Senior Officer for Africa Engagement, Girls not Brides, London or Dakar (Senegal) or Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) or Nairobi (Kenya)

Deadline: 15 October 2015

Location: London or Dakar (Senegal) or Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) or Nairobi (Kenya)

Organization: Girls Not Brides

Girls Not Brides is recruiting a Senior Officer for Africa Engagement to expand the capacity of our Africa team. Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child brings together civil society organisations from around the world. The Partnership now counts over 500 members across more than 70 countries, based throughout Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. Members are united by a commitment to end child marriage and enable girls to fulfil their potential.

Girls Not Brides works to empower those seeking to end child marriage; to raise awareness of the harmful impact of the practice and the solutions to end it; and to call for urgent action by relevant stakeholders. Girls Not Brides was initiated by The Elders, a group of eminent global leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela to promote peace and human rights worldwide.

The successful candidate could either be based in the Girls Not Brides office in London or Dakar (Senegal) or, preferably, work remotely from Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) or Nairobi (Kenya). S/he will report to the Head of Africa Engagement, and play a central role in the development and implementation of strategies to further Girls Not Brides’ objectives in Africa. S/he will also contribute the broader strategic, programmatic and communications work of the Partnership and help achieve its overall objectives.

Main duties and responsibilities

Play a central role in Girls Not Brides’ work to inform, support and influence selected regional processes pertaining to child marriage in Africa:

• Monitor, analyse and document developments pertaining to child marriage and related issues in Africa, as well as developments within selected continental and the sub-regional level processes and initiatives on child marriage, women’s rights and children’s rights in Africa
• Develop and implement advocacy strategies and initiatives aiming at maintaining child marriage on the agenda of relevant regional processes and institutions
• Help develop and strengthen the Girls Not Brides secretariat’s strategic partnerships with key regional institutions and initiatives focusing on child marriage
• Promote and facilitate Girls Not Brides members’ effective and collaborative participation in relevant initiatives and processes on child marriage, including through capacity building initiatives.

Provide critical support to Girls Not Brides’ efforts to understand, stimulate and strengthen policy developments in selected focus countries in Africa:

• Monitor, analyse and document policy developments and opportunities relating to child marriage in selected focus countries across Africa, including through regular liaison with Girls Not Brides members and National Partnerships and occasional trips to focus countries
• Working closely with the Partnership team, provide critical support to strengthening the capacity of Girls Not Brides members, National Partnerships, and partner civil society networks to successfully take part in policy change in their countries
• As relevant and appropriate, provide direct strategic and technical support to governmental and other initiatives on child marriage at the national level.

Contribute to developing Girls Not Brides’ presence in Africa:

• Establish, maintain and strengthen Girls Not Brides’ working relationships with members organisations as well as key regional institutions, organisations, networks and UN agencies working on child marriage and related issues in Africa
• Represent Girls Not Brides at external meetings and events related to child marriage in Africa, and speak on behalf of Girls Not Brides in the media, as required
• Working with other teams within the secretariat, contribute to highlighting the work of Girls Not Brides members in Africa and ensuring that Africa members are able to engage meaningfully in the broader work of the Partnership.

Help inform Girls Not Brides’ strategic, learning and communications initiatives with knowledge of the regional context:

• Coordinate the development and publication of Girls Not Brides’ Africa newsletter, and contribute to the development of other learning and communications resources (e.g. briefings, toolkits, reports, etc.)
• Provide additional support for the development and implementation of global campaigns, advocacy efforts and other learning initiatives, as required.

We are looking for candidates with the following qualifications and skills:

• Demonstrated experience of undertaking policy and advocacy work in Africa at the regional and/or national levels, preferably as part of civil society coalitions
• Strong knowledge of international and African standards, institutions and processes relating to human rights, women’s rights and children’s rights
• Sound understanding of the policy and advocacy dynamics around gender and/or development issues in Africa; an understanding of child marriage and of the key players in the women’s and children’s rights fields in Africa is desirable.
• Strong analytical skills, ability to think strategically, with a keen eye for accuracy and detail
• Experience with providing capacity building and/or technical support to civil society
• Excellent writing and oral communication skills
• Excellent organisational skills; ability to plan and organise work effectively, to meet tight deadlines and juggle multiple priorities
• Strong interpersonal skills, and ability develop effective working relationships in a multicultural environment
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, but also to maintain effective working relationships with colleagues based abroad
• Ability to use discretion and maintain confidentiality
• Excellent written and spoken English is essential; working proficiency in French is highly desirable
• Proficiency in recent versions of Microsoft Office suite and use of databases
• Willingness to travel to/from London and across Africa on a regular basis, and sometimes at short notice.

Practicalities

A competitive salary and benefits package will be offered to the successful candidate. We encourage applications from candidates from countries with a high prevalence of child marriage. Please note that in order to work from Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Dakar (Senegal) or Nairobi (Kenya) the successful candidate would need to demonstrate that they have the appropriate work permission or visa. The salary range is £35,000 to £42,000.

How to apply:

To apply, please send your CV and a brief cover letter demonstrating how you meet the criteria for this position to recruitment@GirlsNotBrides.org by 18:00 GMT on 15 October 2015 clearly stating “Senior Officer for Africa Engagement” and your name in the subject line. Kindly indicate in your cover letter your preferred location. 

We regret that due to the large number of applications anticipated, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

- See more at: http://www.awid.org/get-involved/senior-officer-africa-engagement#sthash.w7emCiIv.dpuf