Call for Applications: Program Officer/Senior Program Officer Natural Justice, East Africa Hub

January 17, 2022

Natural Justice is an African non-profit organization specializing in environmental justice. Natural Justice uses the law to support communities participate in decisions that affect their land, culture and environment. Natural Justice works in a number of African countries, with offices in Kenya, South Africa and Senegal.

Natural Justice has been working with communities, NGOs, and government agencies in Kenya since 2009. Natural Justice strives to enhance people’s collective rights and protect the sacred relationships that indigenous peoples and local communities have with nature. Our work is informed by the values, knowledge, and self-determination of the communities with whom we stand in solidarity. Through legal empowerment, research, policy influencing and litigation, and as part of coalitions and campaigns, we support communities to know the law, use the law and shape the law. Natural Justice has three main pillars: Affirming and Securing Rights to Lands, Resources and Knowledge; Defending Rights against Environmental and Social Impacts; and Standing with Communities. Together with our partners, we conduct comprehensive environmental and human rights law research. We use community legal empowerment approaches, including community paralegals, to support communities protect their access to lands, resources and traditional knowledge, provide legal support and training to project partners, undertake litigation and make submissions on law and policy. To learn more about the work of Natural Justice please refer to www.naturaljustice.org

What are we looking for?
Natural Justice is growing and seeks to hire a dynamic and focused Program Officer or Senior Program Officer (depending on experience) to join its East Africa Hub. The hub works across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia, and Ethiopia. The successful candidate will coordinate, implement, and further develop our work across all three workstreams regarding land rights, climate justice, resource rights, and human rights, touching on indigenous people and local communities.

The successful candidate will be based with the Natural Justice team in Nairobi.

How to Apply:
Applications should be submitted via email to admin.nbo@naturaljustice.org with ‘NBO: Program Officer/Snr. Program Officer’ in the subject line.

Applications must include:

A motivation letter that indicates a) why you are interested in this position and what inspires you about environmental justice, and b) aspects of your background that demonstrate the required competence for this role;
A detailed CV with three contactable references; and
Two samples of your past written work (either excerpts or full copies of, for example, articles or legal briefs), not longer than ten pages each.

Please ensure that your application as a whole speaks to the required qualifications, experience, personal profile and key roles and responsibilities. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Closing Date for Applications: Monday 24th January 2022.

Key Roles and Responsibilities
• Support the development and implementation of the hub program strategy, projects, and annual plans
• Assist in providing technical and legal advice to partners, affected communities and other relevant stakeholders
• Support litigation where relevant, including identifying litigation opportunities, providing strategic advice, conducting research for litigation efforts and, if an advocate with a current practising certificate, representing clients in court
• Support policy-relevant analysis and research and contribute to the development and drafting of publications and submissions
• Develop and deliver community training on land and environmental laws and legal empowerment methodologies
• Engage directly with communities at the grassroots to support legal empowerment, research, litigation, and policy-related outputs
• Support in managing paralegal teams, paralegal cases, case plans, deliverables, and timelines
• Assist the research team in conducting research tasks, including audits with CELO teams
• Write research reports, concept documents, academic papers, organizational reports, and other documents for publication under the guidance of the Program Manager
• Support in the implementation of project M&E framework
• Utilize and regularly update program management tools, communications tools, and timekeeping tools
• Attend and represent Natural Justice in conferences and events that are relevant to the respective program components

Selection Criteria
Qualifications and experience required:
• At least two years of demonstrated work experience in environmental law, including natural resource and or land law, and administrative law
• A bachelor’s degree in law, environmental studies, social science or equivalent
• A post-graduate degree in law, political science or other relevant social science discipline is desirable
• Understanding of and proficiency in Kenya’s legal system and institutional arrangements and applied knowledge and experience in the civil society sector in the country. Experience in other East African countries is desirable
• Demonstrated experience working with marginalized groups, especially in conducting fieldwork and communicating complex legal issues
• Good experience conducting primary and or desktop research and relating research or project experiences to policy advocacy
• Basic experience writing applications and reporting to donors
• Demonstrated experience advocating for environmental justice
• Strategic thinker who works well in a collective
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Flexibility and adaptability, and ability to work in different environments and with people from diverse backgrounds
• A proactive approach to work and good self-motivation
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills
• Fluency in English and Kiswahili.
• Citizen or permanent resident of Kenya or any other country within the EAC
• Ability to undertake frequent local and occasional international travel