Advocacy Coordinator
Full-time
November 2026
Position type: Full-time (employment or service contract, depending on location)
Application deadline: 30. November 2026
Location: flexible.
Start date: TBD (as soon as possible)
Reports to: Director of Programs & Advocacy (line manager)
Remuneration: dependent on experience.
Manages: Advocacy Assistant(s)/interns/consultants as relevant (scope varies by year/projects)
Key internal coordination with: Program/Project Leads (EU SEE, FiCS, CADE, etc.), Membership Management, Capacity Strengthening, Communications/Campaigns, MEAL/Org Effectiveness, Event Support, Fundraising, Finance/Admin.
1. Background
Forus is a global network bringing together 76 National NGO Platforms and 8 Regional Coalitions across the world, collectively representing more than 24,000 civil society organisations. Rooted in national and regional realities and connected across borders, our network works to strengthen civil society's collective voice, resilience and influence in building more inclusive, just and sustainable societies.
Guided by our three strategic pillars — Connect, Support and Influence — and underpinned by a commitment to network health, Forus brings members together to share knowledge, strengthen capacities, build solidarity and drive collective action. As a member-led network, our role is not to speak for our members, but to support their leadership, amplify their voices and create opportunities for them to shape the decisions that affect their communities and societies.
Our 2026–2030 Strategy, Civil Society Resilience, Solidarity, and Power, sets out an ambitious agenda for the years ahead. At a time of shrinking civic space, growing inequalities, declining development financing and increasing pressure on multilateral cooperation, we are committed to defending civil society's role while helping reimagine more just, inclusive and accountable systems. Our advocacy priorities include protecting and expanding the enabling environment for civil society; advancing sustainable development and shaping the post-2030 agenda; strengthening civil society participation in global governance; promoting just and accountable development financing; and advancing inclusive, rights-based digital transformation.
At the heart of this ambition is a commitment to more strategic, innovative and member-led advocacy — connecting national and regional realities with global opportunities, building alliances for collective influence, and continuously questioning and adapting our approaches to achieve meaningful change.
We invite candidates to explore our Forus Strategy 2026–2030 to learn more about our vision, priorities and the collective ambition guiding our work.
To help bring this ambition to life, Forus is seeking an Advocacy Coordinator to lead the planning, coordination and implementation of our advocacy strategy, under the supervision of the Director of Programs and in close collaboration with members, Secretariat teams and partners.
2. Purpose of the role
The Advocacy Coordinator leads the planning, coordination and implementation of Forus' advocacy strategy under the Influence pillar. Working closely with members, Secretariat teams and partners, the Coordinator helps translate national and regional priorities into collective influencing strategies, connects members with opportunities to shape global policy processes, and supports member-led advocacy across the network. The role combines strategic political analysis, coalition-building, facilitation and effective delivery, while encouraging critical reflection, learning and adaptation to maximise Forus' collective influence.
The role strengthens Forus’ capacity to:
• Convene member-led advocacy spaces and facilitate joint analysis, positioning and coordinated action;
• Build strategic partnerships and coalitions for influence;
• Deliver high-quality advocacy outputs and support member engagement in key policy spaces;
• Connect evidence (research/MEAL/alerts) to messaging, advocacy moments, and outcomes.
3. Key responsibilities
A) Advocacy strategy, policy positions, and influencing
• Lead the operationalisation and periodic refinement of Forus’ advocacy strategy and annual advocacy workplan, in coordination with members, governance and Secretariat team.
• Design and implement targeted advocacy campaigns and influencing strategies, using political and power mapping, stakeholder analysis, clear policy objectives and strategic opportunities to identify pathways to change.
• Produce or coordinate the production of policy insights, recommendations, submissions, statements, briefs, and position papers—ensuring strong quality, clarity, and alignment with agreed priorities.
• Coordinate strategic engagement in priority policy processes, including SDG implementation and the post-2030 agenda, UN and OECD-DAC processes, donor & partner engagement, and other relevant global and regional arenas; support member leadership, policy briefings, joint messages and follow-up.
• Champion inclusive and intersectional approaches to influencing, ensuring feminist, youth-led and community-driven perspectives are reflected in advocacy priorities, coalitions and messages.
• Ensure advocacy positions and public outputs follow agreed internal sign-off and governance processes, particularly on politically sensitive issues, in coordination with the Director of Programs & Advocacy and the Forus Director.
• Support coordinated, member-informed solidarity and influencing responses to threats against civic space, drawing on early warning, research and partner intelligence in collaboration with relevant programme leads.
B) Member-led working groups and network facilitation
• Facilitate multilingual advocacy labs, peer exchanges and other collective learning spaces where members can share advocacy experiences, critically assess what works and what does not, and co-develop innovative influencing strategies and approaches.
• Convene and facilitate member-led advocacy coordination spaces, including thematic sessions and time-bound working groups, to exchange political intelligence, define shared priorities, develop joint positions and plan collective action.
• Maintain a strong overview of members’ contexts, constraints, and priorities so that Forus advocacy remains grounded in member realities and contributes to cohesion.
• Support members to connect national and regional advocacy with global policy opportunities, including through accessible briefings, practical advocacy tools and preparation for strategic consultations, meetings and campaigns.
• Work with the Capacity Strengthening team and members to co-design advocacy learning opportunities, tools and peer support that strengthen members’ influencing capacities in their own contexts.
C) Partnerships, coalition-building, and external engagement
• Identify and cultivate strategic partnerships (CSO coalitions, networks, think tanks, institutions, donors and other stakeholders) that advance Forus advocacy priorities and create concrete opportunities for members.
• Represent Forus where strategically appropriate and broker meaningful member participation and leadership in coalitions and policy processes, with clear influencing objectives, coordinated messages and follow-up.
• Coordinate broader partnership engagement with the Director of Programs & Advocacy, ensuring strategic coherence and identifying political opportunities and risks early.
D) Evidence, analysis, and strategic foresight
• Work with members, partners and internal teams (EU SEE, research, MEAL) to gather data, intelligence, and insights, and translate them into advocacy narratives and influence strategies.
• Lead regular political analysis, power mapping and strategic foresight with members and colleagues; critically assess the effectiveness of existing influencing approaches and adapt priorities and tactics as contexts change.
• Work with MEAL and programme teams to connect member evidence and research to clear advocacy asks, strategic action, monitoring of outcomes and shared learning.
E) Strategic communications for influence
• Provide regular advocacy updates to the network (e.g., newsletter inputs, briefings, member updates).
• Work closely with Communications/Campaigns team to support strategic messaging and the creation of communications materials (articles, op-eds, podcasts, videos, social media packs, etc.), including coordinated media engagement when relevant.
• Ensure consistent external messaging across advocacy outputs (core narrative, key asks, spokesperson alignment).
F) Cross-team coordination and delivery
• Work closely with thematic and project leads to identify advocacy opportunities, strengthen coherence across Forus' priorities, and connect programme-level evidence and initiatives to broader network-wide influencing strategies, while respecting the respective roles and responsibilities of programme teams.
• Maintain a realistic advocacy workplan with agreed priorities, responsibilities, deadlines and dependencies, aligned with portfolio planning led by the Director of Programs & Advocacy.
• Coordinate across project teams, Communications, Membership, Capacity Strengthening, MEAL and Event Support to ensure coherent planning, timely delivery and effective follow-up.
• Liaise with experts/consultants engaged on advocacy-relevant work.
G) Support to the Director, governance, and key organisational moments
• Support the Director of Programs & Advocacy, the Forus Director, governance representatives and other spokespersons in meetings and events through strategic briefings, talking points, background notes and policy guidance.
• Provide updates and facilitate advocacy-related discussions within governance meetings when requested.
• Contribute to the advocacy content of key Forus moments (Council meetings, General Assemblies, seminars and major convenings), in close coordination with the Director of Programs & Advocacy and Event Support.
Other responsibilities
• Report regularly on progress, challenges, and corrective actions across advocacy priorities.
• Support fundraising and resource mobilisation efforts (technical inputs, advocacy framing, opportunity identification and proposal contributions) with the Partnerships & donor relations Manager and Director of Programs & Advocacy.
• Participate and support the organisation of Forus main events, such as seminars, Council meetings, General Assemblies etc.
• Complete required administrative tasks and contribute to knowledge management and organisational learning efforts.
• Contribute actively to strong internal processes and team-wide engagement.
• Any other tasks within the scope of the role as directed and agreed.
4. Required qualifications and skills.
Education & Minimum professional experience required:
• Master’s degree in a relevant field (international relations, political science, development studies, public policy or related) or equivalent professional experience.
• Significant experience in advocacy and policy influencing, including engagement in international and/or regional policy processes (typically 8–12 years).
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing influencing strategies, coordinating multi-stakeholder processes and engaging effectively with policymakers and civil society coalitions.
• Proven experience coordinating complex advocacy initiatives or portfolios, including planning, delivery, quality assurance, partner coordination and reporting.
Skills and knowledge:
• Strong strategic judgment and ability to translate strategy into operational plans and reliable delivery.
• Excellent writing and editing skills, including policy briefs, advocacy submissions, strategic analysis, position papers and public statements.
• Strong facilitation and coalition-building skills; ability to convene and support member-led processes.
• Strong collaborative leadership, coordination and mentoring skills, including the ability to guide colleagues and external contributors without relying solely on formal authority.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; strong cross-cultural competence.
• Full professional proficiency in English; proficiency in French and/or Spanish highly desirable, with proficiency in both a strong advantage.
• Strong ability to manage multiple priorities, work under pressure, and operate with agility in shifting contexts.
• Strong understanding of civil society, civic space and enabling environment challenges, as well as global governance and sustainable development processes; familiarity with SDG/post-2030 and development financing debates is an advantage.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and remote collaboration tools; comfort with delivery systems and workflows.
Personal qualities/interpersonal skills:
• Proactive, strategic thinker with a collaborative and team-oriented work style.
• High emotional intelligence and cultural sensitivity.
• Intellectual curiosity, openness to questioning established approaches, and a commitment to reflection, learning and adaptation.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly.
5. Conditions
• Starting date: TBD
• Contract type: Full time employment or service contract.
• Location: flexible.
• Salary/compensation: dependent on experience.
6. Application procedure
The application must be in English and include a motivation letter, CV and 3 references.
Please send attachments in PDF and include the position (“Advocacy Coordinator”) and your name in the subject of the email.
The position will be open until filled, and interviews will take place on a rolling basis. Only candidates who are shortlisted for interviews will be contacted.
Forus is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to make positions accessible to all regardless of nationality, ethnicity, race, age, disability, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation or identity, religion, marital or parental status, etc.