Terms of Reference

Posted: 2026-06-15 23:59:53  Deadline: June 30, 2026   14 Months Contract - Hybrid/ Online   Salary: Confidential

The Outreach, Advocacy, Liaison and Communications Officer leads communications, advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and knowledge management for The Youth Café's ALIGN – Advancing Local Innovations for Adolescent Health & Nutrition project, ensuring youth-led innovations and evidence are effectively communicated to policymakers, donors, partners, and communities across up to 12 African countries.

Position Details

Position Title: Outreach, Advocacy, Liaison and Communications Officer
Project: ALIGN – Advancing Local Innovations for Adolescent Health & Nutrition
Contract Type: Consultancy
Duration: 14 months
Eligibility: Kenya, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe (with occasional travel to target countries)
Mode of Engagement: Hybrid / Online
Reports To: Project Manager – ALIGN at The Youth Café
Collaborates With: Action Against Hunger (ACF USA), Emergency Nutrition Network (ENN), The Youth Café, CSOs, Youth-Led Organisations (YLOs), national stakeholders, and media partners

Key Responsibilities

Develop and implement the ALIGN Communications and Visibility Strategy aligned with donor branding and consortium communications guidelines.
Produce high-quality communications materials including press releases, newsletters, policy briefs, digital content, infographics, photo stories, and video testimonials.
Manage ALIGN social media platforms using youth-centred messaging to amplify adolescent voices and project achievements.
Develop and maintain a communications content calendar aligned with project milestones, donor reporting, and Community of Practice events.
Coordinate with Technical Experts to gather stories, photographs, quotes, and project data from participating countries for communications materials.
Archive communications outputs and maintain structured documentation for donor reporting and knowledge management.
Coordinate advocacy campaigns targeting national and global adolescent health and nutrition policy audiences.
Support the development, formatting, and dissemination of policy briefs, practice notes, research summaries, and advocacy materials.
Develop communications materials for awareness campaigns, sensitisation workshops, and community engagement activities.
Prepare presentations, talking points, and advocacy materials for participation in regional and global policy forums.
Monitor policy developments in adolescent health and nutrition and identify advocacy opportunities across project countries.
Serve as the communications liaison between consortium partners to ensure consistent messaging and coordinated external communications.
Coordinate communications for Community of Practice webinars, workshops, stakeholder engagements, and knowledge-sharing events.
Support CSOs and Youth-Led Organisations with communications templates, guidance, and capacity building for awareness campaigns.
Document project success stories, lessons learned, case studies, and best practices across all project components.
Manage dissemination of knowledge products through digital platforms, donor networks, media, conferences, and stakeholder forums.
Maintain a searchable knowledge repository for communications outputs, media coverage, policy engagement records, and stakeholder documentation.
Prepare quarterly communications and advocacy reports summarising outputs, reach, policy engagement, and lessons learned.

Qualifications and Experience

Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Development Studies, or a related field.
Minimum 3 years of experience in communications, advocacy, stakeholder engagement, or public relations within international development or global health programmes.
Demonstrated experience developing and implementing communications strategies for multi-country programmes.
Proven experience producing press releases, newsletters, policy brief summaries, social media content, case studies, and success stories.
Experience managing social media platforms and implementing digital advocacy campaigns.
Demonstrated ability to coordinate communications across multiple partners and stakeholders.
Experience supporting policy advocacy with government institutions, donors, and civil society organisations.
Applicants must be legally authorised to work in their country of residence. The Youth Café will not sponsor work permits.
Excellent written and spoken English with outstanding editing and proofreading skills.

Desirable Qualifications

Familiarity with Global Financing Facility (GFF), World Bank, or other multilateral donor communications and branding requirements.
Experience supporting Community of Practice or peer learning platform communications.
Knowledge of adolescent health, nutrition, RMNCAH+N, or youth advocacy programming in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Proficiency in French is highly advantageous.
Experience with multimedia production including photography, short-form video, graphic design, content management systems, email marketing platforms, or social media scheduling tools.

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit:

A cover letter of not more than one page outlining suitability for the role and confirming availability from 1 July 2026.
An updated CV of not more than four pages.
One writing sample consisting of one policy or advocacy brief and one communications piece (social media thread, newsletter, or press release) authored by the applicant.
Contact details for two professional referees (referees will not be contacted without prior notification).

Email applications to: human.resource@theyouthcafe.com
Cc: admin.compliance@theyouthcafe.com

Subject Line: Outreach, Advocacy, Liaison and Communications Officer – ALIGN Project

Deadline for submission: 30th June 2026

Official Job Description: https://www.theyouthcafe.com/open-opportunities/a-call-for-application-outreach-advocacy-liaison-and-communications-officer-align-advancing-local-innovations-for-adolescent-health-amp-nutrition

The Youth Café Open Opportunities: https://www.theyouthcafe.com/open-opportunities/