Programme Manager: Strengthening Activists and Defenders (STAND)

Womankind Worldwide is a global women's rights organisation working in partnership with women's rights movements and organisations to transform the lives of women and girls. We strengthen and support women's movements in our focus countries in Africa and Asia, and take collective action at regional and global levels, to ensure women's voices are heard, their rights are realised, and their lives are free from violence. Currently, Womankind has staff based in Kenya and the UK. This position can be based in Kenya or the UK. You must have the right to work in either Kenya or the UK to apply for this role, in line with the laws and regulations of these countries.

Womankind Worldwide is a global women's rights organisation working in partnership with women's rights movements and organisations to transform the lives of women and girls. We strengthen and support women's movements in our focus countries in Africa and Asia, and take collective action at regional and global levels, to ensure women's voices are heard, their rights are realised, and their lives are free from violence. Currently, Womankind has staff based in Kenya and the UK. This position can be based in Kenya or the UK. You must have the right to work in either Kenya or the UK to apply for this role, in line with the laws and regulations of these countries.

ABOUT THE STAND PROJECT

Strengthening Activists and Defenders: A Global Feminist Initiative to Strengthen Women Human Rights Defenders (STAND) is a Norad-funded, three-year project working across six countries (Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nepal, Uganda and Zimbabwe) to protect and strengthen feminist movements of Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) in a climate of shrinking civic space and rising anti-rights backlash. Womankind leads the STAND partnership, working with seven implementing partners including AWN (Afghanistan), EWLA (Ethiopia), YWLI (Kenya), WHR (NEpal), WIPC (Uganda) and WCoZ (Zimbabwe).

Role Purpose:

The STAND Programme Manager leads the day-to-day coordination of the STAND partnership at Womankind, ensuring the project is delivered to a high standard across all six countries, on time, within budget and in line with donor requirements. Working closely with the seven STAND partners and Womankind's Grantmaking and Feminist Partnerships (GFP), Fundraising & Marketing (F&M), Finance, Policy and Advocacy (P&A), and Communications teams, the role holder coordinates, financial monitoring, programme reporting, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) implementation and cross-country learning. Strategic, contractual and high-risk matters are escalated to the Director of Grantmaking and Feminist Partnerships. The role ensures that feminist, safeguarding and risk-aware approaches are embedded throughout the project, working in coordination with relevant Womankind's teams.

Areas of responsibility:

Programme and Partnership Management

• Lead day-to-day management and coordination of the STAND project at Womankind, Coordinate the sub-grant lifecycle with STAND partners,
• Coordinate and deliver the project events, building cross-country solidarity and exchange between partners.
• Lead the internal coordination and project management of STAND, bringing relevant teams together, clarifying responsibilities, and documenting and communicating progress, risks and learning to colleagues and leadership.
• Coordinate cross-regional learning with Regional Managers to strengthen Womankind’s grantmaking and partnership practice.

Donor Compliance, Finance and Risk Management

• Coordinate donor reporting and compliance, working with Fundraising and Marketing, Finance and partners to ensure accurate and timely submissions.
• Oversee programme budgets, expenditure, forecasts and grant amendments, escalating significant financial or compliance issues.
• Maintain effective project management, risk and audit systems, including risks arising from insecure and restrictive operating contexts.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

• Coordinate implementation of the project's MEL framework with the MEL Manager, supporting partners to establish baselines, track results and use evidence to strengthen delivery.
• Coordinate the planning and delivery of STAND shared learning spaces and partner convenings in close collaboration with the MEL Manager and Regional GFP Managers and the Advocacy Manager.
• Ensure that evidence and learning from STAND contribute to Womankind’s wider organisational knowledge and practice.

Partner Institutional Strengthening and Safeguarding

• Coordinate partner-led organisational strengthening, including safeguarding, governance, financial management, risk management and information security.
• Work with relevant teams to ensure safeguarding, data protection, wellbeing and protection considerations are embedded across the programme.

Advocacy, Communications and Representation

• Collaborate with the P&A Manager assigned to the project to support partners and WHRDs to engage in regional and international advocacy spaces.
• Work in conjunction with the P&A Manager assigned to the project to ensure the STAND project and Womankind are represented in relevant external fora, and relationships with peer organisations and networks working on WHRD protection are cultivated
• Work with the Communications team to coordinate STAND’s internal and external communications to disseminate learning and strengthen the visibility of WHRD’s.

Travel and working arrangements:

• International travel to STAND project countries and other relevant locations will be required, where safe and operationally feasible. All travel will be subject to appropriate risk assessment and security arrangements.
• Given the six-country, multi-time-zone scope of the role, occasional early-morning or evening meetings should be expected.

Key relationships and collaboration:

Internally: Grantmaking and Feminist Partnership team, Policy and Advocacy Team, MEL Manager; Finance Team, Fundraising Team & Communications Team. Externally: STAND partners (AWN, EWLA, YWLI, WHR, WIPC, WCoZ); Norad; WHRD networks and coalitions

PERSON SPECIFICATION:

Qualification and training:

• A relevant degree or equivalent professional experience in international development, gender studies, human rights, social sciences, or a related field.
• Training or demonstrated learning in feminist approaches to MEL, programme management and Grantmaking; women's rights, gender equality, or human rights defence (formal or informal).
• Safeguarding training or demonstrated experience applying survivor-centred and trauma-informed approaches.
• Training or practical experience in programme/project cycle management, ideally with statutory or institutional donors.
• Experience managing multi-country, donor-funded programmes or consortia throughout the project cycle, including work planning, partner coordination and reporting against shared outcomes and deadlines.
• Experience managing substantial multi-partner budgets and forecasts, with a strong understanding of statutory donor compliance and reporting requirements. Experience with Norad or a similar donor would be an advantage.
• Demonstrable MEL experience, including tracking results, supporting partners to generate and use evidence, and coordinating cross-country learning and exchange.
• Direct experience working with WRO’s, feminist movements and/or WHRDs.
• Experience managing programme risk and adapting delivery in politically sensitive, insecure or rapidly changing contexts.
• Experience applying safeguarding and ethical data-management principles, including the secure handling of sensitive information and survivor-centred responses to risk.
• Experience working with organizations, movements or activists in at least one STAND project country.
• Knowledge of protection mechanisms for human rights defenders operating in restrictive or shrinking civic space.
• Experience engaging donors or representing programmes in regional or international advocacy spaces.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Strong commitment to feminist values and women’s rights, with an understanding of intersectional and anti-racist approaches.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to analyze evidence, produce clear reports and communicate complex issues simply.
• Strong coordination, facilitation and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work respectfully across cultures and power dynamics.
• Sound judgement and integrity, with the ability to navigate sensitive issues and competing donor, organisational and partner priorities while upholding feminist partnership principles.

All posts are expected to contribute towards developing a supportive working environment, to demonstrate a commitment to inclusion, professionalism and respect, transparency and accountability and to uphold quality standards as outlined in policies and procedures, and in compliance with Womankind Worldwide's Equal Opportunities Policy.

The role also undertakes other responsibilities not outlined above which are commensurate with a role of this nature and which have been discussed an accountability and to uphold quality standards as outlined in policies and procedures, and in compliance with Womankind Worldwide's Equal Opportunities Policy.

The role also undertakes other responsibilities not outlined above which are commensurate with a role of this nature and which have been discussed an accountability and to uphold quality standards as outlined in policies and procedures, and in compliance with Womankind Worldwide's Equal Opportunities Policy.

The role also undertakes other responsibilities not outlined above which are commensurate with a role of this nature and which have been discussed and agreed with the line manager.

Working hours: 3 days per week (0.6 FTE)

Reporting to: Director of Grantmaking and Feminist Partnership

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