Environmental Peacebuilding Association

United Kingdom/Netherlands: Policy Advisor, Climate

Jan 19, 2024 | Mercy Corps
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Mercy Corps’ mission is to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. In more than 40 countries around the world, over 5,400 team members work side by side with people living through poverty, disaster, violent conflict, and the acute impacts of climate change. Mercy Corps supports communities and those most vulnerable within them to cope, adapt and thrive in the face of these challenges, with a priority focus on improving food security, water security, economic opportunity and governance and peace.

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, Mercy Corps knows its teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. Mercy Corps welcomes diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that it can be stronger and have long term impact.

The Program / Department / Team

The Mercy Corps Global Policy and Advocacy (GPA) team works to support Mercy Corps’ mission by advocating for better policies and practices of bi-lateral donors, multilateral institutions, national governments and other powerholders to enable Mercy Corps’ programs in fragile and conflict-affected countries to achieve greater impact. The GPA team includes a US-based team focused on the US government, a European team focused on European governments and other Europe based institutions, and team members based in regions/countries of operation.

The European Policy and Advocacy team focuses on influencing key decision makers in the UK, Brussels, Netherlands and other European governments and institutions to change, influence and improve relevant policies, practices and decisions affecting vulnerable communities affected by conflict and climate change.

The European Policy and Advocacy team also manages a climate resilience advocacy grant (‘ZFRA’) which funds both country programs and three climate resilience advocates based in Europe - who would work in partnership with the Policy Advisor.

The Position

The Policy Advisor will influence the policies of governments and institutions in the UK and Europe related to climate policy, with a particular focus on supporting adaptation and loss and damage in fragile and conflict affected places and water security. The Policy Advisor will work closely with and support the Senior Climate Policy & Advocacy Advisor in Washington DC, the ZFRA team, and key Mercy Corps technical, research, programming and media and communications teams working on climate adaptation and resilience (the ‘Climate Matrix Team’). The Policy Advisor will be responsible for designing and delivering a climate influence strategy in Europe in partnership with the ZFRA team that complements Mercy Corps’ global climate policy agenda. Specifically, this will include:

Private and public facing advocacy to ensure: delivery on climate finance commitments and policy change to ensure that finance is reaching those in fragile and conflict affected states and investment in effective policy and practice interventions that effectively build resilience and adaptation of those facing the heaviest burden of climate change.
Raising Mercy Corps’ profile and policy positions including through: representation at external events, panels; developing written policy documents for external dissemination; supporting Mercy Corps’ grassroots advocacy efforts; and liaising with and traveling to Mercy Corps field and HQ teams.
Working with the Senior Policy Advisor, Research and Technical teams to shape and disseminate Mercy Corps research, evidence and technical expertise.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND PLANNING

Works with and supports the Senior Policy Advisor (US), the ZFRA team and the Climate Matrix team to develop Mercy Corps overall strategy on influencing policy and practice regarding climate change and water security issues.
Leads strategy development for the European influencing and profile on climate change and water security in tandem with the ZFRA team.
Supports country- and region-focused advocacy efforts, primarily focused on increasing community resilience to climate change’s impacts, and increasing water security.

EXECUTION

Develops and manages the climate, water, and other advocacy portfolios by:

Implementing policy-focused advocacy and outreach strategies, in cooperation with Mercy Corps colleagues and partner agencies.
Drafting policy documents in support of policy and advocacy goals:
In cooperation with the Media Relations and Digital teams, support written products as appropriate for use with various audiences, including policymakers and the general public.
Draft policy briefs, op-eds and case stories.
Draft internal information and messaging for Mercy Corps staff.
Track relevant funding, legislation and policies of key institutions.

Leads advocacy efforts through collaborative work within the NGO sector and among other NGO, governmental, and private partners. May also be called on to help lead internal Mercy Corps policy coordination through the climate matrix team.
Engages substantively with Mercy Corps’ climate matrix team, working across multiple internal teams to develop global policy priorities for the portfolio.
Publishes and speaks publicly, when appropriate, to advance thought leadership on climate adaptation, loss and damage and water policy issues and to elevate the importance of Mercy Corps’ relevant programming and research.
Researches and analyzes selected issues through a variety of means, including field visits.

INFLUENCE AND REPRESENTATION

Represents Mercy Corps with key institutions in Europe, significant global policy forums and public forums, think/policy tank panel discussions and briefings, and relevant international and multilateral institutional events.
Builds and maintains strong relationships with senior level officials in the UK, Brussels and other European capitals.
Contributes to or leads on written pieces including policy pieces, thought leadership and other external facing communications.
Supports Mercy Corps senior leadership’s engagement on climate issues at high level events, through media engagement, and other fora, including through drafting remarks, developing policy positions, and providing staffing assistance.

OTHER

Supervisory Responsibility: None, except for occasional interns.
Accountability: Reports Directly To: Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy (Europe)
Works Directly With: Senior Policy Advisor, Climate and Water Security (DC), ZFRA Team, Climate Matrix Team, Global Policy and Advocacy Team, Regional and Country Teams; and Technical Support Unit.
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to its program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. Mercy Corps is committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of itsfield projects.

Minimum Qualifications & Transferable Skills

Bachelors degree in international relations, development, public policy, law or related fields of study.
5 years of relevant professional experience working on climate change, water security, and/or development policy issues.
Professional experience in humanitarian, development, and national security sectors.
Strong political and strategic skills, with a demonstrated ability to advance policy priorities individually and through coalition work.
Proven ability in researching, analyzing, and reporting on policy issues.
Strong analytical skills and the ability to effectively gather and utilize large amounts of information from various sources towards clear policy goals.
Excellent verbal and written communications skills.
Demonstrated sensitivity, skill and experience in working diplomatically and effectively within different cultural settings and in public relations and correspondence with a wide variety of public constituents.

Preferred Qualification

Graduate degree in international relations, development, public policy, law or related fields of study.
Experience working in policy and or advocacy to European institutions.
Experience with international relief and development fieldwork, and familiarity with emerging development and humanitarian issues.
Proficiency in one or more foreign languages, particularly French, Spanish or Arabic.

Success Factors:

Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with colleagues, peer groups, officials and relevant stakeholders. Motivation to seek out and establish new relationships. Motivation to find new solutions to pernicious policy problems. A clear understanding of Mercy Corps’ mission and collaborative style of operation. Ability to work simultaneously on multiple tasks in a fast paced, sometimes stressful environment and meet deadlines under those conditions. Ability to work as part of a team and coordinate with both HQ and global personnel. Computer literate with strong organizational skills. Ability to operate with a significant degree of autonomy within agreed upon parameters. Flexibility, commitment to transformative change, and sense of humor.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions:

This position is based in London, UK, or Brussels with the expectation of travel up to 10-15% of his/her time to field locations that may include insecure or harsh environments.

Ongoing Learning:

In support of its belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities Mercy Corps serves, it empowers all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

Achieving its mission begins with how Mercy Corps build its team and work together. Through its commitment to enriching its organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, Mercy Corps is better able to leverage the collective power of its teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. Mercy Corps strives for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives. Mercy Corps recognizes that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and Mercy Corps is committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than it is today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. Mercy Corps actively seeks out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that it can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

Mercy Corps is committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. Mercy Corps does not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where it works.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals it comes into contact with through its work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. Mercy Corps is committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. Mercy Corps will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of its team members. As part of its commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

As a safeguarding measure, Mercy Corps screens all potential US-Based employees. This is done following the conclusion of recruitment and prior to assuming full employment.

Its screening process is designed to be transparent and completed in partnership with new Team Members. Applicants will have the opportunity to disclose any prior convictions at the conclusion of the recruitment process before the check is initiated. Mercy Corps asks that applicants do not disclose any prior convictions in their application materials or during the recruitment process.