- Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
- Sector: Non Profit
- Organization URL: http://www.solidaritycenter.org
- Experience: Advanced
- Date Posted Jan-26-2012
Description
Country Program Director, South Africa
Solidarity Center
The Solidarity Center, founded in 1997 by the AFL-CIO to tackle the enormous challenges workers face in the global economy, now works with union and community group partners in more than 60 countries through a network of 26 field offices. This not-for-profit organization offers education, training, research, legal support, and organizing assistance to help build strong and effective trade unions and other workers’ organizations and more just and equitable societies. Its programs promote democratic rights and respect for workers; raise public awareness about abuses of the world’s most vulnerable workers; and, above all, help the world’s workers secure a voice in their societies and the global economy.The Center seeks a country program director to lead the work of advancing the Center’s mission in South Africa. The country program director reports directly to the Center’s regional program director for Africa, and works in close partnership with AFL-CIO affiliates, and the labor movements in South Africa. The Washington, D.C.-based Center has a staff of 245 and an annual budget of $30 million. The position requires residency in Johannesburg and frequent travel within the region.
Responsibilities
- With the Africa regional staff, develop and implement program priorities for work in the South Africa and sectoral trade union programs in the region, consistent with the strategic vision of the Solidarity Center’s global and regional work; revisit those priorities as needed to reflect changing national regional realities.
- Lead and oversee the department’s local staff and consultants in South Africa, and manage local office operations
- Serve as the representative of the US labor movement in South Africa.
- Represent the interests and issues of the labor movements in South Africa, their labor issues, and their global importance within the Center, the AFL-CIO, and the U.S. labor movement broadly as well as to U.S. government programs in the region, other NGOs, and the academic community. Build bridges to and coalitions and collaborative efforts with allies in South Africa working to advance worker rights.
- Assure the high quality and effectiveness of the Center’s work in the South Africa through monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of program work
Qualifications
- Excellent writing and communications skills in the English language;
- Proven program management abilities;
- Knowledge of international relations and trade union developments in the U.S. and abroad;
- Trade union experience;
- Proven ability to work successfully in complex political environments and collaboratively as part of a dynamic team;
- Experience in contract negotiation, and ability to negotiate with local
- Experience as a trainer and facilitator, including developing materials and conducting workshops using effective education training methods;
- Experience in developing and implementing organizing and collective bargaining workshops;
- Experience in campaign research;
- Experience in collective bargaining training;
- Experience in strategic campaign planning and implementation;
- Familiarity with historic linkages between the US labor movement and the South African anti-apartheid struggle;
- Fundraising experience.
Personal Qualities:
The successful candidate will bring a sense of passion about the region and its politics, a strong social justice orientation, and a clear understanding of gender equity as a critical component of workers’ rights. He or she will have good judgment in U.S. and international political environments and the confidence, tenacity, energy, patience, and drive to work with others in this multilayered international organization to advance the cause of workers around the world.
Contact Details
- Contact: Lisa Humphries
- Telephone: 202-974-834o
- Email: lhumphries@solidaritycenter.org
Application Instructions
If interested, please send cover letter and résumé to:
Lisa Humphries
Human Resources Officer
Solidarity Center
888 16th Street, N.W., Suite 400
Washington, D.C. 20006
E-mail: lhumphries@solidaritycenter.org
Fax: (202) 974-8266
The Solidarity Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and minority candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
Only finalist applicants will be contacted for an interview.
Closing date of application: When filled.
