Volunteer role: Advocacy and Campaign Advisor - Talent Pool

VSO is the world’s leading international development charity that works through volunteers to create a fair world for everyone. At VSO we pride ourselves on doing development differently. We fight poverty not by sending aid, but by working through volunteers and partners to create long-lasting change in some of the world’s poorest regions. We bring key stakeholders together to co-ordinate collective action, from local organisations to national governments. Our programmes in Africa and Asia focus on health, education and livelihoods, with an increasing emphasis on resilience, peace building, social accountability, gender and social inclusion. We’re not about delivering quick fixes, but instead we focus on long-lasting, sustainable change that will improve the lives of generations to come.

Role overview

As a volunteer, you will be responsible for the development and implementation of advocacy and campaign related activities and strategy to influence government/ partner/public and other institutional policies and practice to achieve positive and lasting changes to fulfil children’s education rights. The role will work closely with the program team and implementing partner to build their capacity on advocacy and campaign.

Skills, qualifications and experience

Essential qualifications

• Degree in Social sciences with 5 years of proven experience, or relevant experience in advocacy and campaigning, strategy development, policy analysis, social research and communications.
• Demonstrated skills in advocating towards government officials in developing countries.
• Experience in developing and implementing advocacy and campaign strategies for children's education.
• Demonstrated experience of leading the development and implementation of campaigns activities with a children's rights focus in a challenging environment.
• Strong planning and coordination experience in the field of campaigns, including managing multiple large-scale campaigns at once.
• Experience on strengthening capacity of partner in planning and policy development.

Competencies and Behaviour

At VSO we believe progress is only possible by working together. Whether you want to join us as an employee, or as a volunteer working in your own country, overseas or online, our selection process includes an assessment based on these core competencies:

• Ability to be open minded and respectful
• Ability to be resilient and adaptive to new situations
• Ability to facilitate positive change and build sustainable working relationships
• Ability to seek and share knowledge

Equal Opportunities

VSO promotes equal opportunities and values a diverse workforce.

Allowance

As a VSO volunteer, you will be sharing your skills with local communities on a full time basis. VSO will cover your travel, vaccinations, accommodation, and medical insurance costs, along with a local living allowance which will be paid in local currency. This allowance meets reasonable living expenses in country, but will not be enough to send money home. You will also receive some financial support to contribute to your on-going expenses at home.

Accommodation

VSO works with some of the poorest communities in the world which means accommodation varies and will be basic.

Some background about VSO

Much has changed since VSO started 60 years ago. We’ve gone from being a UK charity to a global development organisation. In 2021/22, more than 3 thousand people from all over the world volunteered with VSO to deliver services to over 8 million people in the 28 countries where we work. Our programmes focus on health, education and livelihoods, emphasising resilience building, social accountability, gender and social inclusion. We believe progress is only possible when we work together and that strong partnerships are crucial to delivering positive change. That’s why we work with over 500 partner organisations, from local and national governments to businesses, NGOs, funders, charities and community groups. Currently, over 40% of our people are recruited from within the country where they work, and we continue to grow the share of community and national volunteers involved in our programmes. We also send increasing numbers of volunteers from one developing country to another. However, our vision has remained the same; to build a world without poverty.

If you’re interested in applying for this role, please download the job description for more information.