) and any emerging publications on which ARM’s input is requested and desirable;
• Devise a strategy to actively and effectively engage MDWs in all aspects of advocacy work including strategy development, campaign actions, and events;
• Build and maintain relationships with key policy influencers (international organisations, local organisations, media, lawyers, activists, academics, etc.).

2- Communications Management:

• Ensure consistency of ARM’s discourse in all published materials, interviews, protests, and social media messages;
• Ensure proper understanding and integration of strategic, political, and technical considerations communicated by the Advocacy and Policy Advisor, into all communications, internal and external;
• Prepare staff members for media interviews (general training for all staff, and individual preparation for key appearances when needed);
• Contribute to the preparation of, and regularly revise, the talking points for ARM’s work, each department’s work, each advocacy, and communications campaign, and any arising pressing issues related to migrant workers in Lebanon;
• Conduct periodic listening campaigns about racism and related issues in Lebanon to measure shifts in public attitudes;
• Coordinate & edit content creation by staff members (e.g. articles to post on the website);
• Coordinate and monitor the quality of the preparation of organisational publications for internal or external audiences;
• Devise effective ways to engage MDWs in all aspects of communications and advocacy work including strategy development, campaign actions and events.

3- Partnership Management:

• Periodically assess ARM’s existing partnerships and membership in networks and coalitions, in relation to their relevance to ARM’s current work;
• Attend and organize meetings and discussions with partners and report back to the advocacy team and core management team;
• Identify opportunities for collaboration with groups or organizations, in accordance with yearly team strategies and priorities;
• Reach out to activists and organizations in countries of origin to introduce ARM’s advocacy work and assess possibilities of collaboration (advocacy & other);
• Highlight successful partnerships through the website and social media posts, in coordination with the Communications Officer;
• Lead on communication with activists and organizations in countries of origin and carry out all the required follow-up tasks;
• Draft partnership agreements or MOUs with groups or organizations that ARM selects for collaboration on communications or advocacy campaigns;
• Facilitate connections and communication between partners in countries of origin and migrant communities in Lebanon;
• Assist the Evacuation Team in establishing referral pathways with partners in countries of origin for the reintegration of returnees (psychosocial support, legal support, financial support, vocational training, microfinancing for small businesses, etc.).

4- Team Management:

• Develop and continuously improve an Advocacy and Communications Guide to ensure continuity and proper handover to future employees;
• Delegate and assign tasks within the team in accordance with each team member’s strengths and workloads;
• Oversee the implementation of the team’s work plan and provide support with tasks as needed;
• Devise the appropriate tools and indicators to assess the team’s performance and improve future strategies and tactics accordingly;
• Schedule and facilitate weekly team meetings and ensure proper documentation of and follow up on the decisions;
• Regularly identify and prioritize training needs of team members and organize any required training;
• Regularly assess the team’s workload and intervene in cases of overwhelm, through redistribution of tasks, deprioritization of tasks, refusal of additional tasks, hiring additional team members, or other appropriate solutions to prevent team burnout;
• Carry out all the managerial tasks for the team, including drafting recommendation letters, drafting and revising team members’ Role Profiles, receiving and approving leave requests from team members, monitoring timesheets monthly, monitoring task completion weekly, filling out detailed and well-thought Performance Reviews for team members on a yearly basis, etc.

5- Cross-Team Coordination:

• Monitor staff knowledge on key concepts and their political discourse (as evident in meetings), and identify any need for specialized training for other teams, to ensure an organization-wide understanding of ARM’s long-term political vision, as well as consistency of discourse and values across teams;
• Receive requests related to communications and advocacy from other ARM teams as well as requests external to ARM, filter them, and respond to requests that either fit the team strategy, ARM’s strategy, or can be considered of high importance or high priority for any reason;
• Attend the regular Management meetings and contribute to organizational decisions;
• Attend the regular Migrant Community Center (MCC) meetings to integrate the Advocacy and Communications plan into MCC activities;
• Meet with the Executive Director on a regular basis and ensure a mutual understanding of work plans and priorities;
• Regularly communicate team decisions and rationale to ARM staff, and answer their questions;
• Facilitate, guide, and contribute to the preparation of the team’s periodic presentation at the General Staff Meeting;
• Collaborate with the Fundraising Manager ensure that funds are available for planned communications and advocacy activities and Advocacy staff;
• Provide input on advocacy and communications-related grant proposals and concept notes, and ensure their compliance with the team’s strategy;
• Ensure that the advocacy and communications team is up to date with all funding developments related to the team’s scope of work, including information on the donors, the project proposals or concept notes relevant to the team, the budget available for all activities relevant to the team;
• Report on the quantitative and qualitative indicators relevant to the advocacy team on a monthly basis and revise any advocacy team-related reporting prepared by the MEAL Manager, MEAL Officer, or Fundraising Manager;
• Meet with the Fundraising Manager and MEAL Officer on a monthly basis.

6- Supervising & Reporting

• Reports directly to the Executive Director
• Directly supervises the workflow and content produced by the Communications Officer and Community Advocacy Coordinator
• Actively collaborates with the Advocacy and Policy Advisor

Communications & Work Relationships

Internal Communication

• Daily contact with the Advocacy Team members 
• Regular contact with the Executive Director and core management team
• Regular contact with the MCC Manager 
• Regular contact with the Fundraising Manager and MEAL Officer
• Occasional contact with MDWs and migrant activists
• Occasional contact with the MCC Social Media and Newsroom Coordinator

External Communication

• Regular contact with media representatives
• Regular contact with partner organisations
• Occasional contact with school/university representatives
• Occasional contact with research partners, ARM supporters, NGOs, and other stakeholders as needed

Framework, Boundaries, and Decision Making Authority

• For all tasks related to team management and cross-team coordination,  the jobholder has the authority to make informed decisions on possible solutions and take necessary actions, in consultation with the Executive Director.
• For all tasks related to communications, the jobholder has the authority to make informed decisions on possible solutions and take necessary actions, in consultation with the advocacy team and the Executive Director.
• For all tasks related to advocacy, the jobholder suggests possible solutions to the Advocacy and Policy Advisor and the Executive Director for final decision-making.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Master’s Degree in Project Management, Migration, Public Policy, Development Studies, Communications, Media Studies or a directly related field (or the equivalent years of work experience in a directly related field);
• At least 5 years of directly relevant work experience, including at least 2 years of management experience in a non-profit organization;
• Excellent knowledge of project management tools and terminology;
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of migration issues and the situation of migrant workers in Lebanon;
• Good working knowledge and understanding of advocacy, public policy, and local politics;
• Excellent organizational and management skills;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
• Excellent analytical skills, strategic thinking, and macro-level thinking;
• Independent decision maker, proactive, and self-motivated;
• Excellent command of written and spoken Arabic and English - Good command of written and spoken French is a significant  plus;
• Excellent command of Microsoft Office. Familiarity with Wordpress, Adobe Premier, and Illustrator are a plus.