2014-11-12

POLICY AND ADVOCACY LEAD

DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE AND RIGHTS UNIT

FACULTY OF LAW

The African Justice and Transparency Initiative (AJTI) is a programme of the Democratic Governance and Rights Unit at the University of Cape Town. Through its programme the DGRU's mission is to advance the rule of law in Africa by monitoring judicial appointments, providing scholarly assistance to judges and generating free and open access to the law so as to enhance the independence and accountability of the system of justice. The African Legal Information Institute (AfricanLII) - a project within the DGRU – promotes free access to primary legal material (case law and legislation) across the continent by providing assistance to national institutions (Judiciary, government, non-profit and academic) in ten African countries.

We are recruiting a project coordinator to lead the regional development and implementation of policy and advocacy for the DGRU and AfricanLII. The ideal candidate will be a creative and visionary African lawyer who has held senior leadership positions, with the credibility and gravitas necessary to play the ambassadorial role envisaged, and who has a practical experience of legal advocacy in Africa, as well as an understanding of the history, politics and legal systems of the region. Preference will be given to candidates with a developed network in the region and access to judiciaries, governments and supranational institutions in Africa.

The incumbent will report to the Director of the Democratic Governance and Rights Unit.

Requirements:

LLM or a higher degree in Law

Excellent leadership skills and the ability to develop and execute a programme strategy;

Established and respected reputation in, and knowledge of, African legal systems, the judiciary and the legal profession;

Astute political judgement and the proven ability to develop and carry out innovative legal advocacy;

Strong analytical skills;

Utmost professionalism, personal integrity and transparency;

Proven communication skills with media and donors, advocacy and policy experience, and working knowledge of African and international media and regional and sub-regional organisations;

Ability to communicate complex information clearly in writing and in oral presentations to a range of audiences;

Fluency in English with proven legal writing and editing skills. Working knowledge of additional languages from the region an asset;

Management capacity and the ability to work quickly and efficiently under pressure, in a complex, dynamic and changing work environment, as part of an international multi-cultural team;

Must be familiar and at ease with fundraising and outreach activities;

Demonstrated commitment to human rights and the rule of law;

Advantageous:

Working knowledge of additional languages from the region

Responsibilities:

Monitoring and analysing relevant activity in regional judicial and governmental bodies, and in peer organisations across the region;

Providing strategic analysis on the state of the rule of law for the positioning of the DGRU and AfricanLII’s programmes in Africa;

Developing and implementing strategy for advancing the DGRU's and AfricanLII’s goals with key role-players in the judicial and executive branches across the DGRU’s geographic scope;

Promoting the work of the DGRU and AfricanLII internationally and across the African continent;

Representing the DGRU and AfricanLII at key professional, governmental or development partners’ conferences, meetings and forums, relevant to the DGRU and AfricanLII’s strategic and policy priorities;

Developing policy proposals and advocating them individually and in conjunction with allies;

Communicating with and briefing a variety of Africa-based governmental and non-governmental stakeholders in the DGRU and AfricanLII’s programmes through in-person meetings, written communications, and telephonically;

Briefing AfricanLII’s network of African partners and allies on community development matters through written and electronic media;

Providing background information for the DGRU’s and AfricanLII’s external communications and media releases;

Participating in social media activities for the DGRU;

Working with the DGRU’s management team in support of the DGRU and African LII’s fundraising efforts and contributing to the programmes’ overall planning and reporting.

The annual cost of employment for 2014, including benefits, is between R 578 934 and R 681 115.

To apply, please e-mail the below documents in a single pdf file to Ms Abigail van Sensie atrecruitment01@uct.ac.za:

UCT Application Form (download at http://web.uct.ac.za/depts/sapweb/forms/hr201.doc)

Cover letter, and

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Please ensure the title and reference number are indicated in the subject line.

An application which does not comply with the above requirements will be regarded as incomplete.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and may be required to undergo a competency test.

Telephone:                   021 650 3003

Website:www.dgru.uct.ac.za

Reference number:

Closing date: 21 November 2014

UCT is committed to the pursuit of excellence, diversity and redress. Our Employment Equity Policy is available at

http://www.uct.ac.za/downloads/uct.ac.za/about/policies/eepolicy.pdf

UCT reserves the right not to appoint.

Show more