Funded Initiative Coordinator – Komboa Initiative

Job Vacancy

We are hiring to fill a vacancy for the position of Funded Initiative Coordinator – Komboa Initiative. To fill this position, we are looking for a highly motivated person who is passionate about women’s rights in Africa, excited about African feminisms, embraces African women’s diversity and is innovative to join the team.

 

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  Funded Initiative Coordinator – Komboa Initiative
  

 

Background 

As a pan-African feminist fund, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) resources, strengthens and upholds women’s rights and feminist organisations and movements across Africa, in order to make gender justice a reality for all on our continent and worldwide. 

Over the past 24 years, AWDF has  awarded approximately USD 100 million to women’s rights and feminist organisations throughout Africa (and in selected Middle Eastern countries through one of our initiatives). Through its grantmaking, programmatic and advocacy work, AWDF has supported work that led to changes in law and policy, social norms, narrative, and movement-building for gender justice. 

Building on its strong track record, in 2023 AWDF launched Lemlem, a ten-year strategic framework (2023-2033), which guides its efforts to advance gender equality and gender justice for girls, women and gender-diverse people across Africa.  At its core, the strategy’s focus is on resourcing, nurturing and strengthening those who are best placed to achieve transformative change: African women’s and feminist groups, organisations and movements. 

 

Funded Initiative Coordinator – Komboa Initiative:

 

Do you have experience in: Programme and Project Management; Consortium Coordination; Thought leadership on issues, partners and funding approaches to Counter Anti-Rights and Anti-Gender movements; Programme Resourcing and Convening African Women’s Rights and Feminist organisations and movements?   

 

Are you interested in developing a strategic portfolio of partnerships through the Komboa Funded Initiative that is inclusive, feminist, trust-based, collaborative and responsive which includes longer-term support? 

 

TEAM PURPOSE/ RATIONALE/MANDATE

A member of AWDF’s newly-created Partnerships and Philanthropy team, the Funded Initiative Coordinator – Komboa will be central to AWDF’s effort to cultivate, maintain and strengthen AWDF’s relationships with existing and new partners in feminist and social justice movements, the philanthropic sector and international development. She/They will also be key to the execution of initiatives and activities to advance AWDF’s philanthropic advocacy and influencing agenda – working closely with the Director for Partnerships and Philanthropy (who they will report to), Programme Manager -Resourcing (in a matrix management arrangement),  the CEO and the Director of Programmes. The Funded Initiative Coordinator – Komboa will also support the development of donor reports and proposals, and coordinate the consortium.

The Resourcing Team, which the Funded Initiative Coordinator will closely work with, is primarily responsible for supporting the mission to fund, strengthen and uphold African women’s and feminist organisations and movements who work in pursuit of gender justice and social transformation; provide African women’s and feminist organisations, groups, collectives and movements with resources that enable them to do transformative work; resource, in a meaningfully inclusive way, a diverse range of women’s and feminist organisations, groups, collectives and movements across Africa ; contribute to strengthening and sustaining healthy, impactful women’s and feminist organisations, groups, collectives and movements and reflect feminist principles in our resourcing and accompaniment processes and approaches.

How we need to work:

• Strategic and responsive and collaborative (internal and external) to the needs and aspirations of African women’s and feminist movements


• A gender justice approach that is intersectional rather than thematic


• Feminist funding practices that trust, centre and build the power of feminist movements


• Shared decision-making, radical inclusion, accountability and flexibility as core principles for action

 

Job Summary 

As part of our new strategy, AWDF is building on our approach of strengthening  movement and funded partners to a more transformative and de-colonised approach which gives feminist and women’s rights activists, organisations and collectives in Africa the ownership and space to make transformative choices and impact their communities across the continent. 

The Funded Initiative Coordinator – Komboa Initiative is responsible for supporting the implementation of AWDF’s resourcing strategy to strengthen and uphold African women’s and feminist organisations and movements. The role is responsible for the delivery of the resourcing strategy under a defined funded initiative and the relevant fund sub-strategies and priorities that guide how AWDF will help feminist movement achieve, including:

• Strategic, responsive support to African WR and feminist organisations and movements (e.g. holistic, longer term, increased flexibility)


• Increase our reach to more, diverse women’s and feminist movement actors across Africa 


• Adopt and promote more feminist processes and approaches


• Build infrastructure for movements to respond better to change

The role will work in close collaboration with all the clusters and under the leadership of the Director of Partnerships and Philanthropy in a matrix management arrangement with the Programme Manager - Resourcing. The Resourcing team follows a matrix management and cross-cluster operational model. The post-holder will therefore work with and be supported by various clusters and teams.

The role will share an Assistant who will work across the three funded initiatives and the Strategic Implementation Partners Cluster. It will also lead all aspects of the resourcing sub -strategies/ priorities including budgeting/financial management, leadership and staff development, policy development and strategic planning under a defined funded initiative.

 

Specific Duties 

Strategy implementation

• Participate and lead the implementation and delivery of the Funded Initiative- Komboa Initiative in alignment with the new AWDF Strategic Framework; 


• Pilot resourcing approaches AWDF advocates for externally through its own grant-making, validation and innovation practices with the intention of documenting and sharing good practice and in line with the specific funded initiative priorities


• Promote mainstreaming of resourcing in programmes and collaborate across the organisation to ensure relevant messages are embedded in research, advocacy, capacity building, convening and external communications; 


• Develop a strategic portfolio of partnerships and under the Komboa Funded Initiative that is inclusive, feminist, trust-based, collaborative and responsive and includes longer-term support;


• Contribute to sector-wide thought leadership on the issues, partners and funding approaches of the Komboa funded initiative delivering programme resourcing in our sector.

Leadership and people development and management

• Promote and contribute to the effectiveness and culture of the Funded Initiatives cluster;


• Ensure that the team goals and set standards are met;


• Coordinate both the professional and personal growth and learning of the team, ensuring that they can be proactive on all matters;


• Develop a team culture that values collaboration internally, cross functionally, a team of independent thinkers that feel empowered, a team that reflects the feminist principles and values of AWDF.


• Design team tasks, assign agreed tasks and ensure they are met, working in collaboration with the Programme Managers.

Programme Management

• Oversee all aspects of the planning and implementation of resourcing under the Komboa funded initiative; 


• Ensure the development, implementation and management of a diverse portfolio under the Komboa funded initiative


• Contribute to the development of planning, learning, monitoring, reporting as it relates to the Komboa funded initiative


• Coordinate collaborative team learning and cross pollination under the Komboa funded initiative across all funded initiatives and wider programme resourcing;


• Convene funded initiative small group discussions to collect information that brings awareness to the challenges faced by organisations and partners AWDF works with (social, cultural, socioeconomic factors); 


• Represent AWDF in Komboa and other external meetings and platforms related to the Initiative.

Budget management

• Ensure, develop and provide oversight on the Komboa initiative sub strategies budget, ensuring deliverables are within allocated budget and follow organisational financial policies;


• Work out what resources are needed to deliver the Komboa initiative sub strategy, working closely with the Director of Partnerships and Philanthropy and the Resourcing Manager.

Relationship management

• Support with relevant  Komboa Initiative donor coordination activities (communications, review meetings, consultations) and translate trends and learning about initiative related resourcing into appropriate donor communications; 


• Coordinate and/or participate in relevant initiatives, working groups and collaborations to exchange knowledge and advance shared goals of the Komboa initiative to influence the donor community;


• Build relationships to understand and identify priorities to resource and support;


• Establish and nurture relationships with colleagues as an integral element of communication and relationship management.

Programme monitoring and applying learning

• Provide initiative level monitoring, impact and learning and evaluation support to the Komboa funded partners, ensuring diversity and voice and representation. 


• Lead on monitoring, evaluation and learning about what we are doing and how our contribution is making a difference, responding to and creating new spaces and opportunities for women-led and feminist activist organisations in Africa under the Komboa Consortium


• Provide quality input into Komboa donor proposals and reports, including supporting the portfolio of funded partners to document experiences and outcomes for reporting;


• Identify risks and report these and work closely with the Programme Managers to support towards mitigation and management of the risks;


• Coordinate and deliver on internal and external initiative reporting requirements (Board, donor, accountability, project reports etc.)

Other

• The role holder will from time to time be required to carry out any other duties that are within the scope of the job.

 

Essential Knowledge and Experience 

• Ability to demonstrate values and principles of feminist and social and gender justice rights -based development and organising in Africa


• A team player who is proactive and can take initiative


• Excellent track record in delivering against targets


• Strong knowledge of channels, trends and practices relevant to resourcing work and fundraising


• Ability to develop strong, long-term external relationships with diverse people and groups.


• Excellent leadership and people management skills, the ability to motivate and build an effective team and experience of distance management;


• Strong interpersonal skills, high levels of personal integrity and professional credibility and experience of building strong and credible relationships with diverse stakeholders including colleagues, donors, CBOs, NGOs, partners etc. 


• Experience working with and/or within Consortia


• Confidence in communicating the impact of programme results to a wide and expert audience.


• Organisation, planning and management skills and the ability to work to tight deadlines


• Ability to exercise professional judgement and to support and implement difficult decisions


• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and English and /or French


• Ability to set clear priorities, objectives and work allocations, tracking progress against plans and taking appropriate action to ensure targets are met.


• Work cooperatively with others to overcome conflict and build towards a common goal. 


• Excellent IT skills


• Mature and effective conflict management

Qualifications 

• A degree in gender studies or related discipline and at least 6 years’ professional experience in a similar role. 


• The post requires at least 6 years’ working experience in participatory and more transformative approaches to organisational strengthening and leadership development


• Experience of working in or with different types of entities (i.e. CBOs, NGOs etc.)


• Work experience around feminist and women’s rights funding and philanthropy, experience of working with feminist or African women’s bilateral and foundation funders. 


• An in-depth knowledge of African women’s rights issues and concerns, strong analytical, writing and editing skills and external representation skills.


• Excellent written and spoken English. Working knowledge of French or Arabic or Portuguese  will be a distinct advantage. 

 

Job Location 

AWDF House, Accra – Ghana or work remotely from any African country where you have the legal right to work from.

 

Organisational Competencies: 

All staff members must demonstrate AWDF Core values in all their professional relationships and any interactions that may reflect on AWDF: 

Accountability & Integrity 

Solidarity & Collective care 

Intersectionality & Meaningful Inclusion 

               Learning & Adaptability

               Courage & Joy

               Creativity & Curiosity

 

AWDF has a Zero Tolerance Approach to all forms of corruption which is an offence for which immediate dismissal without benefits will result. 

 

Salary Details

Midpoint: USD 40,536 (annually) + benefits. In practice, AWDF only make offers between the entry point and the midpoint of our salary scale

 

How to Apply: 

Qualified and interested persons should send:

A cover letter of not more than 2 pages addressed to the Human Resources Manager, explaining their interest and excitement in applying for the position to work for AWDF; and highlighting their experience and competencies as they relate to the specific areas of duties indicated in the vacancy to demonstrate a good fit for the role.

A CV of not more than 3 pages outlining their educational qualifications and employment records with key achievements on relevant positions held.

Applications for the vacancy should reach AWDF no later than Monday 29th July 2024. Due to our limited capacity, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for additional information and interviews. 

 

In line with AWDF’s Mission, qualified African women and gender expansive persons are encouraged to apply.