Capacity Strengthening/Linking and Learning Officer. at Cytonn Investments

About Free to be Me

Free to me is an ambitious, daring and innovative program that will help build and maintain a vibrant LGBTIQ+ movement that is confident and capable to lobby and advocate for their human and economic rights. The program is led by an alliance of three consortium members – Hivos (the lead party), ILGA World and Positive Vibes – and three technical partners – Sogi campaigns, The Global Interfaith Network (GIN) and Workplace Pride. Together the alliance will coach, accompany, fund and train LGBTIQ+ persons and organizations to influence norms and attitudes, generate (public) support, and promote laws, policies and regulations that recognize, respect and protect LGBTIQ+ people’s human and economic rights.

The program will be implemented in 14 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

The program started on 1 April 2021. The program is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the Power of Voices program, which is part of the Strengthening Civil Society subsidy framework. The five-year program has a budget of EUR 37 million.

Job context

Mutual capacity strengthening is a core element of the Free to be Me program, aiming for it to contribute to stronger, coordinated, LGBTIQ+ -led lobby and advocacy. Free to be Me considers capacity strengthening as a reciprocal process, in which each of the participants both has things to offer and to learn. Capacity strengthening will take place both through workshops and trainings, and through exchange of experiences between organizations and persons, accompaniment and coaching. We are looking for a person to design, implement and guide capacity strengthening efforts. Organizing and realizing on- and offline linking & learning events is part of the job.

The Capacity Strengthening/Linking and Learning officer will support and carry out activities in all program countries across Africa, the MENA region and Southeast Asia. They will be part of the global team, and will report to the global program manager, who is based in Hivos’ regional office in Nairobi.

Your responsibilities

Leadership and management of capacity strengthening efforts

• Strategizes, inspires and collaborates with local organizations, consortium members and colleagues in the design, implementation and evaluation of capacity strengthening efforts, with an emphasis on mutual learning.
• Makes connections between relevant persons and organizations, to enhance capacity strengthening and learning.
• Supports national-level Communities of Action in organizing locally relevant, innovative, inspiring events that facilitate linking and learning within LGBTIQ+ communities, as well as with ‘outside‘ actors, such as artists, technologists, etc.
• Takes a leading role in organizing regional and / or international level linking and learning events, building on local experiences, and in close collaboration with local organizations.

Increased capacities and knowledge of all involved in the partnership

• Ensures insights, results, and lessons from capacity strengthening efforts are fed back to and considered in the Communities of Action, within the alliance and in the overarching management team, and vice versa.
• Ensures and strengthens the meaningful and inclusive intersectional participation as a core value of the program.
• Contributes to overarching plans, monitoring and reports.
• Motivates, trains, supports and guides staff in capacity strengthening efforts. Enables effective teamwork towards agreed objectives.
• Maintains and updates learning across the program and the partnership, stimulates internal and external knowledge exchange and integrates learning into practice.

Your profile

• At least 5 years of knowledge/experience in designing and implementing capacity strengthening and linking & learning.
• Believes in / embodies what Free to be Me stands for, acknowledges LGBTIQ+ leadership and local ownership, and is inspired by and willing to be accountable to its values and principles.
• Relevant international work experience, with a focus on Africa, the MENA region, and Southeast Asia.
• Professional expertise and up-to-date knowledge on on- and offline capacity strengthening strategies and methodologies, that go beyond workshops, and include, but are not limited to mutual exchange and peer-to-peer learning, coaching, learning events.
• Experience in working with LGBTIQ+ people, including from groups marginalized within that community, and having a demonstrable strong commitment to work towards gender equality and inclusion, and the fulfillment of human rights.
• Affinity with and knowledgeable on LGBTIQ+ rights, social inclusion, marginalization, economic development and/or lobby and advocacy strategies.
• Innovative and strategic thinker, able to link capacity strengthening and learning to wider program outcomes.
• Collaborative personality and participatory way of working, able to build trust and inspire people to share ideas and experiences, and work together.
• Sense of humor, takes initiative, brings good energies and positive vibes, dynamic.
• Imaginative, able to make unorthodox connections to solve challenging problems.
• Academic level of working and thinking, acquired through either a relevant degree, for example in educational sciences, psychology, social sciences or through equivalent work experience.
• Full professional proficiency in English, fluency in written and spoken Arabic, French, Bahasa or Portuguese are desirable.
• Lived experience as an LGBTIQ+ person is an asset.
• Able and willing to travel internationally on a regular basis.