Challenging Religious Fundamentalisms - Communications and Knowledge Building Program Coordinator, Association for Women's Rights in Development

Challenging Religious Fundamentalisms - Communications and Knowledge Building Program Coordinator

Posted on: August 28, 2014
Application deadline: September 21, 2014
Posted by: The Association for Women's Rights in Development

OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRAM

The Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) is an international feminist organization working to strengthen the voice, impact and influence of women's rights advocates, organizations and movements internationally.

Recognizing that religious fundamentalisms are gaining ground all over the world with particularly negative consequences for women's rights and gender equality, the Challenging Religious Fundamentalisms (CF) thematic area aims to contribute to greater strategic thinking, dialogue and advocacy on religious fundamentalisms by women's rights and other social justice organizations and movements. Launched in 2007, the CF initiative has three main areas of focus:

• Ensuring that women's rights activists and allies have access to high quality and strategic information on emerging trends, developments and analysis to better inform their responses to religious fundamentalisms
• Strengthening the capacity of women's rights activists, groups and allies to understand, analyse and develop more effective strategies to challenge religious fundamentalisms
• Opening up spaces for dialogue and strategizing on the issue of religious fundamentalisms that cut across generations, contexts, regions, issues and religious contexts

OVERVIEW OF THE POSITION

The Challenging Religious Fundamentalisms – Communications and Knowledge BuildingProgram Coordinator is a full-time position reporting to the CF Manager, who will support the strategic objectives of CF with an emphasis on religious fundamentalisms and the international human rights system. The Program Coordinator will be responsible for the following main functions:

• Knowledge-Building and Exchange: Produces well-written and timely analysis of the use of religion, culture and tradition to undermine the universality of rights and violate women's human rights. Conducts research, writes updates, articles, briefs, urgent action statements, develops advocacy tools and produces short publications. Supports capacity building initiatives/activities. Takes a lead in the development an online platform to monitor the impact of religious fundamentalisms in the human rights system.
• Partnerships, Collaborations and Alliance-Building: Participates in efforts to expand and deepen AWID's engagement and collaboration with actors from women's rights, human rights and other social movements working on issues of religious fundamentalisms particularly those engaged in the international and regional human rights processes. Strengthens collaborations and alliance-building through proactive formal and informal communications with external stakeholders and key allies.
• Convening Dialogues and Strategic Conversations: Engages in external dialogues and convenings; facilitates working groups, consultations or caucuses as needed. Contributes to CF strategic convenings by developing presentations and supporting written materials.

• Advocacy and Action: Strengthening advocacy, exchange and action for positive change with regards to women's rights, human rights and religious fundamentalisms in international policy spaces
• Organizational Processes: Contributes to the monitoring and evaluation processes of the program and contributes to funder reports and internal reporting processes.

Work Location of the Position:

• Work location is open
• AWID offices are located in Cape Town, Mexico City and Toronto but applicants may apply to work from home in other locations
• Applicants from the Global South are strongly encouraged to apply

RESPONSIBILITIES

Knowledge-building and Exchange

• In collaboration with AWID partners, produce regular monitoring reports on the use of arguments based on religion, culture and tradition to undermine the universality of rights and violate women's human rights in the international human rights system
• Drafts written position statements, briefs, short analytical pieces, reports and papers on issues of religious fundamentalisms, women's rights and human rights. Provides strategic inputs and analysis in reaction to relevant documents produced by others or developments in this area
• Takes a lead in developing a virtual platform to monitor and track the impact of arguments based on religion, culture and tradition to undermine the universality of rights and violate women's human rights in the international human rights system, which will include providing timely analysis, maintaining a repository of materials and other functions
• Support capacity building activities & initiatives as required to disseminate the knowledge generated by the initiative

Partnership, Collaborations & Alliance-Building

• Provides support and works in close collaboration with AWID partners, maintaining regular communication, soliciting input and advancing common objectives
• Participates in efforts to expand and deepen AWID's engagement and collaboration with actors from women's rights, human rights and other social movements working on issues of religious fundamentalisms particularly within the international human rights system
• Participates in relevant meetings, working groups and engages in formal and informal communications with external stakeholders and key allies
• Liaises with stakeholders (partner organizations, consultants, etc.) to discuss collaborative initiatives, provide information or follow-up on commitments and deadlines
• Maintains regular communication with allies and other actors relevant to AWID's advocacy objectives

Advocacy and Action

• Contributes to defining priorities, objectives and strategies to advance advocacy on religious fundamentalisms and women's rights particularly within the international human rights system
• Represents AWID in select international or regional venues identified as relevant for advocacy purposes or alliance building
• Drafts AWID's responses and urgent actions including letters, solidarity messages and statements that support women human rights defenders challenging religious fundamentalisms
• Works with communications team to develop mechanisms for appropriate actions including using social media and other tools to strengthen advocacy

Convening Dialogues and Strategic Conversations

• Engages in venues, in particular those relevant to international human rights processes to effectively advance the strategic goals of the initiative (i.e. knowledge building, advocacy, alliance-building and partnerships)
• Makes public presentations on research results or other CF analysis/resources in strategic venues, represents the initiative in relevant dialogues and /or facilitates small working groups, consultations or caucuses as needed
• Supports convenings of the initiative including preparation of meeting-related documents, background reading, agenda, concept papers, presentations, post-meeting reports etc.

Organizational Processes

• Contributes to work-planning, monitoring and evaluation and reporting processes to effectively advance strategic objectives of the program
• Ensures the timely and effective implementation of deliverables linked to individual work plan, including all activities, reports and evaluations
• Participates and contributes to CF team coordination and planning meetings
• Participates actively in organizational meeting venues (office and staff meetings) and committees

QUALIFICATIONS

4-6 Years Experience:

• Working for a non-profit organization in a related role

• writing and editing a range of high quality products related to women's rights, human rights and/or religious fundamentalisms
• analyzing key issues and themes related to women's rights and human rights
• engaging with international human rights bodies and venues
• alliance building and building collaborative processes and advocating to effect change (in regional and/or global spaces)
• working in a multi-cultural team and/or one located in diverse locations
• working in or with organizations based in the Global South and/or Central and Eastern Europe

Required Knowledge:

• International human rights system and processes particularly in relation to women's rights and human rights
• Complex intersections of issues that relate to religious fundamentalisms, women's rights and human rights globally
• Familiarity with international and regional women's rights organizations and networks working on women's rights, sexual and reproductive rights, LGBTQI rights, human rights, and religious fundamentalisms

Academic Qualifications:

• University degree in related field: social science, political science, international relations, development, gender studies, religious studies, human rights, etc.

Expertise & Skills:

• Excellent written and communication skills in English (e.g. articles, analytical pieces, report writing, position statements)
• Experience conducting advocacy on issues of religious fundamentalisms, women's human rights and gender equality
• Strong public speaking and facilitation skills
• Ability to navigate international policy spaces
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship building skills, ability to navigate complex relationships and work with multiple stakeholders in a coalition and partnership
• Innovative, flexible, manages change
• Demonstrated capacity to develop, implement, monitor and evaluate a work plan with multiple deliverables and deadlines
• Strategic & forward thinking abilities
• Displays good judgment, sensitivity and attention to communication
• Strong time management, detail orientation and thoroughness of work
• Ability to prioritize, multi task, and manage stress
• Results-oriented, and takes initiative
• Problem solving and decision making abilities
• Superior knowledge of the MS Office Suite (Word, Excel PowerPoint), internet and email
• Knowledge of latest ICT's for raising awareness and advocacy, building online communities, information sharing
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to work remotely as part of a virtual team

Other Requirements:

• Able to travel internationally (at least 5 weeks per year)
• Committed to the principles and values of feminism and anti-oppression

Assets:

• Bilingual (written and spoken) in French, Arabic or Spanish
• Graduate degree in related field
• Courses or certificates in Women's/Feminist studies, Political Economy or Human Rights considered an asset
• Proficient in the use of ICTs, web 2.0 and web utilities to effect change
• Trilingual (English and any combination of Spanish-French-Arabic-Russian)

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit in English, a current CV, along with a cover letter (no more than two pages) that addresses how you meet the necessary qualifications to:

• Fax: +416 594 0330
• E-mail: jobs@awid.org (please include "CF – Communications and Knowledge Building Program Coordinator" in the subject line)

In addition please include a response to the following question (no more than 300 words):

"What would you consider are the key challenges in protecting the universality of human rights?"

The application closing date is Sunday, September 21, 2014.

We thank all those who apply, but only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. No phone calls please. AWID encourages, promotes and supports diversity in all aspects of its work. To learn more about AWID and our programs, please visit our website at www.awid.org