Project Officer

Reports to: Global Program Manager

Period: Immediately, starting with one-year contract.

Scope: East Africa

Location: Nairobi, Kenya, Hivos East Africa regional Hub.

Hours: Fulltime

Level: Medior

ABOUT HIVOS AND FREE TO BE ME

Hivos is an international development organization guided by humanist values. Together with citizens and their organizations, we aim to contribute towards just, inclusive and life sustaining societies where people have equal access to opportunities, rights and resources. We work in partnership with others in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America on three impact areas: Civic Rights in a Digital Age; Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and Climate Justice.

Free to Be Me is an ambitious, daring and innovative program that helps build and maintain a vibrant LGBTIQ+ movement that is confident and capable to lobby and advocate for their human and economic rights. The program is led by an alliance of three consortium members – Hivos (the lead party), ILGA World and Positive Vibes – and three technical partners – Sogicampaigns, The Global Interfaith Network (GIN) and Workplace Pride. Together the Alliance will coach, accompany, fund and train LGBTIQ+ persons and organizations to influence norms and attitudes, generate (public) support, and promote laws, policies and regulations that recognize, respect and protect LGBTIQ+ people’s human and economic rights.

The program is implemented in 12 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, in partnership with and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The five-year program has a budget of EUR 37 million.

Main goal of the position

The Project Officer (PO) will support and strengthen existing efforts in mobilizing and setting up of communities of action (CoAs). The role involves the development, approval and implementation of organizational level and joint project proposals, and ensures these processes are developed in line with agreed procedures. S/he/they ensures contracts with local organizations are signed and checks on progress and deliverables.

She/he/they is responsible for upholding F2BM values and principles and translating them into practice. The PO coordinates the delivery of sound country level narrative plans and reports, that visualise activities and results of local organizations, and joint CoA and Hivos activities thus contributes to the overarching F2BM plans and reports. In doing so, s/he/they will closely work together with the Hivos financial officer, the DMEL officer, as well as with the CoA facilitator, amongst others.

She/he/they participates in the regional management team and plays an active role in coordinating activities in the field of capacity strengthening, lobby and advocacy, learning, etc. with consortium partners and local organizations, as well as with the relevant Hivos staff. The PO will share progress and results of the program to both the global program management team as well as Hivos colleagues in other countries and global office. She/he/they is also responsible for the preparation of stories and content for website, media and other channels and the organization of internal and external events. The PO will assist the Design, Monitoring, Evaluation and

Learning (DMEL) officer in outcome harvesting, narrative assessment and other reporting needed. The PO will work within the existing Free to be Me team.

RESPONSIBILITIES

RESULT AREAS & RESULT DESCRIPTIONS

Program design

• Supports the CoAs in developing their localized theory of change (ToC), plans and (in coordination with the financial officer) budget, in line with guidelines

• Supports and guides local organizations in the development of their individual or joint plans and proposals for lobby and advocacy, and including activities on capacity strengthening.

• Contributes to the development of Hivos’ overarching F2BM planning, and particularly to the design of innovative elements of the program, in particular the functioning of the CoAs, as well as the design of a participatory grant making mechanism.

Implementation of work plans

• Realizes successful implementation in accordance with the specific goals, working methods and budgets of the projects.

• Supports and guides local organizations in the development of their individual or joint plans and proposals.

• Oversee grant making processes including mapping of potential partners in different countries.

• Ensures contracts with partner organizations are established and provides guidance to partners on key priority areas for their countries.

• Coordinates with CoAs, Alliance partners and with Hivos’ staff around capacity strengthening and advocacy activities.

• Ensures Hivos’ own activities are implemented according to plan.

Monitoring & control

• Monitors progress towards established goals with partners and in the organizational level or joint project plans, and flags in the Hivos overarching management team when problems arise.

• Coordinates and liaises with the safety and security officer to ensure timely response to emergencies.

• Relates progress to the overarching F2BM plans.

Coordination and collaboration

• Throughout the process of project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, the PO plays a proactive role in coordinating with the CoA facilitator, with the organizations that participate in the CoA, in-country partners, Alliance partners and with the regional and global Hivos team.

• Actively contributes to and supports activities at the national and regional level, such as research, advocacy campaigns, learning events, etc.

Sharing, learning, and quality improvement

• Identifies, analyses and highlights success and good practices, as well as potential risks and problems.

• Proposes solutions for identified problems and follows-up on those.

• Contributes to identifying and sharing positive stories.

• Collaborates with the CoAs, the Alliance partners, and Hivos’ capacity strengthening officer, in the design and realization of exchange and learning events.

• Contributes to reflection and learning on both the national and regional level, as well as on the wider programmatic level.

REQUIREMENTS

This is a medior position for nationals or residents of Kenya:

• Relevant degree or equivalent work experience, and academic level of working and thinking.

• Minimum of three to five years of relevant working experience.

• Work experience in working with civil society, in project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and working in international teams.

• Expertise in working on LGBTIQ+ issues, or on other human rights issues.

• Keen on ensuring ownership by local organizations, and in finding innovative and creative solutions to realize goals.

• Work experience in an international environment.

• Flexible attitude, creative, supports Hivos’ and F2BM values, has a progressive and positive view on F2BM and the leadership of rightsholders.

• Full professional proficiency in English.

• Job skills: communication, project management, independence, creativity, collaboration

• Level skills: conceptual skills, persuasiveness, decisiveness

We particularly welcome applications from the LGBTIQ+ community.