Democracy, Human And Civic Rights Programme Officer at Oxfam

JOB PURPOSE

• The Democracy, Human and Civic Rights Programme Officer will be a core member of Oxfam Kenya’s Accountable Governance Pillar and will lead day-to-day delivery, coordination and quality assurance of the democracy, human-rights and civic-space portfolio. The role will translate the programme’s human-rights-based and feminist ambition into practical initiatives that protect and expand civic space; strengthen democratic and civic participation; safeguard freedom of expression, association, assembly, information and digital rights; and increase accountability of public institutions for the rule of law and human rights.
• Working with CSOs, CBOs, women’s rights organisations, youth-led movements, human rights defenders, journalists and media bodies, oversight institutions, independent commissions, justice-sector actors, Parliament, county governments and assemblies, the postholder will build organisational and collective capacity to anticipate, monitor and respond to civic-space threats. The officer will support physical and digital security, fact-checking and ethical reporting, peer and cross-generational learning, joint advocacy, policy dialogue, rapid evidence products and appropriate strategic litigation, while consistently applying do no harm, safeguarding, conflict sensitivity and responsible data practices.
• The postholder will manage grants and budgets, accompany partners and coalitions, support inclusive governance and local leadership, oversee monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning, and deliver timely donor and management reporting. The role will connect democracy and human-rights work with domestic resource mobilisation, gender justice, climate justice and economic democracy; lead evidence-based campaigning and policy influencing from county to global levels; and contribute to fundraising so that the portfolio is adequately resourced and adaptive to Kenya’s changing political, electoral and digital context.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Programme Management, Implementation and Resourcing – 30%

• Lead timely, effective and high-quality implementation of the assigned objective and projects in line with approved theories of change, results frameworks, work plans, budgets, partnership agreements, donor requirements and Oxfam policies.
• Translate the assigned programme and project description into detailed implementation, influencing, monitoring and learning plans with clear milestones, responsibilities, quality standards and partner deliverables.
• Monitor progress, outcome indicators, expenditure, commitments, risks, assumptions and safeguarding issues; initiate timely corrective action and adaptive management in a rapidly changing context.
• Prepare accurate, analytical and timely narrative, financial, management and donor reports, supported by evidence and demonstrating contribution to Oxfam Kenya’s strategy and outcomes.
• Exercise delegated budget oversight, including forecasting, expenditure tracking, value-for-money analysis and compliance with procurement, grant-management, anti-fraud and financial-control requirements.
• Coordinate with MEAL, Finance, Funding, Safeguarding, Communications, Campaigns and programme colleagues to ensure integrated delivery, data quality, accountability and systematic learning.
• Lead thematic risk scanning and maintain relevant programme and partner risk registers, including mitigation, escalation and business-continuity actions.
• Contribute to proposal development, donor engagement and resource mobilisation for co-financing and scale-up, and promote synergies across Oxfam portfolios.
• Coordinate civic-space monitoring, democratic participation, human-rights protection, digital/physical security, fact-checking, policy dialogue and strategic legal interventions, ensuring safe and inclusive participation.
• Maintain context and risk analysis on elections, protest and assembly, online/offline restrictions, surveillance, disinformation, reprisals and legal or administrative constraints affecting civic action.
• Ensure approaches apply Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA), Leaving No One Behind (LNOB), feminist, conflict-sensitive and accessible protection arrangements for women, youth, persons with disabilities and other marginalised actors.
• Undertake other related duties as assigned by the line management.

Partnership Management, Coalition Building and Support – 40%

• Broker, nurture and manage equitable relationships with implementing and strategic partners, coalitions, networks, movements, county and national institutions and other stakeholders, applying Oxfam’s local leadership and partnership principles.
• Support partners to deliver agreed results through joint planning, accompaniment, monitoring visits, technical support, work-plan and budget review, learning, risk management and timely reporting.
• Ensure partner compliance with agreements and Oxfam/donor requirements on finance, quality, safeguarding, Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), anti-fraud, visibility, data protection and reporting, while promoting mutual accountability.
• Support partner capacity assessments and jointly owned strengthening plans covering governance, financial management, safeguarding, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEAL), influencing, communications and organisational resilience; monitor progress through reflective reviews.
• Facilitate inclusive partner forums, peer learning, exchange visits, joint monitoring and community feedback mechanisms; ensure transparent information sharing and constructive challenge.
• Promote meaningful leadership and agenda-setting by women’s rights organisations, youth-led groups, organisations of persons with disabilities, indigenous and marginalised groups—not participation as implementers only.
• Maintain regular communication and credible relationships across Oxfam, partners, rights-holders and duty-bearers; address partnership tensions, power imbalances and performance constraints promptly.
• Support coalition governance, shared strategies, collective action plans and coordinated local-to-global influencing while respecting comparative advantage and avoiding duplication.
• Accompany CSOs, CBOs, WROs/WLOs, youth-led and social movements, HRD networks, media bodies, digital-rights actors and civic-space coalitions to implement joint actions safeguarding civic space and democratic principles.
• Build constructive relationships with Parliament and county assemblies, Judiciary, ODPP, police and other enforcement agencies, Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, Commission on Administrative Justice and other oversight institutions while preserving civil-society independence.
• Strengthen referral, accompaniment and protection pathways for civic actors and HRDs facing intimidation or reprisals with specialist legal, psychosocial, security and safeguarding providers.
• Enable alliances to connect community evidence to national, regional and international platforms and coordinate timely collective responses during high-risk political and electoral periods.

Research, Knowledge Generation, Campaigns and Policy Influencing – 25%

• Lead analysis and dissemination of timely reports, briefs, alerts, case studies and learning products on civic-space trends, democratic participation, human-rights violations and emerging legal, policy and digital issues.
• Commission and quality-assure research and power analysis, ensuring ethical evidence collection, secure information management, intersectional gender/disability analysis and participation of affected groups.
• Translate evidence into influencing objectives, stakeholder strategies, policy asks and action plans for governments, legislatures, oversight and justice institutions, media and regional/international actors.
• Support coordinated offline/digital campaigns, joint media–civil society initiatives, public education and multistakeholder dialogues on civic space, democratic principles, rule of law and human rights.
• Build capacity of civic actors, influencers and media practitioners in policy analysis, fact-checking, digital verification, ethical reporting, strategic communication and countering harmful misinformation while protecting privacy and safety.
• Develop briefs on laws and practices affecting civic freedoms and support carefully selected strategic litigation and follow-up on judgments or commitments.
• Coordinate with Communications and MEAL to capture outcome evidence, cases of influence, partner learning and human-interest stories safely and ethically.
• Represent Oxfam, where delegated, in coalitions, policy forums, public events and media engagements in line with approved positions and risk protocols.

Human Resource Management – 5%

• Manage consultants, researchers, facilitators and other short-term personnel, including terms of reference, competitive selection, contracting, induction, technical supervision, safeguarding and quality assurance, in accordance with Oxfam policies.
• Where project personnel, interns or volunteers are assigned, set clear objectives, provide coaching and feedback, support wellbeing and performance, and model feminist, inclusive and accountable leadership.

TECHNICAL SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

Education and professional qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in law, Human Rights, Political Science, Governance, Public Policy, International Relations, Development Studies, Social Sciences or a closely related field.
• A postgraduate qualification in Human Rights Law, Constitutional Law, Governance, Democracy, Peace and Conflict Studies, Public Policy or a related discipline is an advantage.
• Relevant training in civic-space monitoring, HRD protection, digital/physical security, strategic litigation, mediation, safeguarding, research ethics or project management is desirable.

Technical and transferable skills

• Ability to design and manage democracy, human-rights and civic-space programmes using theory of change, results-based management, adaptive management and participatory MEAL.
• Advanced policy and legal analysis, including interpretation of legislation, regulations, court decisions, institutional mandates and political developments into accessible policy asks.
• Strong security risk management for civic actors, including safe convening, protection planning, digital safety, data responsibility, consent, confidentiality and do no harm.
• Demonstrated advocacy, coalition strategy, campaign, public mobilisation, media engagement, strategic communication and influencing skills.
• Strong research, evidence synthesis and knowledge management, including commissioning and quality-assuring reports and briefs.
• Ability to facilitate sensitive multistakeholder dialogue, mediate competing interests and maintain principled engagement with state and non-state actors.
• Strong analytical, conceptual and political-economy thinking; ability to convert complex context analysis into practical, risk-informed strategy.
• Excellent written and oral communication, facilitation, negotiation and representation skills for communities, policymakers, media, donors and specialists.
• Strong project, budget, grant and partner-management skills, with meticulous planning, prioritisation, documentation and follow-through.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively across multidisciplinary and geographically dispersed teams and with actors holding different identities and levels of power.
• Ability to gather, validate and apply learning, promote innovation and communicate evidence to influence decisions.
• High self-awareness, initiative, resilience, discretion, integrity, personal energy and flexibility, including willingness to travel regularly.

Knowledge

• Deep knowledge of Kenya’s Constitution and Bill of Rights, governance/justice architecture, devolution, electoral and political context, and national, regional and international human-rights frameworks.
• Strong knowledge of freedoms of expression, information, association, assembly, privacy and digital rights and threats including restrictive laws, surveillance, internet disruption, misinformation, intimidation and reprisals.
• Knowledge of HRD protection, strategic litigation, access to justice, public participation, media freedom, digital civic engagement, gender justice and intersectional exclusion.
• Knowledge of Kenyan civil society, movements, WROs/WLOs, youth groups, media networks, independent commissions, oversight and justice institutions.
• Knowledge of donor programme quality, safeguarding, partnership, grant and risk management; familiarity with Danida programmes is an advantage.
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Kiswahili.

Experience

• At least five years’ progressively responsible experience designing, managing and delivering democracy, governance, human-rights, civic-space, access-to-justice, media-freedom or related programmes in a national/international NGO, civil-society, human-rights institution or comparable setting.
• Proven partner and coalition management and capacity strengthening with HRDs, social movements, women’s rights and youth-led actors and marginalised communities.
• Demonstrated research, policy/legal analysis, advocacy and campaigning with measurable policy, practice, accountability or participation outcomes.
• Experience engaging government, legislatures, independent commissions, justice institutions, media, donors and regional/international actors in politically sensitive contexts.
• Experience managing grants, budgets, consultants and donor reporting and using MEAL, risk analysis and learning for adaptation.
• Demonstrable political astuteness and ability to build trusted relationships without compromising independence or safety.

Desirable

• Experience in strategic litigation, election-period programming, digital rights, fact-checking, civic-tech or HRD protection mechanisms.
• Existing relationships with Kenyan civic-space coalitions, media bodies, oversight institutions or human-rights networks.
• Experience connecting local evidence to African regional or international human-rights mechanisms.

Essential

• Self-Awareness: Ability to develop a high degree of self-awareness around own strengths and weaknesses and impact on others.
• Agility, complexity and ambiguity: Ability to scan the environment, anticipate changes, are comfortable with lack of clarity and deal with a large number of elements interacting in diverse and unpredictable ways

Mutual accountability: Ability to explain our decisions and how we have taken them based on our organizational values.