Job announcement: Director, African Sexuality Resource Centre
Location: Lagos, Nigeria

The Global Dialogue on Sexual Health and Well Being is an
initiative of the Ford Foundation which seeks to promote
informed public dialogue on human sexuality and contribute
to positive changes in the relevant policies and programs,
creating mechanisms for learning and advocacy at local,
regional and global levels. Two of the mechanisms for its
operationalization are constitution of an international
working group on sexuality and policy with a secretariat at
Columbia University in the U.S.A and; creation of Sexuality
Resource Centers located in Africa, Asia, Latin America and
North America.

In pursuance of the second mechanism, Action Health Inc, a
non-profit, non- governmental organization founded in 1989
with a vision to improve the reproductive health and life
chances of Nigerian adolescents will host the resource
centre and coordinate all activities related to this
initiative in the African Region. Action Health Inc. has
contributed an entire floor of its new office complex in
Lagos to this initiative.

The main activities of the centre over the next two years
would include:
1. Broad consultations with key stakeholders across Africa
(with specific focus on Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and
Egypt) in identifying the members, establishing and
convening the inaugural meeting of the Pan - African
Advisory Council for the African Regional Sexuality
Resource Centre. Partnerships will also form an integral
part of the initiatives operations and identified
in-country partners from the four countries will be
essential to designing and implementing project work.
2. Acquisition of electronic connectivity facilities to
enable the maintenance of a high quality website focusing
on sexuality issues in Africa. Hard copies of "gray"
sexuality research literature, and gold standard
publications, will also be acquired.
3. Development and distribution of electronic and
non-electronic quarterly bulletin and occasional
publications on sexuality research and program documents
sourced from national and sub-regional partners of the
centre. Recipients would include sexuality and allied
professionals, relevant NGOs, media, universities and
research centres, donors, and policy makers.
4. Training and Leadership Development entailing.
- Customized workshops to build the capacity of sexuality
professionals from focal countries
- Three week fellowships within the region centre for young
African sexuality researchers and practitioners selected
through a competitive process and;
- A summer sexuality institute targeting middle - level and
senior professionals working in the sexuality and allied
fields.

The purpose of this position is to provide strategic
leadership, overall vision and good management in order to
fulfil the goal of the Resource Centre.

Main duties, tasks and responsibilities:
1. Lead review and analysis of sexuality and sexual and
reproductive health (SRH)/rights trends and developments in
the region to identify and define policy and programming
issues for attention, and relevant research initiatives and
findings for dissemination and exchange.
2. Direct and oversee data gathering activities and
analysis to identify and glean experience, lessons learned,
and best practice related to human sexuality and sexual and
reproductive health programs for dissemination and
exchange.
3. Direct and oversee planning and organization of periodic
technical conferences, seminars and workshops on topical
themes/issues, for strategy development, dissemination or
exchanges.
4. Establish and maintain ongoing contacts with notable
individuals, institutions and organizations engaged or
interested in issues of human sexuality, and oversee
compilation and updating of information on contact persons
and activities of the organizations and institutions.
5. Lead and oversee the Resource Centre's fellows program,
including identifying, managing and supervising fellows,
and a peer review process.
6. Represent the Resource Centre and AHI at Africa regional
and international events and use such occasions to make
technical contributions and to publicize Resource Centre
activities, accomplishments and plans
7. Serve as Secretary to the Resource Centre's Governing
Council (GC), facilitating effective performance of its
advisory role and responsibilities. This includes
researching, presenting and clarifying issues to the GC and
executing decisions of the GC.
8. Manage and coordinate the activities and supervise staff
of the Resource Centre, including accountability for the
Centre's performance and use of funds, and comprehensive
documentation and reporting of Resource Centre activities.
9. Make intellectual contribution to the strategic planning
of the Resource Centre's role and future, including
marketing, organization development, and overall
improvement and expansion of services.

Requirements:
1. Minimum of Master level degree in medical or social
sciences.
2. Ten (10) years relevant work experience including five
years in human sexuality or SRH/rights advocacy, gender,
policy development, evaluation or management at senior
level.
3. Excellent conceptual, analytical, writing and oral
communication skills
4. Team leadership and team playing qualities/experience
5. Familiarity with the African setting and key Africa
regional and international implementing, support and donor
organizations in sexuality and/or SRH/ rights research and
programming.
6. Sensitive and caring but firm and decisive, able to
assume and account for senior level management
responsibility.
7. Good interpersonal skills and ability to relate to
people of different backgrounds, interests and needs.
8. Ability to speak and write in English and French.
9. Youth-friendly, comfortable with issues of sexuality
10. Sexuality or reproductive rights research experience
(e.g. research design, data collection and analysis, and
research methods)
11. Knowledge of NGO operations particularly sexual and
reproductive health/rights NGOs in the Africa region;
12. Sensitivity to cross-cultural issues and concerns

For more information, contact: The Executive Director,
Action Health Incorporated, 17 Lawal Street, Off Oweh
Street, Jibowu, P.O. Box 803, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria. Tel:
234-1-7743745. Email: [email][email protected]

Send CV and applications to: Marc A. Okunnu, Sr.,
Management Strategies for Africa, 104/106 Cranbrook Road,
Ilford, Essex IG1 4LZ, UK. Fax: (+44 20) 8636 9994. Tel:
(+44 20) 8636 9975. Email: [email][email protected] or
[email][email protected]

Adenike Esiet
Action Health Incorporated
Email: [email][email protected]
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