The Solidarity Center, an International NGO focused on labor and worker rights issues, is seeking candidates for Senior Program Officer for the South Africa Office in Johannesburg. The Senior Program Officer works under the direct supervision of the Country Program Director (CPD). The Senior Program Officer is responsible for assisting with the development, writing and implementation of Solidarity Center programming within South and southern Africa. S/he must be thoroughly conversant with all aspects of program activities and current events relevant to the on-going political, economic and social developments in the region. S/he must also have experience in program design, monitoring and evaluation, and report writing. Solidarity Center seeks someone with an understanding of gender inequality and ability to incorporate gender equity analysis and approach to all aspects of the work.
The Senior Program Officer will be based in Johannesburg but must be able and willing to travel frequently within South and southern Africa.
Basic Qualifications:
The Senior Program Officer must have a bachelor’s degree in political science, international relations, labor relations, or related fields and/or at least five (5) years equivalent work experience in unions, federations or in the area of program development and design. Candidates should have good understanding of the issues of workers and the unemployed, and unions and worker organization in the country and region. Previous experience with an international NGO or global union is strongly desired. S/he must have strong project management including project design, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.
Work requirements:
Proven ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously
Excellent leadership skills, as well as proven ability to work well within a team
Ability to work independent of supervision and to plan and manage time and a professional calendar
Excellent communication and writing skills in English; verbal skills in at least one or more of the other languages in the region
Computer literacy for word processing and simple Excel spreadsheets
Responsibilities:
Build strong relationships with the trade union partners in the region.
Write, develop and conduct trainings for unions and workers.
Assist in or lead the implementation and facilitation of training, planning and mentoring programs and workshops.
Provide advice and guidance to the CPD for the development and implementation of the programs
Assist the CPD in the design and oversight of consultancies and contract employees when appropriate
Assist and oversee program staff in the production of reports on and evaluation of programs and workshops
Produce well-written program reports
Design and carry out organizational and program assessments and evaluations.
Assist with the design and implementation of research projects
Assist in the development of a comprehensive program and organizational database
Assist in the budget preparation for training activities, managing of project expenditures, financial reporting and budget tracking.
Work and consult regularly with the learning and evaluation staff in the Washington D.C. office.
Represent accurately and effectively the policies and programs of the organization in public forums, and in private meetings with national and international, public and private donors and partner organizations.
Participate in meetings with donors for the purposes of fundraising for additional programme.
Carry out related duties at the direction of the CPD
To apply, please send a cover letter, detailed CV, three references and at least two English writing samples. One writing sample should (no more than 5 pages) can be recent professional work of programmatic relevance. The second sample should reflect assessment or evaluation skills, for example an organizational evaluation report of any length. Materials should be emailed to [email protected].
For more information or questions, please call Zeru at 011 403 3246.
Solidarity Center reserves the right to verify all information provided by candidates including credit rating. Please note that correspondence will be limited to short listed candidates only.