Offer summary

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in political science, economics, auditing, accounting, or public policy; a Master’s or law degree is a plus., At least four years of experience in public policymaking, lobbying, or government relations., Strong relationship-building skills with cultural and political sensitivity., Proficiency in Microsoft Office and strong writing skills, with the ability to communicate complex concepts simply..

Key responsibilities:

Serve as the primary advocacy liaison for The IIA to the African Federation of Institutes of Internal Auditors (AFIIA).

Support African national institutes in developing public policy strategies and goals.

Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders in the African corporate governance ecosystem.

Research and maintain a database of internal audit and corporate governance policies across Africa.

Job description

Regional Advocacy Manager, Africa

Important Note: This role is based in Africa. Exact country and location will depend on the residency of the final candidate.

Summary

The IIA’s Regional Advocacy Manager for Africa will operate as a lead advocate in advancing the organization’s public policy and thought leadership goals across Africa. This is a full-time position, based in Africa, and is currently remote. The Manager will report to The IIA’s Director of Global Advocacy for administrative purposes and day-to-day supervision.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned from time to time.

Serve as the primary advocacy liaison for The IIA to the African Federation of Institutes of Internal Auditors (AFIIA), reporting regularly to AFIIA, soliciting their input on all public policy and advocacy activities, and partnering with the organization to advance a unified vision for internal audit and corporate governance policy in Africa.

Support The IIA’s African national institutes in developing and advancing their legislative, regulatory, corporate governance, and other public policy strategies and goals.

Assist African national affiliates as they educate policymakers in their countries about internal auditing, The IIA, and its certifications and standards.

Implement the jointly approved IIA-AFIIA Advocacy Strategy and related plans.

Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships with key pan-African stakeholders, including public policymakers and leaders in the African corporate governance ecosystem (e.g., Africa continental leadership, NGOs, professional associations, government leaders, think tanks, etc.).

Research, develop, and maintain a database of internal audit and corporate governance policies in law and regulation across Africa.

Monitor and engage on relevant public consultations by pan-African organizations.

Track relevant legislative proposals, hearings, rules, regulations, public comment periods, and other various government policy proposals across Africa.

Advocate for the adoption of the International Professional Practices Framework, including the Global Internal Auditing Standards, and other recommendations in The IIA’s Global Public Policy Position Paper (GP4) and other official advocacy positions of The IIA, including The IIA’s Model Act for Africa.

Identify emerging political risks and opportunities across Africa and recommend appropriate responses to advance the best interests of The IIA, AFIIA, national institutes, the internal audit profession, and the public.

Develop resources to assist African institutes in their advocacy campaigns and activities, including draft legislation and regulations, educational materials, hearing testimony, videos, comment letters, position papers, briefing memos, PowerPoint presentations, research reports, “how to” guides, and model memoranda of understanding.

Support The IIA’s global initiatives and global partnerships, ensuring alignment and identifying synergies between The IIA’s African and global advocacy activities and strategies.

Qualifications To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Education and/or Experience

Bachelor’s degree, preferably with a major in political science, economics, auditing, accounting, or public policy; a Master’s degree or law degree is a plus.

At least four years working for an elected official, a legislative body, a regulatory or government agency, and/or a membership organization or corporation, while actively engaged in public policymaking, lobbying, or government relations.

The ability to build and maintain strong relationships with people from diverse backgrounds, while demonstrating a high level of cultural and political sensitivity.

Demonstrated experience prioritizing and balancing multiple, on-going high-profile projects with the ability to meet critical deadlines.

Strong management skills with a proven ability to lead by influence and consensus.

Self-motivation and an ability to work independently. Demonstrated significant attention to detail.

Subject matter familiarity with internal auditing, ESG/climate, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, fraud, governance, risk, internal controls, data privacy, and blockchain policy is a plus.

Writing and Language Skills

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common professional and technical documents. Ability to respond to various inquiries from key internal and external stakeholders. Strong writing skills with the ability to explain technical concepts in language readily understood by a layperson. Ability to effectively present information to top management, public groups, elected officials and their staff, and/or boards of directors. Proficiency in additional African languages (especially French) is a strong asset in this role.

Computer Skills

Intermediate to expert level of competency with all Microsoft office products, specifically Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Required profile