ABA ROLI Lusophone Program Coordinator

The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) is a non-profit organization that implements legal reform programs. ABA ROLI has worked for over 25 years in more than 100 countries to promote the rule of law, advance human rights, strengthen judicial institutions, support legal professionals and advance understanding of the law and rights of citizens by the public. To this end, ABA ROLI has established partnerships with a wide range of actors, including institutions in the justice sector (judges, prosecutors, public defense offices, mediation offices and national human rights institutions, investigators and police), civil society organizations, bar associations, legal aid organizations and lawyers, among others. ABA ROLI’s work in Africa spans a variety of programing around the rule of law, access to justice, atrocity prevention as well as human rights protection and promotion. ABA ROLI’s Africa Division has country offices across the continent, including in Angola, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Liberia, and Uganda.

Program Overview:
ABA ROLI is hiring a full-time Program Coordinator (PC) to support a program on Promoting Responsible Oversight and Enforcement to Combat Timber Trafficking, which is aimed at reducing the ability of criminal groups to carry out and profit from illegal logging and trafficking of timber from the Miombo woodlands. Its principal objectives are to: (1) Improve national and regional capabilities to prosecute and adjudicate cases against timber crimes and related offenses to result in appropriate sentencing outcomes, and (2) Strengthen anti-corruption efforts within relevant agencies to enhance government response, improve government accountability, and strengthen transparency as it relates to timber crime.

ABA ROLI plans to work in partnership with several multi-sector local and state partners to contribute sustainably to project objectives and facilitate inclusion of stakeholders from underrepresented areas in the target countries. The Program Coordinator will support civil society partners to promote advocacy, policy formation, and capacity building activities across sectors to achieve the program’s targeted outcomes.

Job Summary:
The Program Coordinator (PC), who will be located in Angola or Mozambique, will be responsible for coordinating day-to-day operations, program activities, managing local subgrantee partners in Angola and Mozambique, and overseeing collection and quality assurance of program data. They will report directly to the Angola Country Representative.

Principal Duties/Job Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the day-to-day management of the Promoting Responsible Oversight and Enforcement to Combat Timber Trafficking project in Angola and Mozambique and ensure all programmatic requirements are met/exceeded according to ABA ROLI and grantor requirements.
• Accountable for all timely, accurate, and compliant in-country programmatic monitoring and reporting. This includes supporting the data collection as part of monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) efforts and financial reporting in collaboration with MEL and finance personnel.
• Oversees and is accountable for the development and deployment of substantive programming and activities, including, but not limited to, project work plans, managing/assisting volunteer legal specialists and consultants, and convening, organizing and participating in training opportunities within the target countries.
• Establishes and enhances effective collaboration and relationships with local entities and other development partners (e.g., NGOs, governmental agencies, local bar association, etc.) to fulfill program objectives within cost constraints and garner additional funding from partners.
• Maintains proactive communications with the Angola Country Representative, DC Program Manager and other ROLI leadership to ensure timely and accurate updates on program activities, achievements, and shortcomings. In areas where program shortcomings are identified, creates and implements corrective action plans to improve performance against standards.
• Assists in identifying best practices derived from lessons learned.
• Collaborates with local authorities to ensure that all program activities and operations are compliant with all local laws/regulations and, if required, have received all regulatory licensing/registrations prior to offering the activities.
• Ensures compliance with all donors, ABA, federal, state, and local laws/regulations while managing the program. Ensures personal and program compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
• Performs other related duties as required.

Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in law, international law, political science, international relations, environmental science, or related field. Master’s degree is an added advantage.
• Minimum 3-5 years of experience in project management and managing programmatic, operational and financial duties for USG-funded projects or other donor funded projects with similar complexity.
• Proven experience establishing and maintaining systems for managing project operations, including overseeing the preparation and submission of project deliverables, stakeholder and risk management processes, cost and schedule controls, and sustainability planning and implementation.
• Strong understanding of the current environmental context in Angola and Mozambique, specifically illegal logging practices within the Miombo Woodlands region, including policy and legislation surrounding these practices and knowledge of the civil society sector.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing implementation of Monitoring & Evaluation systems from project initiation to closeout stages.
• Experience working with and managing subgrantee organizations.
• Proven success in building and maintaining working relationships with all project stakeholders; engaging in coalition building; and empowering stakeholders to take ownership of key project outcomes for post-project sustainability of progress.
• Strong facilitation, communication, collaboration, and leadership skills.
• Experience working in Angola, Mozambique and/or elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, and strong understanding of political and operating context in Angola and Mozambique.
• Fluency in English. Fluency in Portuguese (written and spoken) is an added advantage.

NB : Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Expression of Interest:
Please submit the following:

• Curriculum Vitae Cover Letter
• Three professional references with contact information
• Monthly salary expectation (can be revisited if candidate advances to further hiring stages)

Only candidates whose applications are shortlisted will be contacted for an interview.