Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Abuja, Nigeria
Your Role
The primary purpose of the Deputy Director, Program Advocacy and Communications, Nigeria is to lead the Nigeria advocacy and communications strategy that helps to achieve the foundation’s policy and financing goals in Nigeria, in support to our programmatic and cross-cutting outcomes. The Deputy Director will develop and lead a portfolio of grants involving multiple foundation program strategies and lead our cross-cutting portfolio of investments and strategies in collaboration with Nigeria and Seattle-based teams to achieve results. The focus of the foundation’s work in Nigeria is women’s and children’s health and nutrition, agricultural development and financial service for the poor.
The Deputy Director reports to the Nigeria Country Director with a dotted line to the Director, Program Advocacy and Communications, Africa. The role serves on the Nigeria Leadership Team and works closely with the Africa Program Advocacy and Communications team. The Deputy Director is a people manager who leads a team of Senior Program Officers and Program Officers.
What You’ll Do
- Under the guidance of the Nigeria Country Director and in close partnership with the Deputy Director, Nigeria Health and other program leads in Nigeria, implement the Nigeria advocacy and communications strategy by deploying foundation assets (e.g., grants, leadership voice, convening ability, staff time) to achieve key policy and financing outcomes that are necessary to advance the foundations health and economic opportunity priorities in Nigeria. As needed, lead the development and/or refresh of the Nigeria advocacy and communications strategy;
- Develop, analyze, and manage the landscaping and tracking of policy and financing progress at state, federal, regional and global level relevant to the Nigeria strategy;
- Build strong relationships with government officials, donors, private sector, and civil society to inform the foundation’s engagement in Nigeria at both federal and state levels;
- Handle a grant portfolio of policy, advocacy, and communications investments in Nigeria, including oversight of a grant budget and all related grant making processes (e.g., investment reviews, strategic alignment, grantee engagement, etc.) in partnership with the Director of the Nigeria Country Office and the Africa Program Advocacy and Communications Director;
- Actively participate in developing and implementing joint workplans with the Africa Advocacy Team and using lessons learned and strong voices from Nigeria in regional, continental and global engagements;
- Enhance impact of new and existing investments through site visits, providing strategic and operational guidance to partners, convening meetings of key collaborators, making challenging trade-offs, etc.;
- Provide oversight for issue-specific communications, in service of advocacy goals and work with the Africa team communications lead(s) on broader regional, reputational or leadership related communications activities and visits;
- Serve as a liaison with Global Policy and Advocacy (GPA) teams, Program Strategy Teams and External Communications teams to coordinate, prioritize and enhance the foundation’s policy and advocacy impact in Nigeria;
- Represent the foundation to external constituencies. This includes both formal and informal presentations such as making speeches, attending conferences and other high-level and coordination meetings as necessary;
- Represent the foundation to key internal constituencies, including the Co-Chairs, CEO, Presidents and other programmatic team leaders. This includes both formal and informal engagements, working groups, and leadership trips;
- Serve as a member of the Nigeria Country Office Leadership Team, which includes helping oversee implementation of the Nigeria country strategy, annual partner and donor dialogues/convenings, support to the Director with Nigeria Country Office management, including office staff management, budget, reputation and leadership engagement/trips and strategy reviews;
- This role leads people and is responsible for hiring and developing the talent needed to achieve our program goals in Nigeria, ensuring successful employee onboarding, communicating performance expectations, creating goal alignment, integrating project and change management, giving, and seeking feedback, providing coaching, measuring progress and holding people accountable, supporting employee development, and recognizing achievement and lessons learned.
Your Experience (i.e. Qualifications and Education)
- An advanced degree in public policy, political science, public health or economics;
- 12+ years of experience preferred, preferably with a strong mix of service in either the public or non-profit sectors. Some private sector experience a plus;
- Significant experience in working with policymakers and knowledge of major donor and multilateral institutions and priorities working to address health and development in Nigeria. Track record of building strong relationships with governments and donors is critical;
- Strong understanding, experience and expertise in regional and global development policy and advocacy efforts, working with governments, CSOs, private sector, coalitions, and the media;
- Experience in the conception, design and management of advocacy and communications strategies, initiatives and programs for health, and/or agriculture, and/or financial services for the poor, including a focus on partner capacity building, communications and media or donor partnerships;
- Demonstrated success in leadership roles developing and managing policy and advocacy organizations, programs or initiatives requiring a combination of strong leadership, communications, analytical, and project management skills;
- Demonstrated ability to synthesize information quickly and thoughtfully from multiple sources for senior leadership briefings and excellent overall writing and communications skills;
- Significant people or project management experience, specifically leading matrixed project teams of high-performing self-directed professionals and acting as a partner to team members leading specific portfolios. This role may manage employees and may be responsible for hiring the team members or consultants needed to achieve our goals, ensuring effective employee onboarding, communicating performance expectations, creating goal alignment, and integrating project and change management;
- Fluency in English is required;
- Demonstrated ability to cultivate and maintain strategic relationships with colleagues both internally and externally. Experience working in a matrixed internal environment with multiple partners. Ability to build consensus;
- Ability to work with flexibility, entrepreneurship, and diplomacy both individually and as part of a complex team effort;
- Ability to travel up to 40% domestically and internationally.
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