Hivos Project Officer – Connect, Defend, Act! Jobs in Malawi

Hivos Project Officer – Connect, Defend, Act! Jobs in Malawi

Job context

With support from NORAD, Hivos is implementing a project called ‘Connect, Defend, Act!’. To respond to the issue of shrinking civic space and amplify civil society-led action, the “Connect, Defend, Act!” (CDA) project will support civil society actors in Colombia, Indonesia, Malawi and the occupied Palestinian territory in their efforts to defend and expand civic space through three strategic objectives:

By promoting coalition building among diverse civil society actors, including human rights defenders, rightsholder-led civil society organizations and independent media actors, grounded in civil society-led evidence gathering and knowledge production, and facilitated by context-specific communities of action.

By contributing to safe and inclusive digital civic spaces for sustained collaboration and action among civil society actors through localized holistic digital security capacity strengthening, knowledge production and active referral to digital protection providers.

By increasing civil society actors’ flexibility to rapidly respond to changes in civic space through organizational capacity strengthening and the provision of strategic funding for sustainable action.

Purpose of the role

The Project Officer will provide technical advice, assistance and capacity building under the Connect, Defend, Act! Project and support planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting at country and regional level.

Responsibilities

The key responsibilities of the role include:

Project management

Oversee the day-to-day implementation of project activities in alignment with project goals and objectives.

Facilitate the formation and strengthening of coalitions among diverse Civil Society Actors, including Human Rights Defenders, rights holder-led organizations, and independent media actors.

Support the development and implementation of digital security initiatives to enhance the safety and resilience of Civil Society Actors in online spaces.

Provide support to Civil Society Actors in enhancing their organizational capacity, including governance structures, financial management, and strategic planning.

Assist in the identification and allocation of strategic funding to support sustainable action by Civil Society Actors, ensuring alignment with project goals and priorities.

Contribute to the production of evidence-based knowledge products, including research reports, policy briefs, and case studies, to inform advocacy efforts and decision-making.

Integrate gender and inclusive considerations and mainstream equality principles throughout project activities to promote inclusivity and address gender-based inequalities

Provide specialist technical assistance and advice to support the development and implementation of the Connect, Defend, Act! Project

Establish links with relevant technical specialists, both within the region and internationally, and draw on these to provide technical advice and inputs.

Ensure all reports are of high quality and completed in a timely manner.

Support the Project Manager with the planning and implementation of project activities including setting annual and / or periodic workplans budgets and activity schedules

Ensure that all activities are in line with the funding agreement and comply with donor and Hivos requirements.

Project progress information is provided on a timely basis and when required for reporting and management decision making

Ensure that activities are well linked to the project log frame and budget for ease of reference and reporting.

Provide support with the budgeting for activities and provide budget execution reports when required.
Preparation terms of references and/or specifications for project requests for quotations (RFQs) and proposals (RFPs) in line with Hivos policies and processes

Ensure compliance with organizational policies, donor regulations, and project guidelines throughout the implementation process.

Provide technical assistance, advice and support to CDA partners

Provide technical assistance, advice and support to stakeholders to build capacity in adolescent safeguarding and engagement.

Promote and represent the CDA project with key stakeholders.

Support the capacity building of Civil Society Actors through

training sessions, workshops, and knowledge sharing initiatives.

Identify potential risks and challenges to project implementation and work with the project team to develop mitigation strategies.

Support and manage CDA regional learning network activities

Manage and coordinate regional network meetings and program partner learning exchanges

Represent CDA at national, regional and international forums.

Collaborate with other technical units across Hivos.

Stakeholder engagement, networking and coordination

Support stakeholder engagement, networking and coordination to advance divisional objectives at national, regional and institutional levels.

Engage in working groups, task forces and other technical committees.

Coordinate with project partners, stakeholders, and beneficiaries to ensure smooth implementation and collaboration.

Maintain regular communication with the Global Project Manager, project team members, and relevant stakeholders to provide updates, share progress, and address challenges.

Develop and maintain excellent relationship with relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, and community groups, to foster partnerships and promote / advance project objectives at national, regional and institutional levels.

Monitoring and evaluation, learning and support

Ensure accurate and timely documentation of project activities, including reports, meeting minutes, and other relevant documentation.

Contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of project activities, including data collection, analysis, and reporting.

Ensure that the project risk management plan is monitored and updated on a timely basis

Support the development of the progress reports against project indicators.

Maintain all project disaggregated data collated through trainings/workshops/meetings for analysis and reporting purposes

Support the identification of impact stories for communication products.

Person specifications

A Bachelor’s degree in in political studies, development, social sciences, program management or a related discipline

Knowledge / experience

Minimum of 5 years relevant project management experience, preferable in an international or donor organization.

Experience working with Civil Society Actors and knowledge of civic space issues in Malawi is highly desirable.

Demonstrated capacity to interact with various stakeholders and facilitate linkages between organisations.

Excellent interpersonal and representational skills with experience in building and maintaining effective working relationships with a range of different individuals and organisations.

Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, with strong writing ability at a project donor reporting level.

Proven record of accomplishment in coordination and partnership building with donors, governments, development partners and civil society.

Demonstrated understanding and knowledge of Malawi cultural values and international human rights principles and standards.

Excellent organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines effectively

Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work collaboratively in a diverse team environment

Fluency in English, both written and verbal

Key skills / attributes

Applied knowledge of national, regional and international human rights, gender and social inclusion, and youth development frameworks and development challenges in the Region.

Cultural, political and religious sensitivities.
Critical analysis and innovative thinking.

Complex multisector coordination, planning and design.

Presentation, communication, reporting writing and facilitation skills.

Networking and stakeholder engagement.
Project management.

Monitoring, evaluation and learning frameworks.

Resource mobilization and proposal writing.

Strong team player

How to Apply

For more information and job application details, see; Hivos Project Officer – Connect, Defend, Act! Jobs in Malawi

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