Policy Assistant

Duties and Responsibilities

• Policy outreach and dissemination: Assist with drafting and storing/filing presentations on IPA- Kenya’s work, disseminating research findings to policymakers and the media, and encouraging the scale-up of evidence-based policies; Support in organizing and running policy dissemination events at Country Office- and project-level.; Timely drafting and dissemination of approved materials (e.g., scientific literature, policy briefs, county updates) to relevant stakeholders.
• Engagement and advocacy: In coordination with the Policy team members, organize meetings and build relationships with key partners, record meeting minutes and ensure that follow-up activities are carried out according to established timeline. Work with the Policy Associate and the project management teams to perform project-level stakeholders’ mappings and build project and Country Office policy development plans.
• Stakeholder mapping: In collaboration with policy management, conduct a stakeholder mapping exercise for policy and research partners, identify key bodies (government, donors, NGOs, and private sector) at the national or local level as appropriate, and work with management to create an engagement plan.
• Information management: Regularly update and maintain the IPA internal database of stakeholders’ contacts. Ensure that all policy-relevant activities and meeting minutes are timely and correctly logged into the internal information management system.
• Communication: Support the production of internal and external communication materials, help coordinate the publication of Mukhtasari, the monthly IPA-Kenya newsletter, work with the global communications team to feature key country office events in the quarterly newsletters, IPA website and social sites. Work with the policy team to device creative ways to sensitize and capture positive attention to IPA-K’s public events.
• Linkage of Policy and Projects: Scan IPA’s project development platforms to flag out any starting/ongoing projects with high policy impact and communicate the same to the senior Policy Associate for further engagements. Liaise with project development/start-up to identify any important policy windows of interest. Coordinate with projects to obtain project approvals at County and/or national levels.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Education: bachelor’s degree in economics, public policy, communication, or related fields from a recognized university. Strong interest in domestic policy as demonstrated by coursework and/or professional experience is strongly preferred. Interest in international development issues is required to better understand the work of other IPA centers worldwide.
• Experience: At least 2-3 years of relevant experience working in a research or policy organization.
• The ideal candidate for this position will be very knowledgeable about domestic public policy issues in Kenya. Any prior experience working with players in the various Kenyan policy and communications spaces is an added advantage.
• Communication: Attention to detail and advanced writing, verbal, and presentation skills for communicating policy lessons from academic papers in ways that policymakers understand.
• This requires clear, precise, non-technical writing, and confident, effective public speaking skills.
• Time Management: Excellent organizational skills. Proven ability to multi-task and successfully complete projects on tight deadlines with little supervision. A willingness to work hard, be self-motivated and learn will be essential for doing well in this position.
• Other: Willingness to travel within Kenya.