Overview
The National Coordinator Consultant will lead a national advocacy coalition for Early Childhood Development (ECD) in crisis settings in Nigeria, aiming to advance policies, systems, and financing for affected children.
Tasks Summary
- Establish and coordinate the coalition, including refugee-led and locally led organizations, government, UN, INGOs, and private sector representatives.
- Support strategic resource mobilization for ECD in crisis, including advocating for a National ECD in crisis Fund.
- Lead coalition advocacy efforts to integrate ECD into national emergency preparedness frameworks and development budgets.
- Develop and implement the coalition's advocacy strategy and workplan.
- Oversee external coalition communications and campaigns.
- Monitor key developments and opportunities aligning with coalition objectives.
- Recruit and onboard core members, mobilize Steering Committee and Subcommittees.
- Develop official Coalition Terms of Reference.
- Conduct stakeholder gap analysis and prioritize new organizational memberships.
- Implement platforms for communication and knowledge sharing.
- Facilitate regular coalition and sub-committee meetings.
- Plan for national advocacy engagements and summits.
- Launch the coalition website and social media channels.
- Initiate a quarterly internal newsletter.
- Develop the Locally Owned Investment Case.
- Maintain a calendar of national/regional advocacy moments.
- Build alliances with ECD sector organizations and engage high-level champions.
- Implement MEL tracking against strategy indicators.
- Refine operations to optimize alignment and continue strategy implementation.
- Lead the publication process for coalition research.
- Support the management of external contractors.
- Document lessons learned into a "Coalition Playbook" for replication.
- Prepare materials for the Annual Report and final impact assessment.
- Coordinate sub-committees, steering committee quarterly meetings, and full coalition meetings.
- Continuously track early childhood developments in crisis contexts.
- Maintain understanding of member priorities and strengths.
- Represent the Coalition and MMA in Nigeria and build ECD in crisis champions nationally.
- Attend Project team meetings monthly.
Experience Requirements
- Master’s Degree or equivalent experience in advocacy, public policy, international affairs or another relevant field
- Substantial (8+ years) experience in working with diverse entities on multiple levels (INGO, UN, Government, private sector, local organization, refugee organizations) in humanitarian and development sectors.
- Prior experience working with networks/coalitions is desirable.
- Substantial experience of project coordination and strategic decision making skills
- Strong knowledge of regional, national and local stakeholders / networks in the field of early childhood development in emergencies / child rights / humanitarian and development sectors, including ideally domestic and international humanitarian and development donors based in Nigeria.
- Excellent communication skills, with the demonstrated ability to effectively engage high level stakeholders (high-level government representatives, donor agency executives, etc.) in addition to refugee led and locally led organization representatives.
- Having trauma-informed training is desirable.
- Excellent ability to write reports, presentations, briefs, and knowledge products for dissemination.
Qualification Requirements
Master’s Degree or equivalent experience in advocacy, public policy, international affairs or another relevant field
