Advocacy Lead

Aahung; Karachi Division; On-site; PKR 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Aahung seeks an Advocacy Lead to provide strategic leadership for LSBE advocacy, align policy engagement with program learning, and coordinate with government stakeholders to scale Life Skills-Based Education in Pakistan.

The role leads PAL coordination, builds strategic partnerships, and represents Aahung at forums, while ensuring coherence across teams and evidence-informed advocacy. Travel across provinces will be required.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Public Policy, Education, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Public Health, or related field.
• Minimum 2–4 years of advocacy, policy engagement, partnerships, or program management.
• Experience working with government stakeholders, particularly in the education sector.
• Experience in managing alliances, networks, or multi-stakeholder partnerships is highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of Pakistan's education landscape and policy environment.
• Experience in education, adolescent wellbeing, gender, or youth development is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of Aahung's organization-wide advocacy strategy.
• Coordinate PAL activities and alliance governance.
• Establish and maintain relationships with government counterparts at provincial and federal levels.
• Develop strategic partnerships with civil society, networks, and donors.
• Represent Aahung and PAL at forums, conferences, and advocacy events.
• Synthesize research findings into advocacy messages and policy briefs.

Skills

Advocacy leadership

Policy engagement

Partnership management

Government relations

Strategic planning

Education

Master's degree

Job description

I. Position Information

• Job title: Advocacy Lead
• Component: Life Skills Education (LSE)
• Position Type: Contractual, Full-time
• Reports to: Program Manager – LSE
• Location: Karachi, Pakistan (with travel across provinces as required)

II. Organizational Context

Aahung is a non-profit organization founded in 1994. Aahung uses a rights-based approach to improve the quality of sexual and reproductive health services provided in Pakistan to men, women and young people.

Aahung works with partner institutions with the aim of building the capacity and knowledge base of service providers comprised of doctors, nurses, government health workers, community and field workers, teachers and parents.

This is a contractual position, with a fixed monthly payment without additional benefits. The Advocacy Lead will be expected to perform the tasks outlined below and keep regular working hours.

III. Position Summary

The Advocacy Lead will provide strategic leadership and oversight for advocacy initiatives within Aahung’s Life Skills-Based Education (LSBE) portfolio and broader organizational priorities. The role will lead efforts to strengthen policy engagement, build and manage strategic partnerships, and coordinate with government stakeholders to advance the institutionalization and scale-up of Life Skills-Based Education (LSBE) in Pakistan. In addition, the position will support cross-functional collaboration across components to ensure coherence in advocacy messaging, program learning, and external engagement. The role will also serve as the focal person for the Pakistan Alliance on LSBE (PAL), ensuring effective alliance coordination, visibility, and strategic growth.

IV. Essential Functions / Key Responsibilities and Duties/Results Expected

1. Strategic Advocacy Leadership

• Lead the development and implementation of Aahung’s organization-wide advocacy strategy aligned with a focus on Life Skills-Based Education and adolescent wellbeing.
• Align advocacy priorities with Aahung’s strategic goals, programmatic learning, and emerging policy opportunities across sectors.
• Identify advocacy opportunities and pathways for the institutionalization, scale-up and sustainability of LSBE across Pakistan.
• Develop annual advocacy plans and oversee their implementation across projects and initiatives.
• Lead the development and implementation of advocacy frameworks, strategies, and roadmaps.

2. Pakistan Alliance on LSBE (PAL) Coordination and Management

• Serve as the focal person for the Pakistan Alliance on LSBE (PAL).
• Lead the strategic planning, coordination, and implementation of PAL activities in collaboration with member organizations.
• Facilitate effective governance, communication, and joint decision-making within the alliance.
• Develop and implement strategies to strengthen PAL’s visibility, credibility, influence and positioning at provincial and federal levels.
• Coordinate convenings, working groups, and joint advocacy actions under PAL.

3. Government Engagement and Coordination

• Establish and maintain strategic relationships with government counterparts at provincial and federal levels.
• Coordinate with public and private education departments across provinces to advance LSBE integration and scale-up.
• Engage with curriculum bodies, teacher training institutions, and education authorities as relevant.
• Monitor policy and political developments relevant to education, adolescents, and life skills programming.
• Identify and pursue strategic entry points for policy influence and systems strengthening.
• Support evidence-informed dialogue with government stakeholders to inform policy and practice.

4. Partnership Management

• Support the development and management of strategic partnerships with civil society organizations, networks, academic institutions, and donors.
• Work closely with the Partnership Lead and relevant teams to identify strategic funding opportunities aligned with Aahung’s priorities.
• Contribute to the development of concept notes, proposals, and strategic documents by providing advocacy perspectives, evidence, and policy insights.
• Support the design of fundraising strategies that strengthen the positioning and sustainability of LSBE initiatives and the Pakistan Alliance on LSBE (PAL).
• Provide technical input on donor engagement materials, including presentations, briefs, and advocacy packages.

5. Representation and External Engagement

• Represent Aahung and PAL at federal and provincial forums, conferences, consultations, and advocacy events.
• Participate in government committees, technical working groups, and independent networks relevant to education and youth development.
• Lead Aahung’s participation in campaigns and external advocacy initiatives.
• Build Aahung’s visibility as a thought leader in LSBE and adolescent wellbeing.

6. Evidence and Data for Advocacy

• Work closely with research, learning, and evaluation (RLE) teams to utilize evidence for advocacy purposes.
• Synthesize research findings, program data, and lessons learned into advocacy messages and products.
• Lead the strategic use and dissemination of evidence to influence policy and practice.
• Ensure evidence generated by projects is translated into actionable advocacy outputs such as policy briefs, presentations, and reports.

7. Monitoring, Reporting, and Learning

• Develop and track advocacy indicators and milestones.
• Prepare reports, updates, and documentation related to advocacy initiatives.
• Monitor progress against advocacy objectives and identify emerging opportunities and risks.
• Promote learning and continuous improvement in advocacy approaches.

V. Core Competencies (What we hope the person has or will have soon after joining)

• Strategic advocacy and policy engagement
• Stakeholder and partnership management
• Government relations and networking
• Alliance coordination and facilitation
• Evidence-informed advocacy
• Communication and representation skills
• Leadership and team collaboration
• Strategic planning and systems thinking

VI. Recruitment Qualifications

Education

Master’s degree in Public Policy, Education, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Public Health, or related field.

Experience

• Minimum 2–4 years of experience in advocacy, policy engagement, partnerships, or program management.
• Demonstrated experience working with government stakeholders, particularly in the education sector.
• Experience in managing alliances, networks, or multi-stakeholder partnerships is highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of Pakistan’s education landscape and policy environment.
• Experience in education, adolescent wellbeing, gender, or youth development is preferred.

Language Requirements

Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Urdu.

VII. Working Conditions

Flexibility to travel domestically, comfort with field work.