About Sonke
With a full-time staff of 100 people working from offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Agincourt, Sonke works globally, and especially across Africa, to strengthen government, civil society and citizen capacity to take action to promote gender equality, prevent domestic and sexual violence and reduce the spread and impact of HIV and AIDS. In this way the organisation contributes to the development of societies in which men, women, youth and children can enjoy equitable, healthy and happy relationships that contribute to the development of just and democratic societies (see https://genderjustice.org.za/).
The Programmes Director: Regional Capacity Building manages the International Programmes Unit (IPN), Sexual Reproductive Health Rights Portfolio (SRHR), and the Child Rights and Positive Parenting (CRPP) Portfolio, is a member of Sonke’s Directors team and reports to the Executive Director. This person will manage the IPN Unit, and Sonke’s broader Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and the CRPP portfolios as per the KPA’s set out below. This position is a member of Sonke’s full management team.
Key duties and responsibilities
- Staff Management and operational oversight
- Provides strategic leadership for Sonke’s regional work; including oversight of three areas of work: International Programmes and Network (IPN) Unit, the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Portfolio (SRHR), and the Child Rights and Positive Parenting Portfolio (CRPP),
- Supervises the IPN Unit Manager, SRHR Portfolio Manager and the CRPP Portfolio Manager overseeing the effective development, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and sharing of the work of the IPN Unit, SRHR & CRPP Portfolios, including achievements of donor specific commitments & conducts periodic performance appraisals;
- Hires and supervises consultants where necessary;
- Works with unit managers in the recruitment, selection, induction and development of employees in these teams;
- Provides financial oversight and ensures the IPN Unit, SRHR & CRPP Portfolios adhere to budget and financial management, auditing processes, and holds regular communication with the finance team; and
- Supports M&E processes within IPN, SRHR & CRPP Portfolios and maintaining links with the organization’s M&E team.
- Senior Management
- Supports the overall growth and strategic development of the organisation;
- Participates in meetings convened for programme directors, including SMT and FMT meetings, annual operational planning processes and board meetings;
- Provides quality control for reports submitted to SMT and FMT on behalf of the IPN unit, SRHR & CRPP Portfolios; and
- Links with other units within the organisation to support collaboration and information sharing.
- International and Regional Programmes and Networking, including MenEngage Africa and MenEngage Global activities
- Help craft the vision for Sonke’s gender equality work across Africa, including policy development, advocacy and community education approaches;
- Provide regular supervision and strategic support to the MenEngage Africa leadership and team;
- Attends, supports and guides MenEngage Africa operational activities; and
- Supports the long term sustainability for the MenEngage network at country and regional levels within Arica.
- Participate in global MenEngage meetings and processes
- Sexual and Reproductive Health and SRHR/HIV linkages
- Provides regular supervision and strategic support to Sonke’s SRHR team.
- Supports the SRHR team to integrate a strong focus on SRHR within existing Sonke work, harmonizing related efforts across the organisation and building staff skills;
- Supports and strengthens Sonke’s SRHR training, materials development and advocacy, in collaboration with relevant colleagues;
- Links Sonke with regional and global processes on SRHR, and seeks to develop strategic partnerships with existing civil society and governmental providers;
- Represents Sonke as part of the regional and global MenEngage and SRHR campaign.
- Child Rights and Positive Parenting Portfolio
- Provide strategic support to the manager of the Child Rights and Positive Parenting portfolio on the development of regional campaigns and activities aimed at ending violence against children, including banning corporal punishment, and at fostering positive, engaged and non-violent parenting; and
- Assist with coalition building and networking with key regional children’s rights partners and contribute to fundraising and grants management.
- External Representation, networking and partnerships
- Participates and networks in external meetings and events at national, regional and global levels on behalf of Sonke and the MenEngage network;
- Address the media on behalf of Sonke when required to;
- Strengthens collaboration with key partners from other social justice movements, United Nations agencies and government at national, regional and global levels, to support joint campaign and advocacy activities;
- Ensures the continued development and sustaining of new relationships with stakeholders, potential and existing partners in order to further the work of programme units; and
- Networks strategically with existing community networks, educational institutions, NPOs and government.
- Resource Mobilisation and Donor relations
- Specifically manage donor relations for IPN, SRHR & CRPP, in conjunction with colleagues, including developing and implementation of annual fundraising plan;
- Lead on fundraising, and raise funds to support the continuation and expansion of IPN, SRHR and CRPP work;
- Work with the Resource Mobilisation Manager, Executive Director and other colleagues to contribute actively to Sonke’s broader resource mobilization efforts, including submission of regular funding proposals; and
- Work with direct line reports and other colleagues to ensure timely completion and submission of high quality project and donor reports.
Competencies
- Excellent organizational and planning skills with the ability to prioritize time and work effectively;
- Exceptional networking skills & strong people skills with the ability to work under pressure;
- Highly-motivated, confident communicator with the ability to engage with people at all levels;
- Pays attention to detail, displays a high level of integrity, able to multi-task and is deadline driven;
- Ability to work independently, as well as in a team;
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work across diverse cultural backgrounds;
- Innovative and creative, able to see new opportunities; is reflective and open to learning.
Qualifications and experience
- Advanced degree, preferably LLM, MPH, or PhD in public health, health and human rights, development, or extensive related experience
- Minimum of eight years experience in a senior management position and in a similar sized or larger organisation;
- Ability to delegate tasks and responsibilities and follow up regularly;
- Extensive experience working with advocacy organisations in South and Southern Africa;
- Experience in promoting gender equality, preventing domestic and sexual violence and addressing HIV and AIDS, including work with men, preferably in Southern Africa;
- Significant experience with donor liaison, strategy and proposal development is essential;
- Budgeting and financial management skills. Proven ability to interpret financial statements that contributes to strategic decision making;
- Good report writing skills, ability to make presentations coupled with strong problem solving and public speaking skills;
- Knowledge of funding requirements, ability to monitor and ensure compliance with requirements;
- Knowledge of generally accepted good practice in organisations in terms of Finance, HR, procurement and risk management;
- Proven success in managing a team of professionals for an extended period of time;
- Experience with taking ownership for strategic planning, reporting and review in a medium sized organisation;
- Above average competence in the use of computerised packages. Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite applications; i.e. Access, Excel, Word, PowerPoint; and
- Willingness to travel within South Africa and internationally.
