PROGRAM OFFICER

Speak Up Africa is an African-led, Senegalese-based organization dedicated to building an Africa where growth and sustainable development are driven by Africa’s own citizens.

We convene, enable and advocate. Focusing on strategic communications and advocacy, we are dedicated to supporting African leaders and citizens to take an active role in identifying and developing solutions to tackle the challenges facing our continent — including malaria, NTDs, immunization, sanitation, gender equality and global health research and development. From our strategic base in Dakar, Senegal, our team of dedicated, nimble, industrious, and bilingual experts, partners with African leaders and change-makers to put in place the right policies and secure sufficient resources to achieve our sustainable development goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

The Program Officer will lead the design and implementation of the African Voices of Science (AVOS)portfolio. The primary objective of the African Voices of Science initiative is to create an enabling environment that drives continental policy and financing goals for research and development (R&D) in Africa. By amplifying the voices of African scientists and health experts, the initiative aims to increase visibility, credibility, and influence of African-led research, ultimately leading to greater investment in and uptake of local innovations. AVOS aims to facilitate dialogue between researchers, policymakers, and funders advocating for increased domestic resource mobilization and international support for African Research &Development.

Program implementation (70%)

• Lead Speak Up Africa’s AVOS program, including the design of the program’s strategy and the management of Speak Up Africa’s partners and service providers.
• Develop and implement a yearly work plan aligned with the program objectives and expected results.
• Document and share lessons learned, success stories, and best practices to inform future initiatives and contribute to the broader discourse on African health R&D.
• Establish the AVOS network and coordinate the selection of African scientist champions in Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, and South Africa
• Organize in-person and virtual meetings and events to promote the initiative, its progress, and overall outcomes.
• Foster peer-to-peer learning in network through conference calls, newsletters, facilitation of conferences.
• Act as a representative and advocate for AVOS initiative in various forums, conferences, and meetings to support the positioning of African scientists at the country, regional, and global level and showcase the initiative’s impact.
• Coordinate periodic calls with partners and donor.
• Financial Management: manage annual program budgets; monitor expenditure and ensure compliance with donor requirements
• Process and track partner or contractual agreements
• Manage the program’s digital presence and social media strategy
• Oversee the development of multimedia content featuring African Voices of Science
• Coordinate AVOS-related media engagement and press relations

Monitoring and Evaluation (20%)

• Develop a robust monitoring & evaluation framework to track progress, measure impact, and identify areas for improvement.
• Monitor and evaluate portfolio’s implementation to meet targets and milestones.
• Maintain accurate and comprehensive documentation of program activities, milestones, and outcomes.

Reporting (10%)

• Produce quarterly reports highlighting current progress, achievements, potential bottlenecks to be shared with Speak Up Africa and donor.
• Lead the development of external-facing annual reports.
• Produce a yearly publication on Speak Up Africa’s impact with clear findings and recommendations.

• A master’s degree in social sciences, public health, international development, or similar fields is required.
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience in a similar role.
• Strong communication skills and experience working in multidisciplinary and multilingual teams.
• Willingness and ability to travel (up to 30%).
• Strong organizational, synthesis and reporting skills.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain partnerships with diverse stakeholders.
• Perfect command of English and French mandatory.
• The drive and initiative necessary to take ideas forward to fruition in a coalition setting.
• Excellent project management and administrative skills and a high level of organization.
• Ability to work as a collegiate member of a small team, and with minimal supervision.