Employment

1.    CONTEXT

The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) is a regional Inter-Governmental organisation that was established by virtue of the Convention establishing the Association of Caribbean States done in Cartagena de Indias in July 1994. Article III of the Convention defines the organisation as one of “consultation, cooperation and concerted action” whose purpose is “to identify and promote the implementation of policies and programmes”.  The organisation’s work is focussed on - cooperation, disaster risk reduction, sustainable tourism, trade, transport and external economic relations, and the protection of the Caribbean Sea.  The ACS has 25 Member States, 10 Associate Members, 6 Founding Observers and 29 Observer Countries.

ACS engages external consultants to provide services to fulfil its mandate vis-à-vis its Member States and Associate Members. As a result, the ACS is seeking to engage an Advocacy and Partnerships Consultant to provide support to the Office of the Secretary- General in accordance with the functions referred herein.

2.    OBJECTIVE

To provide professional coordination and logistical support to the Secretariat’s external engagements and special initiatives. The Consultant will contribute to stakeholder coordination, diplomatic communication and follow-up processes, ensuring that strategic outreach and collaborate initiatives are well-prepared, accurately documented and effectively advanced in line with ACS mandates and priorities to strengthen partnerships, support advocacy and strategic outreach, and ensure effective coordination and follow-up on collaborative initiatives aligned to ACS priorities.

3.    REPORTING STRUCTURE

The Consultant will report to the Secretary-General.

4.    DELIVERABLES

A. External Engagements, Advocacy and Strategic Outreach
•    Support planning and coordination of external engagements aligned to ACS strategic objectives, programme areas, ministerial mandates and special initiatives, such as high-level meetings, ministerial engagements, conferences, and multilateral events.
•    Draft and prepare engagement materials (briefing notes, key messages, engagement notes, talking points & post-meeting summaries) for interactions with Membership, external partners, and Social Actors.
•    Track upcoming regional and international events to identify advocacy and engagement opportunities (events, commemorations, multilateral moments) that advance ACS positioning and visibility.
•    Support internal coordination to ensure external engagement messages are coherent and reflect agreed ACS positions on key mandates.
B. Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement 
•    Support the day-to-day coordination and engagement with regional and international Inter-Governmental organisations and strategic partners, including the UN system and other relevant institutions, as well as social actors relevant to ACS priorities.
•    Assist in maintaining and strengthening working relations with key stakeholders such as Ministries of Foreign Affairs, diplomatic missions, designated national focal points, observers, partner institutions, and Social Actors.
•    Facilitate information exchange, coordination, and follow-up on collaborative initiatives and partnership activities aligned to ACS strategic objectives.
•    Support documentation of external engagements (meeting notes/action points) and carry out timely follow-up on agreed actions.
C. Support to Special ACS Initiatives
•    Provide coordination and engagement support for ACS initiatives as assigned, including but not limited to stakeholder outreach, engagement planning, follow-up on commitments, and progress summaries).
•    Prepare initiative-specific engagement notes, tracking tools, and periodic updates for senior management. 
•    Support coherence between special initiatives and broader ACS external engagement and partnership efforts.
D. Partnership Follow-up and Institutional Memory
•    Maintain and update tracking tools for external engagements and partnership follow-up (e.g., contact lists, engagement logs, action trackers), ensuring institutional memory and continuity across engagement cycles.
•    Support internal coordination so that partnership commitments and follow-up actions are communicated to relevant Directorates/Units and tracked.
•    Prepare periodic summaries for senior management on external engagements, partnership follow-up status, and collaboration opportunities.
E. Other Duties
•    Provide logistical support for meetings, missions, and events, including bilateral scheduling, coordination with internal units, and liaison with external counterparts.
•    Support calendar management and coordination of external engagements within the Office of the Secretary-General as assigned.
•    Provide language support as required, including assistance with multilingual correspondence and engagement materials in English, Spanish, and French.
•    Perform other related duties as assigned, consistent with the scope and level of the position.

5.    DURATION

The Consultancy would be for an initial period of six (6) months and may be renewed.

6.    REMUNERATION

The Consultant shall be paid monthly the sum of Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars United States currency (US$2,500.00) tax free.

7. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE 

•    Master’s degree (or equivalent postgraduate qualification) in International Relations, Political Science, Diplomacy, Public Administration, International Politics, International Economics, Law, or a related field. In the absence of a Master’s degree, relevant work experience will be evaluated and considered.
•    Approximately 3 to 5 years of progressively responsible experience in political affairs, diplomacy, international relations, multilateral engagement, or related functions within a governmental, regional or international organisation environment.
•    Demonstrated experience in drafting high-quality documentation for senior officials and/or official processes.
•    Experience supporting the organisation, coordination and servicing of statutory, ministerial, or high-level Inter-Governmental meetings, including logistical and documentation support.
•    Demonstrated capacity to work with diverse stakeholders in a multicultural environment and to deliver under tight deadlines.

8. COMPETENCIES:

•    Strong political judgement, analytical capability and sound discretion in handling sensitive matters.
•    Professionalism and integrity in a multicultural environment and ability manage competing priorities.
•    Confidentiality and trustworthiness.
•    Excellent organisational, planning and time management skills.
•    Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality.
•    Ability to work under pressure.
•    Communication & Interpersonal skills.
•    Demonstrated ability to use tracking tools and dashboards to monitor key metrics, action items, and implementation progress, and to produce accurate management reports.
•    Excellent drafting skills with the ability to tailor written communication for different audiences and levels of seniority.
•    Demonstrated ability to use decision-tracking tools and follow-up matrices for ministerial mandates and meeting outcomes, including periodic implementation status updates and action reminders as required.
•    Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and or Google Workspace applications.
•    Calendar management and executive office workflow coordination.

9.    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

The Consultant may be expected to travel in the course of his/her duties.

10. SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTS

Candidates must present the following documents for consideration:
1.    Full Curriculum Vitae;
2.    University Degree certificate;
3.    Language Proficiency certificates (not native tongue);
4.    Names and contact information of three (3) referees.

Applicants must complete the Applicant Job Profile Summary Form included with the website vacancy. Failure to complete the Applicant Job Profile Summary Form will result in automatic rejection of the application. This form must be completed using either Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. Do not attempt to complete this document using any web browser.

Applications must be addressed to:

H.E. Noemí Espinoza Madrid
Secretary-General
Association of Caribbean States
5-7 Sweet Briar Road, St. Clair
PO Box 660, PORT OF SPAIN
Tel: 868-622-9575
Fax: 868-622-1653

And be submitted via the ACS’ website www.acs-aec.org or by email to: [email protected] 

The details stated above outline the nature and level of the tasks normally assigned to this position.  It does not constitute an exhaustive list of these tasks.  Additional related duties may be assigned as necessary for the effective functioning of the Association.

Only electronic applications will be acknowledged. All your submissions via email must not exceed 5MB in size.

Due to the high volume of applications received, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview. These candidates will also receive notice of the final outcome of the selection process.