Policy & Programs Officer
Sustainability, Governance & Transparency
Makati Business Club is looking for a Policy and Programs Officer – Sustainability, Governance & Transparency who will support the implementation of the Makati Business Club’s Freedom of Information (FOI) program and selected sustainability initiatives. The role involves program coordination, policy research, stakeholder engagement, and documentation across transparency, accountability, and sustainability workstreams.
This position reports directly to the PPU Project Lead and coordinates closely with the Policy and Programs Manager and the Executive Director, as well as relevant policy committees and the communications team.
Responsibilities
1. FOI Program Implementation (Primary Responsibility)
- Support the implementation of MBC’s grant-funded FOI program, ensuring activities are delivered in line with approved workplans and timelines.
- Prepare FOI-related policy briefs, issue notes, statements, and congressional engagement materials.
- Support engagements with the House of Representatives, Senate offices, and relevant government agencies on FOI and right-to-information reforms.
- Assist in organizing FOI briefings, roundtables, and dialogues with legislators, government agencies, private sector representatives, and civil society.
- Track legislative and policy developments related to FOI and provide timely updates to the team.
- Maintain FOI program documentation, activity trackers, and inputs for donor reporting.
2. Sustainability Program Support
- Support activities of MBC’s Sustainability Committee, including meeting preparation, agenda coordination, documentation, and follow-through.
- Assist in research and policy development on sustainability topics identified by the Committee (e.g., climate policy, circular economy, EPR, waste management, energy transition).
- Support the preparation of sustainability-related dialogues, consultations, and roundtables with government agencies, embassies, and development partners.
- Help draft sustainability-related policy notes, backgrounders, and meeting summaries.
3. Stakeholder Engagement & Government Dialogues
- Support planning and coordination of meetings with government agencies (e.g., DOF, DBM, DENR, DTI, Congress, Senate) related to FOI, transparency, and sustainability.
- Prepare agenda notes, talking points, and post-meeting summaries.
- Coordinate with private sector members, civil society partners, and external stakeholders involved in assigned initiatives.
4. Research & Policy Support
- Conduct policy research to support MBC positions on FOI, open government, budget transparency, and sustainability.
- Assist in drafting briefing notes, issue papers, and technical summaries for internal and external use.
- Consolidate insights from consultations and dialogues into clear, usable policy inputs.
5. Program Coordination & Reporting
- Maintain workplans, activity trackers, and program documentation for assigned workstreams.
- Support preparation of donor and internal reports, ensuring accurate documentation of activities, outputs, and outcomes.
- Coordinate with the communications team on event announcements, publications, and visibility materials related to FOI and sustainability.
- Provide technical inputs to concept notes or project ideas as needed (not responsible for full grant writing).
6. Communications & Public Information Support (FOI)
- Support the implementation of the FOI information and outreach campaign, in coordination with the communications team and project leads.
- Draft and schedule regular social media posts in coordination with the MBC Communications Team, including key messages and basic infographics, to raise public awareness of FOI and its relevance to transparency, accountability, and inclusive economic growth.
- Assist in preparing a press release aligned with key legislative or policy developments related to FOI.
- Support the drafting and coordination of an opinion piece on FOI for publication in a major Philippine newspaper, including background research and fact-checking.
- Work with video developer and assist in the development of short FOI explainer content (e.g., scripts, outlines, captions) covering FOI basics, FOI relevance to businesses and economic decision-making, and how citizens and stakeholders can engage through FOI.
- Coordinate with internal teams and external partners to ensure accuracy, consistency, and timely dissemination of FOI communication materials.
- Track communication outputs (posts, releases, articles, videos) and maintain basic documentation for reporting and evaluation purposes.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in public policy, political science, economics, environmental studies, development studies, or a related field.
- At least 2–4 years of experience in policy research, program coordination, government engagement, or advocacy work.
- Familiarity with Philippine governance processes, FOI/right-to-information issues, and sustainability or climate policy is an advantage.
- Strong writing skills, with the ability to draft clear and accurate briefs, notes, and summaries.
- Strong coordination and organizational skills; able to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
- Comfortable working with government, private sector, and civil society stakeholders.
- Commitment to transparency, evidence-based policymaking, and collaborative work.