Policy Engagement Manager

Duties and Responsibilities

The ideal candidates for these roles are dynamic leaders, comfortable working with cross-functional teams and collaborating with colleagues from diverse technical backgrounds. The Policy Engagement Managers will be primarily responsible for leading thematic-based strategic policy engagement efforts using either the Center’ signature issues approach (2 positions) or traditional policy engagement approaches (1 position). Specifically, the incumbents will:

• Institute a strategic approach to policy engagement across the Center. Develop and implement strategic policy engagement plans for selected programmatic areas.
• Conduct policy landscaping and mapping to identify opportunities for engagement in line with the Center’s research priorities.
• Provide technical input into the conceptualization of research-to-policy ideas and actively infuse these ideas into grant applications.
• Lead the implementation of research-to-policy activities in funded projects underpinned by strategic policy engagement plans.
• Ensure fidelity to strategic policy engagement plans in designing new projects within assigned research units.
• Ensure policy engagement activities are adequately resourced by overseeing budgeting during grant applications, forecasting resource needs and submitting timely requests for necessary resources.
• Leverage national, regional, and international networks to facilitate strategic policy engagement by the Center’s researchers.
• Identify networking and engagement opportunities with relevant audiences at all levels and coordinate relationship-building for researchers and policymakers in relevant international, regional and national forums.
• Produce policy outlook papers to support research projects addressing wider policy-relevant research questions.
• Develop and deliver policy engagement training for research and research-related capacity-strengthening programs.
• Facilitate learning and knowledge sharing, producing learning materials for continuous improvement and adoption of lessons learned from cross-cutting collaboration.
• Supervise a team of early career policy engagement and communications professionals.
• Perform any other duties as required for the role.

Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

• Master’s degree in Development Communications, Journalism, Public Policy, Public Health, Public Administration, Politics, International Relations, Social Sciences, or other relevant fields.
• At least twelve (12) years of post-qualification work experience in communication, writing, policy analysis, landscaping, and mapping, preferably at an international or research organization.
• Demonstrable track record in policy engagement, including landscaping, mapping, and trend analysis.
• Knowledge of policy-making processes and experience working with policymakers and government officials.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to translate complex scientific facts into accessible messages for general audiences, make strong presentations, briefings, and produce high-quality written reports for various audiences.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Excellent existing network of contacts at the national and international levels.
• Experience in policy engagement, knowledge translation, research and science communications, advocacy. Demonstrated experience in policy engagement or advocacy in any of APHRC’s priority programmatic areas will be an added advantage.
• Understanding of research to policy frameworks and experience in applying them.
• Experience in strategy development, project design, budgeting, and resource allocation. Demonstrated experience in grant writing will be an added advantage.
• Knowledge of or experience in research-to-policy organizations and processes is preferable.
• Knowledge of project management methodologies, and experience applying them to complex projects. Demonstrated ability to work independently and simultaneously coordinate multiple projects will be an added advantage.
• Excellent leadership and team management skills, with the demonstrated ability to foster a culture of teamwork and collaboration.