Program Officer, Legal Equality at Equality Now

Position / Role Summary

• To enhance the application and implementation of the Maputo Protocol, the Program Officer (PO) will support Equality Now’s work and advocacy for the full ratification, domestication, implementation, and accountability of the Maputo Protocol and other regional instruments.

Responsibilities
Working with various stakeholders including judiciaries, academia and law students, civil society organizations, and Regional Bodies and their Member States to enhance the awareness of and uptake of the Maputo Protocol as an advocacy tool for gender equality in Africa, including to:

• Increase awareness and advocacy by law students and women’s rights advocates on the Maputo Protocol, contributing to progressive jurisprudence and advocacy for governments’ compliance with the Maputo Protocol
• Enhance the capacity of legal practitioners and judicial officers to utilize the Maputo Protocol and related international and regional instruments in women’s and girls’ rights litigation and decisions
• Enhance the capacity of civil society organizations to advocate for legislative reforms to give effect to judicial pronouncements on women’s rights including the right to abortion services, maternal health services, and access to sexual and reproductive health rights in Kenya
• Support the coordination of Equality Now’s and SOAWR members’ engagement with the Africa Human Rights System and judicial mechanisms
• Support strategic and public interest litigation including the identification and development of landmark and strategic cases for Equality Now’s support in Africa
• Document and analyze the outcomes of litigation on the continent concerning the Maputo Protocol and other international treaties on women’s and girls’ rights.
• Work with relevant departments of Regional Partners to influence ratification, domestication and enforcement of human rights regional instruments on women’s rights and gender equality
• Coordinating and working closely with the SOAWR Coalition, of which Equality Now’s Africa Office is the Secretariat, as guided by the Senior Legal Advisor for Africa.
• Ensuring clear and consistent communication and coordination with relevant SOAWR member representatives particularly in relation to working with regional bodies and their member states to advance the rights of women and girls.
• Develop, implement, and monitor project work plans, budgets, and reports.
• Support litigation projects and monitor
• Any other duties that may be assigned from time to time.

Legal Equality

• Keeping abreast of human rights issues affecting women and girls in Africa, particularly regarding the above objective and focus areas
• Researching and preparing evidence on discrimination for national and regional advocacy and lobbying activities in Africa
• Establishing and maintaining contacts with organizations campaigning for the respect and promotion of women’s and human rights
• Coordinating advocacy actions with Legal Equality’s partners
• Coordinating and working closely with the Senior Legal Advisor for Africa and all other teams (particularly End Sexual Violence and End Harmful Practices teams).
• Ensuring clear and consistent communication and coordination with relevant thematic Global Leads and the other campaign teams particularly in relation to regional emerging trends or opportunities in relation to their program goals
• Contributing to the drafting of high-quality technical submissions to public institutions (e.g. on draft laws, policy, etc.) and human rights treaty bodies and mechanisms (e.g. UN CEDAW Committee, African Commission)
• Contributing to the collection, collation and analysis of Equality Now’s monitoring and evaluation data to inform learning and action to end discrimination against women and girls and promote protections
• Contributing to generating Equality Now actions and alerts on campaigns against violations of women’s rights in Africa, particularly as relevant to Equality Now’s Legal Equality work
• Develop annual and quarterly milestones and document progress in the Campaign Tracker and relevant reports.
• Contribute to the development of proposals and donor reports.
• Support the SOAWR members in in-country ratification missions and domestication efforts of the Maputo Protocol.
• Support SOAWR members and other CSOs in their efforts to advocate for lifting reservations on the Maputo Protocol

Media and Communications

• Collaborate with Equality Now’s media and communications teams to provide content emerging from our work in Africa.

Other duties as reasonably requested

• Participate in and contribute to Equality Now staff meetings, including relevant thematic group discussions

Supervision

• Supervise interns and consultants when required

Team membership

• Member of the Legal Equality team and the Rights of Women in Africa Campaign

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

• The PO will work with and interface with various stakeholders including SOAWR members, CSOs, law students, academic institutions, African Union institutions and other inter-governmental agencies, governments, embassies and donors.

Key Competencies

• Professionalism: Ability to prioritize work and be well organized in the execution and presentation of tasks; maintain good quality of work and consistency in this regard; exemplify a high degree of accountability for actions taken and not taken; work with minimum supervision; show commitment to the role and willingness to do more than what is expected; be courteous and willing to learn at every opportunity presented; seek clarity when unsure about expectations on delivery of work; ability to remain motivated; results-oriented and with the ability to work independently and take initiative.
• Research, Analysis, and Writing: Knowledge and understanding of human rights law, especially as it relates to women and girls; a firm knowledge of the content and application of the Maputo Protocol is highly desirable; ability to conduct high-quality legal research and apply efficient research strategies; ability to analyze and evaluate large amounts of information and draw justified conclusions; excellent writing and referencing skills.
• Communication: Fluency in spoken and written English and French (preferred); clarity in written and oral presentations; exercise of active listening; demonstration of openness in sharing information; communicating when necessary, for example, when experiencing challenges in meeting deadlines.
• Interpersonal skills: Ability to resolve conflict; ability to take up additional tasks when required to do so; ability to work in a team and collaborate with other colleagues for the execution of specific tasks.
• Organizational skills: Strong planning and organising skills and proven ability to steer and monitor progress against plans in order to deliver on set goals and results. Previous experience working within coalitions and consortia of organizations working on human rights and/or the rights of women and girls in Africa is desirable.

Academic And Professional Qualifications

• Minimum bachelor’s degree in law, human rights, international relations, gender studies, social sciences, or a related field is required
• Minimum of three (3) years’ work experience in the non-profit, NGO, community development sectors or related field
• A strong grasp of the African human rights system, women and girls’ rights issues in Africa, continental dynamics, and their effects on the implementation of key treaties underpinning the rights of women and girls in Africa
• Proven track record of knowledge and commitment – exhibited by coursework, writing, or work experience – to the rights of women and girls in Africa
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage concurrent deadlines
• Fluency in English (required) and French (preferred)
• Excellent writing, research, and analytical skills
• Strong communication, excellent interpersonal, and networking skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and strong technical literacy

Desirable

• Budgeting and financial management
• Connection to existing networks with feminist and women’s rights organizations in Africa
• Experience engaging with the media in Africa
• Successful convening of moot court competitions.