JOB PURPOSE:

The Just Economies Programme Officer will be a core member of Oxfam Kenya’s Accountable Governance Pillar and will support the delivery of work to which involves work to promote, protect and advocate for civic space alongside other relevant Just Economies, fiscal justice and accountable-governance initiatives. The role will be to implement specific projects through effective programme management approaches that seeks to contribute to shifting power and policy through citizen-led, evidence-based advocacy for progressive taxation, tax justice and equitable public finance at national, county, regional and global levels. The postholder will support the programme’s work to address the structural drivers of inequality, including unequal taxation, weak taxation of wealth and high-net-worth individuals, harmful tax incentives, corporate tax avoidance, illicit financial flows and limited accountability in public finance decision-making.

Working closely with programme partners, relevant coalitions, communities, state institutions and other stakeholders, the Programme Officer will be responsible for developing organizational capacity building so as to deliver high-quality tax justice programmes, to establish and maintain linkages with other thematic and programmatic areas.  The Just Economies Programme Officer will be required to implement campaigning and influencing strategies, undertake research and monitoring, evaluation and learning as well as ensuring that the programme takes into account gender and active citizenship.  The Programme Officer will also contribute to resource mobilization for co-financing of the projects to ensure that the programme is fully resourced.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Programme Management, Implementation and Resourcing – 30%                                                                                                       

• Lead the timely, effective and high-quality implementation of assigned projects and other Just Economies initiatives in line with approved work-plans, budgets, partnership agreements, donor requirements and Oxfam Kenya Policies to ensure that plans and objectives contribute to the broader country programme strategy and particularly on the Governance and Accountability theme, as well as collaboration with other programmes.

• Effective monitoring of programme progress, expenditure, risks, assumptions and results, and prepare timely, accurate and high-qulaity narrative, financial and management reports for Oxfam, partners, donors and other relevant stakeholders. ,.
• Continuously monitoring implementation of the project activities including budget tracking and prepare monthly and periodic reports for sharing with Oxfam management, development partners and stakeholders.
• Budget management oversight.
• Ensure continuous coordination with the MEAL Advisor in implementing the monitoring and evaluation components of projects (for Oxfam and partners) and documenting the lessons learnt for their application, quality assurance and for adjustments to the project where necessary.
• Support in initiating new programme strategies that help achieve impact on the programme activities in close collaboration with Oxfam staff and other stakeholders. 
• Work with other Oxfam project/programme staff and partners in developing new programme interventions and fundraising for project or programme financing.
•  Perform any other tasks related to the project which maybe advised by the management from time to time.

Partnership management, coalition building and support – 40%

• Brokering, networking and managing partner relations with project partners, strategic partners, coalitions, networks and County Governments and Assemblies in the project areas.
• Support the partners in delivering the project targets and objectives including MEAL support, monitoring of partner project activities, review of work plans and budgets, facilitating linkages, learning as well as reporting.
• Maintain regular communication and positive relationships with other Oxfam staff, project partners, beneficiaries and stakeholders.
• Ensure and coordinate regular monitoring, quality, review and timely submission of partner narrative and financial reports.
• Ensure compliance of Oxfam and donor requirements on project delivery and reporting by partners.

Research, knowledge generation, campaigns and policy influencing – 25%

• Implementation of specified components of the project under the Fiscal Justice Programme that include influencing tax, debt and fiscal justice, public finance management including budget policies, legislation and decisions for the benefit of target beneficiaries.
• Through technical guidance, to support relevant research, policy analysis, and lobbying on tax policy and practice issues taking into consideration gender, inequality, extractives and active citizenship.
• To support partners on their influencing and campaigning strategies and activities.
• To support the design and implementation of public offline and digital campaigns relevant to the programme.
• To coordinate with the Communications and MEAL advisors on the documentation of the programme and partner information, learning and case stories for programme visibility and fundraising.

Human Resource Management - 5%

Manage consultants and researchers as required, in accordance with Oxfam policy and procedures.

Person specification

• Most importantly, every individual at Oxfam needs to be able to live our values of INCLUSION, ACCOUNTABILITY, EMPOWERMENT, COURAGE, SOLIDARITY and EQUALITY (read more about these here).
• Ensure you commit to our ORGANIZATIONAL ATTRIBUTES (including adhering to the Code of Conduct).
• Be committed to our feminist principles, and to applying them in your day-to-day behaviour and your work. Be ready to keep learning, with accountability to those who experience oppression as a result of their identities, such as their gender, race/ethnicity, disability, class, or LGBTQIA identity."
• Be committed to undertaking Oxfam’s safeguarding training and adhering to relevant policies, to ensure all people who come into Oxfam are as safe as possible.

Technical skills, experience and knowledge

Skills

• Professional/technical qualifications – a Bachelor Degree in Law, Economics, Development Studies, Social Sciences or governance related field.
• Demonstrated ability to multi-task between direct programme implementation and partner management with positive outcomes.
• Proof of ability to work independently to deliver project outcomes and results as well as any other tasks that maybe delegated from time to time.
• Proven ability to analyse complex contexts, monitor change and translate this analysis into problem solving strategies that can be communicated in developing appropriate plans which have impact.
• Proven analytical and conceptual thinking, high level research, project management knowledge and skills and experience in using participatory tools and methodologies for assessment, programme identification, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills including strong negotiation skills with diverse teams.
• Great partnership building skills including facilitation and networking skills.
• Fund raising, donor reporting and budget management skills.
• Ability to gather and apply lessons learnt and to communicate this learning effectively to influence others in action – both internal and external audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and sensitively with different value systems and cultures.
• A high level of self-awareness, initiative, sound judgement, personal energy and flexibility.

Knowledge

• Knowledge and/or experience in implementing Fiscal Justice, Public Finance Management, Economic programmes and initiatives, with an understanding of relevant County, National and Global issues
• Good knowledge of and experience in developing advocacy and campaign strategies and plans and successfully achieving external impact and change.

• Strong programme management and quality knowledge, with the ability to ensure consistent quality against standards and to implement effective monitoring and evaluation systems to assess and adjust performance.
• A strong understanding of gender, women’s rights, development issues and the political and economic context of Kenya.
• Commitment to and good knowledge of working with networks, coalitions, and a partnership approach across the spectrum of Oxfam’s work, including innovative approaches to capacity strengthening.
• Fluency in English with knowledge of Swahili an added advantage.

Experience

• At least 5 years’ experience in designing, managing and delivering on development projects management in a non-governmental (national or international) or similar institutional setting.
• Proven experience in working in complex, dispersed organizations with evidence of facilitating and integrating a specific area of expertise across a wide network, contributing to vision setting and implementation with impact, some level of decision-making and the delivery of agreed results.
• Politically astute, with high impact influencing and persuasive skills and personal gravitas to gain respect and build and maintain strong, credible relationships, with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong organizational and personal management skills, with ability to prioritize work issues to meet deadlines with minimal supervision and adjust to constantly changing situations while maintaining focus on delivery and follow-through.
• Demonstrated experience in managing partners including effective oversight and capacity building as well as mobilizing and organizing marginalized communities and groups to influence positive change in their lives.
• Demonstrated experience in managing and working with researchers and consultants including developing strong terms of reference and effective supervision.

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.

How to apply:

As part of your online application, please upload your up to date CV and Cover Letter explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile.  

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.  In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

About us

Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

Oxfam GB is a member of international confederation of 21 organisations working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries. 

A thriving diverse Oxfam: 

It’s people power that brings about change. To play our part as a global organisation working to overcome poverty and inequality, we need equality, diversity and inclusion across our community of staff, partners and volunteers. Together, we’re committed to becoming a more diverse workforce, better able to tackle the global challenges that face our world today.

To do that:

• We need to dismantle the unequal power structures that exist everywhere, this including Oxfam and the wider development and charity sectors.
• We need an inclusive Oxfam where everyone can bring who they are to our work and feels celebrated for the differences they bring.
• We want and need everyone, and that means we need you.