Responsible to: Regional Director Senegal and West AfricaKey Relationships: Civic Space, Access to Information/Transparency, Research/Advocacy teams at the Dakar office; Digital, Law and Policy, Communications and Campaigns, Business Development teams at the International Office.Contract: Fixed term (12 months). This is a local contract under local law in Senegal, opened to Senegaleses and any person with right to stay and work in Senegal.Working Hours: 37,5 hours a week (7,5 hours per day). Article 19 Senegal works from Monday to Friday. This work requires flexibility and may require the position holder to work out of normal times or weekends and to organise the time accordingly.Salary: As per local legal salary grid, with attractive benefits. Gross salary will varyfrom 1000000 XoF to 1500000 XoF depending on experienceLocation: Dakar, Senegal
About usEstablished in 1987, Article 19 works for a world where all people everywhere can freely express themselves and actively engage in public life without fear or discrimination. Our mission is to promote and defend the universal human rights of freedom of expression and information around the world. Our Vision is for all people everywhere to be able to freely express themselves and actively engage in public life without fear of discrimination. Together with our partners, we develop cutting-edge research and legal and policy analysis to drive change worldwide, lead work on the frontlines of expression through our nine regional hubs across the globe, and propel change by sparking innovation in the global freedom of expression movement. We do this by working on five key themes: promoting media independence, increasing access to information, protecting journalists, expanding civic space, and placing human rights at the heart of developing digital spaces.Article 19 has been expanding and strengthening our international reach by consolidating our presence outside the UK, recruiting national or regional staff, and establishing strong and operationally autonomous national or regional offices. Being based in the countries and regions in which we work, we believe we have a better understanding of regional and national realities and local needs and thus have greater impact on freedom of expression developments. We are able to respond more swiftly to opportunities or crises. We are closer to our partners, and thus more capable to respond to their demands and strengthen interactions and capacities. We have regional offices in West Africa-Senegal, Middle East and North Africa, Mexico and Central America, US, Brazil and South America, Eastern Africa, Bangladesh and South Asia, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. The West Africa (WAF) office was opened in 2010 in Senegal where the organisation is locally registered.
About the roleAs the Senior Programme Officer on Digital and Freedom of Expression, you will lead Article 19’s establishment and growth of programmatic work on Digital and Freedom of Expression rights in the West African region, under the supervision of the Regional Director, and in alignment with the Global Team Digital at the International Office, and other teams at the Dakar Office.You will be responsible for context analysis, scoping of Digital and technology issues, internet governance and Artificial Intelligence (AI) development trends and their interference to FoE, human rights and information ecosystem, as well as actors mapping across Senegal and the West Africa region.Based on scoping evidence, you will be responsible of developing a Digital and FoE rights strategy for the region; and lead in bringing resources to the organisation through fundraising. You will be responsible for the day-to-day management and implementation of those projects and additional initiatives of Article 19 work in the sector. You will drive efforts to build the external reputation of Article 19 West Africa as leader and to go to organisation in the sector of Digital and FoE.Using advocacy delivery, networking, research-legal analysis evidences and public debates, you will position Article 19 West Africa at the centre of interest of stakeholders and citizens as strategic partner and credible source of knowledge for policy analysis and formulation, capacity building, practices and innovation promotion to influence government, private sectors and other partners to support the Digital and FoE work and to put Human Rights and Freedom of Expression at the heart of the policy and decision-making, programme frameworks, and other development of Digital, technology, Internet governance and AI deployment in the region.
Key responsibilitiesStrategy Development
Conduct rapid scoping of Digital and technology issues, internet governance and AI development trends and their interference to FoE, human rights and information ecosystem,Conduct the mapping of sectoral public, private, Civil Society Organisations and actors, possible partners and of funding opportunities;Based on existing work and scoping evidences, advise on areas to consolidate and propose new areas for extension for Article 19’s growth and impact on digital issues, freedom of expression and internet governance in Senegal and across the region.Lead on developing a Digital and FoE rights strategy based on the scoping findings and recommendationsFundraising
Direct fundraising to develop sectors of direct responsibility by identifying opportunities, engaging with possible donors, and draw to Article 19 both solicited and unsolicited funding opportunities;Lead on the design of proposals and concept notes addressing Digital, technology and FoE relevant rights;Support other Programme/Projects officers (CSP, TRA/ATI) as well as other Teams at the International or Regional Offices in fundraising effort to develop an integrated approach to dig rights in their sectoral strategy projects proposals, activities implementation and reportingWhen relevant, support the development of substantive projects in the light of the Article 19 global and regional strategies, covering multiple offices under the coordination of Teams at the International Office or relevant Regional Offices.Assist continuously the Regional Director for regular engagements with donors to mobilize resources to fund the global strategy implementationEngage with BD team on opportunities, CN and proposalsProject Management and Implementation
Lead on Digital programmatic projects implementation, quality delivery and reporting managing the project cycle as per agreed and common standards of high quality and donor regulations.For each project mobilized under the digital portfolio, keep updated the workplans (Gantt charts), performance indicators, results (logic) frameworks, Monitoring and evaluation plan, communication plan, reporting planBased on this project management tools, ensure quality and timely delivery of planned activitiesMobilize partners and participants under projects’ strategy and activityPrepare the activity implementing reports and evidence data storageEnsure visibility and documentation of implemented projects/activitiesAdvocacy, public engagement and policy influencing
Public engagement with multiple stakeholders at national, regional (and international) levels to position Article 19 West Africa as a key interlocutor for relevant debates to make human rights at the centre of Digital and Technology development across the regionSupport Article 19 engagement in the technical standards bodies to ensure human rights considerations become part of their processes;Support the management of activities in technical standards bodies by developing engagement strategies, as assigned;Engage directly in the processes of technical standards bodies, as assignedImplement activities in technical standards bodies, as assignedMaintain regular contact with external actors and partners and internal Article 19 stakeholders including Communications and Campaigns team, Projects team to support collaborative approach to Article 19’s global digital work into the different standards bodiesWork collaboratively with Law and Policy programme and Global Team Digital to policy analysis and formulation and approach to deliver relevant proposals to policy makers to influence their decisions governing internet, digital spaces and technologies, when requestedLead on campaigns aiming to promote and advocate for digital rightsPartnerships and relations with communities
Lead on identifying strategic thematic national and regional CSO, networks and coalitions and develop sustained partnerships/ alliances that are critical in the implementation of the relevant targets of the internal Digital strategyIdentifying and helping to nurture sectoral ‘champions’ to support our advocacy agenda.Represent Article 19 West Africa at strategic forums, networks of strategic CSOs and towards other internet governance and digital rights actors’ platformsBuild funding consortium to participate in large funding bidsContinuous assessment of partners’ needs and recommendations and reflect them in new proposals design and projects reviewBuild relations bridges with communities and programme beneficiaries in establishing accountability mechanisms, capacity building and knowledge management.Support the capacity building for/with key partners on Dig rights engagement through training, sharing best practices and supporting learning and knowledge management.Programme support
Active contribution to the regional programme strategy and to sectoral reflections: CSP, Media, TRA, supporting to integrate Digital rights in their strategy, plans, reportingActive participation in monthly programming meetings, quarterly review and reporting sessionsRegular engagement with L&P department, Digital Team, Communication and Campaign as well as ATI and Media in the IO for sectoral and crosscutting coordinationLead/Support on research activities with a focus or component on digital rights and technology, or using digital means for data collection and analysisTeam DevelopmentThere is no staff under supervision of the position holder. We anticipate supervision of staff, interns and possibly consultants as the digital programme grows and as the position holder plans and resources mobilization.Accountability, Learning, communications and thought leadership
Support the grant administration requirements for the digital grants. This includes working on conjunction with the Finance, Operations, Projects Team and M&E providing guidance on donor’s expectations where relevant, logistical and administrative support for quick and compliant implementation of the Regional Office as requiredProduce timely and compliant internal reporting as per the annual and quarterly reports, donors’ reports and for specific implemented activities ensuring compliance to grant requirements and other donor’s expectationsContribute to maintenance and development of knowledge building and institutional memory of the Regional OfficeContribute to the monitoring and evaluating the impact of Article 19 Regional Office intervention on Digital issues using performance indicators and other outcome measuresContribute to research or write blogposts and Articles for the Article 19 website and communication channelsSupport the production of reports, statements and other organisational outputs covering internet governance issues for Article 19 publications and website, in collaboration with the communicationsUndertake other duties commensurate with the role as may reasonably be assigned by the Regional DirectorPerson specificationEssential
Education and KnowledgeEducated to Master standard in science, Law, Human rights, international relations, technology, engineering, mathematics.Have a profound passion for and knowledge of the internet and its workings on both a technical and policy level and their implications on human rights in general and freedom of expression in specific.Knowledge of historical context and recent political, economic and social developments in internet governance, human rights trends, particularly freedom of expression and informationExperienceDemonstrable experience of work in the field of human rights and specifically freedom of expression and information.Drafting of written materials including concept notes, project proposal, donor reports, research reports, writing and/or editing materials for publication.Progressive experience with project development and management.Experience in establishing and maintaining relations with most of the following: CSO, donors, academicians, internet/telecommunications actors and in successfully fundraising.Experience in advocacy at national and international levels.Experience in contributing to strategy and policy development.Experience in working collaborative in team (staff, interns, colleagues from other offices).Skills and abilitiesKnowledge of international human rights law and awareness of mechanisms for the protection of human rights at international, regional and national level.Demonstrable experience with some programming language, CMS management and general computer literacy.Diversity and cultural competency across gender, geopolitical origin, race or dis/ability.Other requirementsMust have the right to stay and right to work in Senegal or secure it prior to beginning the workAbility to work in a multi-cultural work environment and commitment to equal opportunities and non-discrimination.Willingness and availability for travels and for participation at public debates.Desirable
Demonstrable experience with some programming language, CMS management and general computer literacy.Diversity and cultural competency across gender, geopolitical origin, race or dis/ability.Closing date: Monday, 26th February 2024.