The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) engages in monitoring, advocacy and access to quality comprehensive prevention, treatment, care and support services to live a healthy life.
Job Title: Advocacy and Communications Manager
The purpose of the position is to develop, implement and report on the TAC’s national policy, advocacy, campaigns and communications strategies and contribute to the establishment and maintenance of TAC’s national and international position, influence and authoritative voice, in line with TAC’s overall strategic objectives and goals and in collaboration with other TAC teams.
Responsibilities:
- Develop high impact advocacy and communications strategy in collaboration with TAC leadership and partners for health system strengthening
- Implement these advocacy and communications strategies effectively in collaboration with TAC leadership, provincially, nationally and internationally as we strive to achieve our objectives
- Lead the development of TAC’s policy positions and responses in collaboration with TAC leadership on relevant health, scientific, political, legal, and social issues
- Manage media relations, brief TAC leadership to represent TAC in the media and personally represent TAC in the media where required (in particular around the use of intellectual property law reform to improve access to medicines, and other medicine based requests)
- Draft and oversee news releases and other public briefing notes in relation to key developments in the work of TAC’s local, national and international agenda
- Produce publications, visibility materials, newsletters, manuals, toolkits, briefing material and campaign materials as required, including supporting the organisation in sharing information and materials through its structures
- Update and upload information to ensure that the TAC website reflects organisational activities and interfaces with social media
- Keep up to date on medicine development, new treatment guidelines and clinical trials for treatments (relevant for people living with HIV and TB) and advise TAC on policy positioning related to these in order to ensure national government guidelines reflect best treatments
- Actively engage in influencing work with policy makers, parliamentarians and other key stakeholders for the achievement of policy and campaign objectives
- Lead the development of policy submissions, positions, statements and analysis related to issues like intellectual property law and the use of legal flexibilities to protect access to medicines
- To provide expert policy advice to TAC leadership e.g. intellectual property, patent laws, TRIPS, etc
- Actively engage in influencing work with policy makers, parliamentarians and other key stakeholders for the achievement of policy and campaign objectives
- Identify key stakeholders that are significant to TAC and to devise communication-impact initiatives
- Ensure in collaboration with the National Organiser that TAC’s advocacy work at a provincial level is effective, particularly in bringing about improvements in government policy and implementation at all levels, and reflects national priorities of which the purpose is to influence those stakeholders
- Ensure that TAC is effectively using funds available in relation to advocacy and campaigns work
- Monitoring, evaluation, reflection and learning of TAC campaigns across TAC
- Work closely with the Financial Manager, National Manager, and National Organiser to ensure that budgets are formulated correctly in line with TAC’s strategy and donor requirements
Requirements:
- A Graduate Degree in related area including Politics, Economics, Public health, Law, Social Science, Journalism or other relevant field, a post graduate degree will be preferable
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and ability to use online platforms such as WordPress (website), MailChimp (online mailing), and social media platform
- Writing skills (samples of personally written work will be required)
- Proficiency in English – and one local language is an advantage
- Five years’ experience in advocacy, campaigns and communication work, in the HIV/AIDS or other relevant social justice sector
- Experience having taken the lead in organising/ planning/ executing/ reflecting/ learning campaigns at national and/or international level to bring about clear changes
- Experience developing successful campaigns and policy to reduce intellectual property barriers that restrict access to medicines
- Specific experience in policy research, advocacy campaigns, political lobbying, media and communications, grassroots organising, project management and stakeholder management is required
- Strong experience managing stakeholders across a variety of contexts – with existing strong relationships in the field of HIV/AIDS, TB and intellectual property law as it relates to treatment access as well as across relevant government departments and media
- Ability to balance the delivery of high impact campaigns against the realities of a budget;
- Valid drivers’ licence
- Willingness to travel around South Africa as needed
To apply, submit a cover letter, max three page CV, three contactable references, a copy of a valid driver’s license, qualifications to [email protected]
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Treatment Action Campaign is an equal opportunity employer guided by principles of employment equity; women and people with disability are encouraged to apply.
Application Deadline: 8th Feb, 2019