Title:                                      Policy and Advocacy Manager - Care

Contract Type:                   Employee

Contract Duration:          On-going, full-time

Reporting to:                      Director of Policy and Advocacy

Start Date:                           September 2023

Location:                             Geneva

Application Deadline:   20 August 2023

About the NCD Alliance

Founded in 2009 by four international NGO federations – the International Diabetes Federation, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, the Union for International Cancer Control, and the World Heart Federation – the NCD Alliance (NCDA) is a unique civil society network leading the way to  a world free from preventable suffering, disability and death caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

The NCD Alliance is at the forefront of elevating NCDs onto the global health and development agenda. NCD Alliance’s strong global network of over 400 members in more than 60 countries is unified by the cross-cutting nature of common risk factors including unhealthy diets, harmful use of alcohol, tobacco smoking, air pollution and physical inactivity, and system solutions for chronic NCDs such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, diabetes, mental health and neurological disorders. Our network includes global and national NGOs, scientific and professional associations, academic and research institutions, private sector entities and dedicated individuals.

The NCD Alliance’s activities aim to influence policy, raise global awareness of NCDs, broker knowledge and good practice in policies to prevent and treat NCDs and to support capacity-building of NCD civil society organizations and alliances. Today, NCDA staff work from Geneva, London and New York to mobilises a network of 65 national and regional NCD alliances around the world. The organisation holds official relations with the World Health Organisation and strategic relationships with UN bodies, and governments. Our achievements to date include supporting the adoption of landmark political commitments on NCDs – including from the UN High Level Meetings on NCDs in 2011, 2014 and 2018, the global 2025 NCD targets, NCD-related targets in the Sustainable Development Goals and the declaration of the UN High Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage in 2019. The Fourth UN High Level Meeting on NCDs in September 2025 will be a significant milestone, where NCDA will lead civil society in holding governments accountable for progress against the SDG 3.4 Target of a 30% reduction in NCD mortality between the ages of 30 and 70, and to agree new commitments to support its achievement.

NCDA engages in global advocacy on integration of NCD care and universal health coverage and other priority global health and development issues, supports national advocacy and action for health systems strengthening and universal health coverage for chronic NCDs, and the meaningful involvement of People Living with NCDs in the response.

Please find more information about the NCD Alliance www.ncdalliance.org

Job description

This is an excellent opportunity for candidates interested in working for a respected civil society organisation, engaging with multilateral institutions and governments, delivering strategic policy analysis and development, advocacy and coalition building on priority global health and development issues related to non-communicable diseases. The successful applicant will join our Policy, Advocacy and Accountability team of six professionals located in Geneva, New York and London.

In line with NCDA’s strategic plan 2021-26, the Policy & Advocacy Manager will work as part of the Policy, Advocacy and Accountability Unit (PAA) to:

• Increase political awareness of NCDs globally, elevate the importance of NCDs and related-issues within global health and development policy and political forums and processes, resulting in commitments by governments, multilateral agencies and donors to increase resources for NCDs and UHC;
• Develop and deliver global advocacy to position access to integrated, people-centred treatment and care for NCDs as a priority in the global and national health and sustainable development agendas, including Universal Health Coverage (UHC);
• Develop and present the evidence base on the burden of NCDs (including multimorbidity) and progress towards NCD and UHC targets, particularly in LMICs, in coordination with national advocates;
• Enhance the impact and effectiveness of NCDA advocacy activities at the UN, WHO, and in other global forums;
• Delivery of policy-related projects (briefings, reports, events, etc.) to achieve the PAA strategy and as part of our range of partnership activities.

On-going activities:

• Strengthen and build on existing partnerships and strategic relationships with WHO key UN agencies, member states, government missions in Geneva, civil society, academia and other partners;
• Track and analyse global policy processes, trends and identify opportunities for NCDA participation, including preparation of inputs to relevant consultations, and promoting strategic recommendations to NCDA and its members;
• Lead policy analysis and research work in priority NCD areas connected to global health and development to strengthen the evidence base and maximize the organization’s impact to deliver on policy and advocacy objectives;
• Further develop NCDA’s role in alliances that encourage governments and international bodies to set evidence-based policies, paying particular attention to coverage of NCDs in UHC and PHC;
• Liaise with colleagues and the NCDA network to showcase national advocacy successes, including speakers from national grantees and PLWNCDs, and promoting patient advocacy at the global level.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Work closely with the PAA Director to support the development of the impact goal theories of change and related strategy and operational plan development;
• Develop and deliver NCDA’s global policy advocacy plans to promote political commitments on NCDs and their delivery integrated with global health and development priorities, including within UHC, pushing for broader understanding of NCDs and of multi-morbidity and its implications for health systems worldwide;
• Manage engagement on the NCD Care agenda with WHO, relevant UN agencies and institutions, and government Geneva missions. Manage the planning and coordination of NCDA’s engagement with Geneva Missions, and the liaison with the Geneva NCDs advocacy group, delivery of mission briefings, and developing contact management tracking systems;
• Coordinate input and represent NCDA at relevant consultations, meetings, documents, speeches, presentations, etc. drawing on expertise from across the NCDA network;
• Ensure regular policy and advocacy communications with NCDA membership and wider network including delivery of regular advocacy webinars. Coordinate with NCDA’s Capacity Development team, connecting global advocacy to national activities, NCDA’s Advocacy Institute and Our Views, Our Voices programme;
• Develop stakeholder relationships, including with NCDA members. Identify further opportunities for collaboration and synergies of work with the global NCD community, particularly organisations working on multimorbidity and inclusion of neglected NCDs in policy responses;
• Develop campaign / advocacy resources, including timely research reports on NCDs and UHC, policy research reports that advance the evidence base on the NCD burden and tracks progress against the global NCD and UHC targets, outreach to WHO/UN and governments. e.g. reports aimed at policy-makers which reflect progress on integration of NCDs into country UHC benefit packages;
• Manage high-profile side events and roundtables during global political platforms, to engage policymakers, key institutions and opinion leaders, and civil society. Mobilise the NCD and broader sustainable development movements, convening thought-leadership discussions and side events to foster political commitments and awareness around access to NCD care, particularly in LMICs;
• Work closely with Partnership and Membership unit, provide strategic inputs and contributions to proposal development relevant to the capacity development unit, engage with relevant NCDA partners to discuss programme updates and manage reporting;
• Work across the NCDA team to provide strategic inputs to the work of other units to support and forward PAA strategy and facilitate the completion of work plan deliverables;
• Manage sections of the PAA budgets related to NCDA Care policy workplans, and sections of restricted grant budgets such as the Helmsley Charitable Trust grant, with fiscal management responsibilities including programme budgeting, monthly review of movements, end of year forecasting, liaising with the operations unit over auditing requirements and supporting financial reporting to relevant supporters;
• Line manage Policy & Advocacy Officer including setting out annual objectives, conducting performance reviews, guiding staff development and performing day to day staff management, guiding and overseeing work;
• Procure and manage consultants, detailing scopes of work and guiding ongoing work;
• Manage the ongoing documenting of PAA outputs and outcomes related to the Care Policy strategy, as part of Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning efforts, as well as knowledge management and knowledge exchange efforts.

Experience and skills:

• Advanced university degree with a minimum of 5-6 years of relevant job-related experience, including developing, implementing and managing advocacy campaigns and/or projects for non-profit organisations;
• Professional expertise in the area of health systems and relevant policies. In-depth knowledge of NCD prevention and control; affinity with access to medicines issues an asset; demonstrate interest in global public Knowledge of global health and development processes such as the World Health Assembly and Sustainable Development Goals;
• Professional experience of international advocacy; experience working with high-level policy-makers and international institutions; strong networking skills;
• Experience of overseeing policy research projects and contracts, including external service providers;
• Strong organisational skills and ability to successfully manage competing priorities and deadlines;
• Capacity to work independently and collaboratively in an international team environment with solid interpersonal and verbal communication skills;
• Strong judgment, strategic thinker, initiative taker;
• Strong analytical, writing and oral communications skills in English, including presentation skills – additional languages desirable;
• Quantitative analysis, statistical skills desirable;
• Solid knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook);
• Availability for regular travel abroad

How to Apply:

Please send your CV, including two contacts for references and two samples of your written work / presentations to jobs@ncdalliance.org. Please include “Policy and Advocacy Manager” in the subject line of your email.

Closing Date for Applications: 20 August 2023. We regret that we are only able to contact shortlisted candidates.