Call for Interest - Advocacy, Campaigns and Engagement (ACE) Consultant, COM - Rome

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates at the local, national and international level for policies that contribute to rural transformation. 

The External Relations and Governance Department (ERG), comprising the Communications Division (COM), the Global Engagement Partnership and Resource Mobilization Division (GPR) and the Office of the Secretary (SEC), leads IFAD’s engagement with Member States and other stakeholders, including through public and political advocacy, global policy engagement and effective institutional governance. 

COM has a team of expert staff in media relations, video production, writing, publishing, web and other digital media, graphic design, visual identity, photography, brand management, internal communication and events management to meet its communication priorities. This includes handling crises and highly sensitive issues, advising IFAD units on the most appropriate internal and external communication approaches and evaluating the work of communication consultants and suppliers.

Within COM, the Field Communication and Capacity Development Team directly supports regional divisions, regional offices and IFAD Country Offices (ICOs) to meet their internal and external communication objectives and to contribute to IFAD's broader strategic communication efforts. The team develops a strategic vision for COM's partnership with IFAD operations and recommends and creates new opportunities for collaboration between COM and regional divisions, regional offices, ICOS and selected projects. It plays a key role in the implementation of COM's communication capacity development approach, particularly by helping shore up the ability of regional divisions, ICOS and selected IFAD supported projects to communicate IFAD's messages more effectively. In order to do so, among other things, it executes training and coaching programmes targeting field offices. Providing the overarching management of COM's on-going working relationship with regional divisions, regional offices and ICOs, the team engages these partners in IFAD communication campaigns, including internal communication and social media campaigns, creates media opportunities and responds to media queries related to IFAD operations, and helps amplify the voices or rural people themselves. 

The Advocacy, Campaigns and Engagement (ACE) Consultant works under the direct supervision of the Communications Manager of Thematic Priorities.

• Work on campaign, advocacy and engagement issues around engagement of Advocates/Goodwill Ambassadors (GWAs)/Recipes for Change (R4C) Chefs on events and missions through 2024, including prospective Advocate/Goodwill Amabassador (GWA) field missions and international conferences.

• Update, as needed,  the engagement calendar for the IFAD Goodwill Ambassadors (GWAs) and Advocates

• Support the delivery and implementation of plan for 2024 for Goodwill Ambassadors (GWAs) and Advocates

• Organise and support field missions/events for IFAD Goodwill Ambassadors (GWAs), Advocates and Recipes for Change (R4C) Chefs as required

• Work on celebrity involvement in engagements including:

          -    Development of talking points
          -    Briefing calls
          -    Development of social medial content

• Support on thematic communication as required

• Quarterly delivery of reports for 2024

• Support development of updated campaigns in 2024

• Support development of new Goodwill Ambassadors (GWAs) / Champions in 2024

• Deliver successful participation of Recipes for Change (R4C) Chefs / Advocates / Goodwill Ambassadors (GWAs) at major events

• Support on thematic communication and Recipes for Change (R4C)

REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• At least five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in advocacy, campaigns and engagement issues
• Demonstrated experience in supporting and organizing field missions / events
• Skills in advocacy, to maintain and promote constructive dialogues
• Skills in communications, including designing and implementing communications strategies, campaigns and products.

EDUCATION:

• Advanced university degree from an accredited institution in Journalism, International Relations, Public Relations, Communications, Marketing or another relevant field. 

LANGUAGE : Required English (4 – Excellent) 

Consultants are not considered staff of IFAD. This consultancy assignment does not carry any expectation of employment, extension or conversion to another type of contract with the Fund.