Deputy Project Coordinator - Policy and Advocacy
Job Description
Job Posting Organization:
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a humanitarian organization founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein. The IRC responds to the world's most severe humanitarian crises, providing lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees and displaced individuals. With operations in over 40 countries and 28 U.S. cities, the IRC aims to restore safety, dignity, and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to survive. The organization is committed to helping individuals rebuild their lives and regain a sense of normalcy in the face of adversity.
Job Overview:
The Deputy Coordinator – Policy and Advocacy will play a crucial role in providing strategic and operational leadership for the PlayMatters 3.0 initiative, which focuses on improving holistic learning and wellbeing outcomes for children affected by crises in East Africa. This position will oversee the coordination and implementation of activities aimed at institutionalizing Learning through Play (LtP) within national and sub-national education systems. The Deputy Coordinator will work closely with government stakeholders, consortium partners, and technical teams to ensure that project objectives align with donor requirements and government priorities. The role involves leading policy stakeholder engagements, ensuring that project evidence informs education policy, and supporting the integration of LtP into teacher professional development and education sector reforms. The Deputy Coordinator will also be responsible for monitoring and sharing updates on emerging policy reforms and sector priorities, enabling adaptive management, and developing annual policy influence and systems engagement plans.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Required Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will possess an MA degree from an accredited university in education, international development, social sciences, or a related field. They should have at least 5 years of progressive experience in policy engagement, advocacy, education sector reform, systems strengthening, or public sector engagement. Demonstrated experience working with government ministries, education institutions, development partners, and policy-making processes is essential. A strong understanding of education policy, teacher development systems, education-in-emergencies, and competency-based learning reforms is required. The candidate should also have experience translating research and evidence into policy and program influence, along with strong stakeholder engagement, facilitation, negotiation, and communication skills. Proven ability to develop policy products, advocacy strategies, and influence plans is necessary, as well as experience working in complex, multi-stakeholder programs and consortium environments.
Educational Background:
Candidates must hold a Master's degree from an accredited university in fields such as education, international development, social sciences, or a related area. This educational background is critical to ensure that the candidate has the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical understanding of the complexities involved in policy engagement and advocacy within the education sector.
Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in relevant fields such as policy engagement, advocacy, education sector reform, systems strengthening, or public sector engagement. Candidates should have a proven track record of working effectively with government ministries, educational institutions, and development partners, as well as experience in navigating policy-making processes. Familiarity with education policy, teacher development systems, and competency-based learning reforms is also essential, along with the ability to translate research and evidence into actionable policy recommendations.
Languages:
While the job description does not specify mandatory languages, proficiency in English is likely essential given the international context of the organization. Additional languages relevant to the regions of operation, such as local languages spoken in Uganda, may be considered advantageous but are not explicitly required.
Additional Notes:
The position is likely to be remote, allowing for flexibility in work location. The role is expected to be full-time, and the organization emphasizes its commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. IRC is an equal employment opportunity employer, considering all applicants based on merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability. The organization strives to create a working environment characterized by critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity, aiming to achieve its aspirations as a team and deliver the best possible services to clients. Additionally, IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions and offers benefits that support women's participation in the workforce.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a humanitarian organization founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein. The IRC responds to the world's most severe humanitarian crises, providing lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees and displaced individuals. With operations in over 40 countries and 28 U.S. cities, the IRC aims to restore safety, dignity, and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to survive. The organization is committed to helping individuals rebuild their lives and regain a sense of normalcy in the face of adversity.
Job Overview:
The Deputy Coordinator – Policy and Advocacy will play a crucial role in providing strategic and operational leadership for the PlayMatters 3.0 initiative, which focuses on improving holistic learning and wellbeing outcomes for children affected by crises in East Africa. This position will oversee the coordination and implementation of activities aimed at institutionalizing Learning through Play (LtP) within national and sub-national education systems. The Deputy Coordinator will work closely with government stakeholders, consortium partners, and technical teams to ensure that project objectives align with donor requirements and government priorities. The role involves leading policy stakeholder engagements, ensuring that project evidence informs education policy, and supporting the integration of LtP into teacher professional development and education sector reforms. The Deputy Coordinator will also be responsible for monitoring and sharing updates on emerging policy reforms and sector priorities, enabling adaptive management, and developing annual policy influence and systems engagement plans.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Policy Leadership and Coordination: Lead the implementation and periodic review of PlayMatters 3.0 policy influence and systems-strengthening plans. Coordinate policy commitments across consortium and national partners, embedding policy priorities in annual workplans, budgets, learning agendas, risk registers, and performance systems. Monitor and share regular updates on emerging policy reforms and sector priorities, enabling adaptive management by identifying opportunities, risks, and strategic priorities. Develop annual policy influence and systems engagement plans aligned to project workplans and learning agendas.
- Policy Influence and Systems Strengthening: Institutionalize LtP in teacher development systems, policy frameworks, standards, curricula, and emergency guidance. Produce policy recommendations, position papers, technical guidance, and strategic documents based on project evidence. Support government adoption, ownership, and scaling of project innovations. Analyze policy developments and advise project leadership on implications and opportunities.
- Government Stakeholder Engagement and Strategic Partnerships: Maintain an up-to-date stakeholder map and influence framework. Cultivate high-level and operational relationships with Ministries of Education, district/local governments, teacher education institutions, development partners, and coordination platforms. Facilitate government ownership in planning, implementation, learning, and scale-up. Integrate PlayMatters tools, evidence, and recommendations into government systems and processes. Represent the project in technical working groups, sector reviews, curriculum reforms, and policy consultations. Coordinate stakeholder engagement plans and sustainable pathways for government-led continuation beyond project funding.
- Policy Evidence, Learning and Advocacy: Translate research, MEAL findings, and implementation learning into policy products and advocacy messages. Develop and disseminate policy briefs, technical notes, position papers, presentations, talking points, and advocacy materials. Ensure timely evidence sharing via forums, conferences, policy dialogues, and technical groups. Lead policy events including dialogues, workshops, dissemination meetings, and consultations. Work with Research and MEAL to fill evidence gaps and generate products that support influence objectives. Document quarterly briefs on systems change, policy influence outcomes, and scale achievements.
- Capacity Strengthening and Sharing: Coordinate consortium and national partner inputs to policy, advocacy, and systems-strengthening activities. Align partner workplans and deliverables with agreed policy influence priorities. Facilitate joint planning, reporting, learning, and accountability with system actors. Build capacity of partners in policy engagement, systems thinking, stakeholder management, and advocacy. Develop policy tools, guidance, and training to help partners and government use evidence for decision-making. Build alliances with government agencies, teacher training institutions, civil society, development partners, and academia to advance LtP. Facilitate collective advocacy, learning exchanges, communities of practice, and policy dialogues.
- Policy Engagement Monitoring: Track progress against policy influence and systems-strengthening indicators; maintain engagement and influence trackers. Formulate policy positions and recommendations based on research and evidence analysis. Prepare reports, strategic briefs, and updates for project leadership, donors, and government. Monitor implementation quality and delivery of policy and advocacy milestones. Document stakeholder engagements, commitments, and policy change outcomes to inform adaptive management and donor reporting. Document policy debates, changes in policies, and shifts in policy strategies and ensure relevant information is built into action plans and disseminated to project staff in a timely manner.
Required Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will possess an MA degree from an accredited university in education, international development, social sciences, or a related field. They should have at least 5 years of progressive experience in policy engagement, advocacy, education sector reform, systems strengthening, or public sector engagement. Demonstrated experience working with government ministries, education institutions, development partners, and policy-making processes is essential. A strong understanding of education policy, teacher development systems, education-in-emergencies, and competency-based learning reforms is required. The candidate should also have experience translating research and evidence into policy and program influence, along with strong stakeholder engagement, facilitation, negotiation, and communication skills. Proven ability to develop policy products, advocacy strategies, and influence plans is necessary, as well as experience working in complex, multi-stakeholder programs and consortium environments.
Educational Background:
Candidates must hold a Master's degree from an accredited university in fields such as education, international development, social sciences, or a related area. This educational background is critical to ensure that the candidate has the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical understanding of the complexities involved in policy engagement and advocacy within the education sector.
Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in relevant fields such as policy engagement, advocacy, education sector reform, systems strengthening, or public sector engagement. Candidates should have a proven track record of working effectively with government ministries, educational institutions, and development partners, as well as experience in navigating policy-making processes. Familiarity with education policy, teacher development systems, and competency-based learning reforms is also essential, along with the ability to translate research and evidence into actionable policy recommendations.
Languages:
While the job description does not specify mandatory languages, proficiency in English is likely essential given the international context of the organization. Additional languages relevant to the regions of operation, such as local languages spoken in Uganda, may be considered advantageous but are not explicitly required.
Additional Notes:
The position is likely to be remote, allowing for flexibility in work location. The role is expected to be full-time, and the organization emphasizes its commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. IRC is an equal employment opportunity employer, considering all applicants based on merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability. The organization strives to create a working environment characterized by critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity, aiming to achieve its aspirations as a team and deliver the best possible services to clients. Additionally, IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions and offers benefits that support women's participation in the workforce.
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We are not liable for any decisions or actions taken by applicants in response to this job listing. By applying, you agree that all application processes, interviews, and potential job offers are managed exclusively by the listed employer or organization.
Beware of fraudulent job offers. Do not provide sensitive personal information or make any payments to secure a job.