Solidarity & Support Programme Assistant at Urgent Action Fund-Africa

Organisational profile

Urgent Action Fund-Africa (UAF-Africa) is a feminist, pan-African, Rapid Response Fund committed to transforming power relations through resourcing African feminists and womn human rights defenders and their formations as an act of solidarity. Recognising the need to move resources rapidly on a continent where opportunities and threats arise and decline quickly, UAF-Africa uses a Rapid Response Grant making mechanism to support unanticipated, time sensitive, innovative and unique initiatives that promote womn’s agency in peace and political participation, social and economic power building as well as natural resources governance and stewardship. The Fund works to support African Womn Human Rights Defenders (AWHRDs), particularly in the feminist and womn’s rights movements, in their actions, which enable them to support and sustain themselves, each other and their work before, during and after urgent situations.

UAF-Africa mobilises resources from a broad base of international and increasingly local funders committed to protecting and advancing womn’s rights and feminist agendas in Africa. Our primary purpose is to provide funding to AWHRDs and their groups, organisations and the movements to help them prepare for and navigate urgent situations with appropriate actions. This puts them in the position to support and sustain themselves, each other and their work during and after the urgent circumstances they find themselves.

UAF-Africa is registered in Kenya and Zimbabwe. Operating as a virtual organisation, the Fund boasts of strategic physical presence in East Africa: Nairobi, Kenya, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Kampala, Uganda; North Africa: Cairo, Egypt; Central Africa: Bujumbura, Burundi and Yaounde, Cameroon; Southern Africa: Harare, Zimbabwe; Antananarivo, Madagascar, Lilongwe, Malawi, Johannesburg, South Africa, Gaborone, Botswana and West Africa: Benue State, Nigeria, Cotonou, Benin and Lome, Togo.

Position Overview

The Solidarity & Support Programme Assistant assists in the timely financial and technical response to interventions and needs of womn’s rights activists and organizations with the aim of advancing womn’s human rights on the continent. The candidate reports directly to the Solidarity & Support Programme Officer – SRHR

Specific Responsibilities

Grant making and reporting

• Act as the initial interface with the grantees and provide prompt and suitable communication with the applicants;
• Review of grant requests up to the point of preparing checklists for the grant making team to review;
• Correspondence with grantees, advisors and fiscal sponsors;

· Seeking opinions and working with formal/informal advisors and endorsers on grant proposals;

· Data entry of all inquiries, requests and grant awards on the grant making database, Salesforce;

· Completing due diligence research of potential grantees;

• Completion and filing of grant related paperwork;
• Assisting with grant making activity reports;
• Preparing Country related context analysis and grant making reports with keen focus on SRHR, GBV and LBTQ rights ;
• Carrying out research for outreach missions and other UAF-Africa purposes as assigned;
• Assisting in preparations and logistics for outreach and networking missions;

· Performing any other duties as may be assigned by the Programme Officer and or Manager.**

Qualifications

· Degree in Social Sciences, Women’s Studies, Political Sciences, International Development, Law or related fields**

Skills and Experience

· 2 years’ experience in grant making processes is required;

· Excellent organizational skills and ability to multi task;

· Excellent communication skills;

· Flexibility and willingness to travel on the African continent and beyond as and when required;

• An understanding of gender equality and womn’s rights issues with a keen focus on SRHR, GBV and/or LBTQ, particularly in politically unstable and post conflict African settings;
• Familiarity with the womn’s rights development needs in Africa with a keen focus on SRHR, GBV and/or LBTQ rights ;
• Passionate about UAF-Africa’s mission, committed to teamwork, and achieving results and building effective teams;
• Excellent inter-personal, public speaking, writing and negotiation skills;
• Experience working in a virtual work environment an added advantage;
• Experience working with Salesforce or any other grant making software tool is an added advantage;
• Flexible and willing to perform other tasks as assigned, in a fast-paced, team-oriented work environment;
• UAF-Africa is a part of a global UAF-Sisterhood network and staff are expected to occasionally work collaboratively with UAF-Sister Funds.

Work Environment

This is a regional position that involves some national, regional and international travel. UAF-Africa is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate in its hiring practices. In order to build the strongest possible workforce, UAF-Africa actively seeks a diverse applicant pool. The Fund is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. The position can be based in Southern or West Africa.