Do you believe in the power of learning and evidence to improve outcomes for some of the world’s most vulnerable young children and caregivers?
If the answer to this question is yes, this is the role for you!
The Moving Minds Alliance (MMA) is an advocacy impact network focused on Early Childhood Development in Emergencies (ECDiE). It comprises a (growing) network of 38 organizations working together to increase the quantity and quality of funding, policy prioritization, and leadership needed to effectively support young children and caregivers affected by crisis and displacement. MMA’s goal is for all children and caregivers to have access to the power and resources necessary to meet their self-determined needs in an environment of dignity, equity and care, especially in situations of national and international displacement.
MMA does not provide funding for implementation of early childhood programs. As a network, its activities are led by members collaborating in working groups responsible for operationalizing specific areas of work, with support from the Core Team and some external consultants. Operational costs and activities are financed by a sub-group of philanthropic foundations, which are part of the overall MMA membership, through a combination of annual member fees and additional donations and grants. A Steering Committee provides overall strategic direction. MMA is hosted by the International Rescue Committee (IRC-UK).
Our Vision: Rebuilding resilience of the youngest refugees
Forced displacement worldwide is at a record high. Young children and caregivers are disproportionately represented among those fleeing from emergencies and crisis-affected contexts. More than 43 million children have been displaced by conflict. One in four children around the world lives in contexts affected by conflict or disaster. Most children born in displacement will go on to spend their entire childhoods away from home.
Children’s experiences during their formative early years shape the architecture of the brain. This creates the foundation for future development, learning and physical and mental health. Prolonged exposure to violence and toxic stress can have life-long negative effects on children’s development. It can lead to higher levels of depression, anxiety, and in some cases post-traumatic stress disorder. Evidence indicates that quality ECDiE services that support parents, caregivers, and families to provide nurturing care during crisis can mitigate the negative effects of trauma and stress on young children and promote resilience and well-being for a lifetime.
Whilst the international community has made significant efforts to ensure children have access to basic healthcare and nutrition, more must be done to ensure that caregivers and young children can access quality ECDiE services. These services are severely lacking in crisis situations across the globe, as well as in communities hosting refugees and asylum-seekers.
The Purpose of the Role
The Knowledge Management and Learning Lead is a critical new appointment. The post-holder will support MMA’s ambition to become the thought leader and ‘go-to’ agency for the latest global, regional and local thinking, evidence and advocacy content on ECDiE. They will strengthen MMA’s capacity for disseminating learning and evidence for impactful advocacy, promoting uptake of evidence that emerges from research, linking researchers with policy makers and practitioners who can use it, including the development of learning products and policy statements.
The post-holder will understand that high quality research, information and learning exchange is the lifeblood of an effective network. They will support MMA to systematically strengthen learning and knowledge exchange. They will ensure that the views and perspectives of affected children, caregivers and communities are centred. They will support the Research Forum on Young Children in Emergencies, which generates research that can be used to influence policymakers and practitioners to provide more effective support to enable young, displaced children and their families to thrive.
Responsibilities:
1. Develop and implement MMA’s MERLA framework and Strategy with the support of technical experts from across the MMA network:
a. Define MMA’s learning agenda and gather data and evidence on its core research questions.
b. Collect, curate and aggregate learning across MMA member initiatives and generate evidence on the outcomes / impact of MMA activities.
c. Harvest, distil and (internally and externally) disseminate evidence and learning on ECDiE from its members.
d. Create platforms and processes to support and enhance internal learning, knowledge sharing, and alignment across the MMA membership and Working Groups.
e. Develop mechanisms to support the MMA’s ongoing performance improvement. This includes ensuring that appropriate digital platforms are in place for data collection and working with the MMA Director to make sure that our learning approach is supported through effective use of data.
f. Work with the Communications Manager to curate, build and share our digital library of resources, information and knowledge across the Alliance membership.
g. Identify, engage and support local partners to harvest emergent evidence from community-based innovations in ECDiE. Present this evidence in case studies and other learning products which can be used to increase the effectiveness of advocacy.
h. Increase outreach to and collaboration with regional and global organizations working on issues related to young children in emergencies through participation in events and meetings.
2. Oversee the annual production of key learning products. This will include reports which summarise the extent to which national humanitarian and climate response plans identify and prioritise young children and caregivers.
3. Provide day to day co-ordination and support to the Moving Minds Alliance Research Forum. This will include:
a. Organizing and producing webinars, to shed light on ongoing research efforts taking place worldwide, specifically focused on young children and families in emergency contexts.
b. Creating monthly research roundups to compile the most recent, relevant, and impactful research findings in ECDiE.
c. Promoting the “Meet the Fellows” series on the MMA’s social media platforms (LinkedIn & Twitter), in collaboration with the Communications Manager.
d. Expanding participation by members and Research Fellows at conferences and events.
As part of a small team, the post-holder will also share the MMA team’s collective responsibility to deliver an effective and impactful secretariat function.
Key Working Relationships
The Knowledge Management & Learning Lead will work independently, reporting to the MMA Director. They will be a senior member of the core team and will be expected to support day-to-day activities. The post-holder will work collaboratively with MMA member representatives. They will work alongside MMA working groups and committees, such as the Steering and Strategy Committees
They will work closely with the Arab Resource Collective (ARC – the host organization of ANECD) in Lebanon and BRAC IED in Bangladesh, two of MMA’s key members which will be actively involved in the management of The Research Forum.
The role will involve coordinating with monitoring and evaluation and/or programmatic staff from the different organisations across the membership and with our partners.
They will identify, engage, and work with local partners directly involved in implementing ECDiE in diverse contexts and settings.
They will collaborate with IRC team members where required. From time to time, they may oversee consultants.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential
Skills, Knowledge and Experience.
You will bring a track record of:
· Curating and disseminating research and learning to influence policymakers and practitioners.
· Using research and learning to strengthen network members’ engagement and enhance collective impact.
· Developing and implementing relevant and proportionate monitoring, evaluation, research, learning and accountability frameworks.
· Using innovative and creative approaches (jncluding participatory, qualitative research methodologies and data collection tools) to support local ‘non-research specialist’ partners to generate research and learning across a variety of diverse, typically low resource settings.
· Developing strategies to strengthen advocacy to diverse national, regional and global decision makers using research and learning generated by local partners.
· Practical application of research ethics and safeguarding.
· Working in a network with proven ability to build effective relationships and matrix-manage across geographically dispersed teams and organisations.
· Recruiting and managing technical experts, ensuring their products are useful and incorporated into ongoing work.
Values & attributes
Passionate about and committed to:
● Using research, evidence and learning to contribute to sustainable change for children in crisis.
● Commitment to the decolonization of knowledge and learning
● Principles of equity, transparency and inclusion.
● Ensuring systems, approaches and relationships are free from any form of racism, bias, discrimination, or exclusion.
Is excited to:
● Bring a creative, entrepreneurial, and dynamic approach
● Work independently with light touch supervision.
· Use knowledge and learning to strengthen the quality of network collaboration, convening and relationships.
· Able to work in a dynamic, dispersed and adaptive team, comfortable with complex challenges.
MMA’s Core Team and pooled fund is held by the International Rescue Committee. As such, staff are employed on IRC contracts.
Candidates must have the right to work in the UK. The deadline is for 17th of April 2024. The salary for this role is £55,000 per annum.
IRC-UK is committed to equality of opportunity and non discrimination for all applicants and employees. IRC-UK seeks to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce regardless of gender, race, religious belief, nationality, ethnic/national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability. IRC-UK welcomes applications from all candidates, including underrepresented groups and refugees who have the right to work in the UK.
IRC UK will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable adjustments to participate in the job application and/or interview process, and for essential job functions if appointed to a role. Please contact us if you may need such adjustments
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
ABOUT THE EUROPEAN LEGAL SUPPORT CENTRE
ELSC is an initiative of the Palestinian NGO Network, comprising 200 Palestinian civil society organisations, developed in response to the widespread repression in Europe of advocacy for Palestinian rights. Founded in January 2019, we provide free legal advice and assistance to individuals who face unjust smears, disciplinary investigations, criminal sanctions and other repressive measures aimed at shrinking the space for Palestinian rights advocacy in mainland Europe and Britain. Some of our public legal wins in Britain of the past four years can be read here: https://elsc.support/our-work-in-the-uk.
We are “movement lawyers”. In every case we take on, we are accountable not only to the individual client but also to our civil society partners in Britain; and we work hand in hand with local stakeholders in the movement, from trade unions to civil liberties groups. We aim to defend and empower the movement to organise for justice without fear of repression.
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Associate Solicitor will lead our legal team in Britain and oversee our cases in England and Wales.
The role requires a qualified solicitor with experience of running litigious cases. Our main practice areas in Britain are: (i) public law and human rights; (ii) employment and discrimination and (iii) defamation law. The post-holder will have particular expertise in one of these areas. Our cases also involve data rights, freedom of information, criminal law, actions against the police, charity law, education law, international humanitarian law, and immigration issues.
The post holder will manage a growing team that consists of a Legal Officer and a Junior Legal Officer. In addition, our country teams have advocacy and communication officers and researchers who monitor anti-Palestinian racism.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Duties and Responsibilities
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Oversee all litigious and advisory casework in Britain alongside our junior legal staff and legal network. Provide expert legal advice and representation, to individual clients and movement partners.
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Manage our legal officers, providing training and feedback to them as appropriate. Collaborate closely with our legal network of solicitors and counsel with the goal of strengthening the wider movement.
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Develop and advance new legal strategies for challenging state and non-state repression of advocacy for Palestine in consultation with our legal network, national partners and experts.
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Support the development of effective advocacy campaigns to increase the impact of litigation outside the courtroom.
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Support ELSC’s outreach and public engagement initiatives.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Required experience, knowledge and skills
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3 years + post-qualified experience (PQE) and admitted to practise as a solicitor in England and Wales.
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Experience leading on a variety of contentious and non-contentious matters, particularly in public, employment and/or defamation law.
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Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to provide clear and concise legal advice on complex issues in a comprehensible and appropriate format.
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An ability to engage with the law critically and develop strategies that serve broader political objectives. Track record of collaborating well with other lawyers, academics and civil society organisations.
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Excellent client care skills, particularly in relation to vulnerable or marginalised clients.
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Experience in a role which requires coordination of multiple projects and/or workstreams concurrently, and the ability to manage relationship with partner organisations, coalitions and counsel.
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High level of English-language proficiency.
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Commitment to the Palestinian liberation and solidarity movement.
Desirable experience, skills and knowledge
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Dual-qualified in Scotland and/or Northern Ireland.
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Ideal candidate will already have LAA Supervisor status or meet the requirements to do so
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Experience working with campaigning and advocacy organisations.
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Experience with management and organisational development.
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Understanding of and experience working with a variety of local, national, and international jurisdictions, including those governed by common law or civil law.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
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Demonstrate a commitment and sensitivity to the ELSC aims and objectives
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Commitment to anti-racism, anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities.
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Willingness to travel and work occasional unsocial hours as required.
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Abide by all organisational policies, codes of conduct and practices and legal requirements.
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Treat with confidentiality any personal, private, or sensitive information about individual organisations, clients, donors and supporters, staff, and projects.
We welcome and encourage applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, LGBT or relationship status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex, or social class. We particularly welcome applications from Palestinians and those who identify as part of the Palestinian diaspora.
ELSC recognises that applicants from marginalised communities are less likely to apply for jobs if they do not fulfil every single qualification. We encourage you to consider applying even if you do not meet every attribute listed. Our priority is to find the right candidate for the position.