Ghana Advocacy Coordinator - Global Health Advocacy Incubator

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids’ Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) advances public health policies to build a healthier and safer world. Drawing on our extensive global experience, we offer strategic support to develop and execute advocacy campaigns to pass laws and policies that save lives. This mission is accomplished by providing training and technical assistance for organizations working on public health policy, identifying new partners where needed, and assisting in the development and implementation of strategic advocacy campaigns to promote the adoption and implementation of public health policies.

GHAI is a partner of Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), an initiative of Vital Strategies that seeks to prevent millions of deaths from epidemics by helping low- and middle-income countries become better prepared to find, stop and prevent epidemics by building local capacity, improving global policies and supporting robust systems to protect the world from the next epidemic.

General Position Description

The Advocacy Coordinator for Ghana will have direct oversight of the Prevent Epidemics (PE) project on the ground in Ghana, and will support in-country partners to carry out a coordinated advocacy campaign. The Advocacy Coordinator will be based in Accra, Ghana, report directly to GHAI’s Associate Director for PE in Washington, D.C., and work closely with GHAI’s RTSL technical team, as well as with partners on the ground. This is a full-time position.

Primary Duties Include

• Act as the primary liaison between GHAI and implementing partners in country.
• Coordinate work of in-country grantees and contractors to advance GHAI-supported policies in Ghana.
• Assist partners to develop and implement work plans that feed into a coordinated overarching advocacy strategy that leverages each partner’s strengths and minimizes duplication.
• Monitor partner performance to ensure deliverables are met and modify work plans as needed.
• Provide and/or facilitate technical assistance to partners as needed.
• Continuously appraise the policy landscape, including potential opposition, and ensure that partners are taking advantage of opportunities and addressing opposition.
• Help build strategic relationships with government, non-government and other organizations to become better prepared to find, stop and prevent epidemics by building local capacity, improving global policies.
• Represent GHAI at key meetings with partners, policymakers and grantees, and ensure that GHAI policy positions and priorities are fully communicated to all stakeholders.
• Hold regular strategy discussion calls and meetings with the GHAI team to discuss progress of work, as requested.
• Facilitate regular, in-person meetings with partners, and telephone meetings between partners and GHAI.·        
• Produce quality and timely reports on activities and other deliverables for the assigned portfolio of work, and report against established targets.
• Perform other duties as requested by the GHAI team.

Requirements

• Bachelor or Master’s degree in public health or public policy; law degree or other related degree with focus on health highly desirable.
• A minimum of 5 – 7 years of professional experience coordinating and managing projects, including advocacy or policy change.
• Proven ability to develop and work in partnership with multiple stakeholders with government stakeholders, NGO partners, and international organizations at various levels.
• Demonstrated success in planning and conducting advocacy activities (e.g. direct engagement of decision-makers, media advocacy, public actions) ideally on health-related policies, including planning and conducting advocacy campaigns to achieve policy outcomes.
• Ability to strategize with and coordinate multiple organizations working toward a policy goal.
• Strong understanding of government policy-making processes and players.
• Interest in public health, commitment to public interest work, and demonstrated experience in working on epidemic preparedness and global health security issues.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment while juggling multiple projects and deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate (verbally and in writing) complex issues in a concise, compelling, and easily understandable manner.
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Proven ability to work effectively and collaboratively as a member of a dynamic and dispersed team.
• Ability to work effectively and to report and communicate regularly and promptly with supervisor in a long-distance management set-up.
• A track record of working in an empowering and culturally sensitive style with an array of NGOs, government officials and partners.
• Proven ability to translate organizational program strategies, priorities, plans, and budgets into result-oriented activity plans at country-level.