Employment Opportunities at Actionaid Africa Region for
Regional Thematic Coordinators

Actionaid is an international development Agency working in
over 30 countries worldwide. Actionaid's mission is to work
with the poor and the marginalized people of the world to
eradicate poverty by overcoming the injustices and inequity
that cause it. The ultimate goal of all Actionaid programs
is Poverty Eradication. Its purpose includes strengthening
Partnership, collaboration, coordination and increasing
capacity of poor people, national governments and Civil
Society Organisations to design effective interventions and
programs in the fight against poverty.

ActionAid Africa Region is seeking competent and qualified
applicants to fill the following positions of Thematic
Regional Coordinators:
1. Policy Coordinator
2. Food Security Coordinator
3. Education Coordinator
4. Africa Trade and Investments Policy Coordinator
5. Gender Coordinator
6. Partnership Development Coordinator
7. Development Models Coordinator
8. HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator
9. HIV/AIDS Policy Analyst
10. Emergencies Coordinator
11. Peace, Security and Justice Coordinator

These are all senior program management positions in
Actionaid based on Grade 1 Actionaid Regional Terms and
Conditions of service. These positions require self-driven
and motivated persons able to work in a fast paced
environment with multiple accountabilities and minimum
supervision.

The Policy Coordinator will report directly to the Africa
Regional Director. All the other post holders will report
directly to the Africa Policy Coordinator and have program
accountability to the International Policy Director,
Country Directors responsible for specific Themes in the
region and to the International Coordinators for HIV/AIDS,
Gender, Education, Emergencies and Partnership Development.
These positions require a lot of horizontal matrix
relationships and team working with other key staff members
in the respective Actionaid Country Programs in Africa,
Europe, Asia and LAC.

These are all Three year renewable contract assignments.
The Duty Station will be one's home country or other
station to be negotiated at time of contract.

Key areas of responsibility

- To provide strategic Leadership and coordination of the
regional thematic program including the regional
operational and policy and advocacy aspects of the same.20

- To ensure that the thematic response is designed, is
strongly driven and is integrated into poverty reduction
strategies and mechanisms at community, national and
regional level and that this influences the international
development agenda.

- To develop and promote rights based framework for each of
the specific themes and thematic program of work

- To provide technical support to Country Programs,
Partners, sub-regional and regional institutions in program
development, including strategic planning, project design
implementation, management, monitoring and evaluation that
is in line with Actionaid's poverty eradication framework.

- To carry out research and advocacy in the relevant
thematic area that forms the basis of AA's policy positions
on Poverty issues in the region.

- To define a regional policy and advocacy agenda in your
given thematic area on clearly defined policy issues with
clear objectives, activities and expected outputs and
outcomes. Policy work needs to be structured such that
local and national level is dealt with at those levels
and building up into your role, which will be managing the
scaling up to sub-regional, regional and international
levels.

- Back stopping (i.e. occasional hands on support) to
countries in your specific thematic program or response as
needed while developing appropriate capacity within the
respective countries.

- To provide quality assurance in the specific thematic
program by ensuring that the program meets the overall
Objectives of Africa Regional Strategy and Actionaid's
global strategy.

- To raise the profile of the specific regional thematic
intervention within and outside Actionaid through a
well-developed ommunications strategy

-To raise additional resources and funds necessary to carry
out the objectives of the specific thematic area

- To ensure proper accountability to the poor and to
Actionaid's supporters and donors is maintained, that donor
financial procedures and requirements are met and that
proper systems for monitoring financial transactions with
partners are put in place.

- To ensure that all thematic program planning,
implementation and practice integrates and mainstreams
gender and HIV and AIDS

The more detailed role specifications for each function can
be viewed in Action's website at:

Person Specifications
These positions demand persons in possession of at least a
first degree with post graduate qualification in
development studies or Equivalent and work experience in
the related field of a minimum of 5 years at a senior level
preferably in a development agency. These positions require
knowledge of team leadership, Networking, creation of
support mechanisms to independent teams and a donor
relationship maintenance capability.

We are looking for experienced persons with knowledge and
expertise in the specific thematic area or field of at
least 5 years. In addition you must show evidence of
leading and managing big projects in fast paced
organisations preferably in an NGO, the ability to work in
diverse and multi disciplinary teams,knowledge of Africa,
familiarity with development work, empathy with the poor is
a must, proven experience running donor funded projects,
good links into the relevant thematic area networks
internationally or in Africa, in-depth knowledge of current
policy debates and development approaches in the relevant
field, strong leadership and management skills, Training
skills, knowledge of PRA methodologies, computer
literateracy in basic packages. We are looking for
pleasant self driven and motivated persons with excellent
interpersonal and communication skills.

Application: All applications with relevant documents must
clearly state the position applied for: e.g. Regional
Policy Coordinator and must state salary expectations
equivalent in US $ addressed to the:

Africa Regional HR&OD Coordinator
ActionAid Africa Regional office
P.O. Box CY 2451, Causeway,
Harare - Zimbabwe
Email: [email][email protected]

Only short listed candidates will be contacted. All short
listed candidates will be required to furnish their
application with two references one from the previous
employer or other on personal conduct before the interview
date. Applications in soft and hard copy can be delivered
to any of the Actionaid Country Programs in Africa. The
applicants will be interviewed in Dec 2003 and should be
ready to take on the new assignment in February 2004. The
closing date is November 15th 2003.

Women are particularly encouraged to apply. Nigerians
applying should also copy their applications to:

The Country Director
ActionAid Nigeria
Plot 461 Kumasi Crescent
Wuse II, P O Box 1890, Abuja, Nigeria

The Nigeria Office will be proactively monitoring the
progress of Nigerain applicants in this process.

Charles Abani
Email: [email][email protected]