War Child Looking for Youth Advocacy and Participation Adviser at London, Greater London (On-site) Full Time

We’re looking for someone with a passion for promoting the rights of children in conflict, who can bring creativity and impact to our youth advocacy work. You will have experience of developing policy, as well as advocating for the implementation of these policies by decision-makers, and working with communications colleagues to influence change.

You are highly motivated and proactive, confident at engaging with young people and building relationships with decision-makers and influencers who have the capacity to affect change.

You are a great communicator, confident in speaking to a range of audiences – including the media – unintimidated by advocating towards those in positions of power, and capable of tailoring your style accordingly. 

If you share our values and believe that children’s lives should not be torn apart by war, we want to hear from you.

About us

War Child, the specialist charity for children affected by conflict. For more than two decades we’ve delivering high-impact programmes that are rebuilding lives across Afghanistan, Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central African Republic and Yemen. We understand children’s needs, respect their rights, and put them at the centre of the solution – from reintegrating children formerly associated with armed groups and armed forces (CAAFAG) in the Central African Republic to reuniting children with their families in Afghanistan. We look forward to a world in which the lives of children are no longer torn apart by war. This is a vision that can only be realised through the collective actions of children themselves, communities and their leaders, organisations like War Child, governments and key decision makers.

Child safeguarding and Adults at Risk

Our work with children and at-risk adults to keep them safe is the most important thing we do. We are committed to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults in all areas of our work. We have zero tolerance for any behaviours and practices that puts children and/or vulnerable adults at risk of abuse and/or harm.

Your role

War Child is committed to championing the voices of children and youth affected by armed conflict. As Youth Advocacy and Engagement Adviser you will act as lead in advising and supporting War Child in the engagement and meaningful participation of young people in War Child’s advocacy activities. You will be responsible for advising the organisation on how to best to develop new safe and effective ways to listen and engage with young people in our own programmes and support child and youth-led advocacy. You will ensure War Child is positioned as a sector leader in the meaningful participation of children and youth affected by conflict, so their ideas and actions can meaningfully influence and change understanding of issues and sector responses to them.

Your responsibilities

• Ensure issues identified by VoiceMore groups are effectively carried into local, national and international advocacy efforts to bring about change, by drawing up strategies with Advocacy team, country-teams, seeking opportunities to raise concerns at international level, and identifying networks and contacts that can support awareness raising and policy change.
• Act as lead within War Child for all matters pertaining to youth engagement and participation within advocacy, drawing up cross departmental initiatives to ensure War Child realise its key strategic aim of effectively championing the voice of children and youth we work with.
• Actively engage donors, decision-makers and sector peers the meaningful participation of Children Affected by Armed Conflict (CAAC) and promote the meaningful engagement of children and youth as a sector standard to be realised.
• Advise on issues pertaining to meaningful participation and engagement of children and youth as part of improvements to existing – or new – programmatic or advocacy interventions developed and delivered in collaboration with programme countries.
• Oversee the successful continuation and expansion of War Child’s Young Advocates Development Programme ‘VoiceMore’ in programme countries, advising country-teams on how best to implement and support young people’s engagement and advocacy action.
• Design and develop comprehensive online and in person training programmes, guides, resources and tools on participatory approaches for staff and for use by external partners, including how best to ethically and safely engage young people affected by conflict in advocacy.
• Instigate and manage the launch of the VoiceMore Handbook with key strategic partners.
• In collaboration with Programmes and Communications Teams, devise ways to safely and ethically gather feedback from young people on key advocacy priorities, including media content, for events and campaigning.
• Act as representative for War Child in external meetings, events, conferences, and debates within the sector and within relevant working groups, coalitions and task forces. 
• Contribute to creating a culture committed to the safeguarding of children and adults and compliant to WCUK’s Child Safeguarding and Adults at Risk Policies.

These duties provide a framework for the role and should not be regarded as a definitive list. Other reasonable duties may be required consistent with the grade of the role.

You are

Mandatory criteria

• Commitment to the aims and objectives of War Child
• Educated to at least degree level in relevant subject
• Strong understand of relevant frameworks to CAAC agenda
• Willingness and ability to travel – including to War Child country programmes

Experience and knowledge

• Excellent understanding of key concepts related to child and youth participation and empowerment, particularly in relation to international development and humanitarian field.
• Experience of facilitating child and youth-led advocacy and delivering training programmes for hard to reach and disadvantaged groups.
• Understanding of youth participatory approaches and methodologies, and knowledge and experience of how to apply them.
• Experience of delivering advocacy and campaigning strategies with and on behalf of children and young people, and influencing decision-makers as a result.
• Understanding of how change happens and how to influence decision-makers at country, regional and international levels.
• Understanding of basic research practice with children and youth and how to solicit feedback in a safe and ethical manner.
• Excellent grasp of safeguarding and how to ensure young people’s safety when engaging them in advocacy
• Experience in monitoring and evaluating programmes, including collating, and presenting data to evidence outcomes and impacts to donors and other audiences.
• Knowledge of child rights and other relevant international frameworks for children affected by conflict would be an advantage.
• Experience of promoting child and youth engagement and participation across an organisation.
• Understanding and appreciation of contexts participating children and youth live and survive in, and of how to ensure strong duty of care for participants.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with colleagues across different countries and cultures.
• Ability to engage and interact with children and young people who have experienced conflict in an empowering way.
• Strong project management skills, and ability to deliver a programme across multiple countries to time and to budget.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills to capture and communicate programme impact
• Strong facilitation skills and ability to design and deliver interactive programmes to children and youth of varying educational level.
• Strong relationship-building skills with colleagues across functions and countries (media, digital, programmes, in-country).
• Flexibility and capability to change plans at minimal notice, and deliver to tight timeframes
• Strong task management skills – providing clarity and direction to those not directly under your line management.
• Empathy, understanding and sensitivity.