Solidarity & Support Programme Officer At Urgent Action Fund-Africa

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.

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 and Kampala, Uganda; North Africa: Cairo, Egypt; Central Africa: Bujumbura, Burundi and Southern Africa: Harare, Zimbabwe, Antananarivo, Madagascar, Johannesburg, South Africa, Gaborone, Bostwana; Lilongwe, Malawi and West Africa: Abuja, Nigeria, Cotonou, Benin.

Position Overview

The Solidarity & Support Officer will support the programme to ensure that time urgent financial and technical resources are awarded to feminist and womn’s human rights actors, working on the African continent to protect and advance womn’s human rights with a keen focus on advancing environmental and climate justice. The Environmental and Climate Justice Officer will support WHRDs, organisations, collectives and movements addressing the many laws and practices that are harming communities nationwide and regionwide and the policies needed to rectify these impacts and advance a society that fosters sustainable, cooperative, regenerative communities that

uphold all rights for all people in harmony with the earth. The candidate reports directly to the Solidarity & Support Coordinator.

Specific Responsibilities

• Facilitate identification of possible grantees to provide much-needed technical and financial support;

• Responsible for reviewing submitted grant applications, overseeing Programme Assistants accordingly to ensure timely delivery of desired grant targets

• Correspond (answering queries, addressing concerns) and collaborate with the Solidarity and Support Committee during the voting process of the grant- making processes

• Establish and maintain relationships with UAF-Africa’s grant making advisors across Africa; seek opinions and work with advisors and endorsers on grant proposals

• Provide endorsements for grantees and key partners seeking funding from other funders

• Represent UAF-Africa at meetings, conferences and convenings in relation to grantmaking

• Correspond and share information with women’s rights organisations, grantees, partners and networks, including participation in networks’ convenings in which UAF-Africa is a member and share information and contacts, to grow visibility of the Fund

• Work collaboratively with other staff within the Fund to prepare funder proposals, programming reports and any such publications used to showcase the work of the Fund

• Actively solicit and seek out possible grantees championing feminist activism on the continent

• Ensure that the values and guiding principles of UAF-Africa are adhered to through the Fund’s grantmaking activities

• Develop a pipeline of potential grantees to the Fund, with a commitment to reaching traditionally neglected and under-funded grassroots women’s rights organisations, including newly established and non-registered groups that have no access to or receive little-to-no funding

• Support a learning community of grantees to encourage networking, capacity building, and collaboration, and identify new partners to collaborate in advancing grant making strategies.

Qualifications

Master’s Degree in Social Sciences including but not limited to Women/Gender Studies, Law, Sociology, Psychology, Human rights, or other relevant fields.

Skills and Experience

• Minimum of 5 years’ relevant work experience working in women’s rights or social justice-oriented organisations at the national, regional or international levels

• Knowledgeable of trust-based grantmaking, particularly with marginalised women and communities, gender non-conforming, women with disabilities and young women through a human rights and feminist approach

• Deep knowledge and experience in women’s rights programming especially movement building nationally or regionally in Africa

• Excellent spoken and written communicator (in English and French) who is responsive, thoughtful, culturally humble, and able to convey complex content in clear ways to a range of audiences with excellent writing skills

• Passionate about UAF-Africa’s mission, committed to teamwork, and achieving results; including a commitment to gender justice transformative grantmaking, community-led development, and grassroots movement building

• Self-starter, proactive teammate who thinks creatively, ambitiously, nimbly and can make decisions under conditions of uncertainty

• Strong initiative with ability to work independently and as part of a team managing multiple deadlines

• Proven experience working effectively in a cross-cultural and virtual team

• Flexible and willing to perform other tasks as assigned, in a fast-paced, team-oriented work environment

• UAF-Africa is part of a global UAF-Sisterhood network and staff are expected to occasionally work collaboratively with the 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. This position will be based in the successful candidates’ West African country of residence.