The BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI) seeks to hire a Senior Policy Specialist for a growing team that provides technical assistance around the Graduation approach to various partners, ranging from governments, multilateral institutions, NGOs, and in-country technical team members.
The Senior Policy Specialist will play a vital role in supporting BRAC Philippines in their efforts to work with the Government and development partners to scale the Graduation approach through policy and systems change and existing program convergence. The position will support the UPGI team in the Philippines to engage in policy dialogues related to extreme poverty, cultivate and maintain relationships with critical stakeholders within the Government and broader development space, and strengthen the program and policy systems as needed to deliver the intervention sustainably and effectively. The Policy Advisor will report directly to the UPGI Programme Director, and will work closely with the Global Lead, Policy and Partnerships to design and implement a comprehensive national strategy.
Candidates must be a Filipino and willing to be based in Metro Manila.
Primary Responsibilities
Policy and Ecosystem Engagement (50%)
- Support the UPGI Philippines Programme Director in relationship building with key stakeholders to influence policy change and the needed systems-change for effective policy implementation.
- Support the UPGI Philippines Programme Director in representing BRAC in relevant meetings and policy spaces
- Track developments, trends, and shifts in key policy agendas and the broader policy
- Draft policy briefs and talking points, policy notes, partnership agreements, and advocacy materials, including content for newsletters, reports, and contribute to the development of promotional materials, knowledge products, training materials to support the work of UPGI Philippines.
- Support the development and implementation of a comprehensive national policy (if needed), a plan for national program convergence, and a program implementation strategy to support the scaling of the Graduation approach
Relationship-building with Key Stakeholders (35%)
- Support partnership cultivation efforts with key policy stakeholders, including but not limited to government officials in the executive and the legislative branches, policy think tanks, local civil society organizations, multilateral organizations, and donors.
- Support the Programme Director in developing engagement opportunities for critical partners including shaping policy dialogues, high-level events, meetings, etc
- Ensure timely follow-ups for all external engagements and relationships of the country lead and team
Program Planning and Delivery (15%)
- Support the Programme Director in identifying and creating audacious opportunities for influencing policy and systems change that enables the scaling of the Graduation approach
- Collaborate with members of the team in identifying windows within government planning and budgeting processes at the national and subnational levels to integrate the graduation approach
- Help identify and leverage funding across the government and development partners to enable the graduation approach at scale
- Draft, edit, and/or co-create with government or other partners needed project implementation documents and plans for any identified opportunities, both for internal and external audiences.
- Other duties as assigned
Qualifications
- Postgraduate degree in International Development, Economics, Public Policy, Political Science, Public Administration / Governance, Journalism, Sociology, or any related field
- The candidate should have at least 10 years of experience in policy influencing at the top level of the executive and legislative branches of government related to poverty reduction, social protection, women’s empowerment, as well as a strong commitment to BRAC’s mission.
- Strong understanding of the social development landscape and poverty reduction, social inclusion, and social protection policy space, particularly related to government programs and systems in the Philippines including but not limited to 4Ps, SLP, DSWD, DOLE, and NEDA.
- A demonstrated ability to create a network of key stakeholders in the sector
- A demonstrated understanding of theory of change and catalytic investment in government systems
- Experience with communications platforms including but not limited to engagement with social media, media, and strong writing and presentation skills
- Experience with writing strategic project documents (i.e. investment documents for development partners, policy implementation plans, etc.) highly valued.
- Strong attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and ability to analyze trends
- Diplomatic, with strong interpersonal skills, and a high degree of cultural sensitivity;
- Being proactive, assertive and action-oriented; driven to work without supervision.
- Flexible and willing to perform varying duties depending on the shifting needs of the organization and its staff members.
About BRAC
BRAC is one of the world’s largest development organizations, dedicated to empowering people living in poverty. Working across 12 countries in South Asia and Africa, BRAC touches the lives of more than 120 million people worldwide. BRAC takes a holistic approach to alleviating poverty with programs that include microfinance, education, healthcare, food security programs, and more.
About the Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative
The Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative (“UPGI”) is a global unit of BRAC that was founded in 2016 to build off of the success of BRAC’s Ultra-Poor Graduation program in Bangladesh. BRAC UPGI aims to position the Graduation approach as a key driver to eradicate extreme poverty worldwide. It does this by:
- Advocating for uptake of the Graduation approach by policymakers, national governments, multilateral institutions, and non-governmental organizations; and
- Effective adaptation and implementation of the Graduation approach in countries around the world, supported through technical assistance and capacity strengthening for external stakeholders.
How to Apply
This is an outstanding opportunity to support a highly effective, collaborative, and innovative non-profit. BRAC International offers a competitive salary and benefits package. If you feel you are the right match for the position mentioned above, please follow the application instructions accordingly:
Please apply the position using the below link
https://bracusa.hire.trakstar.com/jobs/fk0xe1f/
Only complete applications will be accepted, and short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Application deadline: The application deadline is 15th September 2023.
BRAC is committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share the same commitment. We believe every stakeholder and every member of the communities we work with has the right to be protected from all forms of harm, abuse, neglect, harassment, and exploitation - regardless of age, race, religion, and gender, status as an individual with a disability or ethnic origin. Therefore, our recruitment process includes extensive reference and background checks, self-disclosure of prior issues regarding sexual or other misconduct and criminal records and our values are a part of our Performance Management System.
BRAC is an equal opportunities employer.
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Last updated on Aug 8, 2023