Policy Associate Africa

Washington DC, United States
Global Affairs & Partnerships – Washington DC - HQ /
Full Time - Local /
Hybrid
Search for Common Ground
In a world often divided, Search for Common Ground stands for the power of bringing diverse people together to find solutions. By meeting this moment with Search, you join a powerful global peace movement that believes in the profound impact of courageous multipartiality - that all voices should be heard and respected in shaping a better, more connected world and collaborative vision is essential for lasting peace.

Search for Common Ground takes a dynamic approach by building solutions that are based on the needs of communities. We engage with leaders and elected officials to advance dialogue and collaboration. We are community leaders. We are youth activists. We are women. We are Peacebuilders. We have been doing this work for over 40 years, we have developed our understanding of what peace looks like, being able to quantify our impact and design more effective programming. Peace moves at the speed of trust, so we invest for the long haul. When we’re no longer needed, we leave, leaving behind people and institutions with the ability to manage future conflicts.

Team Summary

Search’s Global Policy and Outreach team, based in Washington DC, focuses on building the policy case for the peacebuilding field. It does this by working collaboratively with Search's teams and partners around the world and leveraging their analysis, data, and expertise to inform the policies of emerging and established actors relevant to Search’s work. It provides operational and locally-rooted policy analysis and recommendations that encourage policymakers to support and use peacebuilding more by advocating for more supportive institutional norms and structures, more and healthier funding to implementers, and more policies that encourage peacebuilding. The Global Policy and Outreach team supports a wide range of Search staff and partners, including field-based colleagues, technical experts, organizational leadership, and more. 

 This position will support Search’s policy efforts related to various geographies, including the Sahel (Mali and Niger), Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Its functions include developing and executing global policy and outreach campaigns and strategies, external representation, producing written content, maintaining relationships with allies and policymakers, and monitoring policy and outreach results. The position reports to the Director, Global Affairs and Partnerships, and may require regular in-person meetings in Washington DC with policy makers and external audiences.

Responsibilities

    • Supports policy, outreach, and representation efforts, including conducting desk and primary research, drafting components of policy content, providing direct support to field-based colleagues, attending and representing Search at external events and meetings, supporting peer engagement, and contributing to the development of outreach strategies.
    • Supports knowledge and information management for the team, including collecting and analyzing data, and developing and updating tracking systems.
    • Supports overall team performance, including organizing team meetings and learning reflection sessions, and regularly shares information across the team.

Contributions

    • Contributes to social media and media components of strategies and tracks policies, statements, media, and social media relevant to the team’s priorities.
    • Represents Search at events and briefings and synthesizes information for sharing.
    • Supports the design and execution of Search-hosted events and international outreach trips.
    • Supports briefings, written products, and strategy development through activities such as desk and primary research, copy editing, drafting policy content, providing direct support to field-based colleagues, coordinating sign ons, scheduling working group meetings, and sharing materials.
    • Contributes to social media and media components of strategies and tracks policies, statements, media, and social media relevant to the team’s priorities.
    • Gathers monitoring and evaluation data on advocacy and outreach efforts and analyzes results.
    • Ensures information and knowledge are accurately captured in trackers and systems.
    • Provides record keeping support for budget tracking.
    • Supports the development and execution of organizational initiatives and strategies, including participating in voluntary committees and discussions.
    • Other duties that are broadly in line with the above key contributions as assigned.

Competency Behavior Indicators (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

    • Fluent spoken/written English; French is an added advantage
    • Participates in external meetings.
    • Builds relationships and engages effectively with collaborators.
    • Engages and communicates effectively across functions and across teams.
    • Uses resiliency and exhibits flexibility and adaptability to changing tasks and team priorities.
    • With oversight by the supervisor, writes technical sections for team documents, briefing materials, and presentations.
    • Works across functions from a multicultural perspective that reflects consideration of other cultures, other viewpoints, and other ways of doing things.
    • Sensitively recognizes ethical situations.
    • Focuses on the key objectives of a task or project.
    • Creates accurate, organized, and timely work.
    • Is resourceful with time management and technology to prioritize tasks with limited supervision.
    • Remain alert and responsive to any safeguarding risks, acquire relevant knowledge and skills which will enable you to promote strong safeguarding practices, understand the safeguarding policy and procedures, and conduct yourself in a manner consistent with the Safeguarding Policy.

Education and Experience

    • Typically BS/BA with minimum 3 years’ experience (or 1 year with MA)
    • A working knowledge of French is required
$49,613 - $64,487 a year
Type and Nature of Contacts
Interacts with others and handles problem situations with tact. Periodic external engagement as requested.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements
Usual office environment conditions; ability to travel internationally at least 20%.

Supervisory and Budget Responsibility
None

As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities. 

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Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please. Please see our website www.sfcg.org for full details of our work. All Search Employees must adhere to the values: Collaboration- Audacity - Tenacity - Empathy - Results. In accordance with these values, Search enforces compliance with the Code of Conduct and related policies on Anti Workplace Harassment, Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Conflict of Interest, and Anti-fraud. Search is committed to safeguarding the interests, rights, and well-being of children, youth, and vulnerable adults with whom it is in contact and to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for children, youth, and vulnerable adults.  Search for Common Ground does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. View our code of conduct here and our privacy policy here.

Les descriptifs de pouvant ne pouvant être exhaustifs, le titulaire du poste pourra être amené à entreprendre d'autres tâches qui correspondent globalement aux responsabilités clés ci-dessus.
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Seuls les candidats invités à un entretien seront contactés. Pas d'appels téléphoniques s'il vous plaît. Veuillez consulter notre site Web www.sfcg.org pour tous les détails de notre mission.

Tous les employés de Search doivent adhérer aux valeurs de Search : Collaboration- Audace - Ténacité - Empathie - Résultats. Conformément à ces valeurs, Search fait respecter le code de conduite et les politiques connexes sur la lutte contre le harcèlement au travail, la protection contre l'exploitation et les abus, la protection des enfants, les conflits d'intérêts et la lutte contre la fraude. Search s'engage à préserver les intérêts, les droits et le bien-être des enfants, des jeunes et des adultes vulnérables avec lesquels elle est en contact et à mener ses programmes et ses opérations d'une manière qui soit sûre pour les enfants, les jeunes et les adultes vulnérables.
Search for Common Ground ne fait pas et ne doit pas faire de discrimination fondée sur la race, la couleur, la religion (croyance), le sexe, l'expression de genre, l'âge, l'origine nationale (ascendance), le handicap, l'état matrimonial, l'orientation sexuelle ou le statut militaire, dans aucune de ses activités ou opérations.
Consultez notre code de conduite ici et notre politique de confidentialité ici.

Dado que la descripción de funciones no puede ser exhaustiva, el titular del puesto puede tener que realizar otras tareas que coinciden en líneas generales con las responsabilidades clave mencionadas.
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Sólo se contactará con los candidatos invitados a una entrevista. Se agradece no recibir llamadas telefónicas. Consulte nuestro sitio web www.sfcg.org para conocer todos los detalles de nuestro trabajo. Todos los empleados de Search deben adherirse a los valores de la organización: Colaboración - Audacia - Tenacidad - Empatía - Resultados. De acuerdo con estos valores, Search hace cumplir el Código de Conducta y las políticas relacionadas con luchar contra el acoso en el lugar de trabajo, la protección contra la explotación y el abuso, la protección de la infancia, los conflictos de intereses y la lucha contra el fraude. Search se compromete a salvaguardar los intereses, derechos y bienestar de los niños, jóvenes y adultos vulnerables con los que está en contacto y a llevar a cabo sus programas y operaciones de una manera que sea segura para los niños, jóvenes y adultos vulnerables.  Search for Common Ground no discrimina ni discriminará por motivos de raza, color, religión (credo), género, expresión de género, edad, origen nacional (ascendencia), discapacidad, estado civil, orientación sexual o condición militar, en ninguna de sus actividades u operaciones. Consulte nuestro código de conducta aquí y nuestra política de privacidad aquí.