Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Lead – Akina Mama wa Afrika

Job Title: Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Lead

Organization: Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA)

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

Reports to: Head of Programmes

Supervises: Programme Officer, Associates 

Introduction

Akina Mama wa Afrika is a Pan-African feminist organization with headquarters in Kampala, Uganda, dedicated to improving the political, economic, social status of African women, through enhancing their individual and collective leadership capacities.

Role Summary

The Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Lead will provide strategic leadership in realizing AMwA’s SRHR portfolio that underscores bodily autonomy and choice as the cornerstone of SRHR. The Lead will promote innovative practices in SRHR rooted in feminist principles, strengthen the advocacy capacity of CSOs and lead in lobbying and advocacy to widen the civic space for SRHR across five African counties.  The SRHR Lead is a member of the AMwA management team and will serve as the Country Coordinator for Uganda under a consortium-led multi-country SRHR project.

Key roles and responsibilities

Strategy, programme planning and implementation 

• Oversees and nurtures a robust, dynamic and innovative SRHR programme steeped in feminist practices of challenging power and centering subordinated voices, and principles of diversity and inclusion for gender justice.
• Contributes to the development of annual work plans, periodic reports, proposal development and performance monitoring systems and tools in alignment with AMwA strategic plan priorities.
• Guides the development of programme concepts and plans in the area of SRHR and conducts field level visits to programme areas to provide support supervision and guide programme implementation
• Manages budget for the SRHR portfolio while working closely with the finance team to maintain the highest level of financial integrity and compliance.
• In collaboration with Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Coordinator, ensures timely and adequate documentation, periodic monitoring, adaptive learning and systematic evaluation of the SRHR programmes, and works closely with other thematic leads to ensure cross-learning and holistic implementation of AMwA programmes.
• Monitors and provides timely assessments of the socio-political environment and provides strategic information on opportunities and challenges
• Produces timely outcome-based reports for both internal and external use
• Collaborates with the senior management team of Akina Mama wa Afrika to ensure the wellbeing of the organization as a whole; models effective leadership and coaches and mentors staff.

Feminist leadership development and capacity building 

• Design and coordinate the African Women’s Leadership Institute (AWLI) on SRHR
• Provides capacity building support to ensure adoption of intersectional approaches to SRHR.
• Develop guidelines for integrating intersectionality within AMwA and partner CSOs and facilitates peer-assessments between partner CSOs
• Support and guides programme staff in partner identification, capacity assessments and capacity building
• Conduct regular programme support and monitoring visits to partners
• Develop leads the implementation and monitoring of the AMwA partnership policy, strategy and plans
• Take lead in proposal writing and other fundraising initiatives under the SRHR thematic area
• Manage development partners relations and ensure all contractual obligations under SRHR portfolio are served and fulfilled

Documentation and feminist analysis 

• Lead on feminist documentation and analysis to inform AMwA’s SRHR programmes and advocacy agenda.
•  Disseminate results to internal and external constituents through a variety of avenues, and popularizes knowledge products produced by ensuring easy accessibility through simplification of complex concepts to drive advocacy.
• Develop and nurture innovative practices in intersectional SRHR advocacy at the national, regional and global levels;

Movement building and  advocacy

• Serve as Country Coordinator for Uganda under the Intersectionality Consortium on SRHR and undertakes duties that come with the role including but not limited to organizing and chairing country meetings, facilitating communication amongst partners, monitoring the alignment of activities of partners in-country, and facilitating joint programme planning and reflections.
• Identify and initiate strategic networks and alliances with a diverse mix of civil society and institutional actors including in academic and research, at community, (sub) national, regional and global levels and from multiple sectors.
• Represent AMwA and participate in network and alliance meetings, events and fora at national and international levels.
• Build strategic partnerships with key external stakeholders that will lead to the creation of strong movements for collective advocacy.
• Lead in lobbying and advocacy to widen the civic space for African women in all their diversity and works closely with the other teams to amplify and sustain voice as they demand the realization of their Sexual Reproductive Health Rights.
• Conduct policy analysis to complement community-level data by assessing relevant multi-sector national, regional, and global policies through an intersectional lens and influences decisions for improvement in legislation.
• Build and strengthens alliances with SRHR actors and advocates with other traditional and non-traditional SRHR allies and partners

Manage, develop staff and build the capacity of the programme and non-programme staff

• Set performance targets and appraises the programme team in line with the AMwA Human Resource HR Manual and other organizational policies and procedures and monitors performance and achievement of set targets for the programme team.
• Motivate and provide feedback to the programme team in line with the HR Manual and other organizational policies and procedures
• Conduct training needs, analysis and recommend relevant training for staff being line managed
• Provide an enabling environment for staff performance, recognition and reward
• Participate in the review of staff job descriptions, and performance standards for programme staff

Qualification / Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, Public Health, Political Science, Philosophy, Gender, Law or any other relevant discipline.
• Master’s Degree in a relevant field.
• Computer literacy in MS office, MS project and database management
• A minimum of 5 years experience in a management position doing gender justice work with a focus on sexual reproductive and health rights of women in all their diversities and other marginalised groups.
• Demonstrable experience in programme development and management, capacity building, and Monitoring Evaluation and Learning.
• A proven commitment to women’s rights activism and demonstrable experience in social justice or human rights broadly;
• Knowledge of current development theory, policies and practices with strong grounding in feminism and pan Africanism;
• Strong leadership, critical thinking, research and analytical skills. Evidence of thought leadership through writing blogs, papers, opinion pieces, etc, and engagement in panel discussions is strongly desired.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including superior writing skills and public engagement;
• Ability to organize and work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders;
• Competency in French will be added an advantage

How to Apply

Candidates who meet the above criteria are advised to apply. Female candidates are encouraged to apply. Please send a cover letter and Curriculum Vitae including three references with contact details via email to: recruit@akinamamawaafrika.org. The deadline for application is Friday, 15th January 2021 at 5:00 pm.