Advocacy Program Officer 

Selam is a Pan-African organisation with offices in Addis Ababa, Nairobi, and Stockholm.  The organisation was created in 1997 and has since evolved into an international player,  partnering with artists, cultural producers, the private sector, the media, institutions,  researchers, and national and regional governments across the African continent as well in  other regions in the world.  

Selam participates in global and African culture networks, as well as annual networking  meetings and Pan-African conferences in Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, and  Asia. Selam has implemented several regional and national projects on the African continent.  Currently Selam implements, together with partners, two Pan-African projects, PANAF and  Connect for Culture Africa (CfCA) and one national project in Ethiopia. 

The CfCA initiative, implemented by Selam in partnership with the African Union (AU),  aims to promote and develop the culture and creative sector within the AU member states.  One key objective of the initiative is to lobby for increased public funding in the culture  sector from government sources.  

To support the CfCA project in achieving its objectives, Selam is seeking to hire an Advocacy  Program Officer based in Nairobi, Kenya or Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 

The successful candidate will be responsible for planning and coordinating regional  campaigns, ensuring effective day-to-day communication with the regional CfCA network,  and fostering engagement with network members through the implementing partners. The  role will focus on event planning and management, networking, and advocacy strategies to  promote the objectives of the CfCA project.  

  • SCOPE OF WORK 

The successful candidate will be part of the CfCA team and work closely with the program  directors and coordinators both at Selam’s head-quarter (HQ) in Stockholm and regional  offices in Nairobi, Kenya and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  

The successful candidate will be responsible for: 

  • Develop, implement, and monitor the regional advocacy campaigns in alignment with  the program’s objectives.
  • Plan and oversee key events (such as conferences, festivals, summits etc) part of the  CfCA advocacy campaign.
  • Facilitate day-to-day communication with the regional network and network members. • Strengthen and expand the network by identifying and engaging with new stakeholders  by fostering relationships with artists, producers, researchers, media actors, and civil  society organisations in the culture sector.
  • Develop training programs to build the advocacy skills and capacities of network  members and the Selam team.
  • Provide guidance on evidence-based advocacy, gender-aware principles, and inclusive  working methods.
  • Develop plans for the execution of events, ensuring that they contribute to the  program’s advocacy goals and objectives.
  • Monitor the progress of the regional campaign and advocacy initiatives by collecting  and analysing data related to advocacy efforts and provide regular reports. • Assess the impact of events and communication strategies on the program’s objectives.

The expert will be expected to have a flexible approach and be ready to accept working tasks  outside of the original work description to support the rest of the project team when needed.  

  • TIME FRAME 

The position is a full time one-year assignment with the possibility of extension. The  successful candidate is expected to commence in April 2024. 

  • QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERTISE  

The eligible candidate must:

  • Have formal education at university level or higher that is related to the field of  comm