External Engagement Officer, SRHR Next Alliance

Hours per week:36 hours (100%)

Program: SRHR Next

Contract Duration: 1 year contract with the possibility for extension

Location: The Hague, Netherlands

Salary range: NL 11 € 4.151,21 - €5.523,71 gross per month based on 36 hours per week (100%)

Reports to: Head of External Engagement and Program Manager, SRHR Next
Line management: No direct line management responsibility

Deadline: November 27th, 2026, 23.59 CET

About the Program

SRHR is a 2.5-year Alliance Program bringing together INGOs, national organizations and local partners in eight countries. The Alliance aims to protect and strengthen sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in the context of shrinking funding, rising anti-rights movements, weakened health systems, and increasing pressure on civic space.

The Program focuses on three interlinked result areas: strengthening SRHR service delivery and health systems; increasing access to inclusive, age-appropriate and evidence-based SRHR information and education; and supporting an enabling environment for the SRHR of women, young people and marginalized groups.

Purpose of the role

The External Engagement and Advocacy Officer’s role is to develop, manage and lead the implementation of an advocacy strategy, stakeholder engagement and relationships management within the SRHR alliance. She/he/they will work closely with the country teams in Lebanon and Niger and other colleagues within Hivos to develop, support and manage the advocacy, communication and external engagement content and processes at Hivos level while coordinating with Alliance partners for communication and influencing.

The External engagement and Advocacy Officer also support the participation of adolescent girls, young women, and marginalized groups and their organizations in country, regional and where needed global influencing efforts as per the program workplan and vision. Together with the alliance partners and aligning with and drawing on priorities of local organizations and groups, she/he/they will be responsible for developing and implementing an alliance level external engagement and influencing strategy.

They will support the program participants to position and profile the SRHR agenda, engage in the public debate in collaboration with and on behalf of the program, communicate with stakeholders in the broadest sense to generate the moral and political support needed to successfully implement this program. Where necessary she/he/they strengthen country level partners capacities to influence and communicate and provide training, coaching, support and accompaniment to program participants and local organizations. The External Engagement and Advocacy Officer is committed to the values and principles defined by the program and actively works to translate them into practice.

RESPONSIBILITIES

External engagement

1. Build and maintain strategic relationships with stakeholders including alliance partners, government agencies, NGOs, development partners, and other relevant actors
2. Develop and implement advocacy strategies to influence policies and promote Program and organizational priorities.
3. Represent the Program and the organization in external meetings, conferences, policy dialogues, and advocacy forums.
4. Identify opportunities for collaboration, partnerships, and joint advocacy initiatives with the alliance partners and other Programs and organizational partners.
5. Engage decisionmakers and policymakers to promote positive policy and institutional changes.
6. Coordinate stakeholder consultations, campaigns, and public engagement activities.
7. Prepare advocacy briefs, position papers, reports, and stakeholder engagement updates.
8. Monitor policy developments and emerging issues relevant to the Program and organization's mandate.
9. Work along with Hivos External Engagement team to explore synergy with other programs to amplify reach and impact.

Strengthening local organizations

• Training, coaching, guiding and accompanying local, adolescent girls and young women rightsholder-led, organizations in their external engagement and advocacy processes, including their access to relevant networks and spaces

Profiling SRHR

• Engages in the positioning and representation of SRHR Next and Hivos to the outside world with a particular focus on policy spaces. Ensuring proper coverage and distribution of the Program content and advocacy agenda and by coaching and/or supporting rightsholders, their organizations and colleagues.

Agenda setting

• Building on rightsholders’ priorities, she/he/they will co-formulate key issues; designs content for external engagement and advocacy strategies for change and proactively creates entry points and interventions to generate space and support for these priorities, ideas and activities with key decision makers and at key positioning events.

Mobilizing forces

• Closely engages with rightsholders, Alliance partners other organizations and donors; creates or co-creates the necessary preconditions for successful influencing activities and innovation; co-creates effective advocacy campaigns and projects

Building up evidence

• Supports and guides research and other knowledge products that strengthen the SRHR views and further substantiate program objectives and strategies that contribute to thought leadership on relevant programmatic topics.

Stakeholder intelligence

• Monitors and forecasts the developments and actions of key stakeholders in Hivos’ environment and/or specific focal areas and provides internal stakeholders access to this intelligence in terms of challenges, opportunities and risks.

Campaigns

• Initiates, facilitates and manages or co-manages relevant engagement and advocacy campaigns (and the teams involved); ensures the standards of quality of Hivos project management.

REQUIREMENTS

This is a combined position primarily supporting SRHR Next in Lebanon and Niger and other Hivos external engagement processes at the Hague. It has a coordinating function with the SRHR Next Alliance partners (who are mainly based in the Hague) and other Dutch stakeholders. The post holder requires the following:

• Relevant degree or comparable work experience, and academic level of working and thinking.
• Experience in influencing and advocacy strategy development and implementation.

• At least 5 years of relevant work experience in the field of SRHR, sexual orientation, gender identity human rights and / or youth leadership, being aware of and having engaged in related external engagement and advocacy activities.

• Stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills include ability to engage government relations and policy influencing.
• Recognized expert in SRHR advocacy and campaigning; experience in linking global with regional and national advocacy, Lobbying, negotiation, and persuasive communication.
• Experience in training, accompanying and supporting local organizations and rightsholders in leading their SRH-R advocacy, partnership building and resource mobilization.
• Proven ability to access and influence relevant national and international networks of social action, public relations and organizational representation.
• Ability to mobilize community along key issues and create public awareness.

• Ability to co-create and implement advocacy strategies with local organizations and Alliance members, networking and coalition building.

• Experience in successful positioning and representing views and proposals at high level fora, and in diverse media channels, skills in report writing, presentation, and development of policy briefs.
• High level of integrity, commitment to social justice, and ability to influence decisionmakers and mobilize stakeholders to drive change.
• Demonstrated experience in advocacy, external engagement, and building strategic partnerships within civil society, government, donor, or multilateral contexts.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the development of advocacy products, reports, presentations, and public-facing content.
• Experience representing an organization in external forums, networks, coalitions, and stakeholder engagement processes.
• Experience working in an international NGO or development environment.
• Fluency in English and working knowledge of Dutch and French is an advantage

What we offer

In this position you will work at the Hivos’ Office in the city centre of The Hague. We offer a stimulating work environment in a professional international organization with very dedicated staff. We offer a local contract based on Hivos local labor conditions, with remuneration commensurate with the experience and expertise.

We provide a laptop and travel expenses according to our commuting policies, as well as participation in our pension fund. Flexible working arrangements to be discussed.

Want to apply?

Please submit a cover letter (maximum 1 page) and CV (maximum 2 pages) as soon as possible by clicking the ‘Apply here’ button. Applications are being received until 27 November 2026, 23.59 CET.

Candidates are highly encouraged to provide a clear track record of results in their CV and to use their cover letter to clearly and concisely address the requirements of the role elaborated above.

If you are selected for the final stage of the selection process, please note that professional references will be asked for from your previous employers, and a safeguarding vetting will be done, in accordance with the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme's requirements, which Hivos has endorsed.

A police clearance (VOG) may be required (where the position requires it, and national laws allow it). Exceptions will only be made if there is prohibition of local legislation or when the candidate is unable to obtain police clearance due to activities on LGTB+ and Human Rights.

• Once selected and interviewed, an assignment will be part of the recruitment process.

• Kindly note that you must be in possession of a valid work permit for the Netherlands.
• We are accepting applications until the deadline and will review on a rolling basis. Hivos reserves the right to close the position in event we identify suitable candidates earlier.