Senior Programme Officer – Civil Society Engagement (CIDO)

Organization Information

Reports to: Director of CIDO
Directorate/Department/Organ: Citizens and Diaspora Organizations Directorate (CIDO)
Division: Civil Society
Number of Direct Reports: 0
Number of Indirect Reports: 0
Job Grade: P3
Number of Positions: 1
Contract Type: Appointment of Limited Duration

Purpose of Job

The Senior Programme Officer, Civil Society Engagement, will be responsible for coordinating and facilitating the engagement of African civil society organizations in the effective implementation of the African Union Theme of the Year 2025: “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations.” This role aims to harness the expertise and advocacy capacity of civil society to advance the themes’ objectives at continental, regional, and national levels.

Main Functions

• Coordinate Stakeholder Engagement

Facilitate collaboration with civil society organizations, AU Member States, RECs, and global partners to advance the 2025 Theme of the Year.

• Support Programme Development

Contribute to the design and implementation of the African Reparatory Programme of Action, ensuring civil society perspectives are integrated.

• Promote Policy and Advocacy Initiatives

Develop strategies and support advocacy for reparatory justice, including organizing civil society participation in thematic events and conferences.

• Strengthen Civil Society Capacity

Support capacity-building initiatives enabling civil society to effectively engage in national, regional, and continental reparations processes.

• Develop Partnerships and Mobilize Resources

Build strategic alliances and assist in securing resources for civil society-led activities under the Theme of the Year.

• Manage Information and Reporting

Monitor progress of civil society engagement, support institutional mechanisms like AU LER and AUCER, and contribute to formal reporting.

Specific Responsibilities

• Coordination and Reporting: Work in close collaboration with AU Member States, relevant AU Organs and institutions, and RECs to coordinate the implementation of the Theme of the Year 2025. Monitor progress of civil society engagement and contribute to the preparation of progress reports for the 7th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting and the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly.
• Capacity Building: Support initiatives aimed at enhancing the capacity of civil society organizations to effectively contribute to the reparation’s agenda at national and regional levels.
• Conference Support: Assist in the coordination and organization of events such as the proposed International Conference on the Crimes of Colonialism, ensuring meaningful civil society participation.
• Strategic Engagement: Develop and implement strategies for effective engagement with Pan-African civil society organizations and relevant NGOs to coordinate the implementation of the Theme of the Year 2025.
• Partnership Building: Identify and foster partnerships with key civil society organizations, ensuring their active participation in thematic discussions, initiatives, and activities related to reparations and justice.
• Advocacy and Awareness: Facilitate civil society contributions to advocacy efforts for accountability and the provision of remedies, compensation, reparations, restitution, and reparatory justice for historical crimes, including the transatlantic slave trade, colonialism, genocide, and apartheid.
• Resource Mobilization Support: Support in mobilizing necessary funds for the effective implementation of activities specified in the Theme of the Year Roadmap, particularly those involving civil society.
• Program Development: Contribute to the development and implementation of an African Reparatory Programme of Action, incorporating civil society perspectives and initiatives.
• Institutional development: develop the relevant concept notes, strategic direction, and composition of the newly established mechanisms related to the Theme of the Year, mainly the African Union Reference Group of Legal Experts on Reparations (AU LER) and the African Union Committee of Experts on Reparations (AUCER), as well as coordinate the logistical and substantive preparations of its meetings, with a focus on civil society engagement.

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

• A University Master’s degree in International Relations, Human Rights, Political Science, Law, Social Sciences, or any other relevant qualification with Seven (7) years ‘relevant experience in programme management, civil society engagement, human rights advocacy, or related fields, with a strong focus on African affairs out of which three (3) years at expert level.

OR

• Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, Human Rights, Political Science, Law, Social Sciences, or any other relevant qualification with Ten (10) years of relevant work experience out of which three (3) years at expert level.
• Familiarity in working with civil society organizations across Africa, including Pan-African civil society organizations and NGOs.
• Experience in coordinating multi-stakeholder initiatives and reporting on project progress

Required Skills

• Technical Skills: Strong understanding of issues related to reparations, human rights, and historical injustices in Africa and for people of African descent.
• Interpersonal Skills: Excellent communication, negotiation, and diplomatic skills. Ability to build and maintain effective partnerships.
• Analytical Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with attention to detail.
• Organizational Skills: Proven organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Communication Skills: Excellent written and oral communication skills in English. Knowledge of other AU official languages (Arabic, French, Portuguese) is an added advantage.
• IT Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and relevant project management software.
• Research Skills: Crafting effective policy articulating the problematic, analyzing policy options, and recommending concise, actionable solutions, as well as developing concept papers outlining foundational ideas, objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes.

Leadership Competencies

• Fosters Accountability Culture
• Communicating with impact
• Driving Change
• Strategic Insight
• Developing Others

Core Competencies

• Building Relationship
• .Learning Orientation
• Communicating with Influence

Functional Competencies

• Conceptual Thinking
• Job Knowledge Sharing
• Drive for Results
• Continuous Improvement Orientation

.TENURE OF APPOINTMENT:

The appointment will be made under an Appointment of Limited Duration contract for a period of six months and will not be automatically renewable.

GENDER MAINSTREAMING:

The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

LANGUAGES:

• Proficiency in one of the AU working languages (Arabic, English, French, Kiswahili, Portuguese, and Spanish) is mandatory and fluency in another AU language is an added advantage

REMUNERATION:

The salary attached to the position is an annual lump-sum of US$ 48,460.67 (P3 Step 5) inclusive of all allowances for internationally recruited staff, and US$ 39,230.54 inclusive of all allowances for locally recruited staff of the African Union Commission.

APPLICATION INFORMATION

Applications must be submitted no later than August 22, 2025 11h59 p.m. EAT.

-Only candidates who meet all job requirements and are selected for interviews will be contacted.

-Consideration will be given only to those candidates who have submitted a fully completed online application with a curriculum vitae (CV), an African passport, and the required academic qualifications, such as Diplomas (Bac+2), Bachelor’s degrees (Bac+3), Master’s degrees (Bac+5) and any relevant certificate in line with the area of expertise.

-The African Union is an equal opportunity employer, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

-Candidates from least represented countries within the African Union are strongly encouraged to apply for positions that fit their profiles.

These countries include: Algeria, Angola, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Sahrawi D.R., Sao Tome and Principe., Seychelles, and Somalia.