Kenya: Programme Officer
Country: Kenya
Closing date: 07 Feb 2014
Programme Officer Sub-Saharan Africa
The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) is an independent academic institution established in 1984. The mission of the Institute is to promote universal respect for human rights and humanitarian law by means of research, academic education, and institutional development. The vision of the Institute is to be a centre of excellence meeting the highest international standards in all its fields of operation. In addition to research and academic education programmes, RWI has since 1990 been implementing a wide range of human rights capacity development programmes for institutions in developing countries, mainly with the support of Swedish Development Cooperation.
RWI started to work in Sub-Saharan Africa in the early 1990s and since then extensive cooperation has been maintained with institutions in Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Zambia, as well as regionally/sub-regionally. In autumn 2011, the Institute started implementation of a new regional programme in Sub-Saharan Africa covering the time period 2011-2015. The Programme comprises four main components:
1) Cooperation with strategic African academic institutions
2) Cooperation with African National Human Rights Institutions and their regional and sub-regional cooperation mechanisms
3) Cooperation with the East African Court of Justice, and other regional judicial bodies
4) Strengthening Human Rights of Women and Peace Building in East Africa
Components 3-4 are primarily managed from the Institute’s office in Nairobi, which also manages RWI’s bilateral cooperation programme in Kenya. For further information on the Raoul Wallenberg Institute’s regional programme in Sub-Saharan Africa and cooperation in Sub-Saharan Africa in general, see http://rwi.lu.se/where-we-work/regions/sub-saharan-africa/.
Summary:
RWI is currently seeking candidates immediately for the position as Programme Officer, based at the Institute’s office in Nairobi, Kenya, to work with the Institute’s Regional Programme in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Programme Officer’s primary responsibility is the planning, implementation and follow-up of cooperation projects in Sub-Saharan Africa so as to achieve expected results. The position will in particular concern management and implementation of components 3 and 4 under the Regional Programme. The position is fulltime, and for one year initially starting as early as possible, with possible extension. The right to employment in Kenya is required for the position.
Main Tasks and Responsibilities:
In accordance with relevant templates and guidelines and reporting to the Head of the RWI Kenya Office, the Programme Officer’s main tasks would include:
- In cooperation with programme partners in primarily the East African region, management and implementation of programme activities;
- Drafting and monitoring budgets and work plans related to programmes;
- Drafting agreements and contracts with partner institutions and external consultants;
- Regularly assessing and monitoring programme developments and results;
- Staying informed of relevant developments in the region with particular focus on the human rights and peace and security situation as well as related political, legal and economic developments;
- Initiating and maintaining regular contact, as well as participating in meetings, with relevant authorities, organisations, donors, etc.
- For completed activities, preparing narrative reports to analyse the results of the respective programme activities carried out;
- Assessing new programme opportunities within the mandate and priorities of RWI, and when relevant drafting proposals for new programmes; and
- Contributing to the development of strategies and activities to facilitate future RWI cooperation in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The position will involve periodic travel to programme sites in Sub-Saharan Africa (predominantly East Africa) to facilitate the implementation of project objectives, and to assess and report on project developments and results. At times, the workload can be high.
Qualifications:
- A minimum of three years of relevant professional experience in programme management;
- Knowledge of international human rights law, including university degree with preferably a specialisation in international human rights law or related fields;
- Strong contextual knowledge of and relevant experiences and contacts from programme work concerning/in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on East Africa, as well as from one or several of the thematic areas covered under the Institute’s regional programme in Sub-Saharan Africa;
- Experience of results based management and knowledge of relevant monitoring and evaluation tools;
- Demonstrated organisational, analytical, communication and interpersonal skills;
- Ability to work independently, take initiatives and prioritise work tasks;
- Flexibility and ability to work under pressure and complete tasks within given timeframes;
- Proven skills to work in teams and generate innovative, practical solutions to challenging situations;
- Fluent written and spoken English; other relevant language skills also preferable;
- Cultural sensitivity; and
- Sound knowledge of means and methods of international development cooperation work.
How to apply:
Please note that we only accept applications via the RWI website, http://rwi.lu.se/about/opportunities/vacancies/?rmpage=job&rmjob=30&rmla...
We look forward to receive your application no later than 7 February 2014.
For further information about the position, please contact Josh Ounsted, Head of Kenya Office josh.ounsted@rwi.lu.se
