Program Officer (Advocacy) Job Vacancy - Medical Students Association of Kenya (MSAKE)

Medical Students Association of Kenya (MSAKE)

Position Title: Program Officer – Advocacy

Division: Programs

Location: Nairobi

Responsible to: Medical Students Association of Kenya (MSAKE)

Date: January 2022

Rank: 2

DBS: No

The Medical Students Association of Kenya (MSAKE) is a non-profit organization representing medical students in Kenya and is a national member organization of the International Federation of Medical Students Associations.

MSAKE is implementing a sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) advocacy project to ensure meaningful youth participation in addressing the uptick of triple threats among young people; new HIV infections, teenage pregnancies, and sexual-based gender violence, and ensure that medical schools produce emphatic physicians who advocate and ensure the delivery of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services is patient-centered and without biases and judgement.

The Position

The Program Officer-Advocacy will lead the development, planning, implementation, coordination, and documentation of key strategic interventions under this project that purposes to build a youth movement in a timely manner.

S/he will work closely with the Executive Director and SRHR technical working group to build the
capacities of the MSAKE Secretariat and medical students, providing them with technical assistance on SRH and rights (SRHR) and ensuring that common strategies and approaches are applied consistently across the medical campuses.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

  • Lead in the planning, implementation, and coordination of all project-related interventions including advocacy, and youth movement building.
  • Develop effective strategies in relation to youth, gender, and SRHR issues.
  • Organize medical students into a movement that raises awareness and advocates for SRHR.
  • Build linkages with other youth movements to help build a diverse and resilient YSRHR movement in medical schools and universities.
  • Spearheads research and documentation around YSRHR issues in medical schools and universities for publishing and dissemination to inform practice.
  • Oversee daily operations and coordinate activities of the project in close liaison with Executive Director and development partner.
  • Monitor project expenditures ensuring that budget allocations are adhered to;
  • Prepare and submit progress, financial reports, and weekly updates to Executive Director for onward submission to strategic partners.
  • Work closely with the M&E team to ensure that systems are in place to track, analyze and report all project-related results. S/he will work closely with other SRHR partners supported under this project and other strategic partners.
  • Act as a communication liaison between MSAKE and other strategic partners.
  • Identity key local, regional, and international SRH forums/conferences to profile and raise the visibility of MSAKE.
  • Identify, coordinate and document publicity strategies for MSAKE events and activities
  • In collaboration with the MSAKE SCORA team, assist in the development of SRH-related abstracts, publications, promotional SRH literature, and documentation of the advocacy project achievements for dissemination.
  • Build and maintain ongoing relationships and partnerships with the relevant national and county government agencies, partner NGOs, and the media.
  • To undertake any other reasonable duties as may be requested from time to time.

Qualifications & Experience

  • Master’s degree in Public Health, Social Sciences, Philosophy, Humanities Gender, Law, or any other relevant discipline.
  • A minimum of five years’ experience in managing comprehensive youth-focused SRHR advocacy programs from conceptualization, design, implementation, documentation, and reporting.
  • Deep knowledge of the social-cultural, legal and political contextual landscape -particularly in the East Africa region- and its impact on SRHR.
  • In-depth understanding of SRHR issues for vulnerable/marginalized groups including but not limited to women, adolescents, and young people.

Proven Ability

  • Evidence of thought leadership is strongly desired.
  • Sound administrative and organizational skills.
  • Solid technical knowledge of/expertise in human rights and SRHR- particularly among young people.
  • Good research and analytical skills.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including report writing.
  • Ability to organize and work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.
  • A high level of self-awareness, sound judgment, self-care, passion, and flexibility.
  • Good time management skills, ability to multi-task, and meet tight deadlines under limited supervision.

Personal Competence

  • Ability to travel locally – about 20 days a year.
  • Awareness of and sensitivity to multicultural and diverse environments.
  • Integrity and ability to maintain confidentiality at all times.
  • Strong commitment to advancing YSRHR.
  • Strong commitment to meaningful youth engagement and reproductive justice.

Please send your application cover letter, and curriculum vitae that include three references, salary history, and expectations to info.MSAKE@gmail.com no later than January 28th 2023, with the email subject: Application for Program Officer – Advocacy.

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.