Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort on a community farm in southern Georgia. Habitat for Humanity has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand-up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home.

Habitat for Humanity Ethiopia (HFHE) is a branch of Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI). HEHE is currently operating under Africa Habitat for Humanity International. Since it started operation in 1993, Habitat for Humanity Ethiopia has supported more than 165,279 families (826,396 individuals). Initially focused on mortgage houses for families affected by poverty and other vulnerabilities, the organization has expanded its efforts to incorporate vulnerable group housing, urban slum upgrading, urban resilience building, water sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and Disaster Risk Reduction Response (DR3)-WASH Resilience Building.

JOB SUMMARY

Working under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Project Manager for Stand for Her Land (S4HL) project, the Advocacy Specialist will design, manage, and implement the advocacy strategies for Stand for Her Land Campaign (S4HL) with the objective of promoting the work of tenure rights as well as increasing awareness for Habitat for Humanity Ethiopia (HFHE)mandate and programs among its grassroot women, partners, the media, and the public. The Advocacy specialist will be responsible for supporting efforts to enhance the information flow and visibility of the Stand for her land project and related advocacy work in the country. Advocacy specialist mobilizing grassroots movements and community organizing to empower women to assert their land rights. In addition, the Advocacy specialist will carry out the development of advocacy tools, strategies, policy analysis and the writing of position statements and support S4HL coalition and its selected partners to advocate for women Land right. Together with project manager & other technical staff of HFHE, and with the advice and input of the Senior management Team (SMT) the advocacy specialist will play an active role in designing advocacy tools and messaging for women land right advocacy work in a wide range of policy and legal issues to position the S4HL campaign for best networking and representation.

Further the Advocacy specialist will work collaboratively work with partners especially the vulnerable groups such as women by building their capacity on the legal instruments that promote/advance women’s rights in relation to tenure rights, and the housing Eco System.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Developing and implementing advocacy strategies to raise awareness and promote policy changes that support women’s land rights – in liaison with the project manager for women land right project and supported by HFHI advocacy team and HFHE Senior Management Team as needed.
• Mobilizing grassroots movements and community organizing to empower women to assert their land rights.
• Map out key stakeholders involved in the process of land titling and those in advocacy in this area.
• Building partnerships with government agencies, coalition members (CSOs), and other stakeholders to advance women’s land rights.
• Review and identify the operationalization bottlenecks of the relevant laws and policies regarding land ownership and acquisition of land titles to women in urban and peri-urban, smallholder farming, large-scale agricultural investment and pastoral settings.
• Conducting research and analysis on women’s land rights issues to identify gaps and challenges that impede Women Land Right (WLR) implementation,
• Organize public education and awareness campaigns and dialog to challenge harmful social norms and stereotypes that perpetuate gender inequality in land ownership and Provide legal education through radio talk shows in partnership with corporates and partners.
• Plan, coordinates and holds high-level workshops with relevant key stakeholders to validate findings on bottlenecks of Women Land right on which areas that require improvement.
• Providing legal support and representation for women facing land rights violations.
• Work with collaboratively with the project manager to draft position papers for advocacy and share them out with key stakeholders for feedback and come up with final papers and launch the paper in a roundtable meeting in a wider network through identified communication channels.
• Work with Habitat for Humanity International working group and formulate Policy Briefs and share with decision makers.
• Monitor the progress of the advocacy efforts through follow ups.
• Work collaboratively with the S4HL project manager to prepare training materials on land laws, legal frame works, land titling and transfers rights and procedures, for targeted groups. Undertake civic education (land legal rights, title acquisition processes etc.) to women.
• Arrange and facilitate cross-learning visits between targeted countries of Stand for Her Land campaign countries on digitalization and women land right issues.
• Collaborating with international organizations and donors to secure funding and resources for women’s land rights initiatives.
• Reporting advocacy works regarding the project and support effective advocacy process documentation and technical monthly/quarterly and annual reporting.
• Safeguarding-, support development, dissemination and embedding of safeguarding strategy, language, procedures in all advocacies works regarding the project

Duration of the contract: 2 years

Job Requirements

Education: University degree in Law, Political Science, International Relations, or Public Administration,

Experience:

• Five years years’ experience in related work of advocacy
• Training in advocacy and/or behavior change communications will be a strong asset.
• Knowledge and skills and abilities required.
• Ability to work independently, suggest practical solutions and follow-up effectively on the management decisions.
• Good planning skills, proactivity, creativity, and ability to meet the established deadlines.
• Ability to conceptualize, design and implement major advocacy campaigns.
• Communication, presentation, networking, and advocacy skills.