Program Officer for West Africa

THE ORGANIZATION

The Fund for Global Human Rights is a leading supporter of on-the-ground human rights groups around the world.  Dedicated to finding and funding the most effective human rights activists in countries from Africa to Asia to Latin America, the Fund for Global Human Rights offers grants and facilitates technical support to ensure the long-term effectiveness and viability of frontline groups working in challenging conditions with scant resources. The board consists of international human rights experts, core funders, and advisors from the regions where the Fund operates.

Since 2002, the Fund has awarded over $28 million to more than 350 human rights organizations in twenty-five countries. Grantees work on a wide range of issues from indigenous land rights in Guatemala, to women’s rights in Morocco, to accountability for war crimes in West Africa, to discrimination against HIV positive people in India. 

THE POSITION

The Fund seeks a Program Officer to conduct grant-making programs in the Mano River region (Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea) of West Africa.  The Fund has a strong preference for this position to be based in London, United Kingdom.

The Fund is an international organization with a staff of twelve who are based in four different countries.  The West Africa Program Officer would be the Fund’s first staff member to be based in London, UK, which would facilitate collaboration and outreach with human rights and donor communities in the UK and Europe.  The Fund plans to place additional staff in London in the future.

The role of the Program Officer is to build and strengthen the Mano River region grant-making program of the Fund for Global Human Rights.  Working with other program staff, the Program Officer evaluates, develops, and implements regional grant-making strategies, operations, budget and partnerships. The Program Officer’s primary responsibility is the management of a grants portfolio totaling approximately $550,000 that is comprised of over thirty organizations in three countries (Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea). In addition, the Program Officer will coordinate a capacity-building initiative that funds and convenes West African human rights organizations to develop common strategies to promote corporate accountability and natural resource rights in the region.   In Sierra Leone, the Program Officer will work with another funder to oversee a joint collaboration on the impact of land concession agreements on rural women’s secure land tenure.  This position reports to the Director of Programs, who is based in Washington, DC.

The responsibilities of the Program Officer for West Africa include the following:

Grant-making

- Keep abreast of issues, trends and activities in human rights in West Africa and maintain contact with organizations working in the field;
- Identify human rights organizations in West Africa that meet the Fund’s grant-making criteria;
- Conduct and maintain due diligence in selecting, evaluating, and maintaining relationships with existing and potential grantees;
- Undertake site visits to current and potential grantees;
- Develop country/regional strategies and recommendations for funding, including preparing annual grants dockets;
- Work with the Grants Administrator to facilitate administrative tasks related to all West Africa grants (e.g., wire disbursements, report tracking, grant files);
- Explore the potential to set up grant-making programs in other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Capacity-building

- Coordinate a capacity-building initiative, which provides funding and strategic support to a coalition of West African organizations to develop campaigns to promote corporate accountability for human rights abuses related to natural resource extraction;
- Work with other grantees to identify needs and facilitate technical assistance on strategic planning, organizational strengthening, and fundraising.
 

Knowledge Sharing and Networks

- Represent the Fund among colleague organizations in the UK and Europe by networking with groups that work on human rights in sub-Saharan Africa;
- Contribute to the design and oversight of program evaluation;
- Network with individuals, NGOs and other organizations based in sub-Saharan Africa working on human rights issues.
- Fundraising and donor outreach

- Represent the Fund among the donor community in the UK and Europe by attending funder conferences and convenings;
- Work closely with the Fund’s development and communication teams to cultivate prospective donors in the UK; Liaise with development team to plan and participate in possible donor trips to West Africa.  

Qualifications:

- Candidates should demonstrate the following range of skills, experience and qualities:

- Masters degree in related field with minimum six years of relevant professional experience preferred; OR Bachelors degree in related field with a minimum of eight years relevant professional experience;
- Minimum four years of experience either working in West Africa or on human rights issues in West Africa with significant field experience;
- Substantial knowledge of human rights norms and practices and grassroots social movement building;
- Familiarity with national, regional and global level civil society actors and issues in West Africa;
- Knowledge of corporate accountability and resource rights issues, particularly related to natural resource extraction;
- Experience designing and coordinating capacity-building initiatives to strengthen the skills of human rights groups;
- Ability to work independently in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment;
- Excellent writing, communication, presentation and interpersonal skills;
- Critical thinking skills, including the abilities to identify emerging human rights trends, analyze issues from multiple perspectives, assess a human rights organization's potential for impact, and conceptualize a mix of strategies, issues and organizations in each country that maximize potential to effect change;
- Ability to travel independently in developing countries (two-three trips per year) and to Europe and the United States (two-three trips per year);
- Fluency in French and English required;
- Sense of initiative and humor.
 

How to Apply
Please send a resume, cover letter, two to four page writing sample on a human rights issue and a list of references (names, position titles, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers) to: jobs@globalhumanrights.org.  No phone calls please.

Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.  No applications will be accepted after Wednesday, February 15, 2012. 

Salary is commensurate with experience.  Competitive benefits package.  The Fund for Global Human Rights is an equal opportunity employer.