Opposition and Narratives Advisor - Maternity cover (8 months)

Application Closing Date

Wednesday 25th November 2026 

Starting Date

First week of January 2027

Role Purpose

To advise and guide IPPF’s European Network’s regional office, Member Associations and key partners, on the implementation of countering anti-rights and winning narratives approaches, with the aim of driving a progressive SRHR agenda regionally and nationally and proactively responding to the attacks of the anti-rights movement.

Deliverables

Deliver / facilitate the provision of technical assistance, coaching and capacity enhancement to IPPF EN, Member Associations, partners and activists in selected locations across Europe and Central Asia to understand and implement strategic winning narratives and countering anti-rights work.  Collate and disseminate learnings, challenges and best practice from IPPF EN’s regional winning narratives and countering anti-rights work. Remotely via mechanisms such as the coordination of peer-to-peer support calls and our Community of Practice model, and (where possible) in person sessions at key engagement moments e.g. IPPF EN’s regional membership forum and annual EU engagement workshop. Deliver the grant and project management of relevant funding streams (including budget and reporting,) related to the implementation of winning narratives and countering anti-rights work in Europe and Central Asia. Ensure committed work is achieved to a high standard. Example donor funded priorities for 2027 include the coordination of a framing positive masculinities project supporting test and trial initiatives in a minimum of 2 contexts, oversight to the expansion of a winning narratives and crisis communications workshop in Central Asia, coordination of regular anti-rights and intelligence alerts to the movement.  Together with IPPF EN External Relations colleagues, ensure expertise and learning from winning narrative and countering anti-rights work is mainstreamed into our external political voice targeting key regional stakeholders and audiences, including European institutions (thereby supporting and enhancing IPPF EN’s work towards building a progressive European front on issues related to SRHR, gender equality and LGBTIQ+ rights).  Maintain strong working relationships with IPPF EN’s Membership Support & Development team, and Community Engagement and Partnerships lead to ensure streamlined connection and technical outreach to Member Associations and relevant community groups.    Continued horizon scanning of emerging regional and international best practice and innovations, related to progressive new narrative and anti-rights trends to inform IPPF EN strategies and research. In 2027, this work will have an explicit focus on defending civic space, fertility rights, masculinities, and other emergent topics that are increasingly scrutinised by the anti-rights movement.   Ensure synergies, collaboration and sharing of IPPF EN’s experience with relevant staff from across the global Federation, via key engagement moments and established monthly and quarterly global connection calls, with a particular emphasis on those working in the fields of opposition and narratives, external relations, communications, voice and media, youth leadership. In addition, ensure continued connection and streamlined approaches with IPPF’s emerging innovation and resilience hub.  Provide inputs to fundraising strategies, materials and proposal writing to ensure that learnings from narrative and countering anti-rights work are taken into account / enhanced through further funding to Europe and Central Asia.  Take collective responsibility for safeguarding.

Essential Skills

• Advanced interpersonal and verbal communication skills, in particular to work within a network of multi-cultural staff and stakeholders, including the ability to inspire, educate and motivate with or without direct authority; 
• Enjoys working collaboratively;
• Open minded, emphatic, flexible and creative;
• Project and people management skills; 
• Training/facilitation skills;
• Able to speak articulately in meetings and conferences;
• Fluency in English (oral and written skills) is essential  (C1)
• Commitment to gender equality, sexual and reproductive rights, diversity and non-discrimination and youth participation are a must.; 
• Willing and able to travel .
• Have the right to work in Belgium

Desirable Skills

• Knowledge of Russian language, French, Spanish an asset;