Sustaining Defenders: Programme Associate Civil Engagement GBV & SRHRJ 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. Recognizing the need to move resources rapidly on a continent where opportunities and threats arise and decline quickly, UAF-Africa uses a Rapid Response Grantmaking 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, Kampala, Uganda; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, North Africa: Cairo, Egypt; Southern Africa: Harare, Zimbabwe, Lilongwe & Blantyre, Malawi, Johannesburg, Pretoria & Cape Town, South Africa, Antananarivo, Madagascar and West Africa: Abuja, Nigeria, Parakou & Cotonou, Benin, Douala & Yaounde, Cameroon, Lome, Togo.

Position Overview

The position provides support in a timely financial and technical response to interventions and needs of womn’s rights organizations and womn human rights defenders with the aim of advancing womn’s human rights and social justice on the African continent. The incumbent ensures effective grants review, outreach, evidence monitoring & measurement, data management and, reporting within the Sustaining Defenders portfolio with a specific focus on sustaining African womn human rights defenders, Civic Engagement, GBV & SRHRJ.

Specific Responsibilities.

• Work collaboratively with the entire Sustaining Defenders team to ensure that Sustaining AWHRDs, Civic Engagement, GBV & SRHRJ grants for a given year are met or surpassed effectively.
• Prepare write-ups and or review grant proposal write ups and make recommendations to the Programme Officers before submission to the voting team.
• Seek opinions and working with formal/informal advisors and endorsers on grant proposals.
• Coordinate and update finance on grant approvals in liaison with the supervisor. Ensuring that Finance section is fully aware of all pending fund disbursements, ensuring consistent follow-up.
• Follow up with grantees on grants paperwork.
• Ensure efficiency and minimum turnaround time is maintained on all the grants issued.
• Manage the grants data base for Sustaining AWHRDs, Civic Engagement, GBV & SRHRJ, and periodically update salesforce on reporting details.
• Produce analysis on grant making work with a specific focus on Sustaining AWHRDs, Civic Engagement, GBV & SRHRJ, through reports for formal submission, article writing (OpEd’s), grantee stories, blogs etc.
• Assist in the provision of information concerning the Sustaining Defenders Programme in meetings and in periodical reports including responding to queries arising from grant matrices with a key focus on Sustaining AWHRDs, Civic Engagement, GBV & SRHRJ.
• Support in the implementation of portfolio goals in line with specific donor obligations.
• Participate in the Sustaining Defenders Programme meetings and other meetings as approved by the direct supervisor.
• Prepare and submit weekly and monthly updates on applications received, grants awarded, funds disbursed and other portfolio developments focusing on Sustaining AWHRDs, Civic Engagement, GBV & SRHRJ.
• Maintain relationship with grantees.
• Support with planning and implementation of UAF-Africa’s outreach missions for Sustaining AWHRDs, Civic Engagement, GBV & SRHRJ.
• Ensure that all grant files on salesforce are complete and maintained as required and for easy retrieval.
• Ensure that grants are closed out in a timely manner – keep track of turnaround time.

Programme Logistics

• Provide support in preparing budgets for outreach missions, convenings and networking missions.
• Provide administrative support in the planning of Sustaining Defenders events such as webinars.
• Assist the portfolio to induct and orient all new Sustaining Defenders staff on grantmaking systems and approaches.

Financial Responsibility

• Grantees – Assists in the provision of financial and technical support to womn’s rights activists, interact and deliberate with grantees in various fora, contact past grantees and advisors, for follow up on situations and grants.
• Advisors – Through guidance of the Sustaining Defenders: Senior Programme Officer: Civic Engagement, GBV & SRHRJ, follow up and ensure due diligence in the grant making process.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree plus Professional qualification.

• Women Rights, Gender Studies, Environmental Developmental Studies, Law, Social Sciences, International Relations, Humanities.

Skills and Experience

• 4-6 years overall experience and out of which at least 1-3 years experience supervising junior roles.
• Demonstrate high levels of integrity and confidentiality
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills in English. French is a plus.
• Strong Organizational, planning and administrative skills.
• Understanding of the Feminist and women’s human rights issues on the African continent required.
• Good attention to detail and ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Good time management skills and ability to produce quality work with minimal supervision.
• Teamwork and ability to work in diverse teams

Role Specific

• Problem solving abilities.
• Salesforce knowledge.
• Leadership skills.
• Innovation.
• Ability to organise oneself and complete assignments on time.
• Understanding of the Feminist and women’s human rights sector required.
• An understanding of gender equality and womn’s rights issues, particularly in Africa.
• Demonstrated understanding of a feminist political analysis and familiar with feminist movement building.
• Passionate about UAF-Africa’s mission, committed to teamwork, and achieving results
• Ability to perform detailed work, frequently and/or to handle a large volume of work systematically, optimally, and accurately.
• Able to identify project needs, develop a detailed timeline for completion, oversee schedules, and milestone management.
• Ability to organise, categorise, and synthesize information from a range of datasets existent within and outside the Fund.
• Ability to contribute on a team and coordinate assignments to achieve common goals.
• Excellent interpersonal, public speaking, writing, and negotiation skills.
• Flexibility and willingness to travel on the African continent and beyond as and when required.
• Experience working in a virtual work environment is an added advantage.

Work Environment

UAF-Africa is an equal-opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its hiring practices. UAF-Africa actively seeks a diverse applicant pool to build the most robust possible workforce. The Fund is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. The position will be based in the selected candidate’s African country of residence.