The Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA) Recent Job Opportunity

The Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (ISLA) is a feminist and Pan-African organisation that aims to contribute to the development of jurisprudence on women’s human rights and sexual rights on the continent. ISLA aims to develop jurisprudence before domestic courts, the African Human Rights Systems and UN treaty bodies on ISLA’s thematic areas of focus areas. ISLA provides legal representation and support to those who seek to hold states accountable for violations of women’s human rights and sexual rights.

ISLA nurtures, facilitates and supports a culture of social justice lawyering by helping to develop a critical pool of strategic litigation lawyers and feminist lawyers in particular. ISLA provides quality and long-term support to individuals and partner institutions who work on strategic litigation focusing on ISLA’s thematic areas.

An exciting employment opportunity is available to Sexual Rights Litigation Network Manager who is a confident self- starter looking to make a contribution to the advancement of human rights, especially in the field of women’s human rights.

 

Job Title: Sexual Rights Litigation Network Manager
Location: Monday, 30 September, 2019

About the position:
Building partnerships for social change is a priority focus area of our organisation. Our networks are a vehicle that enable us to build our model. The Sexual Rights Litigation Network (SXLN) works in various countries to support social movements and individuals who would like to use the law and litigation in particular in order to respond to sexual rights and SOGIE-based violations in particular. The objectives of the Sexual Rights Network are four-fold: developing social movements that use the law and courts in particular as an advocacy tool, developing a pool of movement lawyers who are embedded in the movements and work to support the movements to achieve their goals, and to hold States accountable for SOGIE-based violations.   across the continent; strengthening our network partners’ ability to do strategic litigation and feminist litigation in particular and working with partners to create an enabling environment for doing strategic litigation.

The Sexual Rights Network Manager is responsible for managing the activities and providing leadership in developing and implementing the Sexual Rights Network.

About the work :

The selected candidate will be responsible for the following:

Relationship Development:

• Scout, research and identify appropriate countries partners for the Network.
• Develop relationships with individuals and institutions that recognise the agency of LGBTI persons and are willing to support, respond, affirm, and speak-out on sexual rights and SOGIE-based violations in particular.
• Maintain effective relationships with local co-ordinating partners, network lawyers and social movement partners to strengthen local network chapters and to quickly resolve relationship challenges that arise in partnerships.

Create an Enabling Environment for Conducting Strategic Litigation:

• Conduct a contextual analysis of using the law to respond to SOGIE-based violations with a view to understanding barriers and opportunities.
• Maintain regular contacts with other appropriate organisations in order to ensure that the network can maximise its range of contacts and impact.
• Work with social movement partners to ensure that their human rights programmes institutionalise practices that support strategic litigation.
• Work with social movement partners to develop context-specific and appropriate legal mobilisation strategies to support ongoing and developing cases.

Coordination of the Network:  

• Work with local coordinating partners to plan, monitor and evaluate network activities.
• Communicate with network partners and team members on project status, including progress, risk and any issues that may have an impact on project delivery.
• Provide ongoing assistance to network partners in developing programme plans, policies and procedures.

Capacity Strengthening:

• Work with the capacity strengthening unit to develop and update a curriculum for the Sexual Rights Litigation Network.
• Manage the litigation institutes and partner assessments.
• Deliver litigation institute components related to the Sexual Rights Litigation Network.
• Develop and implement a learning and development tool.
• Keep up to date with national, regional and global developments that impact on strategic litigation and women’s human rights in order to continuously adapt the work methods of the network.

Litigation

• Working with the litigating for social change unit and the sexual rights lead lawyer to  support cases that have been developed under the network are litigated effectively and that appropriate advocacy strategies are developed in order to support the cases.
• Work with social movement partners to develop an effective referral system for responding to SOGIE-based violations and to facilitate the provision of quality legal support.

Fundraising and Grant Management

• Work with the local coordinating partners, network lawyers and social movements partners to mobilise financial resources to support litigation.
• Work closely with the Directors to develop and implement a fundraising strategy for the sustainability of the network.
• Coordinate and oversees network grant-related issues, including tracking and submission of expense reports and other financial reports. Assists with monitoring, verification and reconciliation of budget expenditures.

ACCOUNTABLE TO:

Executive Director

ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS

Education and Experience

• Bachelor degree.
• At least five years’ experience in a network management position.
• An in-depth knowledge of the operation of international networks.
• An in-depth knowledge of strategic litigation.
• Substantive knowledge of women’s human rights and feminist analysis.
• Strong communication skills both orally and in writing, including knowing how to deal with politically sensitive issues.
• Supervisory experience with added advantage from experience in coordinating and managing projects.
• Evidence of being a self-driven, resourceful person able to manage and coordinate team work well.
• Organisational and social skills.
• Fundraising experience, including a demonstrated ability to cultivate relationships with individual donors, is beneficial.

Other information about the position:

Preference will be given to qualifying applicants who:

• Are women.

This role reports to the Executive Director.

Skills and Knowledge Required

• An advanced degree in gender studies, law, social movements or social sciences.
• At least five years’ experience in a network management position.
• An in-depth knowledge of the operation of international networks and transnational organising.
• An in-depth knowledge of strategic litigation.
• Substantive knowledge of women’s human rights and feminist analysis.
• A sophisticated understanding of legal mobilisation.
• Strong communication skills both orally and in writing, including knowing how to deal with politically sensitive issues.
• Supervisory experience with added advantage from experience in coordinating and managing projects.
• Evidence of being a self-driven, resourceful person able to manage and coordinate team work well.
• Organisational and social skills.
• Fundraising experience, including a demonstrated ability to cultivate relationships with individual donors, is beneficial.
• Fluency in English and French

Other Essentials Specific to the Job

• Able and willing to travel occasionally within and out of South Africa.
• Commitment to the overall aims and values of ISLA, feminism and Pan Africanism.
• Expectation of occasional work outside regular weekday hours, as required to do the job.

Salary:

This position offers a competitive salary, up to R620,000 per annum, (total cost to company, and commensurate with experience

 

Important Application details:

To apply for the position, click here to complete the application form. The ISLA’s job application form replaces the need to submit a CV as we prefer to have standardised information provided to us by all candidates. Please complete this form in as much details as is possible. Once you submit, the form is received by ISLA’s recruitment team who will evaluate your application and provide you feedback on your application status and further requirements. Please complete the form before the closing date specified in the advertisement. Late applications will not be considered.

 

Application Deadline: 30th September 2019