Consultant at Plan International

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian non-profit organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood, and enable children to prepare for - and respond to - crises and adversity. We believe in the power and potential of every child, but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Consultant - Develop Consolidated Advocacy Strategy / Sustainability Plan and Advocacy Toolkit Development

Location: Abuja

Background

• E-WASH is a four (4) year program funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), with the goal of improving urban water service delivery by strengthening the governance, financial, and technical viability of six (6) State Water Boards (SWBs) in Nigeria
• This is part of the United States Government’s (USG) efforts toward working with the Federal Government of Nigeria to address some of the key challenges faced by the urban Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services. USAID E-WASH will work toward achieving the following mutually reinforcing objectives.
• Creating professionally managed and commercially oriented SWBs.
• Improving the financial and operational viability of SWBs.
• Strengthening policy, institutional and regulatory frameworks for improved WASH services (including establishing accountability mechanisms).
• Building national and state WASH advocacy, coordination, and communications for reform.
• The E-WASH program will concentrate on solidifying State, municipal, and utility level governance gains, manifested in improved water supply services, and improved capacity to regulate, manage, and expand sanitation services. These efforts align with the USAID Water and Development Strategy 2013–2018.
• The project is part of USAID’s wider efforts to build closer coordination with the Government of Nigeria (GoN), through the Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR), select SWBs, and allied stakeholders, to advance broad-based economic growth and resilience through improved WASH services in urban areas.

Objectives of the Assignment
To facilitate the development of an advocacy strategy/sustainability plan and an advocacy toolkit which includes advocacy guidelines, Information Education and Communication (IEC) materials, training materials and facilitation guides that are suitable for sanitation and hygiene promotion, improved public accountability in the WASH sector and acceleration of reforms for improved services and social accountability in the sector. The toolkit will focus on:

• Protocols for effective advocacy and campaign strategies in the urban WASH Sector
• Guidelines for CSOs to integrate WASH agenda in their organizational strategy
• Messaging for Menstrual Hygiene Management
• Messaging on state water utility corporatization
• Messaging on the benefits of social accountability
• Messaging on Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion
• A Consolidated toolkit that includes a facilitation guide for the use of the IEC materials
• Training of Selected Partner CSOs on the implementation of the Advocacy toolkit

Scope of the Assignment:

• This assignment requires the services of an expert in advocacy with significant knowledge and experience in developing advocacy guidelines and protocols and communications products in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) or related intervention, in addition to having the capacity to effectively analyze issues surrounding WASH services provision in Nigeria
• The technical experts will work with the CSO Capacity Building and Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Specialists under the direct supervision of the Advocacy and Strategic Communications Adviser and will interface with SWBs and E-WASH State Teams in Niger and Taraba States respectively.

Deliverables:

• Custom Advocacy Toolkit with key messages, infographics and artistic illustration, in hard and soft copies saved on a memory stick in marked folders.
• State Specific Advocacy guideline and protocols
• Process report including lessons learned, recommendations and a sustainability plan

Associated Deliverables:

• Inception report, including schedule of activities and deliverables
• Materials Review and the proposed approach
• Trip report
• Context Specific Advocacy Toolkit. (Developed based on feedback from field interaction)
• Advocacy guidelines and protocols developed
• Draft version of the consolidated toolkit
• Training report, facilitation guide and agenda on the use of the advocacy tools developed
• Final version of the consolidated toolkit.

Level of Effort:

• We reckon that this assignment will be for 31 days.

Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Communications, Development Studies, Social Sciences or a related field or equivalent in experience and career history
• 8-10 years experience.

Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge and previous experience in advocacy, communication products development or similar in WASH context is desirable.
• Strong communication and engagement skills, and ability to liaise with government at different levels.
• Highly organized.
• Ability and willingness to travel out to E-WASH States
• Competent knowledge of the local environment or of Northern Nigeria is an added advantage

Travel Requirements:

• The consultant will travel to at least 2 E-WASH States for content development and field testing of materials. Travel logistics will be managed by E-WASH.

Payment Schedule:

• We offer a highly competitive remuneration.
• Requests for payment shall be tied to deliverables as indicated above.

Note: Payment is subject to approval/acceptance of Deliverables

LOE:

• 31 days.

Application Closing Date
27th March, 2020.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should submit an Application Letter and a CV as one single word document by e-mail only to: [email protected] using the Job Title as the subject of the mail.

Note

• The Consultant providing this support is expected to reside in Abuja as travel allowance and/or accommodation within Abuja will not be provided.
• On the subject line of your e-mail, you should only put the e-mail subject line as indicated above (no other text should be on this subject line)
• Consultants are encouraged to apply as soon as they see this advert.
• Only shortlisted candidates will receive an invitation for negotiations.
• Women are strongly encouraged to apply.