Programme Officer – Love Alliance

Vacancy: Project Officer:  Love Alliance Programme

Established in 2003, the AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA) is a regional partnership of over 100 non-governmental organisations working together to promote a human rights-based response to HIV and TB in 18 countries in Southern and East Africa through capacity strengthening and advocacy. The Regional Office of ARASA is in Windhoek, Namibia.

Starting in 2023, ARASA will be responsible for the Love Alliance participatory grant-making in Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe and at the sub-regional level. The Love Alliance is a strategic partnership between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Aidsfonds, UHAI EASHRI, ISDAO, GALZ, Sisonke, SANPUD and GNP+ with ARASA as a grant-making partner for Southern Africa from 2023/2024. The Love Alliance runs from 2021-2025 with a focus on advocacy for HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights for sex workers, people who use drugs (PWUD), and LGBTIQ+ people, including people living with HIV.

Therefore, ARASA seeks to contract a Project Officer to work for 24 hours a week for the duration of the programme (a 1-year contract from January 2023 to December 2023) to assist in the implementation of the Love Alliance Regional Advocacy programme together with the Key Population Programme Officer based in Cape Town. The prospective person will further work with team members based in Windhoek, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Kampala, and Harare.

Key areas of responsibility will include:

  • Coordinate SADC-level advocacy on SRHR and HIV with key SADC and African Union structures, such as the SADC secretariat and the Parliamentary Forum and the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, as part of the Love Alliance programme.
  • Assist in the development of information resources and products including position papers, policy briefs, presentations, and other evidence-based advocacy materials needed to achieve the programme’s capacity strengthening and advocacy goals.
  • Conducting training and skills development on regional advocacy and law/policy analysis with key ARASA partners in Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
  • Foster strategic partnerships with key actors to achieve the Love Alliance’s advocacy goals.
  • Assist in monitoring best practices, successes, and challenges related to regional advocacy to support monitoring and evaluation of the Love Alliance programme.
  • Ensure the advocacy loop between national, sub-regional, continental, and regional advocacy. 

Requirements

We are looking for a highly motivated and innovative critical thinker, with lots of creativity and initiative who is passionate about helping to solve Africa’s health and rights challenges. The ideal candidate will have a degree in Social Science, Law, Human Rights, Communications, Public Health, or a related field, and clear experience/expertise working with SADC structures such as the secretariat and the parliamentary forum. A Master’s degree will be an added advantage. In lieu of a Master’s, we will accept five years’ experience working on human rights advocacy, preferably in the SRHR field (particularly on sexual orientation and gender identity/ HIV prevention, people who use drugs, and/or gender sectors), at a regional level, with a specific focus on SADC structures. Furthermore, we are looking for a candidate who can take on administrative responsibility related to the organisation of meetings, sub-granting, and M&E.

Fluency in English is a prerequisite and knowledge of Portuguese is an added advantage

How to apply

Please send your Curriculum Vitae (of no more the 3 pages which shows experience with similar work) and a cover letter to recruitmnet@arasa.info  You are welcome to attach or link to relevant work done, which will be taken into consideration. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted

Kindly put “Project Officer: Love Alliance” in the email subject line.

The closing date for the submission of expressions of interest is 15 January 2023.