Program Officer - Democratic Governance and Rule of Law at Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa

The Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa (OSIEA) seeks to recruit a Program Officer who will report to the Program Manager – Democratic Governance and Rule of Law Program.

Overall job purpose

The Program Officer’s core duties will entail provision of technical support in the identification and fostering of effective grant making relations in a dynamic, creative and committed manner with a focus on OSIEA’s democratic governance and rule of law programming in the Eastern Africa region. The program officer will particularly focus on advancing civic engagement, the protection of human rights defenders (HRDs), defending civic space and advancing accountable governance through both legal and non-legal approaches at national, regional, and international levels.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide a bold vision for innovative work that will add value to the existing efforts in the region by identifying grant-making, operational, and advocacy strategies to advance democratic governance and the rule of in Eastern Africa, particularly in relation to civic engagement, the protection of human rights defenders, defending civic space and advancing accountable governance in Eastern Africa.
• Collaborate within and beyond the program team, including building partnerships beyond Open Society Foundations Network, to develop knowledge, identify emerging trends and conduct strong field assessments employing a rights-based lens.
• Conduct relevant legal and policy analysis in the region for internal and external audiences.
• Support identification of capacity and institutional development opportunities in partner organizations (grantees).
• Support network/coalition/alliance building for joint advocacy with grantees and constituents targeting governments, donor agencies, service providers and the general public.
• Oversee administrative duties within the program and supervision of consultants.
• Reporting and budget management (portfolio reviews, monitoring programme budget and expenditure etc.).

Person specifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Substantive knowledge on and proven commitment to human rights, democratic governance, and rule of law in the Eastern Africa context particularly in relation to advancing civic engagement, the protection of human rights defenders, defending civic space and the advancement of accountable governance in the Eastern Africa region.
• Demonstrated experience working on democratic governance and rule of law programming particularly advancing civic engagement, the protection of human rights defenders, defending civic space and the advancement of accountable governance using different approaches and working with different actors and stakeholders.
• Eight (8) years of relevant work experience in a similar organization with two (2) at supervisory level.
• Experience in grant making.
• Excellent verbal and writing skills.
• Ability to provide specialized advice and professional guidance to external contacts.
• Capacity for increased initiative, independent action and program level responsibility.
• Extraordinary initiative and creativity and capacity to think strategically.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with a diverse array of people.
• Ability to manage several simultaneous projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong organizational skills and close attention to detail.
• Integrity, teamwork, diplomacy and professionalism will be essential.
• Willingness to travel as needed.