Africa Programmes Director

Validity Foundation (formerly the Mental Disability Advocacy Centre – MDAC) is looking for an Africa Programmes Director.

The Africa Programmes Director will be responsible for leading Validity’s programmes and operations on the continent in close collaboration with the Co-Executive Directors. The incumbent will be expected to help design and implement a managed growth strategy to expand our office in Nairobi, enhance our operations (especially in Validity’s key target countries: Kenya, Uganda and Zambia) and solidify our position as a key legal resource for disability rights activists and movements.

The successful candidate will be an inspiring leader with a conscientious attention to effective project, budget and staff management. They will be an adept senior manager with a passion and dedication to achieving strategic impact with and for persons with disabilities. They will bring innovative, experience-based designs on using advocacy, strategic litigation and disability rights law to catalyse change in support of clearly identified objectives.

Role Description

Programmes

• Responsible for high impact strategic leadership of Validity’s programmes, litigation and operations in Africa.
• Under the guidance of the Co-Executive Directors and Validity’s Board of Trustees, lead on a managed growth strategy for Validity’s operations in Africa
• Raise Validity’s profile and capacities as a key legal resource for disability rights activists and movements, strengthening and expanding our networks on the continent.
• Grow Validity’s mid- and longer-term strategy on advancing the human rights of persons with disabilities on the African continent, in alignment with Validity’s approved Strategic Framework and under the direction of the Co-Executive Directors.
• Contribute to refining, developing and strengthening Validity’s global strategy for change.
• Together with the Co-Executive Directors and senior management, develops and implements an annual operational plan for Africa programmes
• Lead on inclusion of persons with disabilities in staff team and co-production of programmes in Africa together with persons with disabilities, in close coordination with the Inclusive Validity Working Group.
• Represent Validity externally to the highest professional standard and conduct advocacy with high-level officials and other stakeholders nationally, regionally and globally
• Work closely with the Co-Executive Directors to develop processes promoting effective communication and coordination between Validity’s initiatives in Africa and Europe, ensuring overall alignment with Validity’s Strategic Framework and effective cooperation between programme staff on both continents
• Together with the Co-Executive Directors, leads on developing and implementing a communication plan for Africa programmes addressing key external stakeholders

Management

• Manage Validity’s Africa office, including supporting legal and governance compliance, contracting, and ensuring efficient and well-organised administration, a safe and healthy working environment and effective administrative coordination between Budapest and Nairobi offices.
• Provides leadership and supervision of Africa-based staff, including fostering leadership among staff, employee recruitment, performance management, reasonable accommodations, well-being and professional development.
• Input into processes to improve and streamline Validity’s internal reporting and accountability frameworks
• Contribute to development of Validity’s annual organisational budget and manage delegated budget for Africa activities, including contributing to budget development; ensuring absolute transparency, compliance with Validity’s Finance Policy and effective budget monitoring; and working closely with Validity’s Finance team to create robust forecasts, analyse variance and implement budget control measures.
• Fundraising support to the Co-Executive Directors, including identification of funding opportunities and development of applications, recruitment of new donors, and drafting of reports to donors
• Ensures effective risk management for Validity’s Africa office and operations, including proactive monitoring, timely identification and notification to the Co-Executive Directors, and developing and implementing agreed mitigations
• Works closely with Validity Admin and Finance team to evaluate organisational policies (Finance Policy, Human Resource Policy etc.), propose adaptations as necessary and ensure good implementation across operations
• Provide regular, timely written and oral reports to the Co-Executive Directors and contribute to reports to Validity’s Board of Trustees as and when required

Note: Preference will be given to people who self-identify as having a disability. This position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya (required: minimum six months physical presence in Budapest, Hungary in first 18 months employment).

Qualifications and experience

• Post-graduate degree in law, human rights, rule of law, justice, international relations or related field (or equivalent experience)
• A minimum of ten years’ relevant experience in human rights and/or disability law or related field, of which at least two years must be at regional or international level.
• Previous senior management or executive leadership position in a related field, either at a large national NGO, or a medium-sized international organisation.
• Demonstrable experience in managing complex projects, budget monitoring and management, and relevant experience of donor reporting in the NGO/voluntary sector.
• Experience researching, monitoring and analysing human rights violations in the field
• National and/or international litigation experience, especially strategic litigation and using the law to effect change
• Strong experience of leading inclusive processes of strategy development in the human rights/disability rights advocacy fields.
• Experience working in a multicultural, international environment

Knowledge and skills

• The highest commitment to Validity’s mission and campaign goals, with a clear understanding of the need to end discrimination and promote equality for persons with mental disabilities.
• Outstanding written and spoken English. Knowledge of Swahili, French or other regional languages an asset.
• Strong understanding of international disability rights, particularly the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, with sound knowledge of key modern human rights issues facing persons with disabilities in Africa (national and regional level).
• Knowledge of key strategies for pursuing concrete, strategic impact in the field of human rights in Africa.
• Sound knowledge in the field of public policy; knowledge of international development aid and mechanisms, the sustainable development goals, the development donor communities in East and Southern Africa, and the 2030 Agenda highly desirable.
• Confident in senior level decision-making, with an ability to identify risks and issues, conduct applicable analysis, identify and weigh solutions, as well as the ability to implement new approaches and problem-solve in complex, time-sensitive matters.
• Excellent organisational and leadership abilities
• Brings own existing network(s) of human rights activists, lawyers, policy advocates, disability activists or similar to the position
• Confident, skilful and inspiring supervision and staff-management skills, with the ability to catalyse partnerships, a strong teamwork ethic.
• Excellent drafting and representation skills, with an ability to work flexibly on a highly-varied workload, from drafting high impact human rights monitoring reports, to representing the organisation before African Union agencies, to overseeing successful strategic litigation initiatives, to submitting technical and narrative reports on grant execution to international donors.

Salary: Commensurate with experience

Downloadable job description and further information on open positions available on our website: Vacancy – Africa Programmes Director – Validity Foundation – Mental Disability Advocacy Centre – Validity Foundation – Mental Disability Advocacy Centre