Role Title

Advocacy Advisor (x2 open positions)

Grade Level

F12

Reporting To (title of line manager and any matrix reporting relationship)

Geographic Lead

Program/Tool/ Department/Unit Name

Programs

Preferred location(s)

• Seoul

• Colombo

• Bangkok

• Jakarta

• Kuala Lumpur

​Team Name

Geographic Leads

Role Purpose

The Advocacy Advisor will design, advise, and lead advocacy and campaigns to support for Open Society’s priorities in Asia Pacific and globally, as needed.

Reporting to the Asia Geographic Lead, and collaborating closely with colleagues in Programs and Communications, they will ensure coherence, rigor, and innovation across various advocacy and policy priorities, and lead collaborative work to develop organizational messaging, narratives and positions on issues of pertinence to Open Society’s mission.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Asia Geographic Lead and Program teams (Opportunities and Network Program Grants) to design, drive, and catalyze Open Society’s priorities for advocacy and policy, including through campaigns that are grounded in collaboration and shared learning.

• Represent Open Society’s leadership in high-level policy events and processes.

• Develop and manage key strategic relationships with intergovernmental institutions, governments, senior policymakers, and economic, political, social and cultural leaders, in Asia Pacific and other places of strategic importance to the Asia Pacific’s advocacy and policy priorities.

• Where appropriate, serve as Open Society’s spokesperson on specific issues as designated by the Asia Geographic Lead, Managing Directors and/or the Executive Leadership Team.

• Respond to Open Society’s leadership crisis response efforts and integrate them into campaigns and country/regional strategies, as needed.

• Manage the coordination of advocacy strategies and partners across all Opportunities as well as align/link up with, and where appropriate, lead global advocacy initiatives.

• Develop and manage tools, tactics and partnerships for advocacy, and advise leadership accordingly.

• Design advocacy strategies for Opportunities and lead on delivery as needed, including by being ‘embedded’ in an Opportunity team or cross-opportunity flagship projects or big events/moments.

• Create messaging and build narrative tools and approaches.

• Design and implement appropriate MEL tools for measuring the impact of advocacy interventions within a geography or set of themes/opportunities based on set goals.

• Manage staff and consultants and contribute to team culture and development.

Key internal relationships

• Geographic Lead, Asia; Managing Directors; Directors Programs; Leadership/Executive Office; Strategic Capabilities

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Key external relationships

• External advocacy partners, intergovernmental institutions, governments, senior policymakers and economic, political, social and cultural leaders, think tanks, etc.

Qualifications

Essential:

• Educated to a degree-level (or equivalent)

Desirable:

• Post-graduate education with specialization in the Asia Pacific region or significant experience across region in academia, diplomacy, journalism, or analysis.

Experience

Essential:

• Proven prior external advocacy experience in an international organization (public or private) focused on Asia Pacific.
• Knowledge and experience working across the range of issues related to the OSF mission (including human rights, civil society empowerment, democratic practice, economic and climate prosperity, etc.) in roles that have required the consideration, development, and implementation of varied advocacy tactics to drive progress in public policy.
• Excellent knowledge of politics and geopolitics across the Asia Pacific region and strong networks in policy circles in Asia Pacific across multiple geographies and other places of strategic importance to the Asia Pacific’s advocacy and policy priorities (such as conflict, economic justice, climate, democratization, national, international and corporate accountability).
• Strong familiarity with the workings of key intergovernmental and multilateral institutions, including relevant regional bodies, UN bodies and International Financial Institutions.
• Familiarity with the regional and global diplomatic calendar and ability to develop, drive and catalyze an advocacy agenda that takes advantage of key events on it (such as COP, UNGA, Springs/Annuals).
• Demonstrated experience of creating and measuring impact with designing advocacy strategies for a global organization on a wide range of issues.
• Understanding of various tools, methods, approaches, and tactics for doing advocacy in challenging contexts within the global north and south.
• Understanding of Campaign research, design, and implementation in Asia Pacific region.
• Experience in developing and implementing creative MEL for campaigns and advocacy across different movements, themes, and contexts.

Desirable:

• Substantial lived and worked regional experience in Asia Pacific.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

• Review and evaluate recommendations and requirements and to develop appropriate plans for self and others or deliver actions required.
• Assimilate and understand data and information from various sources to draw appropriate conclusions and make relevant recommendations.
• Apply appropriate analytical processes and procedures to support work outputs.
• Interpret and apply knowledge of laws.
• Obtain consensus between two or more parties who may have different interests, for the benefit of the organization. Negotiation may be with internal or external parties.
• Developing and implementing a strategic, organized and/or sustained effort to influence decisionmakers and those who influence them to enact or shape specific laws, public policies, practices, norms and/or attitudes in support of open society.
• Developing and/or implementing the strategy for an intervention made up of multiple coordinated activities (e.g., advocacy meetings, coalition building, grassroots/community mobilization, engaging unlikely allies, driving narrative change, and public communications) that are intended to re-enforce each other and drive towards achieving a defined outcome.
• Applying a set of well-defined practices and methodologies to document, understand, assess, and improve programs, policies, projects and teams overtime.
• Make the case for and shape policy action or reform.
• Catalyzing collaboration amongst cross-sector actors toward shared goals and actions.
• Strong writing, analytical and oral communication skills in English.

Personal Competencies:

• The ability to communicate and deliver information verbally in a clear, concise and compelling manner.
• The ability and skill to express ideas, request actions and/or formulate plans or policies using writing skills.
• Establishes and nurtures relationships with external parties; exercises considerable discretion, often on sensitive topics; works independently of supervisor in carrying out most tasks, except matters concerning strategic direction.
• Commitment to continuous learning and growth in the areas of diversity, equality, inclusion, antiracism, and social justice
• Commitment to listening and working with humility and ways of working that are respectful to all people and that are respectful to all people and support space and voice for all diverse perspectives in our workplace.

Languages:

• Fluency in English and at least in one of the regional Asian languages is required.
• Knowledge of additional regional languages would be an asset.

Ideally candidates should have the right to work in the specific location/s; however, strong candidates who do not meet this requirement may also be considered

Competitive rates of pay apply.

Open Society Foundations is committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, and to building a diverse staff that reflects the movements, issues and communities that our mission serves. Candidates from all underrepresented backgrounds, identities and communities are encouraged to apply.   

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and colleagues with disabilities.