Project International Programme Manager - Maternity Leave

Deadline: 10 February 2016

Location: Global

Organization: AcionAid

Role Overview

Providing strategic leadership for the review of ActionAid’s women’s rights programming over the last 5 years. Likely to encompass such issues as violence against women, sexual and reproductive health, feminist economics, women’s collectives and unpaid care work, understanding the implications of urbanisation and migration from a feminist perspective, women’s political participation and a particular focus on young women etc. During this 1-year period, responsible for ensuring that our Women’s Rights International Platform (a federation-wide structure involving 34 member countries as well as external partners) is vibrant and actively engaged in the strategy drafting process. Needs to ensure a strong external-facing engagement in key international fora, acting as senior spokesperson on women’s rights and promoting innovative work on alternatives. Responsible for overseeing multi-country projects to ensure they are effectively managed and generate learning for the wider federation. Inputting from a women’s rights perspective into all relevant federation-wide processes e.g. annual reporting, planning etc. 

Key Activities 

• Facilitating WRs IP member input into development of new global strategy;
• Promoting the work of the WRs IP and ensuring its visibility throughout the federation;
• Planning and facilitating an annual face-to-face meeting of the Women’s Rights International Platform, including May 2016 meeting in Salvador, Brazil;
• Following and facilitating work of 4 working groups and coordinating calls of country leads of each working groups every 2 months;
• Maintaining regular contact via email and regular Skype calls with co-chairs (Liberia, UK and Somaliland);
• Providing monthly updates to WRs IP members and WRs community members via email;
• Maintaining regular contact and engagement with external partners;
• Meeting (via Skype) on a fortnightly basis with other Senior Programme Managers and Head of Programme Development; 
• Representing programme work in external forums and networks on women’s rights and facilitating greater representation in international spaces by grassroots voices from countries and partners e.g. AWID Forum.
• Working in collaboration with M & E team on all Taking Stock processes, including the Women’s Rights External Evaluation planned for early 2016;
• Ensuring learning generated from donor-funded projects – Young Urban Women, She Can and Women’s Rights to Sustainable Livelihoods 2 – inform both the strategy review and new strategy development processes;
• Ensuring quality input on women’s rights to country strategy papers / reviews and other relevant strategic documents.
• Ensuring high quality oversight and performance management of multi-country project managers (in collaboration with policy colleagues and AAUK where relevant), including regular appraisals, effective work-planning and harmonisation of work. This includes supporting team working through monthly team meetings and other discussions as needed, conducting annual performance reviews at the end of 2016 and supporting colleagues with 2017 objective setting in line with the new strategy. 
• Support the presentation of ActionAid’s work on women’s rights on the public website
• Identify situations where particular AA members are working outside the agreed strategic framework, where there may be risks associated with contradictory positions or actions, and seek to resolve potential conflicts, where needed with the International Platform
• Providing input on thematic focus of new fundraising proposals, including shortlisting EOIs and proposal development;
• Supporting start-up for successful proposals. 

Education, Language & Qualifications 

• Relevant post-graduate degree
• At least 10 years experience in leadership roles managing people and budgets on women’s rights issues, of which at least 5 years should be international experience.
• Comprehensive understanding of rights-based approaches to women’s rights and ways of linking programme practice to policy and campaigning work.
• Strategic thinker and innovator, able to spot trends and opportunities before others and translate these into practical interventions
• Experience in international programme design, project cycle, development & implementation.
• Excellent advocacy and networking skills and connections at international or regional level for advancing AAI’s influencing agenda and public profile on women’s rights.
• Dynamic, participatory leadership style with superb negotiating and influencing skills, with proven ability to negotiate among stakeholders with strongly diverging interests to get results without line management authority.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills in English, ability to persuade and motivate through communication. 
• Able to manage others (often from a distance) to meet tight deadlines and multiple priorities; able to build and inspire high-performing multi-cultural teams.
• Successful track record of fundraising, including for influencing work as well as operational work.
• A strong commitment to develop, promote and practice AAI’s vision, mission, values, and strategy 

Profile

• Demonstrate understanding of the Organisation’s priorities and goals and effectively analyses complex problems. 
• Uses effective strategies to facilitate organisation change initiatives and overcome resistance to change by involving others, listening and building commitment.
• Prefers quick and appropriate actions in many management situations 
• Attracts, motivates, and develops employees
• Builds productive working relationships with co-workers and external parties, whilst valuing people of different backgrounds, cultures and demographics
• Expresses ideas clearly and concisely; disseminates information about decisions and plans 
• Has personal direction and is not easily sidetracked by details or workload
• Acts in accordance with stated values; follows through on promises; uses ethical considerations to guide decisions and actions
• Takes charge and capitalizes on opportunities

For full job description, Download PDF. 

How to apply:

Applications should be sent with your CV and cover letter by no later than 10th February 2016.  You are requested to highlight in the cover letter how specifically you meet the criteria for this role.  Please clearly indicate which position you are applying for. Internal Applications send to: applications.jhb@actionaid.org; External Applications send to: programmes.jhb@actionaid.org. 

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we regret we will not be able to respond personally to applicants who are not short-listed. If you have not heard from us within two weeks from the closing date, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Recruitment consultancies / agencies should not approach ActionAid with regards to open vacancies. We regret that agency candidates will not be considered.