The Policy, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator serves as a strategic advisor to the Country Director and Senior Management Team at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) Ukraine, driving the development and implementation of advocacy, policy, and communications strategies. In the context of an ongoing humanitarian crisis, this role ensures IRC’s influence with external stakeholders, promotes client-centered policy change, and maintains visibility of IRC’s work using programmatic evidence.
What You'll Do
- In collaboration with the Ukraine Country Director and the MENAU Regional PAC Director, lead the design and implementation of the IRC Ukraine Policy, Advocacy and Communications Strategy.
- Advise and support colleagues to implement Ukraine-related policy and advocacy initiatives with targets in global capitals as required.
- Serve as a member of the Ukraine Senior Management Team (SMT) to ensure a strategic approach to PAC and contribute to the strategic direction of IRC’s work in country.
- Produce high quality public and private policy and advocacy materials including briefing notes, position papers, talking points, and advocacy reports.
- Work with colleagues to support the production of IRC’s programmatic thematic reports with focus on the IRC Monthly Protection Monitoring Reports through reviews for red lines and sensitivities as well as inputs of relevant information on the context.
- Regularly liaise with in-country stakeholders on issues of concern, incl. UN, donors, diplomatic missions, and peer agencies.
- Support the Advocacy and Liaison Senior Manager to grow the IRC’s bilateral relationships with government counterparts.
- Promote a principled approach to policy, advocacy, and communications among relevant internal stakeholders and ensure that external messaging is evidence-based and driven by field realities.
- Closely monitor humanitarian policy debates and media pertaining to Ukraine, ensuring that relevant information is analyzed and disseminated internally in a timely and effective manner.
- Provide analysis for the SMT and wherever relevant, inputs for high-level meetings.
- Represent the IRC in humanitarian coordination fora, conferences, lobby meetings, and other events as requested; or provide talking points for other senior representatives, including the Country Director.
- Actively contribute to joint NGO advocacy positions, messages, and initiatives, as prioritized in the IRC Ukraine PAC strategy.
- Act as media spokesperson for the IRC ensuring we are able to spotlight the issues faced by our clients and the solutions necessary to alleviate their needs.
- Manage the PAC department, including budget, staff and outputs.
- Provide capacity building on PAC to staff and partners to implement impactful advocacy and policy interventions.
What We're Looking For
- Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, Political Science, Foreign Policy, Development Studies, Law, Public Relations or another related field, or equivalent professional experience.
- A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience crafting and delivering policy and advocacy work responding to complex humanitarian crises and/or post-conflict situations with strong nexus/development interlinkages.
- Proven analytical and strategic thinking skills and experience leading advocacy initiatives in a challenging environment.
- Excellent communication, presentation, and representation skills, with the ability to link evidence generated from programmatic work to inform policy advocacy agenda and identify emerging trends.
- Excellent English verbal and written communication skills in a wide range of applications (briefs, press releases, letters, presentations) and for different audiences (donors, policymakers, journalists, government officials and ‘general public’).
- Strong interpersonal and diplomatic skills, with the ability to build and maintain effective relationships with diverse stakeholders.
- Ability to work well in fast-evolving external contexts, and under significant administrative and programmatic pressures.
- Ability to work in a diverse team and on short deadlines.
- Creativity, hands-on attitude, and attention to detail.
Nice to Have
- Existing experience of the Ukrainian humanitarian response is an advantage.
Team & Environment
IRC Ukraine has over 250 staff, three field offices in addition to the main office in Kyiv, 15 local partners, and programming in protection, economic recovery & development, and health. The PAC Coordinator supervises the Advocacy and Liaison Senior Manager and the Communications Manager, and reports directly to the Country Director.
Benefits & Compensation
- Opportunity to join a force for humanity delivering lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions.
- Work in a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker environment.
- Be part of a global organization responding to the world's worst humanitarian crises.
- Contribute to restoring health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster.
- Work in a diverse team promoting critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity.
- Be part of an organization committed to safeguarding, conflicts of interest, fiscal integrity, and protection from retaliation.
Work Mode
This position is based locally in Kyiv, Ukraine, with regular travel to East and Southeast Ukraine (frontline areas).
All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation.
