Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Reports to: Programmes Manager
Salary Range: KSh. 130,000–150,000 gross per month, with benefits per COVAW’s policies
Application Deadline: 2nd June 2025, 5:00 PM
About COVAW
The Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW) is a Kenyan national, not-for-profit women’s rights organization committed to advancing gender equality and ending all forms of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). Since its founding in 1995, COVAW has led efforts to challenge the systemic norms, attitudes, and structures that perpetuate violence and inequality.
COVAW operates across five strategic focus areas:
- Access to Comprehensive Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) Services
- Women’s Economic Empowerment
- Women’s Leadership Development
- Access to Justice
- Institutional Development
Through targeted advocacy, community engagement, legal reform, and partnerships, COVAW champions transformative social change for women and girls in Kenya.
About the ACT Project
The Action for paid Childcare sector Transformation (ACT) project is a 4-year collaborative initiative that uses an innovative systems approach to drive gender transformative, locally owned, collaborative action to transform paid childcare from a job of last resort to a vocation of choice, and for the paid childcare sector to become one of economic prosperity for women in Kenya and Malawi. ACT aligns with Canada’s commitment made towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 (gender equality and empowerment), SDG 8 (decent work for all), Canada’s FIAP action area on growth that works for everyone.
ACT is led by WUSC and implemented in Kenya by the Coalition of Violence Against Women (COVAW), and in Malawi by the Women’s Legal Resources Centre (WOLREC). In Kenya, the project is being implemented in three counties: Nairobi, Kisumu, and Kakamega.
COVAW’s role in this project focuses on:
- Enhancing gender-responsive coordination in the childcare sector
- Promoting gender-transformative policy and regulation
- Advancing the rights of women paid childcare providers
- Supporting access to gender-responsive financial and business services
Key Responsibilities of the Senior Program Officer
Project Management & Technical Leadership
- Oversee the strategic implementation of the ACT project across the three target counties
- Provide day-to-day oversight of project activities in collaboration with team members and partners
- Supervise the execution of advocacy campaigns, capacity-building sessions, and childcare curriculum pilot programs
- Ensure technical integration of childcare and gender expertise throughout project interventions
- Oversee activity planning, documentation, and timely reporting
- Monitor project budget utilization in compliance with donor and organizational guidelines
- Coordinate the development of project planning documents, including Annual Work Plans, using results-based management approaches
- Support content development for advocacy, communication, and training materials
- Supervise and support project team members
Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning
- Support project monitoring, evaluation, and reporting, including mid-term and endline assessments
- Track project milestones and adapt activities for improved outcomes
- Prepare and submit regular narrative reports to internal and external stakeholders
- Identify and assess project risks, and recommend mitigation strategies
Stakeholder & Partner Engagement
- Represent COVAW in relevant ACT-related forums and advocacy spaces
- Lead targeted engagements with civil society, government, private sector, and community stakeholders
- Facilitate multi-sectoral collaboration to address SGBV in the paid childcare ecosystem
- Promote inclusive policy reforms and support the interlinkage of childcare and gender-responsive services
- Strengthen linkages and networks across the community, county, and national levels
Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in early childhood development (ECD) or related field; additional training in the care economy is an added advantage
- Minimum of 5 years’ experience in program management and implementation, preferably within the development or women’s rights sector
- Strong understanding of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment frameworks
- Proven leadership and team management skills
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal abilities
- Experience working in multi-stakeholder environments
- Strong planning, analytical, and problem-solving skills
- Financial management proficiency
- Ability to prioritize effectively, work independently, and meet tight deadlines
How to Apply
Interested candidates should send a cover letter and CV (combined in one PDF document) to: recruit@covaw.or.ke using the Subject line: COVAW Senior Program Officer – ACT Project on or before 2nd June 2025, at 5:00 PM EAT.
COVAW encourages, promotes, and supports diversity in all aspects of its work.