Communications and Advocacy Adviser

Working alongside the Malawi Civil Society Organisation Nutrition Alliance (CSONA)

Based in Lilongwe, Malawi (with regular travel across the country)

One year placement (with the possibility of renewal)

Please note that for this placement we are only able to consider applicants who are fluent in English and Chichewa. 

The Development Worker (DW) will work alongside the Malawi Civil Society Organisation Nutrition Alliance (CSONA), facilitating the capacity building of its Secretariat, and assisting the Alliance to develop a country specific advocacy strategy and campaign to increase coverage of nutrition issues in the media. 

The DW will engage with the media both at national and sub-national level and assist in the formation of advocacy campaigns, geared towards strengthening Scaling-Up Nutrition (SUN) commitments made by leaders at national level. S/he is expected to build information for influencing debate and advocacy campaigns for decision making at national and district level, as well as support the Secretariat in developing a project proposal to help the Alliance advance its advocacy efforts. 

The DW will identify capacity gaps with the Alliance for improved and effective coordination and coherence of nutrition programmes and issues for advocacy in Malawi. S/he will also facilitate trainings for the CSONA member organisations, including on the promotion of nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive interventions, at both district and national levels. 

The successful candidate should have a Master’s degree in Communications, Development Studies, Law, Social Sciences, or a related field, or a related qualification.

A minimum of five years experience in designing, implementing and monitoring and evaluating communication and advocacy campaigns/strategies is essential. You should also have experience of working with NGOs or CSOs in an organisational development capacity; designing and delivering training workshops to a variety of audiences on advocacy and communication issues; liaising and networking with a range of different organisations and stakeholders (e.g. civil society, media, government officials); developing Information, Education and Communication materials on nutrition, and of working in a resource poor environment.

Solid knowledge of the fundamentals of nutrition specific and sensitive interventions; governance issues, especially from a nutrition perspective, and capacity building techniques and methods, and the ability to share-skills, is essential. You should also have excellent project management, self-organising, prioritising and report writing skills; news and feature writing skills in English (to publication standard - traditional and new media), including the ability to communicate complex issues in an accessible way; sound political judgement, negotiation and mediation skills, and the ability to work under pressure and with discretion in a politically sensitive and rapidly evolving environment; interpersonal, communication and networking skills, including the ability to build good working relationships; strong analytical skills and computer literacy, and the ability to work in a diverse setting with people of different backgrounds.