Africa: Advocacy Officer - FEMNET

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
The African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) is looking for a suitable candidate to fill the position of Advocacy Officer. This position will offer the position holder an opportunity to work on very exciting advocacy initiatives and campaigns in a very stimulating, multicultural and dynamic environment. The position will involve considerable travel within Africa and other parts of the world.

Purpose of the Position
The African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) focuses primarily on advocacy around regional and international policies relevant to the development, equality and the human rights of African women. FEMNET’s advocacy and representational work during regional and international policy negotiations needs to be backed up by research and the dissemination of strategic information before, during and after such regional and international policy negotiations. FEMNET uses different fora to identify the pertinent issues that would contribute significantly to the improvement of the quality of lives of women in Africa.

This is particularly so given that expectations of FEMNET in this respect have grown—both among FEMNET’s constituencies and its partners.
The Advocacy Officer in collaboration with the Program Officer and Communication Officer initiates continent wide advocacy campaigns intended to mobilize women from all walks of life to be active citizens in democratic processes in their countries and communities that contribute to improving the status and quality of life of women in Africa.

Responsibilities will include:
• Enabling the African women’s movement to develop and use regional and international law and policy in advocacy for the development, equality and other human rights of African women;
• Encouraging research on the mainstreaming of the African women’s movement’s concerns in regional and international law and policy;
• Raising awareness about and maintain effective communications with FEMNET’s constituencies on advocacy issues that support African women’s development and empowerment, gender equality and the promotion of women’s human rights at national, regional and international levels;
• Enhancing the African women’s movement’s capacity to influence governments and inter-governmental organisations (IGOs) to develop and implement policies that promote the rights of African women as provided for in national, regional and international human rights instruments.
• Providing specialist advice and skills to support cross country learning.
• Managing the advocacy programme’s projects, particularly those on the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and the African Union (AU);
• Undertaking and/or commissioning research in support of the advocacy programme’s projects;
• Coordinating and facilitating the advocacy and lobbying activities on behalf of
FEMNET’s constituencies at the regional and international levels;
• Liaising with the Communication Officer to sustain communication with FEMNET’s constituencies on the developments within the advocacy programme;
• Conceptualising new projects for the advocacy programme in consultation with the
Executive Director and Program Officer;
• Working closely with the Program Officer to mobilize resources for the Advocacy
Programme and projects;
• Coordinating the planning and implementation of the Advocacy Programme’s training activities organized at regional or sub- regional levels;
• Monitoring, evaluating and reporting on the Advocacy Programme and its projects on a quarterly basis and as may be otherwise required by the Executive Director or the
Executive Board;
• Advising the Executive Director as to any needs relating to the Advocacy Programme.

Qualifications, experience and other requirements
• A degree in social sciences and a masters degree in a relevant field will be an added advantage;
• Knowledge of and experience in conducting research and organizing advocacy initiatives at the regional and international levels that promotes women’s rights and women’s empowerment in Africa;
• Analytical, creative, strategic and problem-solving skills;
• Ability to simplify, summarise and communicate complex information, including presentation skills in both English and French;
• Good communications, interpersonal and networking skills, including the ability to work with a diverse range of people and organisations at the national, regional and international levels;
• Diplomatic, lobbying and political skills, including knowledge of the differing political contexts within Africa (anglophone, arabophone, francophone and lusophone);
• Pro-activeness and self-motivation with the ability to work very well within a team environment;
• Good time management skills, including the ability to work towards deadlines;
• Computer literacy, including electronic networking skills;
• Programme/project development, fundraising, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and report-writing skills.

Remuneration
• This position is a regional position and compensation is competitive with attractive benefits depending on the qualifications and experience of the candidate and the FEMNET’s salary structure.

Please submit, by February 28, 2009, a letter of application, together with a Curriculum Vitae (CV), copies of relevant supporting documents and at least three references to:

The African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)
Behind KUSCCO Centre, Kilimanjaro Avenue, Off Mara Road
P O Box 54562, 00200 Nairobi, Kenya
Email: [email][email protected]