[Hiring] Advocacy and Strategic Lobbying Consultant @World Council of Churches

Role Description

The World Council of Churches is looking for a Consultant for advocacy and strategic lobbying:

1. Background
The World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (WCC–EAPPI) has worked since 2002 to accompany Palestinian and Israeli communities and organisations pursuing a just peace through non-violent means. The programme combines protective presence, systematic monitoring and documentation, and evidence-based advocacy through an international ecumenical network. The EU-supported GUARD project will operate for 36 months in East Jerusalem and the Jerusalem periphery, with particular attention to communities affected by forced displacement, settlement expansion, restrictions on movement and worship, settler violence, home demolitions, and discriminatory planning and residency policies. The action aims to strengthen protective presence, translate verified field evidence into strategic advocacy, and mobilise international political, faith, civil-society, and media constituencies. WCC–EAPPI therefore seeks an experienced Advocacy and Strategic Lobbying Consultant to support the design, preparation, delivery, and assessment of these activities.

2. Purpose of the Assignment
The purpose of the consultancy is to strengthen the quality, reach, coherence, and measurable influence of WCC–EAPPI’s international advocacy under the GUARD project. The consultant will help convert verified field documentation and community-validated priorities into targeted policy engagement, effective lobby missions, and structured follow-up with decision-makers and influential faith and civil-society networks.

3. Objectives

• Develop and maintain a practical advocacy and lobbying strategy aligned with GUARD Outcomes 2 and 3 and the approved project workplan.
• Identify priority decision-makers, institutions, entry points, messages, and feasible policy asks in each target country or institution.
• Prepare and coach Ecumenical Accompaniers, former EAs, church representatives, community voices, and WCC–EAPPI staff for safe, ethical, and effective advocacy engagement.
• Support the organisation of lobby weeks, delegations, policy briefings, and follow-up engagement in ways that connect verified field evidence with concrete policy action.
• Strengthen coordination with WCC networks, EAPPI national coordination and the Advocacy Coordination network.
• Establish an outcome-oriented system for documenting access, commitments, follow-up actions, policy influence, learning, and risk.

4. Scope of Work

• 4.1 Inception and strategic planning
  • Review the approved GUARD application, logical framework, advocacy workplan, existing fact sheets, incident trends, campaign materials, prior lobby reports, stakeholder maps, and relevant WCC policies.
  • Conduct inception consultations with WCC–EAPPI coordinator, Middle East programme Executive, and advocacy staff, selected national coordination, and key partners.
  • Prepare a concise inception report and an assignment workplan, including methodology, deliverable schedule, consultation plan, risks, safeguarding measures, and information needs.
  • Refine the advocacy theory of change, priority policy objectives, messages, calls to action, target audiences, influence pathways, and indicators of progress.
• 4.2 Stakeholder mapping and engagement planning
  • Map and prioritise relevant executive, legislative, diplomatic, faith, media, and civil-society stakeholders, including decision-makers in EU institutions and selected EU Member States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.
  • Identify credible institutional entry points, political calendars, committee processes, policy windows, and opportunities for coordinated engagement.
  • Develop engagement plans that specify the objective, audience, messenger, evidence, policy ask, channel, risk, and follow-up action for each priority stakeholder.
  • Ensure outreach is coordinated with WCC offices, national coordinations, and strategic partners to avoid duplication and strengthen complementarity.
• 4.3 Advocacy products and briefing materials
  • Translate verified WCC–EAPPI documentation into concise, audience-specific briefing notes, talking points, meeting briefs, policy asks, and follow-up correspondence.
  • Advise on the strategic use of living fact sheets, feature stories, videos, community testimony, and rapid-response communications within policy engagement.
  • Apply a rigorous verification and clearance process so that all claims are accurate, appropriately sourced, legally and politically sound, conflict-sensitive, and consistent with WCC–EAPPI positions.
  • Ensure EU visibility and acknowledgement requirements are applied where relevant and approved by WCC–EAPPI.
• 4.4 Training and preparation of advocacy participants
  • Design and deliver practical training for selected EAs, former EAs, church representatives, staff, and other approved advocates on policy engagement, message discipline, meeting roles, ethical storytelling, media readiness, and secure handling of sensitive information.
  • Facilitate simulation exercises and provide tailored coaching before each lobby mission or high-level engagement.
  • Prepare participant packs with objectives, stakeholder profiles, key messages, evidence, meeting protocols, safety guidance, and debriefing tools.
• 4.5 Lobby missions, delegations, and strategic engagement
  • Support the preparation and implementation of agreed lobby weeks and strategic engagements in Belgium/Brussels, Hungary, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States, subject to the approved annual workplan, budget, and security assessment.
  • Advise on the advocacy design and follow-up of structured international delegations to East Jerusalem, ensuring that field visits, community encounters, briefings, and calls to action are coherent and ethically managed.
  • Help secure and prepare meetings with relevant parliamentarians, officials, diplomats, church leaders, journalists, policy advisers, and civil-society actors.
  • Where agreed, accompany or remotely support missions, facilitate daily briefings and debriefings, troubleshoot emerging issues, and document commitments and next steps.
• 4.6 Follow-up, monitoring, learning, and reporting
  • Establish and maintain a confidential stakeholder engagement and follow-up tracker that records meetings, policy asks, commitments, responsibilities, deadlines, and outcomes.
  • Draft tailored follow-up messages and provide decision-makers with verified updates, feature stories, talking points, and responses to questions.
  • Track outcome-level evidence, including access gained, commitments made, parliamentary or diplomatic actions, public statements, policy references, coalition actions, and other plausible contributions to change.
  • Facilitate after-action reviews and provide practical recommendations to improve subsequent advocacy cycles.

5. Geographic and Audience Focus
The assignment will prioritise the geographic and institutional audiences approved through the project workplan. These may include:

• European Union institutions and selected Member States, initially Belgium/Brussels, Hungary, Germany and/or Italy;
• the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States;
• international and national parliamentarians, government officials, diplomats, and policy advisers;
• senior church and faith leaders, especially constituencies able to influence public policy and diplomatic engagement;
• international journalists, editors, influencers, and media representatives;
• civil-society, legal, humanitarian, and advocacy partners participating in coordinated actions.

Priorities may be adapted by WCC–EAPPI in response to the political context, policy opportunities, security conditions, project indicators, and available resources.

6. Expected Deliverables

8. Management, Coordination, and Approval
The consultant will report to the WCC–EAPPI Programme Coordinator and work closely with the Advocacy Officer. Relevant deliverables may require review by WCC communications, legal, programme, or senior management focal points and, where appropriate, consultation with partners or affected communities. The consultant may not issue public statements, represent WCC positions, contact stakeholders in WCC–EAPPI’s name, publish project information, or commit project resources without prior written authorisation. WCC retains final approval over advocacy objectives, messages, participant selection, itineraries, external communications, and deliverables.

9. Duration, Level of Effort, and Travel
The assignment will require up to 90 working days, deployed in tranches according to an agreed workplan and the timing of advocacy activities. The contract start and end dates will be stated in the consultancy agreement. The assignment is primarily home-based, with travel to agreed locations where required, budgeted, authorised in advance, and considered feasible under prevailing security and access conditions. Any international travel will follow WCC travel, security, safeguarding, insurance, and expense procedures. WCC–EAPPI may replace, postpone, relocate, or convert an in-person activity to remote delivery where security, access, diplomatic, financial, or operational considerations require it.

10. Required Qualifications and Experience

• Advanced university degree in international relations, public policy, law, human rights, political science, communications, theology, development studies, or a related field; an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be accepted.
• At least seven years of progressively responsible experience in advocacy, government relations, public policy, political engagement, campaigning, or strategic communications.
• Demonstrated record of organising and supporting high-level advocacy or lobby missions involving parliamentarians, government officials, diplomats, faith leaders, or international institutions.
• Strong understanding of EU institutions and at least two of the other target environments identified in this TOR; a credible network in relevant institutions is a significant advantage.
• Substantive knowledge of international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and the political and protection context in Israel and Palestine, particularly East Jerusalem.
• Proven ability to translate complex field evidence and legal analysis into concise, audience-specific policy messages and achievable calls to action.
• Excellent facilitation, training, negotiation, political judgement, writing, and oral communication skills in English; additional relevant languages are an advantage.
• Demonstrated commitment to do-no-harm practice, confidentiality, safeguarding, gender sensitivity, cultural awareness, and responsible use of testimony.
• Ability to work independently across time zones, manage multiple stakeholders, meet short deadlines, and adapt to changing political or security conditions.

11. Proposal Requirements
Interested individual consultants or consulting entities should submit:

• a concise technical proposal demonstrating understanding of the assignment and presenting the proposed methodology, workplan, quality assurance, risk management, and availability;
• an updated CV for the proposed consultant(s), or an organisational profile identifying the lead consultant and any team members;
• two examples or summaries of comparable assignments, with references that may be contacted;
• a financial proposal in the requested currency, showing the professional fee or daily rate, number of days, applicable taxes, and any anticipated reimbursable costs separately;
• a declaration of availability, independence, confidentiality, and any actual or potential conflict of interest.

Travel and event costs should not be embedded in the professional fee unless expressly requested. Any reimbursable cost will require prior written approval and supporting documentation in accordance with WCC procedures.

Applications should be submitted by 31 October 2026.