Program Specialist, Digital Rights at Oxfam

Background

The Horn, East & Central Africa Region (HECA) is one of the poorest and least developed regions of the world, and one of the largest regions where Oxfam works. All ten countries in the region are currently affected by natural and/or man-made humanitarian crises, and this is having an impact on Oxfam’s role in the Region. In addition to specific strategies for each of the 10 countries, Oxfam also has a regional vision for HECA, reflecting the key strategic priorities for its work in the entire region. These includes transforming multiple crises; tackling inequality; enabling women to claim their social, economic and political rights; supporting the development of civil society, and the improvement of accountable, democratic governance; among others.

The Role

As part of the Oxfam International Regional Platform team, the Program Specialist, Digital Rights, HECA Region you will drive the operationalization of the strategic Technology for Development Agenda in HECA. This includes supporting: (1) digitalization of existing Oxfam programs, (2) the design of new, disruptive digital programs and supporting fundraising for them, and (3) improvements to Oxfam’s internal and external technology contexts so that they are fit for purpose. You will be responsible for supporting Oxfam programs and projects in the region in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for program delivery and innovation. You will be the key point person in HECA supporting data-driven decision-making and building out Oxfam’s portfolio of approaches for using ICT for social accountability, transparency, and change-related initiatives.

This position reports to the Global Program Manager, ICT4D in Boston (Line Manager) and Regional Head of Programs, Oxfam International HECA Regional Platform (Matrix Manager).

The Person

We are looking for a strategic, dynamic and credible individual with significant experience in the following:

• At least five years of work experience in program support, project management, strategy development, and/or ICT4D-related initiatives;
• Background in ICT4D, with practical experience in the selection and deployment of digital technologies (including digital data collection, digital financial services, data analytics, etc.) to support development or humanitarian programmatic objectives;
• Experience developing and/or leading user trainings on digital technologies; experience communicating complex ideas in a simple way to customers of various levels of digital literacy;
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills and confidence to negotiate with staff at all levels;
• Motivated self-starter able to operate with little direction and on multiple, diverse fronts, with careful attention to detail; track record of problem analysis and creative or innovative problem solving;
• Experience of working independently and as part of globally diverse and distributed team ;
• Excellent project management skills, including the ability to prioritize and the drive to achieve results on time and on budget;
• Excellent oral and written communications skills, including editing skills;
• An excellent understanding of and commitment to putting women’s rights at the heart of our programming;
• Excellent verbal and written English to communicate effectively with Oxfam’s distributed ICT4D team;
• Experience working in HECA to support programs and teams in HECA.

Preferred:

• Familiarity with cutting edge technologies (AI, blockchain, IoT, etc.) and emerging trends;
• Experience with program design for humanitarian/development initiatives;
• Experience developing fundraising proposals and budgets for ICT-enabled programs/projects;
• Experience of working independently and as part of globally diverse and distributed team;
• Familiarity with international development issues, agriculture, women’s empowerment; and
• Ability to work in multicultural environment.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in technology, social sciences, international development, or a related field. Equivalent relevant practical experience may be seen as a substitute.