Communication and Advocacy Coordinator

Duty Station: Arusha (with frequent travel to Dar)

Reporting To: TNRF ED

1. Overview

The Tanzania Natural Resource Forum (TNRF) is a network organization registered in 2006 as a Non- Governmental Organization. It aims to achieve improved natural resource governance for sustainable rural livelihoods and better conservation outcomes. TNRF bridges the gap between people’s local natural resource management needs and practices, and national natural resource management priorities, policies, laws and programs. As a network organization, it brings together members to change policy and practice in the natural resource sector for the better by:

• Building and sharing a knowledge base of practice; and
• Strengthening citizen voice and skills for improved natural resource governance.

TNRF supports its members by improving communication, sharing information, promoting collaboration and strengthening collective action. It remains flexible so it can effectively respond to emerging natural resource issues in Tanzania, while at the same time TNRF has identified key strategic areas of engagement where it seeks to bring about positive change.

TNRF facilitates platforms to strengthen dialogue and information sharing and to enable advocacy and strengthen citizens’ voices. In facilitating platforms, TNRF focuses its attention on three key strategic areas: Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM), Land Based Investment (LBI) and Communicating Climate Change (CCC).

TNRF facilitates member-driven ‘Working Groups’ on key policy and practice issues that are of direct interest to members and partners. These working groups are very collaborative and provide an opportunity for TNRF’s diverse membership to tackle concerns at a range of different levels. TNRF also successfully engages with other stakeholders in establishing round tables for CSOs, donors, international NGOs and government to discuss emerging issues related to the environment

TNRF seeks to recruit a Communication and Advocacy Coordinator for the Organization. The Communications and Advocacy Coordinator will provide overall, strategic communication needs of the Forum and direct support to the Pastoralist Programme and Mama Misitu Campaign.

The Pastoral Programme(PP) is one of the rangeland programs being jointly managed by TNRF and CARE, which runs for four years and is funded by Irish Aid. TNRF is essentially responsible for providing policy, communications and technical support to the program. The program was designed to be implemented through partnership with registered Tanzanian civil society organizations (CSOs) and national level advocacy NGOs that work to improve the capacity of communities to overcome poverty, reduce vulnerability and strengthen the rights of men and women for sustainable livelihoods as well as clear focus on advocacy and policy work.

The Mama Misitu Campaign (MMC) is a communications campaign aiming to improve the governance of Tanzania’s forestry resources and reduce illegal forest harvesting, so that the people of Tanzania can increasingly benefit from sustainably managed forests. The campaign came in response to TRAFFIC’s 2007 report on the illegal trade of timber resources in Southern Tanzania. The report recommended community participation in forest management through outreach and advocacy to reduce illegal logging. The campaign was launched in July 2012 and has engaged 10 partner CSOs to build public and private partnerships and networks related to sustainable use of forests and timber resources in Tanzania. The Campaign has been implemented for 2 years and is currently going through a refocusing phase based on the current priorities and lessons learnt; but also implementing more innovative and result oriented interventions to suit local and national level advocacy.

Other key responsibilities of the Communications and Advocacy Coordinator will include to establish and manage an effective and wide ranging program of participation, communication and information sharing in order to make progress towards the achievement TNRF's objectives. A sound communication and marketing plan, the budgeting and monitoring of the execution thereof are part of the job as is establishing and maintaining strong relations with the national and international media.

Based in Arusha, the Communication and Advocacy Coordinator will report to TNRF's Executive Director and technically work very closely with the Pastoralist Programme Manager, MMC Campaign Manager and other Program Officers on technical/program-specific advocacy and communications initiatives.

2. Core responsibilities

• In collaboration with TNRF Pastoralist Programme Manager, the Communication and Advocacy Coordinator will review and produce a short, concise but clearly focused advocacy strategy that defines the key advocacy messages, desired policy outcomes and proposed tactics for the pastoralist programme.
• Ensure PP advocacy strategy is well implemented by national level NGOs and district level CSOs and other partners to ensure the desired policy outcomes is realized
• Play a key role in developing and implementing the communication strategy for the next phase of MMC
• To ensure the effective and successful planning, budgeting, monitoring and management of advocacy, communications and dissemination work in the PP and MMC
• Jointly with the implementing Partners, plan and coordinate all MMC advocacy initiatives to ensure the program delivers effective evidence based advocacy to influence policy and implementation.
• Coordinate the collection, analysis, and dissemination of pertinent information regarding policy issues and practices on land, pastoralism, forestry, wildlife, climate change and other natural resource governance needs for communication and advocacy.
• Support national level policy and constitutional engagement in the emerging policy debates and dialogues on land, pastoralism, forestry, wildlife, climate change and other pertinent natural resource governance issues in Tanzania.
• Facilitating the generation and/or improving program data within the organization as well as information and knowledge system and practices—from generation to consumption – for more effective evidence-based advocacy.
• She/he will play an important role in communicating TNRF's work as well as general social, political, economic and cultural situation in the country with a wide range of internal and external audiences.
• To work with leads from the Programmes Department and to identify opportunities to help raise the profile of TNRF
• Ensure best practice case studies are produced in a timely manner and communicated internally and externally.
• Prepare and update all communications and advocacy materials, including content for web pages, media articles and information material for workshops, conferences and other communication events
• Establish professional relationships and where appropriate, effectively communicate with the press and prepare press release, features and arrange for the placement of articles and features on TNRF program activities in national and international media.
• Discussing and sourcing data and information that is to be included in newsletters,
• Research and verify information that is to be included in TNRF reports, brochures, newsletters or other written material or film, to write a broad range of communications for both print and electronic channels, film or radio, taking deadlines and changing priorities into consideration,
• To review design and proof check publication materials in coordination with the website- Graphic Designer and handling multiple publication series simultaneously both printed and online under tight deadlines.

The Communication and Advocacy Coordinator will work closely with the Program Managers, and the Communications Team supported by bi-weekly meetings with the team to oversee the implementation of the projects.

3. Outputs

The Communication and Advocacy Coordinator will be responsible for the following outputs:

• A clearly focused advocacy strategy that defines the key advocacy messages, desired policy outcomes and proposed tactics for the Pastoralist Programme developed
• Effective implementation of the coherent PP Advocacy strategy jointly with National level Advocacy NGOs
• Developing and effective implementation of a Communication Strategy for the re-focused MMC
• Creation of TNRF programmes data base and management of data base
• Preparation of Case studies and testimonials for advocacy complied and disseminated
• Enhanced documentation and dissemination of publication and pertinent information regarding policy issues and practices on land, pastoralism, forestry, wildlife and climate change interventions in Tanzania for communication and advocacy needs.
• A good working relationship between TNRF's programmes and the media for effective advocacy is established
• Enhanced quality and effectiveness of all publicity events, media interactions and publications materials produced for TNRF's programs.

4. Required Qualifications and desirable attributes

The Communication and Advocacy Coordinator will have the following broad skill-set and attributes:

• Advanced University degree in Journalism, Communications/ Mass Media, Law or Sociology. A first degree with relevant, excellent proven experience may also be considered
• 5 years related work experience
• Practical experience of working with CSOs, government and development partners at local, national or regional level.
• Experience using and/or organizing media relations, web/mobile/social media, print and public events
• Keen interest and commitment to advancing the rights of minority/indigenous communities, particularly in relation to their territories, areas and natural resources
• Eexperience in conducting training on effective communications and advocacy
• Knowledge on community development, human rights, land rights, project planning management
• Experience in using web-based tools to enhance communication capacity and advocacy is an added advantage
• Ability to work ,communicate and advocate with a broad range of stakeholders including policymakers, government officials, NGOs, the media and community representatives
• Strong ability to engage with communities and capability in being proactive to organize community outreach activities
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with a fluent writing style and good knowledge and practical use of both English and Kiswahili. Proficient in Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Ability to support the advancement of the TNRF Membership as a broad civil-society community in the pursuit of improved natural resource management, sustainable development and better conservation outcomes.
• Willingness to travel on a regular basis and work with local organizations and communities in remote areas
• Adaptable, flexible, able to take advocacy initiative and prioritize amongst competing demands
• An approach to mirror our core values: commitment, accountability, respect, effectiveness and diversity;

5. Behaviour Competencies

I. Core Competencies

II. Job related Competencies

Vision

Distancing oneself from daily routine, exploring ideas for the future, regarding facts from a distance and seeing them in a broader context or in the longer term.

Leading groups

Providing group/team with direction and guidance and encourages cooperation between group/team members in order to attain an objective.

Networking

Developing and maintaining relations, alliances and coalitions within and outside the organisation and using them in order to obtain information, support and cooperation.

Planning and organising

Setting goals and priorities, indicating the required actions, time and resources to achieve those goals.

Management control

Controlling the progress of employees’ processes, tasks, or activities and of one’s own work and responsibilities.

Written communication

Expressing ideas and opinions by way of appropriately structured documents in clear, grammatical correct writing, employing language and terminology tailored to the reader.

Developing others

Reviewing and analyzing employees’/partners’ strengths and weaknesses, distinguishing their talents and development needs, and making sure they are enhanced appropriately through offering coaching and mentoring.