Senior Advocacy Specialist

The Senior Advocacy Specialist will play a critical role in ensuring our campaign reaches political decision makers and their influencers in key donor countries (France, Germany, and Norway), and that they make a public gesture of support for the equitable and sustainable use of vaccines.

This position requires a dynamic individual in each country with proven experience in public health advocacy, public policy, and strategic communication, and with a strong network. The Senior Advocacy Specialist will lead efforts in conjunction with other implementing partners to influence decision-makers, build coalitions, and engage health stakeholders to promote equitable and sustainable use of vaccines at national level.

This is a consultancy position scheduled to commence in April and continue through July, requiring approximately 10 days of work for the duration of the project.

**Background**:In the context of a summer of sport, when everyone is captivated by what is happening at the finishing line, we plan to celebrate the power of vaccines to get millions to the starting line. Our campaign will launch high-profile PR activations around the Gavi Investment Case launch event (20 June) and the Olympics opening ceremony (26 July). It aims to build a chorus of support and demonstrate broad public and cross-party political support for equitable and sustainable use of vaccines.

Our key donor countries are France, UK, Germany, and Norway. We want to engage government decision makers in these countries and make them look good and feel good about their commitment to global health and immunization. Ultimately, we want them to commit publicly to step up funding for vaccines.

**What you'll do**:

- ** Develop Advocacy Strategy**:

- Lead the development and implementation of public health advocacy strategies to advance the campaign’s mission and objectives.
- Lead research and analysis to inform advocacy efforts. Including mapping of relevant target individuals and institutions; analysis of their issues of focus/concern; and analysis of government agendas and political landscapes.
- **Strategic Communication**:

- Develop compelling advocacy messages, briefing materials, content to raise awareness about the campaign’s priorities and drive action.
- Support the central team to utilize traditional and digital media platforms and tools to amplify advocacy efforts and reach target audiences effectively.
- **Government Relations**:

- Cultivate and maintain relationships with health policymakers, government officials, and legislative staff to advocate for policy change.
- Monitor legislative and regulatory developments related to the campaign’s mission and provide timely analysis and recommendations.
- **Stakeholder Engagement**:

- Identify, engage, and mobilize key health stakeholders, including political decision makers and people who influence them, including community leaders, partner organizations, and affected individuals, to support advocacy initiatives.
- ** Coalition Building**:

- Participate in coalitions and partnerships with like-minded organizations to leverage collective influence and achieve shared advocacy goals.
- Coordinate advocacy activities and resources across coalition members to maximize impact and effectiveness.
- **Monitoring and Evaluation**:

- Establish metrics, benchmarks, and tracking mechanisms to measure the impact and success of advocacy initiatives.
- Identify lessons learned, strengths, and areas for improvement in advocacy efforts.

**What you'll bring**:

- Bachelor's / Master’s degree in political science, public policy, communications, or related field.
- Extensive experience in advocacy, public policy, or government relations, with a proven track record of success.
- In-depth knowledge of public health/ international development and familiarity with relevant laws, regulations, and political dynamics.
- Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and [local language], with the ability to effectively engage diverse audiences.
- Demonstrated leadership, collaboration, and relationship-building abilities.
- Experience working with diverse communities and an understanding of equity, diversity, and inclusion principles.

**ABOUT M&C SAATCHI GROUP**

M&C Saatchi Group is a creative company that connects specialist expertise, fuelled by data, technology and culture, to help clients navigate, create and lead meaningful change. The Group operates across five core divisions: Connected Creativity; Passion Marketing; Global & Social Issues; Brand, Experience & Innovation; and Performance Media. Headquartered in London, operations span 23 countries with major hubs in the UK, Europe, US, Middle East & Africa, Asia and Australia. M&C Saatchi Group’s two principles, Diversity of Thought and Brutal Simplicity of Thought, guide how they build teams and solve problems.

M&C Saatchi Group continues to be an Equa