Policy and Advocacy Coordinator

The Policy and Advocacy Coordinator will have primary responsibility for coordination and oversight of JYAN’s policy and advocacy-related initiatives.  He/She will ensure the organization’s advocacy remains relevant, effective and responsive to the needs of Jamaican adolescents and youth.  He/She will lead the development of position papers and policy briefs on various policy issues, coordinate engagements with key stakeholders, and represent JYAN publicly on the issues we advocate for.  The Policy and Advocacy Coordinator will also have direct responsibility and oversight for the Advocacy Council and will support the capacity-building and advocacy efforts of young persons.

The Policy and Advocacy Coordinator will:

• Plan, develop and implement advocacy plans and strategies that identify key issues affecting adolescents and youth, key partners, roles and responsibilities, milestones, and targetted interventions across all thematic areas of JYAN’s work.

• Monitor, evaluate and analyse developments in priority issues affecting adolescents and youth to inform the development of appropriate strategies, programmes and actions.

• Evaluate policy and advocacy work undertaken by the organization to improve the organization's outputs and knowledge base and to ensure continuous improvement in the organization’s efforts.

• Provide research and analysis on human rights issues and, where applicable, produce reports, briefing papers, articles and other materials to raise awareness, inform stakeholders and influence decision-making.

• Keep up to date with the policy environment in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, and identify best practices to put forward for recommendations for responding to issues locally.

• Create and execute project work plans in collaboration with the Administrative Core and the Advocacy Council and, where appropriate, revise to meet the needs and requirements of the projects and organization.

• Support organizational activities through lobbying civil society, government agencies and other key stakeholders to advocate for policies and initiatives.

• Coordinate the planning and execution of advocacy-related activities, which include supporting the implementation of the communications components.

• Support the writing of communication materials such as press releases, op-eds, media briefs, etc.

• Support the preparation of reports [external and internal] and other related project documents, as required.

• Support the development of IEC materials such as advocacy toolkits, brochures, videos, and infographics.

• Execute research to inform policy positions on issues affecting adolescents and youth.

• Execute capacity-building and sensitization sessions with the Advocacy Council and other young persons.

• Coordinate and conduct training with relevant stakeholders around human rights and child rights and protection.

• Raise the awareness of adolescents and young people about how human rights issues, and how various laws, policies and practices affect them.

• Attend and represent the organization at stakeholder engagements, meeting with donors, local and regional partners, civil society organisations, policy and decision-makers, private sector leaders, practitioners, academia, the media and the public,  as required.

• Represent the organization on the Committees it is part of through participating in meetings and meaningfully contributing to the Committees’ mandate and activities.

• Represent JYAN in public forums and advocacy spaces, including media appearances, panel discussions, and on social media.

• Support civil society partners and youth organizations with technical assistance to develop, implement and monitor their advocacy initiatives.

• Build, expand and strengthen effective working relationships between the organization and key partners, including NGOs, government and intergovernmental organizations, youth partners and organizations, student-led groups, community-based groups, human rights bodies and experts, media personnel, and other key individuals and groups.

• Implement and report on all policy and advocacy activities related to the HNYAM project.

• Participate in team meetings, the development of strategic and operational plans, and other internal processes, as required.

• Provide monthly written reports to the Executive Director on the advocacy initiatives undertaken during the period and their outcomes.

• Contribute to the writing, editing and publication of relevant publications such as annual reports, newsletters, media briefs, etc.

• Carry out any other tasks as assigned by the Executive Director in keeping with the role of the Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, and in executing the mandate of the organization.  This may include administrative and logistical tasks or support, as necessary.