Deputy Regional Director – Campaigns, Amnesty International Southern Africa Regional Office (SARO 33 views0 applications

JOB TITLE: Deputy Regional Director – Campaigns, Amnesty International (AI) Southern Africa Regional Office (SARO), Johannesburg

DIRECTORATE: Global Operations

LOCATION: [Johannesburg]

REPORTING TO: Regional Director, Southern Africa Regional Office

SPECIALIST MANAGER: Campaigns Director

JOB PURPOSE

• Provide high level and strategic advice to the Regional Director in the development, management and delivery of a range of campaigns;
• Provide strategic management and supervision of campaign staff and financial resources and ensure integrated ways of working between campaings and research staff and within the wider IS.
• Lead strategic planning and implementation of the regional office annual work plans, learning, monitoring and evaluation to demonstrate the impact of human rights work.
• Manage and coordinate action, support and provide expert advice on campaigns in the regional office, the wider AI movement and outside networks to ensure maximum campaign impact
• Work closely with the Deputy Regional Director Research ensuring integrated ways of working;
• Ensures the effective application of Amnesty International (AI) standards of work in areas of responsibility;
• Represent AI at the highest levels, including with government and inter-governmental officials as well as civil society groups, and media to enhance the impact of the Regional Office’s camaoings agenda;
• Contribute to the management of the International Secretariat (IS) and deputize for the Regional Director in his or her absence or as so nominated;
• Serve as a member of the Regional Office Management Team (ROMT);
• Work with others in the Campaigns Directorate to advance learning, integrated ways of working and achieve rights impact work in the regional office

REGIONAL OFFICE PURPOPSE: The Southern Africa Regional Office, serves as a critical part of AI’s International Secretariat, the latter which operates from a number of sites around the world, gathers and communicates accurate and action-oriented human rights information globally. The Regional Office, is a key part of delivering on the vision of Amnesty International to end grave human rights abuses and built rights respecting societies. In Southern Africa, Amnesty International will campaign for meaningful human rights change; enable effective human rights activism and work to persuade governments and other actors to uphold universal human rights standards. We provide strategic leadership, support and advice to the Amnesty International movement globally, fostering Amnesty International’s contribution, presence and public accountability throughout the world.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Management

• With the Regional Director, recruit and manage Campaigns staff, including those working remotely, and ensure performance is managed and talent is nurtured;
• Ensure the identification and promotion of best practice, encouraging and leading learning and skill development among the Regional office staff
• Use political judgement and expertise to advise ad support Regional Director and broader management group on AI’s substantive human rights work in the region, including emerging issues, trends and crisis situations
• Manage staff and other resources to ensure their most effective use, in line with agreed priorities and policies;
• Manage risk assessments and oversees the implementation of security procedures for Regional office staff;
• Promote an organizational culture of respect, team work and integration across programmes and manage the effective integration of relevant staff from the International Secretariat and other offices to the RO;
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with AI’s sections and structures in order to identify and exploit opportunities for co-operation, information-sharing and problem solving;
• Participate in the corporate management of the International Secretariat, including by contribution to;
• Development of strategic and operational plans;
• Identification and solution of management issues;
• Ensuring effective communications across departments;
• Deputize as agreed or nominated, for the Regional Director in his or her absence

Campaigns Management and strategic oversight

• Manage the development and implementation of human rights campaigns and advocacy action plans for countries within the office’s remit, in line with globally agreed priorities and strategies
• Lead and/or manage the Regional Office’s campaigns field work in order to ensure that political, strategic, technical and security concerns are reviewed and adequately mitigated
• Ensure integration of campaigns and research in order to provide an effective, coherent programme of work which delivers tangible outcomes for human rights in conformity with AI’s mission and consistent with its priorities, strategies and standards
• Represent AI, including in the field, with government officials, international organizations, civil society organizations, public events and the media, developing and communicating messages crafted at influencing the appropriate audience.

Quality Assurance

• Responsible for overall quality of campaign plans and campaigning output from the regional office, coordinating with or seeking input from Continental or Global teams as required
• Ensure compliance with globally developed quality assurance and impact assessment methodologies to ensure consistency and impartiality and measure human rights impact within the region.
• Ensure that the team Quarterly reports have sufficient clarity and detail on the impact of their work, including to funders;
• Ensure the timely delivery of agreed plans;
• Ensure all outputs go through appropriate Quality Assurance Framework including but not limited to research, law and policy review
• Identify gaps in learning and training for campaign staff and act on them

Finance and risk management

• Set, monitor, manage and report on budget and expenditure for the work undertaken by their team
• Manage risk assessments and oversee the implementation of security procedures for staff undertaking missions and travel and other instances of high risk
• Accountable for duty of care of staff, including where necessary, contribution to internal security, health and safety and human resources polices and standards, supported by the Finance and Admin Manager

This is not an exhaustive list of duties. The need for energy, dynamism, agility and flexibility is required and the post holder is expected to carry out any other related duties that are within the employee’s skills and capabilities whenever reasonably instructed or directed.

WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE IN THIS JOB?

• All campaigns staff in the SARO are supported in delivering strong campaigning that utilizes sound strategic campaign methodologies and promotes innovation
• SARO delivers high quality and impactful campaigning, whether national, regional or global in focus
• AI’s global campaigns have clear strategies and take advantage of political and other strategic opportunities in SARO
• Key stakeholders are able to contribute to plans and implementing stakeholders in the IS and sections and structures understand their roles within the international strategy
• Global campaigns have wide take-up in the sub-region covered by the regional office
• Global campaigns are implemented to deadline and on budget in the regional office
• AI’s campaigns employ a wide-range of tools and tactics that motivate and engage various target audiences and inspire them to act to resolve the human rights issue at hand

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Extensive experience of leading campaigns at the national & international level through a campaigns lifecycle (issue identification, strategy development, campaign delivery, monitoring & evaluation, campaign exit and impact assessment), and using strategic campaign methodologies & tools
• Knowledge of the Southern Africa sub-region in which the post operates as well as global issues and trends; the ability to work effectively within a varied and changing set of focus issues or countries
• Experience of managing people and teams, of successfully coaching and mentoring people, and encouraging integrated and new ways of working; ability to identify and address skills gaps and experience of capacity building and training
• Experience of working in a key leadership role in a complex organization ideally based outside the organization’s global “head” office, and preferably with experience of maintaining a successful operation during times of organizational change
• The ability to matrix manage cross-functional, multi-cultural, and distance project teams; Experience of working with colleagues, partners and/or rights-holders based around the world, including the global North and global South; knowledge of participatory methodologies desirable
• Experience of managing conflicting demands, meeting deadlines, managing budgets and adjusting priorities; Willingness to be accountable for decisions and actions; the ability to develop long-term plans and to adapt to fast-changing political situations in an international environment;
• Excellent political judgment, and the ability to spot and address both risks and opportunities
• Ability to negotiate, challenge and confront conflict, brokering solutions to achieve goals.
• The ability to lead innovative and creative approaches to campaigning; experience of using online and offline activism techniques and a range of digital channels to achieve campaign objectives
• The ability to inspire and motivate a wide range of people; Excellent written and verbal communications skills in English ; Experience of creating campaign materials for a diverse range of target audiences; working knowledge of [ Arabic, French, Spanish, and/or regional language] an advantage.
• Understanding of voluntary commitment and of organizational needs of a membership organization and the implications of this for developing and implementing campaigns internationally.
• Awareness of issues of social justice, equality and fairness and an understanding of equal opportunities issues and willingness to apply in work.

Competencies

• Demonstrated ability to understand and align strategic thinking with operational delivery
• Ability to identify opportunities and threats and to recommend appropriate mitigating action; ability to make appropriate recommendations in relation to an organization’s interests and priorities
• Excellent demonstrated conceptual skills
• Excellent political judgement skills
• Understands and has demonstrated managerial level responsibility
• Demonstrated willingness to be accountable and to receive and give performance related feedback
• Ability to lead and manage staff and financial resources including setting, managing and monitoring plans and budgets for their team
• Experience of working under pressure, managing conflicting demands, meeting deadlines and adjusting priorities
• Written and verbal fluency in English and in [relevant regional language] is essential, and must be demonstrated at interview and through publications or other written materials
• Able to work in a manner that is consistent with the organisation’s core behaviors and competencies

Personal style and attributes

• Ability to direct and collaborate with others to achieve results
• Ability to establish and maintain relationships with a broad range of people across the movement and externally to establish support and garner engagement
• Ability to design and implement effective systems for tracking schedules, work plans, and priorities for top level management
• Takes ownership of own responsibilities, honours commitments, supports subordinates, provides direction while taking responsibility for delegated assignments
• Challenges and confronts conflict, brokering solutions in order to achieve goals
• Uses new approaches, theory and technologies to develop innovative service solutions
• Ability to engage and influence, utilizing a challenging but respectful approach

HOW YOU WORK – COMPETENCIES:

The IS Behaviour Framework focuses on how we work rather than what our job is designed to do. It articulates the behaviours that are expected from a group of professionals who are working effectively together.

Competency:

Delivering results:

Working with others:

Developing oneself and others:

Contributing to a dynamic and effective International Secretariat:

Making decisions:

Taking the initiative:

Communicating and influencing:

EQUALITY STATEMENT

Equality and diversity is at the core of our values and staff are expected to work collectively and individually to promote a constructive and sensitive approach to others from a variety of backgrounds, where the work of others is valued and respected.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Public or other activity, affiliation to or support for any group or organization, personal association or other factor which may generate a real or perceived conflict of interest with Amnesty International’s principles (specifically independence and impartiality), or raise a security concern, or otherwise prevent the candidate from carrying out key functions of the specific post and would therefore disqualify the candidate from being appointed. .