Background

The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network) is a regional feminist civil society organization committed to advancing women’s rights, social justice, and gender equality across the Greater Horn of Africa. For more information about SIHA, please refer the link https://sihanet.org/

Purpose of the Consultancy

SIHA is seeking a passionate, creative and dedicated individual to join our team as a Regional Communications and Advocacy Consultant. The Consultant will be responsible for leading, coordinating, and implementing SIHA’s regional advocacy and communications priorities, strengthening SIHA’s policy influence, visibility, and engagement with key regional and international stakeholders, in alignment with SIHA’s vision and mission. The assignment focuses on delivering high-quality communications and advocacy outputs, strategic messaging, policy engagement, and management of organizational visibility across its various social media platforms and website. The candidate will also be responsible for forging meaningful relationships for collaboration across regional and global media outlets and with journalists. In doing so, the successful candidate must carry out their functions, grounded in intersectionality, inclusivity, sensitivity and African feminist values, based on relevant field realities across the African continent.

Key Responsibilities

Advocacy Strategy & Policy Engagement

• Lead the refinement and implementation of SIHA’s regional advocacy and communication priorities aligned with the Strategic Action Plan.
• Provide technical guidance to country teams and partners on advocacy approaches and positioning.
• Monitor regional policy developments, geopolitical trends, and media narratives affecting women’s rights and civic space.

Communications & Visibility

• Produce high-quality print and digital advocacy and communications products, including policy briefs, position papers, newsletters, press statements, fact sheets, reports, and digital content.
• Ensure all messaging is creative, vibrant, evidence-based, politically informed, and aligned with SIHA’s feminist values and branding.
• Strengthen and contribute to SIHA’s regional and international media engagement and support digital advocacy campaigns.

Stakeholder Engagement & Representation

• Support strategic engagement with donors, diplomatic missions, government actors, civil society, and media by maintaining updated stakeholder and advocacy databases.
• Represent SIHA in regional advocacy spaces and prepare briefs, talking points, and responses to policy and media inquiries.

Internal Collaboration & Capacity Support

• Participate in management and strategic coordination spaces as required for the consultancy.
• Deliver advocacy and communications capacity-strengthening sessions for staff, members, and partners.
• Support alignment between programme, research, advocacy, and communications functions.
• Ensure SIHA grassroots SIHA membership access to information and resources and lead the design and the publishing of SIHA learning materials and reports.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, media and or Public Policy, Development Studies, International Relations, Gender Studies, or a related field (Master’s degree is an added advantage).
• The candidate should have a minimum of 5–7 years’ experience in regional advocacy, policy engagement, or strategic communications within civil society, women’s rights organizations, or INGOs.
• Proven experience in media engagement, digital advocacy, and strategic communications.
• Excellent writing and editing skills are critical for this role.
• Detail oriented and demonstrates the ability to work across cross-cultural environments.
• Ability to manage multiple deliverables, work under pressure, and adapt to dynamic political contexts.

• Lead the refinement and implementation of SIHA’s regional advocacy and communication priorities aligned with the Strategic Action Plan.
• Provide technical guidance to country teams and partners on advocacy approaches and positioning.
• Monitor regional policy developments, geopolitical trends, and media narratives affecting women’s rights and civic space.
• Produce high-quality print and digital advocacy and communications products, including policy briefs, position papers, newsletters, press statements, fact sheets, reports, and digital content.
• Ensure all messaging is creative, vibrant, evidence-based, politically informed, and aligned with SIHA’s feminist values and branding.
• Strengthen and contribute to SIHA’s regional and international media engagement and support digital advocacy campaigns.
• Support strategic engagement with donors, diplomatic missions, government actors, civil society, and media by maintaining updated stakeholder and advocacy databases.
• Represent SIHA in regional advocacy spaces and prepare briefs, talking points, and responses to policy and media inquiries.
• Participate in management and strategic coordination spaces as required for the consultancy.
• Deliver advocacy and communications capacity-strengthening sessions for staff, members, and partners.
• Support alignment between programme, research, advocacy, and communications functions.
• Ensure SIHA grassroots SIHA membership access to information and resources and lead the design and the publishing of SIHA learning materials and reports.

• Proven experience in media engagement, digital advocacy, and strategic communications.
• Excellent writing and editing skills are critical for this role.
• Detail oriented and demonstrates the ability to work across cross-cultural environments.
• Ability to manage multiple deliverables, work under pressure, and adapt to dynamic political contexts.

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, media and or Public Policy, Development Studies, International Relations, Gender Studies, or a related field (Master’s degree is an added advantage).
• The candidate should have a minimum of 5–7 years’ experience in regional advocacy, policy engagement, or strategic communications within civil society, women’s rights organizations, or INGOs.