Position Available

Hub Director: Nairobi, Kenya

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. Together with our partners, we conduct comprehensive research on environmental and human rights law, 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 seeks a Director of the Nairobi Hub who is committed to the organisation’s mission of pursuing social and environmental justice. The Hub Director will serve as the principal strategist and thought leader of the Kenya hub, working closely with the Kenya Board and the NJ executive to realise the programmatic and operational strategy of the Hub. As a member of the Africa-wide Management Team, the Hub Director will work collaboratively with the team to advance the objectives of the organisation.

The Hub Director is a key leadership position, responsible for the overall strategy and management (programmatic, financial and administrative) of the Hub. The Hub Director reports to the Natural Justice Executive Director (ED) and Chief Financial and Operations Officer (CFOO). In collaboration with the Management Team, the Hub Director will provide input and direction to the organizations vision and mission, strategic plans, budgets and policies.

How to Apply:

Applications should be submitted via email to admin.nbo@naturaljustice.org with ‘Application for Kenya Hub Director’ 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 (for example, articles or research reports).

Please ensure that your application as a whole speaks to the required qualifications, experience, personal profile and key roles and responsibilities. Please do not apply if you do not meet the required experience.

Closing Date for Applications: Open until the position is filled.

Key Roles and Responsibilities – Hub Director Kenya

  • Overview
  • Provide leadership and oversight for all strategic and managerial (programmatic, financial and administrative) aspects of the Nairobi Hub
  • Strategic planning and project implementation
  • Ensure the alignment of organizations program strategies with the Nairobi Hub strategy
  • Developing Hub program plans and providing oversight on their implementation in collaboration with the Director of Programs and Executive Director
  • Analyse, understand, update and inform the Hubs strategy according to Kenya and East Africa’s changing context
  • Facilitate transfer of information, successful approaches, experiences, lessons and updates from projects across the region in collaboration with the Director of Programs and research team
  • Foster collaborations with other Natural Justice Hubs and provide strategic leadership towards the growth of the organization in East Africa
  • Technical Advice, Legal Empowerment and Litigation
  • Embodying the shared values of collaboration and teamwork, lead the Hub team to ensure sound and quality technical and legal advice is offered to partners, affected communities and other relevant stakeholders for all the programs
  • Provide support and oversight to the program managers in implementing legal empowerment and litigation objectives in the Hub
  • Policy and Legal Reform
  • As a strong advocate of indigenous peoples and local community rights and environmental justice, the Hub Director will provide leadership in identifying and engaging with key legal and policy issues and key collaborators to promote the participation of communities in the decisions that affect them
  • Research
  • Guide the development, implementation and continual refinement of the Hub’s Monitoring and Evaluation framework, tools, and methods, employing a collaborative approach to ensure that these address program needs, strengths and constraints, in collaboration with the Head of Research and Director of Programs
  • Provide leadership on research assignments and ensure they are aligned with program strategy and are implemented and learnings shared
  • Partnerships, Networks, Communications and Campaigns
  • Represent Natural Justice in diverse communities and in a variety of settings in Kenya and regionally, nurturing relationships with humility and respect for all people and cultures
  • Lead the Hub’s development of environmental justice networks in East Africa to build and advance programmatic vision
  • Raising and maintaining a positive profile of the organization
  • Oversee the development and execution of the Hub communications and campaigns strategy to share learnings and to promote and inspire ideas and action towards environmental justice.
  • Finance, Administration and Fundraising
  • Develop, seek approval, manage and control the Hub budget in collaboration with the CFOO and ED
  • Develop and implement the Hub’s fundraising strategy which brings stability and long-term sustainability to the hub and enable it to achieve programmatic success
  • Engage existing and potential donors to bring in additional resources to advance the work of the Hub, and the mission of the organisation as a whole
  • Develop and build funding relationships with donors, regularly update donors on work progress and involve them in ongoing work
  • Ensure grant compliance for all Hub projects in line with donor requirements, ensure timely submission of reporting to key donors
  • Oversight and Leadership
  • Develop the organisation by strengthening capacity, building and mentoring high performance teams, identifying and promoting talent and managing performance; foster a positive culture based on inclusivity, collaboration and teamwork; constantly seeking feedback and continual improvement with input from CFOO, ED and Management Team.
  • Provide input to NJ’s policy documents and ensure human resource policy and procedures are in place and in line with best practice and Kenyan legislation
  • Encourage and foster a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation

Selection Criteria
Qualifications and experience required:

  • At least 8 years of demonstrated work expertise in environmental law, including natural resource and/or land law, and administrative law
  • A bachelor of laws, environmental, social science or equivalent degree
  • A post graduate degree in law, political science or other relevant social science discipline is desirable
  • Strong experience in working with indigenous peoples and local communities and communicating complex legal issues in an accessible way
  • Strong experience in fundraising and maintaining donor relationships
  • Very good understanding of and experience in the socio-political and civil society project work in Kenya and/or East Africa
  • Demonstrated leadership experience, including in programs, human resources, budgeting and fundraising.
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills
  • 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 international travel

Closing Date

5 March 2021

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