Head of Advocacy and Communications, GPE - Communications

 Description

Are you a very passionate advocate for education? Do you want to make a difference in the lives of children? The Global Partnership for Education Secretariat (GPE) would like to hear from you.
Who We Are GPE is a shared commitment to end the world’s learning crisis. It is the only global partnership and fund dedicated entirely to helping children in lower-income countries get a quality education, so they can unlock their potential and contribute to building a better world. We bring together governments, teachers, civil society, donors, United Nations agencies, development banks, businesses and private foundations to transform education systems so that every girl and boy can have hope, opportunity and agency. 
What We Do GPE helps low- and lower-middle-income countries to build stronger education systems so that all children can get the education they need to thrive. We currently support nearly 90 countries where  the needs are greatest and focus on reaching the children who are the most vulnerable, including girls, children with disabilities and those affected by extreme poverty or conflict. Our unique approach works. Since 2002, 160 million more children in GPE partner countries have set foot in classrooms for the first time, more than half of them girls. GPE is also the largest provider of education grants in the global COVID-19 response, providing partner countries with vital resources to ensure that learning can safely continue. 
How We Work Now, GPE is working to help governments transform their education systems to get the most vulnerable children in school, improve teaching and learning, and build equitable, inclusive and resilient education systems fit for the 21st century. Between 2020-2025, GPE will support transformative change in up to 90 countries and territories, which are home to 1 billion children. Transforming education is about creating lasting changes and achieving impact at scale. GPE sets  out to deliver this transformative change by convening partners, mobilizing funds and catalyzing  reforms to help partner countries accelerate access, learning outcomes and gender equality. 
Raise Your Hand In July 2021, the Global Education Summit put GPE firmly on the path to be fully-funded by 2025, by raising a record US $4 billion from donors for GPE’s Raise Your Hand campaign. At the Summit, Heads of State and Government from partner countries made historic commitments to education financing and GPE also mobilized an unprecedented number of pledges from businesses, private foundations and development banks.A fully funded GPE would support transformed education systems in up to 90 countries and territories, enable up to 175 million children to learn and help get 88 million more girls and boys in school by 2025. In the longer term, this investment could add $164 billion to economies in GPE partner countries, lift 18 million people out of poverty, and protect 2 million girls from early marriage.
Governance And Organizational Arrangements The GPE Board of Directors includes ministerial-level board members and alternates representing 20 constituencies that reflect the Partnership’s breadth. The Board Chair is HE President Jakaya Kikwete and the Board Vice Chair is Dr Susan Liautaud. The Board of Directors, with its three standing committees, provides policy and strategic oversight and approves or delegates funding decisions.The GPE Secretariat, with 160 employees and hosted by the World Bank, is responsible for translating the policies and strategies set by the Board into practical support for partner countries, coordinating with diverse stakeholders and galvanizing global support for SDG4. The Secretariat’s headquarters are in the World Bank’s offices in Washington, D.C. and the European office is in Paris with a satellite office in Brussels and a support office in Chennai.
ABOUT THE TEAM
The External Relations team (EXR) responsibilities include donor relations, communications, advocacy, civil society outreach, private sector and private foundation outreach and it has the primary responsibility for overseeing GPE's Financing Campaigns.
ABOUT THE JOBThis position will be based in Washington DC.
DescriptionThe Manager, Advocacy and Communications will report to the Manager, External Relations. The successful candidate will manage the Global Advocacy and Communications sub-teams. He/she will set advocacy and communications strategy, represent GPE in related external events and meetings, coordinate high level relationships, and manage a diverse body of work. The selected candidate will be responsible for ensuring an enabling work environment that promotes success of the team and its individual members, and for ensuring strong and effective coordination with other teams and the wider Secretariat.
Duties And AccountabilitiesExternal Relations• Oversee the development and implementation of communications and advocacy strategies to advance GPE's objectives• Co-lead the Financing Campaigns with the EXR Manager• Oversee the advocacy and communications teams• Represent GPE in external engagements, including and manage strong relationships with external stakeholders. • Provide mentoring, guidance and leadership for the EXR team, supporting the EXR Manager• Participate in the Management Team and be responsible for creating linkages/coordination across teams on relevant areas of work.• Provide advice to GPE leadership on all aspects of GPE's public positioning, identifying strategic opportunities to advance GPE's vision and mission, build GPE's reputation and brand recognition and support resource mobilization efforts• Develop strategies to increase the visibility of education on the global agenda and drive greater political will for global education, and lead on GPE's engagement at the UN and in global and regional events• Build and maintain relationships across the partnership and with external stakeholders, collaborate and engage with partners to identify cooperation opportunities • Provide strategic guidance and expertise on GPE internal communications• Risk owner for reputational risk, and provide advice to the DCEO and CEO on these issues, including proactively propose measures to mitigate risks before they arise
People, talent and resource management* Provide thought leadership and drive technical excellence within the team by creating an environment of learning and innovation that attracts and retains talent that reflects the diversity of our partners.* Oversee recruitment, coaching, performance evaluation and career development of the regional team.* Allocate staff resources in a planned and strategic manner that meets business needs.* Promote a culture of effective teamwork and collaboration within the team and across the Secretariat.* Champion a cross-cutting gender lens in all operations and program and support diversity and inclusion in all team initiatives.* Oversee the work planning and budgeting process for the region and ensure coordination with other teams in the Secretariat.* Address staff and resource issues to ensure resolution.

Selection Criteria

EducationMaster's degree in relevant field of study.
Experience12 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience. CompetenciesAccountability & Results Focus -  Proven track record of leading organizations and/or teams to achieve results. Ensures group efforts produce clear actions and decisions and tasks conclude. Ensures staff have needed clarity to move work forward and works within and across teams to remove obstacles and resolve issues. Adapts to changing circumstances by innovating and altering plans and communicating and ensuring understanding of new courses of action. Anticipates risks and plans to mitigate or minimize impact. Demonstrates the confidence to make bold decisions quickly, balancing speed and thoroughness even in the face of ambiguous circumstances.  Takes ownership of own and team mistakes, failures or oversights, and shares credit for team accomplishments. 
Collaboration & Teamwork -  Views the whole of the Secretariat as greater than sum of the parts and works collaboratively with colleagues with shared goals in mind. Acts as a teammate; steps in to supports teammates and colleagues across teams as needed, regardless of organizational boundaries. Recognizes, values and reinforces the role of each team in delivering on GPE’s mission. Approaches challenges and obstacles as shared challenges to be overcome and leads groups to this outcome. Fosters productive group dynamics and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches. Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when decisions don’t reflect own position.
Communication & Interpersonal Skills -  Has extensive experience & success working in multicultural environments. Speaks and writes clearly and effectively, adapting language, tone, style and message to diverse, multicultural audiences, internally and externally. Skilled at communicating complex information in succinct and digestible ways; coaches others to develop this skill. Shares information and keeps people informed; Operates with transparency, in a way that builds trust in a culturally diverse environment; Within and across teams, addresses behaviors that undermine transparency and trust. Maintains productive working relationships with colleagues and holds team members responsible for doing the same. Engages in active listening and two-way conversation. Asks questions for clarification and responds to others appropriately.  Learns from others’ ideas and expertise.
Advocacy and Influencing -  Strong awareness of political dynamics and extensive experience strategically engaging to influence global public policy processes, working with partners to demonstrate thought leadership. Extensive experience building strategic relationships with external partners including civil society, multilateral orgs, and champions, for mutual benefit, and proven success collaborating to raise the profile of education in public policy and political arenas. Adept at identifying and building relationships with key high-level champions and influencers who can support GPE. Knows how and when to bring in wider areas for consultation and advice, without losing the ability to move fast, ensuring pursuit of perfection doesn’t hold back progress.
External Relations -  Adept at managing, and guiding others in managing, communications with government and public institutions, CSOs, parliamentarians, think tanks, international institutions, business groups, and other audiences critical to GPE’s work. Strong political awareness, ability to diplomatically handle sensitive situations with target audiences, and to guide more junior staff in doing so. Deep knowledge of communications and external relations strategy, tactics, tools, and products, and extensive experience using them to achieve strategic objectives. Deep knowledge of communications and external relations strategy, tactics, tools, and products, and extensive experience in deploying the best vehicles to fit various scenarios. Extensive experience overseeing production of complex communications products of all types, including video production. Expert at writing and editing complex communications products for purposeful structure, clarity of ideas, and logical, persuasive presentation. Sufficient experience with graphic design principles and developing trends to guide team members. Sufficient understanding of graphic design for digital media purposes and creation of infographics and presentations (e.g. Photoshop, Canva, PSD, AI or similar) to guide team members.
Media Engagement -  Demonstrated expertise building and maintaining relationships with media outlets and journalists. Strategic ability to map out a media campaign including story directions, interview targets, and media strategy. Expert in handling media during crisis situations, managing reputational risks, and ensuring clear and consistent messaging. Able to provide useful guidance to team on monitoring media coverage, analyzing media trends, and providing timely reports to internal stakeholders to inform communications strategies.
Relationship Management -  For assigned stakeholder group (e.g. donors, private sector & foundations, civil society, or other), deep knowledge of the organizations and their unique characteristics, and strong professional network with key players. Understanding of, and sensitivity to, stakeholder perspectives, interests and needs and their intersection with GPE’s goals and interests. Extensive experience forging and managing relationships and developing partnerships that expand the reach and impact of the organization. Strong influencing and negotiation skills; Skilled at getting alignment behind a common goal, and support for specific courses of action or solutions. Possesses strong political judgment, diplomatic sense, conflict resolution and problem-solving skills. 
Representation Skills -  Well-rounded with a broad base of knowledge about GPE, its partners, its work, its challenges and its impact (not expected for external candidates). Expert ability to think and respond quickly and extemporaneously with tact and diplomacy, and to present a credible and convincing presence. Ability to represent GPE and the full range of its activities and products to external stakeholders. Thorough understanding of the political landscape within which GPE and its partner countries operate.
Strategic Planning and Work Program Management -  Demonstrated experience defining organizational strategy and translating that to operational objectives and plans. Extensive experience defining team and individual work programs, identifying key performance indicators and tracking and managing results. Proven ability to manage large and diverse business units or a major function with diverse capabilities and clients.