Work in and for Zimbabwe. Help grow our nation. Check out the vacancies below. If you’d like to receive this sort of information, as well as civic and human rights updates, by email each week drop us a note saying “subscribe” to: info [at] kubatana [dot] net

Finance and Administration Officer: Gender Links Zimbabwe
Deadline: 22 February 2013 (Close of business)

Gender Links, a Southern African NGO based in Johannesburg specialising in gender, media, women’s rights and governance, seeks the services of experienced individual to serve as Administrative Officer for its Country Offices in Zimbabwe. The main task of the incumbent will be to provide accounting and administrative support to the Gender Links Country Office.

Tasks
-Preparation and administration of all program budgets
-Proper control of the supporting documents for payments and financial reports ensuring that all authorisations are done accordingly
-Procurement: Sourcing quotations and ensuring that the procurement policies are adhered to at all times
-Processing payments of all goods and services
-Managing and reconcile petty cash
-Processing of all statutory requirement payments
-Checking program cash expenditure reconciliations
-Cashbook management, including uploading of all documents on sharepoint and performing monthly bank reconciliations
-Banking including liaising with suppliers in relation to payment queries
-General administration, including follow up with suppliers on outstanding issues and attending to queries
-Ensuring that all staff complete timesheets and upload them on HR sharepoint folder
-Filing of all finance and admin documents
-Assisting with managing the incoming and outgoing phone calls
-Performing daily and monthly backups for all the office data
-Assisting with compiling documents for workshops, researches as required by the country office
-Assisting the Country Manager at all times as required

Skills
-Tertiary education with specialised certification in accounting or finance
-At least three years experience in accounting in the NGO sector
-Experience in Pastel accounting software, Microsoft office programmes and advanced knowledge of spreadsheet
-Ability to administer and execute financial processes and transactions
-Good administrative and inter personal skills
-IT proficiency
-Able to handle pressure and is dynamic to change

General conditions
The above post is for an initial period of one year, based in Harare. Competitive remuneration packages will be offered, commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the successful candidates. Applications must be submitted by close of business (COB) Friday 22 February 2013. A letter of motivation, CVs and references should be sent to: hr [at] genderlinks [dot] org [dot] za

Or fax +27 11 622 4732. For further enquiries phone +27 11 622 2877.

Only short listed and successful candidates will be contacted for interviews.

Two “freedom fighters” from our sista project Freedom Fone are currently in Kenya training people in the use of innovative technology, particularly in the area of reproductive health. It sounds like they’re having an interesting, if slow (it takes 2 hours to cover 28kms in Nairobi traffic) time. Check out Tina’s blog here.

Work in and for Zimbabwe. Help grow our nation. Check out the vacancies below. If you’d like to receive this sort of information, as well as civic and human rights updates, by email each week drop us a note saying “subscribe” to: info [at] kubatana [dot] net

Please note that the job vacancies we carry are related to the NGO and civil society sectors only.

Deputy Country Director: Oxfam
Deadline: 17 February 2013

1 Year contract (with possibility of renewal) based in Harare

Oxfam is a confederation of 14 affiliates located across the world and working in 99 countries. There has been a recent change in the confederation’s architecture, with a move towards single management structures (SMS) in each country focussed on enhancing program impact. In Zimbabwe, the Oxfams have began to implement the joint strategy under SMS, that is expected to result in an improved Oxfam brand, sustained impact through our work and increased cost-effectiveness through cost sharing and ultimately reducing duplications in our work.

The role
Deputy Country Director role is applicable under SMS, where Oxfam has greater impact through multiple implementing affiliates. The Deputy Country Director will drive the delivery of the relevant parts of the program strategy within the Managing Affiliate. The Deputy Country Director will work alongside the Country Director, support the delivery of the Country Strategy through the Managing Affiliate’s program and will be accountable for progress on their part of the Strategy and Operational Plan. The Deputy Country Director will also be responsible for building and leading a dynamic team of programme staff; establishing positive working relationships with various stakeholders, have major budget and management responsibility for delivering these program responsibilities under SMS.

This role requires
-Senior management experience in leading the development and delivery of development, humanitarian and advocacy program strategies
-Experience in leading and motivating multi-disciplinary teams, a high degree of self awareness and an understanding of how to drive and support excellent team performance and individual development
-Experience managing complex organisational transformation processes and relationships with internal and external multi-cultural stakeholders
-Strong financial and analytical skills and the ability to think strategically, including to think beyond the country program context and act within a regional and global framework

To find out more about this role and to apply online, visit www.oxfam.org.uk/jobs and quote ref:INT5833.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organization.  Women and under represented groups are encouraged to apply.

This is an urgent recruitment and short-listing will commence soon.
Only short listed candidates will be contacted.

Note: Those who applied before for the Associate Country Director position need not to apply.

Public Health Engineer: Oxfam
Deadline: 17 February 2013

5 months contract
Location: Gweru

Oxfam is a confederation of 14 affiliates located across the world and working in 99 countries. There has been a recent change in the confederation’s architecture, with a move towards single management structures (SMS) in each country focussed on enhancing program impact. In Zimbabwe, the Oxfams have began to implement the joint strategy under SMS, that is expected to result in an improved Oxfam brand, sustained impact through our work and increased cost-effectiveness through cost sharing and ultimately reducing duplications in our work.

We are urgently looking for dynamic team player for our Humanitarian programme in Gweru.

-You will support and lead in designing appropriate and acceptable water supply and sanitation facilities in selected wards and contribute to the calculation and completion of bill of quantities, drawings and specifications related to the engineering activities. As part of the Humanitarian Capacity Building Plan, you will help to develop and implement a detailed plan for building the capacity of partner organisations and local institutions in undertaking water, sanitation and hygiene technical and engineering related activities.
-The ideal candidate will have a suitable qualification in any discipline relating to Civil Engineering, Environmental Health and/or Construction Engineering. The candidates will also have strong knowledge of and significant practical field-based experience in either/both water management or sanitation management, particularly of poor rural and urban communities.

The candidate needs to be physically fit for travel, able and willing to travel regularly, at times at short notice locally. You will have strong organization skills, able to work effectively in a difficult environment and be flexible in demanding situations. You will be proficient in English and have good interpersonal and team working skills. Demonstrate a commitment to the overall aims, values, policies and experience of promoting gender equity and diversity and the interests of marginalized people in all aspects of Oxfam’s work.

How to apply
To find out more about this role and to apply online, visit www.oxfam.org.uk/jobs and quote ref: INT5984.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organization.  Women and under represented groups are encouraged to apply.

Lessons and challenges from the coalition government of Zimbabwe and Kenya brought together civil society representatives from the two nations under the weeklong Utetezi exchange visit in Zimbabwe. Kenya’s civil society members are in Zimbabwe to share experiences particularly in areas of national healing and reconciliation, governments of national unity and the constitution making process. The similarities between the two nations are just too many to ignore as the social, political and economic challenges experienced by both nations depict a similar picture. The two nations were once colonised by Britain and they both inherited badly written constitutions, which failed to address marginalization and injustices perpetrated during the pre and post-colonial era. The failed promises of independence saw further marginalisation of people and alienation of fertile land as the political elite amended and manipulated the constitution for personal gain.

Political power is now being used as a gateway to riches as the majority continue to wallow in poverty.

One can easily describe these coalition governments currently running both nations as initiatives brought about not out of good faith, but out of frustration. Zimbabwe, just like Kenya shares the same history of rejected constitutions. In  2000 Zimbabwe passed a “NO” vote over a constitution, which they regarded as not people driven and the same happened in Kenya in 2005 when President Mwai Kibaki tried to fast track a constitution, which had no input from the people. The same debatable issue around executive powers of the president, land, devolution of power, accountability, the re-structuring of the political system, the rule of law characterise the constitution making history of the two nations.

The exchange visit also focused on the role of civil society in shaping political discourse. The recent crack down of dissenting voices in Zimbabwe, particularly the politicisation of the work of civil society indicates the growing concern over the urgent need for reforms. Zimbabwe’s civil society was urged not to lie dormant but take its rightful place in society.

The journey to national healing and reconciliation resulted in the formation of the Organ on National Healing in Zimbabwe and the adoption of the Human Rights Commission, which recently came under fire for lack of independence and capacity. One speaker said that “change is not an activity but a process”, the current transitional period, which Zimbabwe is currently going through, could be compared to the situation where Kenya was ten to fifteen years ago. A constitution can remain a piece of paper unless it is put to use to solve the social, political and economic problems facing the nation. And if the nation is to progress political leaders need to drop self-aspirations and question the status quo.

Pocket sized printed versions of the Constitution are distributed in Kenya.