Women's Rights Groups and Coalitions Component Director

Post: Women's Rights Groups and Coalitions Component Director

Project: Women in Transition Project, Afghanistan

Company Profile:  Management Systems International (MSI) is a global international development firm based in Washington, D.C. providing specialized short- and long-term technical assistance. MSI is part of Coffey International Development, a global international development consulting firm. Together with Coffey ID, MSI now has more than 1,500 development professionals worldwide, a corporate presence in 11 countries and manages more than 200 projects worldwide. It currently manages more than 20 long-term projects in countries, including Iraq, Sudan, Colombia and Russia. Broadly, MSI implements a range of analytical and field projects in its core technical areas, including democracy and governance, strategic management and performance improvement, organizational capacity building, human development and natural resource management. For more information on MSI, please visit our website at www.msiworldwide.com.

Project/Proposal Summary: 
Women in Transition (WIT) will invest in opportunities that enable education women to enter and advance into decision making positions in Afghanistan’s public, private and civil society sectors. For young women with at least a high school education, WIT will provide access to advanced professional development opportunities through four specific practice areas under the WIT umbrella: 1) Women in the Economy, 2) Women’s Rights Groups and Coalitions, 3) Women in Government, 4) Women’s Leadership Development. This is a five year project based in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Position Summary:
The Women’s Rights Groups and Coalitions (WRGC) Component Director will manage all activities under this $40 million program component, under the overall management of the Chief of Party. The purpose of the WRGC component is to support activist women’s groups and coalitions to influence public policies and social practices for the benefit Afghan women. The program will do so by providing capacity building in the areas of gender analysis, strategic advocacy and communications, outreach and public awareness/education, coalition building, research, organizational development, managerial and financial management, and fundraising. The Component Director also will oversee the implementation of grants to support related outreach, activism and research.

Responsibilities:
• Design and manage the implementation of all component activities, ensuring full collaboration among international and domestic partners;
• Manage the recruitment and supervision of component staff and consultants;
• Establish and manage all aspects of grant mechanisms;
• Nurture coalitions of activist organizations towards sustainable, strategic advocacy on behalf of the rights of Afghan girls and women, focusing on impact in law, policy and practice;
• Ensure robust monitoring of component activities and impact;
• Ensure timely donor reporting on all component activities and results;
• Manage component budget and expenditures;
• Coordinate with donor counterparts, responding to all component related requests as required;
• Participate in senior management processes and decision-making.

Qualifications:
• Demonstrated management experience on programs related to women’s rights and civil society advocacy and coalition-building;
• Substantive expertise in human rights, women’s rights, and diverse strategic advocacy methods;
• Experience designing and implementing training and related materials for civil society;
• Experience in Afghanistan or other conflict-affected and/or Islamic contexts, and understanding of the challenges to women’s rights faced in these contexts;
• Master’s degree in a relevant field, or equivalent experience;
• Experience with USAID or other donors;
• Ability to live in Kabul and travel within the country;
• Outstanding spoken and written communication skills in English; proficient Pashto/Dari preferred.

Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please.

To apply: Please visit our website, www.msiworldwide.com