Program & Policy Manager-Just Economies
Ngo & Social Services Jobs
Job Description
This is a one year fixed term opportunity to be based in Lilongwe, Malawi. You must have the right to work in Malawi by providing proof either of a work permit or national citizen.
A passionate, dynamic, self-starter person with experience in advocacy and influence work in Southern Africa region. The person will lead the development, planning, coordination of programmes in SAF in collaboration with partners and roll out advocacy and campaigns activities for Oxfam in Southern Africa
Duties and Responsibilities
Provide facilitative leadership, develop delivery strategy, help prioritise key activities and issues, identify and coordinate the local to regional to continental to global interface and provide strategic guidance on how best to achieve long term impact and sustainable change.
• Anticipate, analyse and make recommendations on complex and diverse policy issues that impact on the SAF regional strategy.
• Adopt a “thought leadership” attitude, stay up to date with the latest thinking, undertake/commission organised research and analysis and spend time in reflective consideration to develop a comprehensive understanding of policy environment in the region, how it contributes to poverty and ways of addressing these.
• Ensure all analysis, information and recommendations relating to policy and programmes are to be specifically informed by the critical consideration of Women’s Rights.
• Actively participate in the country, regional and global development environment to both identify opportunities to impact poverty reduction and to foster strategic institutional linkages, alliances and
networks that enhance sharing, learning and collaboration
• Synthesise data and information to share with relevant staff so they are kept fully informed and ensure there is an effective discussion and dialogue process to channel ideas and information on how
changing internal and external ideas, approaches and situations impact on and should be incorporated into Oxfam’s strategies, programmes and plans.
• Working in collaboration with partners regularly define research agenda facilitate research, develop policy positions and facilitate and promote regional/national debates on the state of the sector, through
effective mobilisation of Oxfam’s capabilities at different levels.
Qualifications and Experience
ESSENTIAL
• Relevant academic qualifications, preferably in international development, economics, politics, sociology or humanities, especially at post-graduate level
• Proven experience in a complex, dispersed organisation with evidence of facilitating and integrating a specific area of expertise across a wide network, providing clarity and focus of vision and impact, decision making, and the delivery of agreed results
• Experience in working with partners of different types including networks, and movements.
• Excellent knowledge of the SAF regional environment and issues, desirably supported by personal exposure through having worked and lived there
• Politically astute, with high impact influencing and persuasive skills and personal gravitas to gain respect and build and maintain strong, credible relationships, with internal and external stakeholders at all levels
• Strong organisational and personal management skills, with ability to prioritise work issues to meet deadlines with minimal supervision and adjust to constantly changing situations while maintaining focus on delivery and follow-through
• Excellent personal communication skills, in written and verbal English, and ideally Portuguese
• A high level of self-awareness, initiative, sound judgement, personal energy and flexibility
• Strong programme management and quality knowledge, with ability to ensure consistent quality against standards and to implement effective monitoring and evaluation systems to assess and adjust performance
• Commitment to and good knowledge of working with networks, coalitions and a partnership approach across the spectrum of Oxfam’s work, including innovative approaches to capacity strengthening
• Good knowledge of and experience in developing advocacy and campaign strategies and plans and successfully achieving external impact and change. Some experience in undertaking media presentations.
• Good knowledge of and experience with donor funding environment and good financial management skills, with experience of project budgeting and controlling financial risks
• Experience in working with multi-sectoral teams at different levels.
Organizational Values
• Accountability – Our purpose-driven, results-focused approach means we take responsibility for our actions and hold ourselves accountable. We believe that others should also be held accountable for their actions.
• Self-Awareness-We are able to develop a high degree of self-awareness around our own strengths and weaknesses and our impact on others. Our self- awareness enables us to moderate and self-regulate our behaviours to control and channel our impulses for good purposes
• Relationship Building-We understand the importance of building relationship, within and outside the organization. We have the ability to engage with traditional and non-traditional stakeholders in ways that lead to increased impact for the organisation.
Desirable
• Ability to engage and influence both corporate direction; contributing to and following it as appropriate and the ongoing development of programme policy and quality to enhance the impact of Oxfam’s work.
• Ability to build a people’s movement around social issues and inspire followership.
• Proven analytical and conceptual thinking, high level research, project management knowledge and skills and experience using participatory tools and methodologies for assessment, programme identification, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
