Advocacy Manager South Sudan Juba

Background:

The humanitarian situation in South Sudan in 2026 remains one of the most severe and complex crisis driven by conflict, economic collapse, climate shocks, disease outbreaks, mass displacement, and shrinking humanitarian funding. An estimated 10 million people will experience critical needs in 2026.

The conflict in neighbouring Sudan continues to drive refugee inflows and returnee movements into South Sudan, placing additional pressure on already overstretched services and humanitarian systems. Over 1 million people have crossed into South Sudan since the Sudan conflict began.

NRC works in South Sudan to protect the rights of displaced and vulnerable people during crisis and meet immediate humanitarian needs, prevent further displacement, and contribute to durable solutions. Access remains one of the most significant operational challenges due to active conflict, insecurity and bureaucratic impediments making it difficult for aid organizations to reach those in need. Our programme primarily includes Rapid response to emergencies, multipurpose cash assistance, legal protection, education, shelter, Water and hygiene promotion. Beyond this, NRC South Sudan has volunteered to co-lead Protection, WASH, Shelter, Land, and Site Coordination Clusters, including HLP and Durable Solutions Working Groups.

What you will do:

The Advocacy and Media Manager support leadership, management and strategic direction to NRC’s advocacy and communications work in South Sudan, leading or coordinating delivery of the advocacy strategy and media plans. The Advocacy and Media Manager will play a central role in defining the advocacy strategy and media plans, although the Country Management Group (CMG), and ultimately CD, approves these. The role ensures that NRC’s operational evidence, protection analysis, and humanitarian positioning effectively influence policy, funding, public discourse, and decision-makers at national, regional, and international levels. The position strengthens NRC’s external profile while ensuring principled, risk-informed, and evidence-based advocacy that supports the affected populations in South Sudan

General Responsibilities:

• Identify and coordinate NRC’s advocacy response to prioritised issues both within the country and internationally
• Develop and implement an impactful advocacy and communications strategy, aligned with the overall country strategy.
• Develop CO media plan and lines, ensuring risk analyses are made regarding public positions or statements and sign-off procedures are adhered to
• Ensure systematic training on advocacy and communication to develop capacity of all relevant staff (within and beyond the advocacy and media department) and ensure compliance with NRC policies, e.g. informed consent, data protection, social media standards
• Develop high quality analysis on key humanitarian, displacement, conflict, and protection trends and prepare evidenced-based policy briefing papers, policy position statements and other public-facing advocacy products when strategic and relevant
• Represent NRC to key stakeholders and in main fora, strengthen strategic advocacy networks and social/political capital, and identify opportunities to jointly advocate NRC’s position
• Liaise with other NRC Country, Regional and Global Representation Offices to coordinate the strategic delivery of advocacy messaging and to maximise impact
• Ensure coherence between NRC South Sudan’s advocacy and programmatic priorities Lead or contribute to relevant in-country advocacy common objectives within the humanitarian community in South Sudan

Specific responsibilities:

1. Strategically and ethically raise issues and voices of displaced people in South Sudan to the attention of decision-makers, duty-bearers, and the public, through both traditional and innovative means
2. Increase accountability of NRC South Sudan through providing regular and consistent information publicly, about the situations we are responding to and the state of our response (or contributions to coordinated responses)
3. Contribute to Country Office and Area Office problem, protection, and programme analyses and ‘systems thinking’ with a policy lens and a public interest lens, and subsequently promote that relevant policy, advocacy, and communications elements are integrated when designing responses and strategies
4. Coordinate and monitor implementation and impact of NRC South Sudan advocacy and media plans and strategies
5. Prepare high quality briefings, reports, press statements, letters, and other communications materials (including visual, digital, and social media) for internal coordination and external use
6. Gather and analyse primary data, evidence, testimony, and visual stock, from displacement- and conflict-affected people, either directly or indirectly through NRC staff or outsourced means (e.g. to a research firm, photographer), in a manner aligned with NRC’s standards of informed consent and data protection
7. Focus capacity development and transfer of responsibilities to South Sudanese advocates, spokespeople, and social media champions
8. If requested/delegated by the CD:
   1. Support coordination fora on specific advocacy plans, objectives, or products, e.g. for the Protection cluster, NGO Forum, Durable Solutions Working Group etc.
   2. Support as an on-record, public spokesperson on agreed talking points
   3. Support with off-record information provision to trusted persons working in the best interests of displacement- and conflict-affected people
   4. Support facilitation and/or accompaniment of external media personnel visits
   5. Support resource mobilisation efforts, brand recognition, and project visibility requirements requiring media/social media outreach
   6. Support the crisis management team, if formed, with crisis communications capacity
   7. Support the HAS management and area management teams, with communications input into humanitarian access negotiation and civil-military coordination preparations and debriefing

What you will bring:

Generic professional competencies:

• Post-graduate with minimum five years of relevant experience within the humanitarian field or international media/organisations
• This is a specialized advocacy role. Applicants must have substantial advocacy experience, including advocacy management and influencing work in humanitarian contexts. Candidates without demonstrated advocacy experience will not be considered.
• Relevant experience in advocacy, communications, media, or humanitarian policy
• Experience working in complex and insecure contexts, preferably in South Sudan or the Horn of Africa
• Strong understanding of humanitarian coordination architecture and donor environments
• Proven experience engaging media and managing sensitive external communications
• Experience producing high-level advocacy products and policy analysis.
• Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities
• High levels of flexibility and creativity
• Documented professional experience of working in or with international media
• Strong managerial and interpersonal skills
• Fluency in English with strong verbal and written communications skills
• Minimum 5 years of experience from a senior level project implementation position in a humanitarian/recovery context.
• Experience with providing emergency and/or protracted-crisis Shelter assistance in rural and urban contexts.
• Experience undertaking projects through cash and vouchers
• Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities.
• Knowledge about own leadership skills/profile.
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal.

Context/ Specific skills, knowledge and experience:

• Knowledge of international legal and policy processes and instruments relating to displacement, protection, peace/conflict, and humanitarian action
• Cogent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Aptitude to think creatively and boldly, to engage (potentially hostile) protection and access advocacy targets

Experience with humanitarian protection programmes and humanitarian policy and advocacy

What we offer:

• Duty station: Juba, South Sudan
• Contract: 12 Months (renewable based on funding and performance)
• Travel: 40%
• Salary/benefits: grade 9 on NRC’s International salary scale (USD 5,189).
• NRC is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to diversity without distinction to age, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, and physical ability.
• We think outside the box, encourage ideas, and give responsibility to all employees at all levels. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative.

Find out more about the benefits of working for NRC

Important information about the application process

• For Internal candidates: To apply as an internal candidate, log in with your official email or click on Opportunity MarketPlace.
• When creating your profile, include your full name as given on your passport. Complete all the system-required fields for experience, employment history and education.
• Applicants who do not fill in the required information will not be considered for the role.
• Submit your application and CV in English, taking care to attach your latest CV.
• Applications that do not meet the minimum standards in terms of experience or qualifications will generally not be considered. Unsolicited applications not related to this specific job advertisement will not be considered.
• Mandatory to submit the below when applying:
  • Your most updated English CV and remove all previous outdated CVs.
  • Applicants should include links to their three most compelling advocacy, media & communications production in their cover letter, ideally one text, one video, one TV/radio interview.
  • Do not attach certificates or any other documents apart from the two mentioned above.
  • Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• This position is re-advertised.
• This position is open for international candidates. Internals might be assessed before externals.
• We receive many applications for each vacant position and so only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
• If you have any questions about this role, please email esa.recruitment@nrc.no with the job title as the subject line.

Why NRC?

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee. Our 15,000 staff work in crises across 40 countries, providing life-saving and long-term assistance to millions of people every year.

Watch this short video to see NRC in action.

We are looking for people who are passionate about helping refugees and people forced to flee. Are you one of those people? If you are, NRC offers you the opportunity to:

• do demanding and professional work, often in challenging contexts.
• join a work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility.
• be part of a welcoming and supportive community committed to human dignity.

Organization context

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a global humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee.

Join us in assisting millions of people in areas where others cannot, tackling some of the world's most dangerous and difficult crises. Bring your skills and dedication to an organisation recognised for providing high quality aid and for defending the rights of refugees and internally displaced people.

At NRC, we give responsibility to employees at all levels and foster professional growth and innovative teams. You can expect a supportive culture and an open dialogue with management. We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Together, we save lives and rebuild futures.

Safeguarding is central to NRC’s work. We expect all employees to:

• treat everyone with respect and dignity

• contribute to building a safe environment for all

• never engage in any form of exploitation, harassment and specifically sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment (SEAH)

• always report. NRC has a zero-tolerance approach to inaction against exploitation, abuse and SEAH