EOL Regional Policy Advocacy Advisor for MENA

Job Description

Are you motivated by supporting civil society develop and drive their advocacy agendas to ensure free, quality and inclusive education for all? Do you have experience and relevant qualifications in one or more of the following fields: public policy development and analysis, advocacy and campaigning? Do you speak/write excellent English and Arabic? Then read on…

Recruitment background and setting

Education Out Loud (EOL – www.educationoutloud.org) supports civil society organisations in shaping education policy to ensure the right to free, inclusive education for all, especially for the most marginalized communities. We promote inclusive, gender responsive and equitable national education policies and systems through enhanced civil society capacities and participation in social accountability and policy advocacy processes.

Managed by Oxfam Denmark and financed by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), EOL is the biggest fund in the world for education advocacy with grants awarded to app. 80 organizations in more than 60 countries. Created in 2019, the EOL programme was extended to mid-2027 bringing the total funding of EOL to USD 133 million.

The EOL programme consists of five entities: A Global Management Unit (GMU) based at Oxfam Denmark’s offices in Copenhagen, Denmark, and four Regional Management Units (RMUs) in Senegal, Guatemala, Nepal, and Uganda. Altogether, our grant agent set-up for EOL comprises 28 full-time positions, five of these are in the HESA Regional Management Unit.

What we are looking for

We are looking for a Regional Policy Advocacy Advisor to support grantees – in the MENA region and beyond in other regions of the EOL programme - in evaluating the effectiveness of existing education policies, designing action-oriented solutions to policy-related challenges in education, and modelling the potential outcomes of proposed policy changes that should be pursued in respective countries. 

To fulfil the role, we would expect the candidate to bring to EOL a mix of experience from engaging with public policy, civil society advocacy and hands-on experience from the MENA region. 

The ideal candidate should consider it a meaningful challenge to be responsive to individual grantees while at the same time maintaining consistent and systematic approaches to ensure high quality transparent grantee support. 

Skills, experience and knowledge

The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following essential skills, and it would be advantageous to demonstrate some, or all, of the desirable skills.

Essential:

• A master’s degree in public policy, political science, public administration or equivalent
• A minimum of seven years’ experience working with multi-country policy advocacy programmes, preferably in the education sector and – at least some of those – from working in the MENA region
• Solid understanding of current global education trends, and an up-to-date understanding of the political, social and cultural context in the MENA region 
• Understanding of regional and international legal and institutional frameworks for education 
• Proven analytical skills on policy development and civil society advocacy
• Experience in developing and/or advising on capacity development for civil society actors
• Ability to work and engage in Arabic and English at an advanced technical level
• Demonstratable highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures

Desirable:

• French, Spanish and/or Portuguese competencies
• Demonstrated past ability and experience in cross-regional contexts
• Demonstrable experience working with an adaptive management approach, and an understanding of related challenges and opportunities

Practical information

Location: Remotely in the MENA region or at the Regional Management Unit (RMU) hosted at the Oxfam Uganda office in Kampala, Uganda.

Grading, package and working hours as per Oxfam policies.

The candidate will work closely with other EOL team members in the EOL regions and will be reporting to the Regional Programme Manager of the HESA region. S/he should be willing and able to travel up to 5-8 weeks per year.

The detailed job description is available upon request. For further information, please contact Richard Olong, Regional Programme Manager, at rol@oxfam.dk. 

How to apply

Only applications submitted via Oxfam Denmark’s online recruitment system will be accepted. Please submit your application via this link and include your motivation letter and CV. 

• Application deadline: 14 September 2025 at 23.59 CET
• Expected interviews: First half of October 2025 
• Start date: As soon as possible.

Note: All offers of employment will be subject to reference checks and may be subject to appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks.

Oxfam Denmark is committed to equal employment opportunity. We therefore encourage everybody – irrespective of age, gender and of religious, sexual, national or ethnic affiliation – to apply for this position.

About the Organization

About Oxfam Denmark

Oxfam Denmark is an independent and member-based development organisation. We have the world's best cause and high ambitions. Through education, support to civil society and in collaboration with our partners, we fight inequality and poverty in the Global South. Together with 20+ other organisations, we form the Oxfam International confederation, one of the world's largest and most influential development organisations. In Denmark, we are a clear and significant player in the public debate on issues such as tax havens, rising inequality, climate change and the right to education.

You can read more about Oxfam Denmark at About Oxfam