ActionAid International International Policy Manager Women’s Rights Job in Johannesburg or Nairobi

ActionAid International

Directorate: Campaigns and Policy

Position: International Policy Manager Women’s Rights

Location: Johannesburg or Nairobi

Salary: £45 489 Grade E

Local terms and conditions will apply

Purpose of the Role: The International Policy Manager leads and coordinates the development and strengthening of AAI’s policy expertise on issues surrounding the women’s rights and the Safe Cities Multi-Country Campaign (MCC). Responsible for collaboratively defining policy priorities on women’s rights and providing systematic and updated policy advice. 

Key responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Lead or coordinate development of AAI’s public policy positions and provide strategic policy analysis and advice on the women’s rights, being fully up to date with key global debates and helping AA positions to be informed by these in order to have maximum impact.


• Design and develop strategic research on women’s rights that will inform policy and campaigning work, complementing and building on programme based evidence and research. In coordination with the International Programme Manager sustain a high level of policy insights from Local Rights Programmes.


• Provide strategic policy advice on an on-going basis and inform AAI’s public policy and media positions on this strategic objective.


• Engage in relevant policy debates on development finance and labor rights, internally and externally.  Identify and develop links and partnerships with relevant movements, activists,  academics, and research bodies, public policy experts and decision-makers in INGOs and in regional, international and multi-lateral institutions relevant to the SO and multi-country campaign.


• In collaboration with the Research Coordinator and Advocacy Coordinators and the International Communications Team, plan and produce communications assets for use in policy seminars and other policy advocacy-focused events, and for the international website.


• Support capacity development plans for countries on policy analysis and identify policy resource people and key partners across the federation who can provide peer support


• Provide strategic policy advice as a participant in the women’s rights to the International Platform and the International Leadership Team, as and when needed for purposes of planning and strategy development.


• Represent ActionAid’s policy activities to key audiences, including donors, supporters and campaigners and help establish and maintain relationships with funding agencies that prioritise women’s rights or the safe cities campaign – both governmental/inter-governmental or private.


• Responsible for managing delegated budget responsibility for resources within approved limits. Delegation to other team members can be done but overall responsibility remains with Budget holder.


• Responsible for preparing activity based budgets and monitoring actual monthly spend against these budgets, including providing relevant accruals and explanations for variances.

Desired Skills & Experience

The successful candidate will have:

• Relevant postgraduate degree


• Strategic thinker and innovator, capable of spotting trends and opportunities in respect of women’s rights and translating these into practical interventions to promote our campaign and policy advocacy objectives


• Substantive experience in leadership roles advising organisational leaders on public policy debates, including economic justice, for purposes of strategy development


• Excellent advocacy and networking skills and connections at international or regional level for advancing AAI’s influencing agenda and public profile.


• Good IT skills, including with social media platforms


• A very strong team player willing to play a specific role in contributing to a larger global campaigning or influencing effort

Application Procedures

Applications should be sent with your CV, motivation cover letter by no later than 10th May 2015. 

You are requested to highlight in the motivation letter how specifically you meet the criteria for this role.

Please clearly indicate which position you are applying for.

Internal Applications send to: applications.jhb@actionaid.org

External Applications send to: programmes.jhb@actionaid.org

Due to high volumes of applications received, we can only correspond with short listed applicants.  

Should you not have received feedback on your application within two weeks of the closing date, please consider your application unsuccessful.  

ActionAid International will not consider candidates from recruitment agencies.  

We reserve the right to withdraw any of our vacancies at any time.

ActionAid International promotes diversity and welcomes applications from all section of the community.