Policy Officer Right To Play International Toronto, Canada

CLOSING DATE:                                   February 7, 2013

Organization:                           Right To Play International

Department/Division:               International Programs

Work location:                         Toronto, Canada           

Authorized to Work in:             Canada (i.e., Canadian citizen or permanent resident)

BACKGROUND:

Right To Play is a global organization that uses the transformative power of play to educate and empower children facing adversity. Through playing sports and games, Right To Play helps children in more than 20 countries to build essential life skills and better futures, while driving lasting social change. Founded in 2000 by four-time Olympic gold medalist and social entrepreneur Johann Olav Koss, Right To Play is headquartered in Toronto, Canada and has national offices in Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and regional offices in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America. Our programs are facilitated by 590 international staff and nearly 12,000 volunteer Coaches.

Visit us at www.righttoplay.com

JOB SUMMARY:

Reporting to the Manger, Policy, the Policy Officer contributes to all departmental policy functions including advancing advocacy efforts and government relations, increasing the policy and advocacy capacity of the organization, informing the development of RTP advocacy and communications materials for external audiences, and helping develop concrete policy positions for Right To Play. The Policy Officer provides writing and research support, coordinates special projects and initiatives, presentations, and events, and serves as an administrative contact for internal and external constituencies.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS:

 

Responsibility #1: Policy Research and Support (% of time: 25%):                  

 

•    Researches and compiles information on an as-needed basis;

–        Gathers and builds on the evidence base supporting the benefits of SDP

–        Identifies, records and disseminates early adopter government success stories in the area of policy development and writes case studies on “how to” develop a particular type of SDP policy

•      Prepares special reports and summaries selecting relevant data from a variety of sources;

•      Drafts correspondence, introductory letters, thank-you letters; and

•     Supports the development of briefing notes, policy position papers and related articles.

Job Responsibility #2: Raising the Profile of Sport for Development (% of time:30%)

• Supports the Communications Department to ensure that the RTP web-site reflects the work of the Policy Department;

• Develops RTP promotional handouts combining policy work with RTP relevant resources and best practices;

• Prepares SDP and RTP briefings and presentations;

•Contributes to abstracts and articles in key publications and develops presentations for panel discussions at academic conferences, symposiums, forums, etc;

• Reviews and prioritizes invitations that RTP receives to attend events, participate in conferences, speak on panels, etc;

• Seeks opportunities for RTP to profile policy work, programming and resources; and

•Ensures that RTP is appropriately represented on the International Platform on Sport for Development and other related fora.

 

Job Responsibility #3: Staff and Program Support and Planning –Advocacy (% of time: %30)

• Provides support and subject-matter expertise to RTP in all external communications related to the Policy Department (letters, briefing notes, speaking points, input to speeches, proposal writing and development of MOUs, RTP Annual Report etc);

• Tracks RTP wide advocacy activities;

• Contributes policy-related content to all RTP products (program resources, proposals, etc);

• Provides support to RTP staff on the implementation of advocacy strategies and tactics;

• Supports advocacy workshop planning and delivery ;

•Contributes to the development of training materials/modules on policy, advocacy, and government relations for RTP staff and partners and programs; and

• Develops and produces a quarterly policy update to RTP National and Regional Directors and Country Managers.

 

Job Responsibility #4: Organizational Support (% of time: % 15)

• Contributes to proposal writing, when required, for restricted funding from Governments and Foundations;

• Contributes to sourcing, and seeking out, funding for policy initiatives;

•Oversees departmental expenses and budget tracking;

•Processes expense claims and invoices;

•Oversees and manages the work of externally hired consultants and service providers;

•Manages mail-outs and distribution of policy documents to SDP stakeholders;

•Gathers and analyses the necessary information to report in the RTP Balanced Scorecard; and

• Plans, organizes, and implements special initiatives including, but not limited to, events, forums, campaigns and global initiatives.

 

EDUCATION/TRAINING/CERTIFICATION:

Required (must have):

• Bachelors degree in social sciences, international development, or related fields

 

Desired (asset):

• Masters degree in international development, community development, public policy, related field

 

EXPERIENCE:

Required (must have): 

• 2+ years practical experience working in advocacy and policy
• 1-2 years practical experience in the International Development or humanitarian sector (preferably with overseas experience)
• Experience working with people from different cultures
• Fluency in English (written and verbal)
• Experience with project management
• Experience in policy research 

Desired (asset):

• Fluency in another language (e.g. French, Arabic, Spanish, Swahili)
• Experience policy analysis and research
• Expertise and experience in training and capacity building
• Experience dealing with a variety of stakeholders
• Experience working in a not-for-profit environment

KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNICAL SKILLS:

Required (must have):
• Strong Microsoft Office applications experience
• Research skills
• Strong written communication and presentation skills
• Advanced knowledge of Excel
• Advanced knowledge PowerPoint

Desired (asset):
• Policy Research and Analysis
• Training and facilitation

COMPETENCIES/ PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES :

Required (must have):

Must be:

•   self-motivated and able to work independently with minimal supervision

•   able to adapt to a changing environment and be flexible

•   able to work well under pressure and meet tight deadlines (handling multiple demands that will require the ability to prioritize is essential)

•   a strong communicator, both verbally and in writing

•   a strong team player (cooperative, participatory, respectful)

•   able to exercise discretion, good judgment, and confidentiality

•   able to initiate and deliver proactive, cost-effective and creative solutions

 

Compensation:                        We offer a competitive salary and benefits package

Employment Start Date:           Immediately

Contract Duration:                   Full time, Indefinite

HOW TO APPLY:

If you are interested in applying for this position, please send your resume and cover letter to:

hr@righttoplay.comand kindly include “Policy Officer-DN” and your name in the subject line. Please indicate your salary expectations in the cover letter.

While we thank all applicants for their interest, only those selected for interviews will be contacted.

Right To Play is a child-centered organization. Our recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to the safety and protection of children in our programs.

To learn more about who we are and what we do, please visit our website at www.righttoplay.com.

Right To Play - Human Resources Philosophy

Right To Play is an international humanitarian organization that uses the power of sport and play to improve the lives of children in the most disadvantaged areas of the world. We believe that all children have the right to play. 

Right To Play’s human resources philosophy reflects the spirit that drives the organization. The philosophy influences the kind of people who are interested in working for us, the kind of people we recruit and how we treat our people. 

Right To Play’s culture is entrepreneurial, where employees are encouraged and empowered to perform in the context of rapid international growth, and to aim for the highest quality and adopt global best practices in delivering our programs. 

Our employees are global citizens who are passionate about improving the world we live in through value-based grassroots activities. We work on the ground with and through people in the communities we serve to improve the lives of their children. By having a constant presence in these communities and helping them develop the resources and skills they need to help themselves, we aim for sustainable, long-term development.

To translate our vision into action, our philosophy for delivering our programs is “LOOK AFTER YOURSELF, LOOK AFTER ONE ANOTHER”. Our employees are the backbone of this delivery, and the philosophy supports them by defining the desired outcomes of our human resources philosophy. This means that we pay competitive salaries, provide comprehensive benefits, encourage employee social events, provide development opportunities and a great work environment.

We measure the success of this philosophy by indicators such as employee satisfaction surveys and staff turnover rate, as well as the overall success of Right To Play.