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Oxfam International

Pan-Africa Program Director

About Oxfam International

Oxfam is an international confederation of 18 affiliates working together with partners and local communities in more than 90 countries. One person in three in the world lives in poverty. Oxfam is determined to change that world by mobilizing the power of people against poverty. Around the globe, Oxfam works to find practical and innovative ways for people to lift themselves out of poverty and thrive. Oxfam saves lives and helps rebuild livelihoods when crisis strikes. Oxfam also campaigns so that the voices of the poor influence the local and global decisions that affect them. In everything they do, Oxfam works with partner organizations and alongside vulnerable women and men to end the injustices that cause poverty.

About the Role

Reporting to:

OI Director Advocacy & Campaigns (initial for one year; then transferred to the OI Program Director).

Staff reporting to this post:

  • PAP Program Manager
  • PAP Systems Support Manager
  • OI-AU Head of Office

Team Purpose

To lead and manage Oxfam’s Pan Africa program, which exists to promote active citizenship, effective national governance and the realization and enjoyment of fundamental freedoms and human rights contained in key African Union policy standards and legal instruments. In collaboration with Oxfam’s country programs, the organization identifies and works with networks of social movements, CSOs and their coalitions and alliances, the African Union and Governments, to influence, popularize and implement key international and continental policies, standards, pledges and human rights instruments, as well as to challenge attitudes and beliefs that prevent people from realizing their rights. Oxfam also supports a strong and autonomous pan Africa campaigning force of coalitions, alliances and social movements around their own objectives.

Job Purpose – Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

The Oxfam confederation is unifying its management structure and the PAP Director will manage all aspects of Pan African Program previously managed by different Oxfam affiliates across three regions, as well as by Oxfam International. 

The incumbent will manage and ensure delivery of the Pan Africa Program and contribute to designing effective influencing programs*, that help achieve the organizations’ and Pan Africa Program’s objectives, and contribute towards setting the confederation’s strategic direction in the continent.

*Influencing includes leveraging of program experience, advocacy, and campaigning (including coalition building, research, policy development, lobbying, media, digital tools), mobilization (of activists, supporters, citizens), coordinated worldwide communicating and networking, capacity development (of citizens, partners, civil society, duty bearers), partnerships and strategic funding.

Strategy:

  • Responsible for leading on developing and implementing the Oxfam Pan Africa Strategy in line with the overall Oxfam Strategic Plan and Oxfam’s priority worldwide campaigns.
  • Provide leadership of the Oxfam Pan Africa Program including its program function in Nairobi, its advocacy team at the African Union, and provide strategic direction to the coordination of Oxfam’s wider, multi-country campaigns on the continent in a way that links local to continental to global.
  • Develop the profile of the Oxfam Pan Africa Program and Team to be recognized as a go-to agency in the coordination and delivery of civil society agendas on the continent.
  • Collaborate with Oxfam Affiliates and Oxfam International teams, including country and regional programs, to ensure the PAP’s learning and international networks are enhanced by and contribute to Oxfam country strategy and programme development.
  • Lead continental thought leadership, including research and thinking about how change happens in Africa to underpin Oxfam’s development and campaigning work. Maintain a power analysis of key actors and institutions both continentally and globally that impact on the region.
  • Ensure all PAP actions and interventions are in line with partner strategies and comply with Oxfam standards, donor requirements, national and international regulations.

Program Management:

  • Enable and hold Pan Africa program managers to account in the development and implementation of programs, campaigns and advocacy plans that maximize delivery against Oxfam and partner objectives.
  • Ensure consistency and synergy across all Oxfam’s Pan Africa work, including advocacy, programme implementation and resource allocation.
  • Act as the continental policy and advocacy focal point for the Oxfam confederation, representing Oxfam at continental and global events and providing technical support and advice to Oxfam’s EDs, Regional Directors, policy campaigners and advocates.
  • Oversee coordination with the Oxfam African regions and the Oxfam International Global Campaigns leads; providing input to campaign development and fulfilling the PAP role in the delivery of the same.
  • Establish a function and work plan for the development of periodic, as well as ad hoc, policy analysis on key issues, institutions and actors and the production of policy-briefing papers for external use.
  • Provide power analysis and strategic advocacy advice in support of Oxfam country and regional policy development, lobbying and campaigning.
  • Ensure program managers deliver projects on time, within agreed plans and to expected outcomes.
  • Provide and broker programmatic and technical advice to the Pan Africa team. Ensure it delivers high quality project planning, monitoring and evaluation including regular field visits to countries where the Pan Africa program partners are located.

Accountability and Learning:

  • Ensure direct reports oversee the reporting and accountability functions of the team and ensure that Oxfam, donor and government reporting requirements are met in line with Oxfam policies, donor agreements and national legislation/registration procedures.
  • Establish communication and accountability mechanisms with Country Programs to maximize country lead and buy in to Pan Africa Programs and to avoid duplication of resources, costs, relationships etc.
  • Establish mechanisms that enhance the Pan Africa Program’s accountability to citizens and their representatives, including formal and non-formal structures.
  • Ensure accountability of the PAP programme to relevant Executive Committees of the board.

Staff Management:

  • Finalize the unification of the ‘one’ Pan Africa team structure and oversee the longer term evolution and retention of the team.
  • Manage direct reports to achieve strategic objectives and in their performance management cycle including review, reward and disciplinary procedures.
  • Develop job profiles and recruit for short and long term hires against strategic needs and identified resources.

Resource Mobilization and Management:

  • Liaise with relevant affiliates, pro-actively initiate and maintain contacts with donors relevant for the Pan Africa Programme and Oxfam’s wider work in the continent.
  • Systematically engage with donors to inform and influence their agendas for increased convergence with Pan Africa priorities.
  • Identify relevant opportunities for funding, and in collaboration with affiliate funding teams, ensure the program’s timely development of quality proposals.
  • Final approval and accountability against affiliate and donor budgets.  In doing so, be ultimately accountable for budget variances, compliance and relevance of financial spend.
  • Ensure compliance with Oxfam financial standards and management information systems.
  • Implementation of relevant monitoring systems that ensure partners understand and comply with Oxfam and donor financial and other standards.
  • Transition of affiliate management systems to OI prescribed alternatives, within a shared services model.

External Representation and Relationship Management:

  • Build and maintain a network of contacts and allies in Africa amongst AU organs, states, donors and Pan Africa networks and coalitions.
  • Undertake lobbying of governments and institutions as required representing Oxfam at senior levels.
  • Represent Oxfam as a high-level spokesperson on Pan Africa issues within a range of international and national mass media, undertaking lobbying of governments, including at ministerial and presidential levels, and other institutions (North and Southern) where appropriate.
  • Maintain a power analysis of key actors and institutions both continentally and globally that impact on the region.
  • Ensure the PAP programme is embedded in and supported by Oxfam’s wider work for Africa by initiating and maintaining relations with Oxfam affiliate and country offices, as well as relevant departments within the OI secretariat, including the ED’s office.
  • Responsible for contributing to the overall leadership of Oxfam International as a member of the senior management teams through active contribution to/leadership of organizational initiatives.

Technical Skills, Experience & Knowledge

Essential:

  • A Master’s Degree in a relevant field, or in exceptional cases a proven body of academic work or publications on related subjects.
  • At least 10 years’ experience in the development sector and at least 5 years in the promotion and coordination of civil society in a multi-location context.
  • Proven results through high-level representation and strategic leadership of an organization at national or international level.
  • Sound understanding of the working of the African Union and the African socio-economic and political context, including the drivers of inequality and poverty.
  • An affinity to the African development sector and familiarity with the rights-based approach, including a strong commitment to the delivery of women’s rights.
  • Demonstrated delivery of results and contract management in working with civil society partners.
  • Excellent conceptual and analytical skills, demonstrable ability to provide strong leadership and representational skills in a multi-disciplinary setting.
  • Proven track record in planning and implementation of influencing strategies, including at national, regional and continental levels, with an ability to develop and lead others to deliver strategic outputs in line with the requirements of an evolving corporate strategy.
  • Proven record of media, advocacy and communication experience in international and continental contexts with a deeper understanding of African political economy and public policy-making in Africa.
  • Diplomacy, tact and negotiation skills, coupled with a drive to achieve results.
  • Well-developed interpersonal and team skills and proven ability to be flexible and sensitive in demanding situations. Passion for working with others.
  • Successful record of developing and/or working with formal governance structures or boards.
  • Proven experience of change management.
  • Proven ability to build teams to deliver against personal and organizational objectives.
  • Proven track record in resource mobilization with institutional donors and management of multi-stakeholder consortium of partner agencies.
  • Excellent levels of written & spoken English & French.
  • Strong financial management expertise.
  • Commitment to the aims and objectives of Oxfam.
  • Ability to undertake unaccompanied travel internationally in order to achieve work objectives.

Desirable:

  • Experience of establishing and/or leading African policy multi-country coalitions and alliances.
  • Knowledge of the policies and processes of African multi-lateral institutions like the African Union.
  • Existing competence in the personal and strategic use of social media in campaigning and citizen mobilization.
  • Experience of managing staff virtually and in different locations.