Oxfam
Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.
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This is an exciting 2 years fixed term contract to be based in any of the Southern Africa countries where you have right to work (Malawi/Mozambique/South Africa/Zambia/Zimbabwe)- renewal subject to availability of funding.
Background
Oxfam started working in southern Africa in the 1980s. Since then, we have implemented both development and humanitarian programmes to support practical and innovative ways for people to lift themselves out of poverty.
We work with local stakeholders to find lasting solutions to the root causes which keep people in poverty. Oxfam is currently collaborating with the Government, international and local CSOs, UN Agencies and other stakeholders.
Oxfam envisions Southern Africa free of extreme inequality and injustice; a society where citizens and particularly women across all age groups claim and exercise their rights and responsibilities and can influence decisions that affect their lives.
Our programs aim to promote women’s rights, good governance and accountability, resilient livelihoods, as well as enhance preparedness, reduce vulnerability to disaster and ensure an effective response to humanitarian crises.
The Role:
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategy & Thought Leadership 70%
• Provide strategic leadership in the development and implementation of Oxfam’s advocacy, policy, research, campaigns work in the region, to maximise Oxfam influence and impact
• Working with communications teams, audience, content and digital experts, thematic teams in Southern Africa and other regions to identify the collective priorities, ensuring power analysis and theories of change, influencing strategies, are clear and robust enough for different types of engagements.
• Liaising across Oxfam in Southern Africa and the wider Oxfam confederation and ensuring tactical and effective engagement from programme staff within designated country.
• Develop effective partnerships for the delivery of impactful influencing work across the region and ensure the delivery of Oxfam’s value add.
• Establish and maintain functional and empowering relationships with CSO partners, policy makers, government officials, civil society, development partners, academia, thinktanks trade unions, movements and other interest groups who can either be targets or alliance partners of our advocacy and influencing work for Oxfam programs
• Play an active role in drawing on learning from across Oxfam and external sources and sharing evidenced based learning with others.
• Contribute to and maximise use of the Knowledge networks , the Knowledge Hub on Governance & Citizenship , global civic space working group to share strategic thinking and learning more widely as well as within the Country Team to ensure that programming builds on learning and is evidence based, innovative and agile to respond to opportunities for change.
• Undertake analysis of the political environment and advise on its impact on advocacy and campaigns; and share information and analysis on issues relevant to national and international advocacy and campaigns to staff and collaborators
• Develop products for engagement such as policy briefs, blogs, position papers, issues papers to inform stakeholders about issues of interest to Oxfam and partners.
• Support the development of policy analysis on emerging crisis situations to inform Oxfam humanitarian advocacy
Representation 20%
• Broker relationships with including civil society, government, academic, ensuring that Oxfam’s interests are covered; seeking to undertake
• Regularly attend meetings and engagements held by government, cooperating partners and other stakeholder to be influences and to share Oxfam’s position on issues.
• Contribute to a culture of learning and knowledge management, model effective documentation and sharing of learning through workshops, seminars, exposure visits, sharing meetings
• To assist in communication and media related activities, in close cooperation with the Executive Director [OZA] and program director [SAF]
People Management 10%
• Directly line manage, support and coach the Media and Communication Lead [SAF], the Partnership Lead [SAF] and, Digital Engagement Manager [OZA] and using the One Oxfam performance management system, including using the behavioral competencies.
• Ensure timely, consistent, and adequate compliance with Oxfam’s brand and sign off guidelines
• Ensure the program staffs are provided with technical support, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and support systems to facilitate participation in policy, advocacy, and campaign engagements.
• To coordinate, supervise, advise and evaluate the work of fellows and consultants attached to programs for influencing work
What we are looking for:
Essential
• Your political judgment and strategic thinking are excellent,
• At least a Masters’ level degree in the specific thematic area
• Demonstrated experience of advocacy and campaigning resulting in dependable impact.
• Ability to engage and influence both corporate direction, contributing to and following it as appropriate and the ongoing development of program policy and quality to enhance the impact of Oxfam’s work.
• Ability to manage large amounts of work, outstanding prioritization and time management skills.
• Ability to build a people’s movement around the program theme 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.
• Comprehensive experience of building leading and developing staff with different backgrounds ideally built on mature understanding of relevant issues derived from field experience.
• 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.
• Proven management experience at a strategic level in a complex, dispersed organisation with evidence of leading, facilitating and integrating a specific area of expertise across a wide network, providing clarity and focus of vision and impact, strategic planning and decision making and the delivery of agreed results.
• Excellent knowledge of the Southern African political environment and issues.
• 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.
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.
• Empowerment – Our approach means that everyone involved with Oxfam, from our staff and supporters to people living in poverty, should feel they can make change happen.
• Inclusiveness – We are open to everyone and embrace diversity. We believe everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of visible and invisible differences
• 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.
• 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
Desirable
• Experience of working across geographic boundaries
• Lived experiences with intersecting systems of oppression, with knowledge and experience of how power and privilege play out in the countries we work with
• Acknowledged expertise in field- including research, publications, and civil society activities
• Wide network of people engaged in thematic area, including academics, researchers, civil society actors, government, and private sector
• Good analysis and writing skills
• Management expertise
• Written and spoken English and spoken or written Portuguese.
We’re looking for a candidate who cares about Oxfam’s mission to end poverty and is personally aligned to our feminist principles and values of empowerment, accountability and inclusion in all you do.
We offer:
This role will give you an opportunity to make a difference in Southern Africa, to act as key contributor to SAF and OZA startegy, to work with a group of passionate people , training and development opportunities, offers fair pay and competitive benefits package
From the day you join Oxfam we invite you to stretch and learn in your role. Our wide range of Learning & Development opportunities includes in-house courses, e-learning modules, on-the job learning opportunities, coaching and mentoring, and much more.
You can read more about all Oxfam has to offer here.
Flexfam:
We believe flexible working is key to building the Oxfam of the future, so we’re open to talking through the type of flexible arrangements which might work for you.
Method Of Application
As part of your online application, please upload your up to date CV and Cover Letter explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile.
Our values and commitment to safeguarding
Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.
The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.
All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.
We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.
About us
Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.
Oxfam GB is a member of international confederation of 21 organisations working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries.
A thriving diverse Oxfam:
It’s people power that brings about change. To play our part as a global organisation working to overcome poverty and inequality, we need equality, diversity and inclusion across our community of staff, partners and volunteers. Together, we’re committed to becoming a more diverse workforce, better able to tackle the global challenges that face our world today.
To do that:
- We need to dismantle the unequal power structures that exist everywhere, this including Oxfam and the wider development and charity sectors.
- We need an inclusive Oxfam where everyone can bring who they are to our work and feels celebrated for the differences they bring.
- We want and need everyone, and that means we need you.