Advocacy Officer

The RBM Partnership to End Malaria


The past fifteen years have seen tremendous gains in reducing the burden of disease and progressing towards malaria elimination. Since 2000, global malaria deaths have been cut by more than half, saving 7 million lives, primarily among children less than five years of age. Expansions in financing, strong political commitments, novel diagnostic and preventative measures, and multi-sectoral coordination have facilitated this progress. Since 1998, RBM Partnership to End Malaria has been central to the global fight against malaria. It has been essential to mobilizing resources and scaling up innovative interventions, putting the world onto a path towards eliminating malaria. The Partnership comprises more than 500 partners committed to end malaria, including malaria endemic countries, their bilateral and multilateral development partners, the private sector, nongovernmental and community-based organizations, foundations, and research and academic institutions.

The RBM Partnership's Vision is of a world free from the burden of malaria.

The RBM Partnership is based in Geneva and hosted by UNOPS.

The incumbent is expected to be willing and able to travel up to 70% of their time. 

Advocacy 

• Contribute to the development and  implementation of the Partnership’s advocacy  strategies and annual work plans.

• Support an effective network, collaboration, and exchange of information with partners by contributing in the convening of partner committees, workstreams, working groups and other Partnership mechanisms.

•  As advised by the Advocacy and communications Manager ,support on RBM advocacy activities, including  reaching  out to prospective strategic  partners, developing networks,  and identifying  areas of potential collaboration.

• Provide quality assurance on advocacy interventions including supporting lobby and advocacy efforts and reporting on advocacy milestones, products , messaging and tactics. 

• Serve as a communication focal point  for the ARMPC , following up on all professional correspondence, responding to requests, and referring queries as appropriate.

• Contribute to the delivery  of key advocacy messages  during external communications prior to and after RBM events as well as identify and support key advocacy moments/milestones within the communications calendar

• Provide advocacy support needed to implement the resource mobilsation plan in collaboration with the ARMPC and the Partnership and Resource Mobilization team.

Analysis and Documentation

• Provide research and analytical  support on  global health issues affecting the world free from the burden of malaria RBM vision in line with the resource mobilization strategy and communications strategy

• Undertake background research for advocacy  activities and workshops, and drafts concept notes, reports and other publications.

• Provide support in the drafting of  the ARMPC, SCPC and RBM Secretariat newsletters.

• Support in the drafting of opinion pieces and other strategic documents for the CEO

• Support  the compilation of Briefing notes for CEO’s engagements

• Develop and update advocacy related materials on the RBM website and all social media platforms 

• Provide input to ARMPC and SCPC integrated budget and work plan monitoring.

• Produce regular updates on ARMPC activities and achievements, as well as any other informative/ promotional materials as required. 

• Contribute and where needed convene project learning, reviews and evaluations.

• In collaboration with Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning to define learning and research questions and coordinate generation of evidence to achieve responsive and evidence-based advocacy.

Partner Committees Coordination Support

• Provide support to the ARMPC, contributing to effective partner engagement, knowledge sharing and coordination.

• Provide comprehensive meeting and event management support for the ARMPC activities, workshops, conferences, regular meetings, and other events, to ensure that key advocacy messages are delivered 

• Organize Partner Committees’ (PCs) conference calls, write and disseminate meeting minutes.

• Provide on-site and remote support during workshops and events, including taking minutes and supporting logistical coordination.

• Working closely with the communications officer under the guidance of the Advocacy and Communications Manager to  develop knowledge, awareness and advocacy products such as press releases, media briefing and publications .

• Manage the ARMPC and SCPC contacts database and distribution lists, and the broader RBM Secretariat contacts database and distribution lists.

• Perform other related responsibilities as assigned, including replacing and backstopping for others as required.

• A Master’s degree preferably in advocacy, Law, Journalism,  communication, international relations, international development, business management, public administration, public health, social science or another relevant field is required.  
• A Bachelor’s degree will be accepted with an additional 2 years of relevant experience.

• Minimum 2 years of experience in advocacy and/or communications is required.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills, as well as good planning, coordination and analytical skills are required.
• Experience working in or with malaria-endemic countries is an asset.
• Experience in partnerships, INGO, international development cooperation, operations, consulting, external relations or public affairs is a distinct advantage.
• Experience working in public health, especially on malaria, is desirable.
• Experience on climate change programing desirable.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

• Geneva, Switzerland is a family duty station.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.