Senior Program Officer, Policy and Advocacy

Position description

The Senior Program Officer (SPO), Policy and Advocacy is a key member of the Policy Advocacy and Government Relations team in China and will have an important role in providing research and analysis as well as building partnerships in support of the China Country Office’s advocacy efforts to engage diverse partners and promote innovative partnership solutions to advance our program goals in China.

The primary objective of this position is to serve as the internal specialist on international development trends, aid flows, and funding mechanisms, specifically identifying intersections through analysis as well as partner and initiative mapping to advance program work in agricultural adaptation and climate finance with partners in China.

The SPO will work with foundation colleagues across the agricultural development, development policy and financing, strategy, and communications teams to analyze, plan and organize activities for potential investment opportunities and build external partnerships with relevant partners including government organizations, academic institutions, specialized advisory bodies, think tanks, and private sector partners.

This position will report to the Deputy Director for Policy and Advocacy in the China Country Office.

What You’ll Do

• Cultivate partnerships with relevant government, think tanks, and academic institutions to identify and build innovative financial, technical and/or policy collaborations to mobilize resources in support of foundation’s program advocacy objectives;
• Provide technical analysis on international development policy, aid models and mechanisms, bilateral and multilateral development initiatives/funds relevant to key advocacy issues including, but not limited to, deep dives into China’s interactions with global development mechanisms/instruments, structuring and functioning of aid funds/instruments in China, and others;
• Prepare and write briefs, synthesize current practices, and review existing literature of relevant topics in support of establishing advocacy pathways and identifying alliances through initiatives/activities mapping;
• Develop and manage a portfolio of grants and activities designed around effective delivery of critical development issues, particularly on sustainable agricultural development and food security in the face of climate change;
• Collaborate with grantees and other partners to increase the impact of projects and ensure grants are effectively implemented to achieve program advocacy goals. This may include site visits, providing operational guidance, and convening meetings of key partners to progress milestone-based deliverables;
• Represent the foundation in external meetings and conferences as needed.

Your Experience

• Bachelor or other advanced degrees in development, public policy, economics, international relations with minimum 7 years of experience;
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and implement exceptionally, translating research and ideas into grant proposals, advocacy, and action;
• Experience in government agencies, large multinational corporations, think tanks, or NGOs;
• Solid analytic and technical proficiency in global development policy, aid models and mechanisms, and bilateral/ multilateral development funds;
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of governmental and administrative processes and structures in China pertinent to international development research, funding, and policy making;
• Knowledge of and robust network around adaptation and climate resilient development policy in China, with a particular interest in global and regional bilateral and multilateral initiatives around agricultural transformation and climate finance.

Other Attributes

• Strong partner relationship building and management skills;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with demonstrated record of accomplishment in producing high quality policy analysis and briefs upon request;
• Rich experience and demonstrated success in coordinating and working with a diverse range of colleagues, consultants, and leaders in international organizations, government, academia, and industry to achieve targeted project outcomes;
• An excellent teammate with an open-minded, innovative, and resilient approach to all aspects of work;
• Fluency in Mandarin and English.

Application instructions

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