Senior Policy Engagement Advisor - Centre for Disaster Protection at Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI)

Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI) is an international development company. For more than 45 years, we have worked on the frontlines of international development, tackling fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governance, and instability. Currently, DAI is delivering results that matter in some 80 countries.

Our development solutions turn ideas into impact by bringing together fresh combinations of expertise and innovation across multiple disciplines. Our clients include international development agencies, international lending institutions, private corporations and philanthropies, and national governments.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Policy Engagement Advisor - Centre for Disaster Protection

Location: Nigeria
Employment Type: Full Time

Job Summary

• The Senior Policy Engagement Adviser will work closely as part of the Engagement & Communications team to engage Centre audiences in an ambitious series of policy-focused thought-leadership events and local-to-global policy dialogues.
• In addition, the Senior Policy Engagement Adviser will also:
  • Uphold the organisation’s values and contribute to a positive organisational culture.
  • Help to build the Centre’s external reputation through professional and effective engagement with stakeholders and clients, including at senior levels.
  • Contribute to working creatively and collaboratively across teams to solve issues and get things done.
• The Senior Policy Engagement Adviser will work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team of Centre staff and consultants, reporting to the Associate Director-Strategy and Engagement and working closely with the Policy Engagement Lead, Policy & Strategic Partnerships Officer and our expert Evidence, Communications, Advisory and Training and Operations functions.
• The role is ideally suited to someone who enjoys variety of tasks and working in multidisciplinary teams, with excellent and demonstrable analytical and communications skills, with an understanding of how our stakeholders’ impact, and are impacted by global and regional policy agendas.

Role Responsibilities

• Identifying and exploiting opportunities for strengthening the Centre’s strategic engagement with key stakeholders and for influencing decision-making.
• Shaping and implementing influencing strategies that help to drive change at the global and regional -system level, in close coordination with Centre teams.
• Providing policy, influencing and strategic engagement support on agreed priorities, undertaking policy analysis, and monitoring developments in the political landscape.
• Distilling and clearly articulating complex messages - providing high-quality written outputs.
• Advancing the Centre’s policy thought-leadership agenda through effective storytelling (working closely with the Head of Communications and Communications Manager), highlighting the Centre’s evidence, experimentation, and learning.
• Leading engagement with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders from across sectors and geographies, and a diverse range of professional, cultural, and social backgrounds.
• Represent the Centre’s work externally in policy forums, meetings, and events.

Skills and Experience
Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate the following skills and experience:

• Confidence in managing stakeholder relationships.
• Experience of designing and delivering impactful influencing strategies.
• A strong understanding of the key actors and policy environment of the international development, climate change of humanitarian architecture.
• Ability to work enthusiastically as a collaborative team member.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
• Ability to tailor communications to a range of audiences and to explain complex data in digestible, impactful formats.

Successful candidates should:

• Demonstrate experience across policy, influencing and engagement initiatives.
• Demonstrate a passion for building resilience and reducing vulnerability in low and middle-income countries and thinking creatively to evidence harder to measure change at systems level.
• Demonstrate willingness to learn key principles, features and functions of disaster risk financing to a level where you can critically engage and challenge.
• Work collaboratively and excel in building networks and coalitions of support with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders from across sectors and geographies, and a diverse range of professional, cultural, and social backgrounds.
• Demonstrate experience of taking initiative and working proactively and effectively as part of a dynamic, multidisciplinary team in a hybrid working environment.
• Whilst a significant amount of travel is not anticipated, applicants should be willing, if required, to travel to international locations as needed including lower income and fragile, conflict-affected contexts.
• Demonstrate a commitment to ongoing learning, including technical and non-technical skills.
• Uphold the Centre’s values and contribute to a positive organisational culture.
• Build the Centre’s external reputation through managing relations with clients and partners across the development, humanitarian, financial and academic sectors.
• Collaborate effectively with teams of Centre staff and consultants.

Application Closing Date
27th January, 2025; 11:59pm

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online