Title – Communications & Advocacy Officer

Start date – 1st March 2025

Term – Full time - 5 days a week (8 hrs per day) one-year contract with possible renewal (subject to performance)

Remuneration - Commensurate to experience

Location - Colombo, Sri Lanka (hybrid)

Deadline - Friday, 24 January 2025.

The Role

The Communications & Advocacy Officer will lead the development and implementation of iProbono Sri Lanka’s advocacy, communication strategies, and campaigns and support our legal work. They will work to advance the organisation's mission and goals by promoting social justice and influencing policy and legal change at the local, national, and international levels. They will report to the Program Manager - Sri Lanka, working closely with the Equality Law Director, Senior Communications and Advocacy Manager, Communications Lead, and other Sri Lanka and global staff.

They will have a strong commitment to social justice, access to justice, and human rights values, a high level of personal and professional integrity and trustworthiness.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement effective advocacy strategies and campaigns in collaboration with other Sri Lanka and global staff and partners, ensuring alignment with the organisation's mission and goals.
• Identify advocacy opportunities and engage in advocacy for iProbono Sri Lanka at local, national and international levels.
• Stay up to date on relevant policy and political developments at the local, national, and international levels, and provide strategic guidance on advocacy efforts.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including policymakers, elected officials, community leaders, and other advocacy organisations.
• Represent the organisation in policy forums, events, and media engagements.
• Arrange and oversee events' communications aspects with the program team, including outreach, live updates and documentation.
• Develop and oversee the implementation of targeted communications and messaging strategies to support advocacy efforts.
• Work closely with the country and global teams to develop evidence-based policy recommendations and advocacy materials.
• Develop articles, fact sheets, toolkits, brochures, research publications, and social media content to be disseminated on behalf of iProbono across various platforms.
• Creating and maintaining editorial calendars in collaboration with the communications team to ensure a consistent flow of content across various channels.
• Maintain positive media relations, secure press coverage of iProbono's work, and develop strategies for public engagement through events, workshops, and other activities.
• Supporting the global communications team with creating content, and monitoring the response in collaboration with the team to ensure audience engagement and effective messaging.
• Monitor and evaluate the impact of advocacy efforts and communications strategies, and make necessary adjustments to strategies in consultation with the Equality Law Director, Program Manager - Sri Lanka, Communications Lead and Senior Communications and Advocacy Manager.
• Ensure communications outputs comply with all relevant laws, regulations, and ethical standards.
• Support the composition and review of various materials including internal reports, letters, proposals and fundraising/grant applications.
• Contribute to the development of global impact evaluation strategies and reports by collaborating with iProbono’s Research and Impact Director.

Skills and Experience

• At least 2 to 4 years of professional work experience with advocacy and/or communications and a demonstrable track record of influencing political decision-making in Sri Lanka.
• Experience in developing policy advocacy strategies and successfully implementing them.
• Excellent communication skills in English and Sinhala/Tamil, both written and oral.
• Experience with relevant software such as Canva/Photoshop is preferred but not mandatory.
• Strong understanding of human rights, social justice issues, and the Sri Lankan political landscape.
• Confidence in interacting with policymakers across the political spectrum, as well as civil society and industry professionals in Sri Lanka.
• Ability to plan, prioritise and manage a dynamic workload with highs and lows of political activity, and capacity to work in a clear, open and structured manner.
• Highly organised, driven and result-oriented.
• Experience in working with grant applications and/or planning and reporting processes.

Application

Applicants will be selected through a competitive selection process and judged on their commitment to social justice, equally, compelling experience. Email us your CV and cover letter to global.recruitment@i-probono.com. Please use the following subject in your email: SL Communications and Advocacy Officer. The deadline for the applications is Friday, 24 January 2025.

About iProbono

iProbono is a global social justice organisation providing access to quality pro bono legal representation. Our mission is to enable people to access their rights in pursuit of a just society. We believe in holistic counsel, representing clients and providing wraparound legal support, capacity building, storytelling, research, and policy advocacy to support social change. By promoting active citizenship and engaging a holistic model, we:

• Advance justice for all by representing people in need
• Strengthen the impact of civil society
• Advocate for policies that promote social equity and end discrimination

In Sri Lanka, our work focuses on securing the rights of the LGBT+ community, women and children.

iProbono is committed to the safety and protection of children, young people, and vulnerable adults (especially those who identify as LGBT+) and this role may include contact with these groups. iProbono has zero tolerance for sexual and gender-based violence. Our recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to the safety and protection of children, young people, and vulnerable adults (especially those who identify as LGBT+) in our programs.