Join Oxfam as the Head of Programs and Influencing: Apply Now
Application Deadline: 23 December 2025
Join Oxfam as the Head of Programs and Influencing: Apply Now
Organisation
Oxfam Kenya is an independent prospective Affiliate of Oxfam International. The birth of Oxfam Kenya is a response to Oxfam International’s decision to evolve and build the confederation as a globally balanced and diversified affiliate network. As an autonomous member of the confederation, Oxfam Kenya’s affiliation is expected to promote social change in Kenya, bring Kenya’s voice to the wider confederation, and amplify the East African and Pan African voices.
Oxfam is a worldwide development organization that mobilizes people’s power against poverty. It is a confederation of 22 organizations (‘affiliates’) working together with partners and local communities in over 79 countries.
Job Purpose
A member of Oxfam Kenya’s Senior Leadership team, working across functional teams to contribute to Oxfam Kenya’s overall effectiveness, the Head of Program and Influencing is responsible for the development and implementation of the organisation’s Strategic Planning – including monitoring and evaluation. Provide programmatic strategic leadership, programme integration, representation, and operational management to Oxfam Kenya’s programme in line with Oxfam Kenya Strategy. The Head of Programs and Influencing will build strategic relationships with a variety of donors, including mobilising private sector resources.
In addition, the Head of Programs and Influencing will lead and support influencing, advocacy and campaigns in Oxfam Kenya and ensure this collectively led work generates knowledge, evidence, and learning. The role will also oversee the Programme Team and work closely with others in the wider Oxfam Confederation. As one of the designated members of the Senior Leadership Team, the Head of Programs and Influencing may act for the Executive Director in a day-to-day capacity when the Executive Director is temporarily away from the office (noting that alternative formal acting arrangements are put in place for longer-term absences such as overseas travel and leave). Represent the organisation at appropriate Oxfam International and external forums, including assisting the Executive Director.
Responsibilities
Programmes and Policy Influencing
- Support Oxfam Country Strategy and program development.
- Facilitate influencing strategy development for specific thematic programs or campaigns in Oxfam Kenya.
- Lead influencing skills training both remotely and in-person so as to coach and mentor colleagues in country/ teams leading on influencing work.
- Facilitate the exchange of knowledge, experience and learning on influencing between partners, Oxfam colleagues and external stakeholders.
- Contribute to/lead the development of influencing tools, guides, and other materials.
- Contribute to relevant fundraising proposals and bids from a national influencing perspective.
- Embed Oxfam’s values and commitment to feminist principles and decolonization into the advisory role and practice.
- Represent Oxfam externally on specialist areas to further influence policy and practice, support learning and build partnerships.
- Strengthen Oxfam’s reputation and positioning with donors, academia, and other civil society organizations.
- Strategic Management & Transformative Leadership.
- Deputize for the Executive Director to provide strategic leadership and management of Oxfam’s Country Programme including strategizing for development, advocacy, and humanitarian programming to maximize influence and impact.
- In collaboration with Business Development Lead and relevant program staff, leads and ensures funding proposals are of the highest quality and closely aligned with donor requirements.
Be a driving force in ensuring the development and implementation of the Local
- Humanitarian Leadership strategy with a particular focus on working with partners.
- Be an active participant in the country leadership team and in regional and global planning and analysis; understand relevant regional and global objectives.
- Provide technical advice, guidance, and support to a wide range of program design and implementation in line with program quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practices.
- Provide technical advice to program teams, remotely and on-site, for strategic planning and how to best apply program design and implementation standards, best practices, partnership principles, tools, and M&E, ensuring high-quality implementation.
- Lead and/or contribute to the development of the technical design for large/complex proposals, including defining appropriate monitoring systems.
Program Management and Delivery
- Manages and takes lead on development and timely delivery of programs in-country.
- Ensures quality control and assurance within the program and in conjunction with Oxfam quality standards and processes.
- Works with the Business Development Lead to manage relations with donors and ensures that Oxfam meets all contractual obligations and achieves high quality proposal and donor reporting.
- Ensures that donor narrative reports are submitted in a timely manner and are of high quality.
- Supports the implementation of an effective advocacy strategy and supports other relevant policy issues.
- Oversee and support to manage Oxfam’s Program Accountability and Learning Information System (OPAL) to ensure an updated program data for easy access.
- Oversee, review, and support the development and management of Program Implementation Plans (PIPs) and Projects in OPAL.
- Supports partners, including government authorities, in developing and delivering projects within agreed parameters where appropriate.
- Seeks opportunities for Oxfam and others to learn from Kenya’s experience.
- Ensures that Oxfam’s programs are cost effective, efficient and complies with all organizational standards of management and accountability.
- Ensures that programs are implemented in a consultative, participative and gender sensitive way.
- Reports regularly to the Executive Director with agreed indicators against the overall objectives and ensures that key information is circulated appropriately.
- Supports in the development of mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation of programs.
- Contributes to knowledge management and learning through collecting and analyzing program data, evaluating strategic projects, assisting with measuring program impact, capturing and sharing lessons learnt and best practices, research and internal reports.
Research, Policy Analysis and Advocacy
- Work with the program team and partners to conduct relevant political, economical, gender and social research and analysis to inform Oxfam’s program/campaigns in Kenya.
- Plan and coordinate policy research and analysis to support advocacy on focus issues, including reviewing, recommending, and signing off Terms of References, conducting and/or commissioning research, managing consultancies, and disseminating findings.
- Lead in producing policy and advocacy messages, in consultation with the Program and Policy Managers and Program Effectiveness Manager, and generating analysis and information from colleagues, program beneficiaries and other players.
- Generate policy papers, lobby briefs to inform in-country, regional and global advocacy actions.
- Identify policy research and analysis capacity gaps of staff and advocacy partners and allies, and drawing on OI or allies’ support – build their skills in political and policy analysis, campaigns, lobbying and media (as needed) through mentoring; facilitating peer learning; sourcing or producing materials and tools; organizing workshops; or other training.
- Build networks and support policy research and analysis for advocacy issues in Kenya and beyond.
- Ensure that global campaigns identified in the Oxfam Global strategy to which Oxfam Kenya is committed to are well conceptualized and excellently executed considering the national and regional contexts.
- Support in the review of policy papers and develop policy positions to propose policy alternatives.
Campaigns, Advocacy, and Influencing Capacity Development of CSO partners
- Support in partners’ campaigns, advocacy and influencing capacity assessment and improvement.
- Make recommendations related to campaigns, advocacy and influencing systems, structures and staffing related to the partners.
- Develop and implement a detailed plan for building the campaigns, advocacy and influencing capacity of partner organizations, including in finance, IT, and logistics. This will include needs assessment, capacity building approach and delivery plan including tools and methodologies, performance standards, and evaluation approach.
- Assist partner organizations in the development of campaigns, advocacy and influencing strategies as necessary.
- Work with program leads to manage relations with partners and ensure partners achieve high quality campaigns, advocacy and influencing plans, budgets, and reports.
Experience, knowledge and competencies
Qualifications
- A passion for social and economic justice/equity.
- A strong professional qualification and background in international development.
- A strong background in non-profit management and a track record in strategic planning and leadership, program development and delivery, project management, program grant management, organizational development, policy research and analysis for campaigns, advocacy and influencing work.
Education
- Master’s degree in a related field is required (development studies, social and/or public policy, non-profit management).
Experience
- Minimum of 5 years of non-profit senior-level program management experience with a demonstrated record of achievement in campaigns, advocacy and policy influencing, and organizational development required.
- A preference for 10 years of experience with a range of non-profit, corporate or government experience.
- A detailed understanding of non-profit strategic planning and campaigns, advocacy and policy influencing, and organizational development functions are critical.
In addition
- Significant and recent experience of leading the design and implementation of influencing, campaigning, and advocacy programs or initiatives linked to regional and global programs.
- Excellent communication skills and confidence to articulate knowledge and ideas, influence, and advocate clearly and convincingly.
- Demonstrable training design and facilitation skills (both online and face to face).
- Strong ability to motivate, inspire and support others in learning and adopting new approaches and
- ways of working
- Good understanding and commitment to embedding and continuously learning to embed a decolonial, safe, anti-racist, intersectional feminist and partner-led approach in work.
- Experience of integrating a focus on women’s rights and gender justice, and support to feminist and youth movements.
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