Regional Representative, West Africa at Equality Now

, , Nigeria -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

21 Mar, 26

Salary

46980.0

Posted On

21 Dec, 25

Experience

10 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Advocacy, Coalition Building, Communication, Leadership, Program Management, Legal Knowledge, Human Rights, Team Management, Cross-Cultural Collaboration, Financial Reporting, Project Planning, Mentoring, Public Speaking, Networking, Strategic Partnerships, Empathy

Industry

Description

Job Title: Regional Representative, West Africa (EN-10) Organization Unit: Programmes Reports To: Director, Regions Supervises: While this role does not presently include supervisory responsibilities, it is expected to oversee the regional Legal Advisors and Associate Managers as those positions are recruited and onboarded. Location: Remote – West Africa (Candidates must currently reside in West Africa) ABOUT EQUALITY NOW: At Equality Now, we aspire to create a world in which women and men have equal rights under the law and full enjoyment of their human rights. Our mission is gender equality. And how we get there matters. Here are the values behind everything we do. Founded in 1992, we are an international human rights organization that works to protect and promote the rights of all women and girls around the world. Our campaigns are centred on four program areas: Legal Equality, End Sexual Violence, End Harmful Practices, and End Sexual Exploitation, with a cross-cutting focus on the unique needs of adolescent girls. We are truly global, and we have a team of 80+ people located all around the world. We have team members in Benin, Beirut, London, Geneva, San Jose, El Salvador, Argentina, Nairobi, Tbilisi, New York and Washington, DC among others. We offer a great experience for talented people who are passionate about equality. To work here, you’ll need to share our core values of integrity and accountability, inclusiveness, resilience, and empathy. For more information, visit equalitynow.org MISSION OBJECTIVE: The Regional Representative, West Africa plays a critical role in advancing Equality Now’s mission to achieve legal and systemic change for women and girls. The role provides leadership, external representation, and program management across the West Africa region, ensuring Equality Now is recognized as a trusted and authoritative voice on gender equality and the law. This position bridges regional and global priorities, fostering strong partnerships with women’s movements, civil society, regional bodies, and governments to catalyze collective action. The Regional Representative is accountable for driving advocacy strategies, contributing to organizational learning, and managing cross-functional program delivery with integrity, accountability, and feminist values. MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The following is a general outline of duties and responsibilities for this role. It is not an exhaustive list, and additional duties may be assigned or removed at the discretion of the Director, Regions to meet organizational needs and priorities. Purpose: Adapt Align Equality Now’s programme in West Africa with the organisation’s strategic plan to ensure the region’s programming efforts are contributing to the achievement of the strategic vision, priorities, outcomes and outputs . Ensure Equality Now is connected and in the know about what is happening on women’s and human rights in Africa, particularly West Africa , linking local and national developments to regional and global priorities, working closely with the thematic Directors.. Facilitate the development of effective social movements, coalitions, and partnerships to progress women’s equality and human rights in West Africa. Profile Equality Now as the "go-to" organization on women and the law across the West Africa region. Serve as one of Equality Now’s senior representatives at AU, sub-regional, and UN forums, positioning the organization as a trusted voice on gender equality and legal reform. Work closely with the Regional Representatives for East and Central Africa andSouthern Africa, and the Associate Director for Legal Equality, Africa to align programming in Africa for greater effectiveness. Identify and cultivate strategic partnerships with women’s rights organizations, coalitions, and networks to strengthen movement building and advance shared goals. Engagement: Persuade & Influence Provide leadership functional line management to program staff and consultants working in West Africa, ensuring clarity of goals, accountability, and professional growth. Oversee campaign delivery, ensuring progress reporting, accountability to donors, and alignment with advocacy objectives and global thematic strategies. Build collaborative networks across West Africa to strengthen Equality Now’s regional influence. Represent Equality Now at regional events, conferences, and media opportunities. Maintain engagement with AU, UN bodies, and key regional organizations, lobbying and advocating for gender equality at the regional level. Strengthen partnerships with civil society organizations, coalitions, and advocacy platforms to ensure sustained collaboration. Delivery: Guide CampaignProject Evolution Deliver on key campaign outcomes with measurable impact across West Africa. Ensure timely reporting, financial submissions, and compliance with donor and organizational standards. Drive organizational visibility and impact through effective advocacy and regional partnerships. Identify, document, and share regional engagement opportunities to advance organizational learning and cross-regional coordination. Sustain quality delivery of programs and initiatives aligned with Equality Now’s global strategy. Contribute to proposal development and donor reporting, ensuring East and CentralWest Africa’s priorities are well represented. Supervise and mentor staff, interns, and consultants, fostering a supportive, inclusive, and high-performing team culture. Oversee project planning, budgeting, and reporting, ensuring efficiency and compliance. Collaborate across regions and functions to ensure West Africa’s voice and contributions are integrated into Equality Now’s Africa-wide and global agenda. Uphold safeguarding, risk management, and organizational well-being practices in alignment with Equality Now’s policies. Supervising Responsibilities: This position supervises staff and is responsible for providing management, guidance, and performance management to direct reports. These supervisory responsibilities are not exhaustive and may evolve in line with organizational needs: Leadership & Team Management Provide clear direction and oversight to direct reports, ensuring role clarity, accountability, and alignment with organizational goals. Supervise staff through regular check-ins, performance monitoring, and feedback loops to uphold standards and support growth. Foster a positive, inclusive, and high-performing team culture rooted in transparency and mutual respect. Serve as the escalation point for operational and personnel issues, resolving matters promptly and equitably. Performance & Development Conduct performance reviews, offer constructive feedback, and identify development needs. Mentor and coach team members to strengthen leadership, technical, and interpersonal skills. Implement targeted training and professional development opportunities based on evolving team and organizational needs. Promote cross-functional learning and knowledge sharing to build organizational capacity. Operations & Workflow Ensure efficient workflow management, balanced workloads, and adequate staffing to meet service delivery goals. Approve schedules, manage leave requests, and coordinate coverage to maintain operational continuity. Monitor output quality and progress against objectives, providing guidance and corrective action as needed. Hold regular team meetings to share updates, set priorities, and address challenges collaboratively. Compliance & Standards Ensure adherence to organizational policies, procedures, and ethical standards. Oversee compliance with labor laws, workplace safety, and safeguarding protocols. Address disciplinary and grievance matters fairly, consistently, and in accordance with legal and internal frameworks. Communication & Collaboration Facilitate effective communication across teams, departments, and leadership to support cohesion and strategic alignment, consistent with Equality Now values of Integrity & Accountability, Inclusiveness, Resilience and Empathy. POSITION REQUIREMENTS & TARGET SKILLS PROFILE: Substantive Knowledge Demonstrates significant knowledge of Africa’s women’s rights and human rights landscape, with the ability to anticipate emerging issues and guide staff accordingly. Deep expertise in human rights mechanisms, including AU systems and treaty monitoring bodies, and ability to mentor staff in applying these frameworks in advocacy. Understands policy/legal relationships and global–local dynamics, and coaches staff in translating this complexity into actionable strategies. Skilled at blending an activist approach with the analytical legal approach, and modeling principled, values-based leadership that inspires junior team members. Experienced in coalition building and movement development, with a track record of mobilizing teams to sustain partnerships and collective advocacy. Communication Skills Proficiency in French and English, with the ability to guide multilingual engagement. Adept at fostering cross-cultural collaboration and cultivating trust-based relationships consistent with the mission and values of Equality Now. Excellent oral and written communicator in English, able to represent Equality Now persuasively in high-level fora and train staff in effective advocacy messaging. Skilled at simplifying complex legal and policy concepts for multiple audiences, and guiding staff in tailoring communications to diverse stakeholders. Strong media representation experience, serving as a spokesperson and preparing staff to engage confidently with press and public platforms. Leads with empathy, cultural sensitivity, and active listening, modeling inclusive communication and strengthening trust within the team and with partners. Execution Skills Proficient in program and financial reporting, and ensures staff are equipped with the tools and skills to maintain high-quality data and reporting standards. Strong operational management, balancing regional strategy with day-to-day execution, while delegating effectively and monitoring team performance. Self-starter with the ability to work across diverse environments, and develops staff capacity to adapt to shifting advocacy contexts. Demonstrated team leadership, with proven experience supervising multi-level staff, setting clear expectations, providing coaching, and addressing performance issues constructively. Skilled in managing multiple priorities under tight deadlines, while ensuring staff maintain focus on strategic outcomes and quality delivery. Willingness and ability to travel internationally and domestically, sometimes on short notice, to support regional teams, engage with partners, and represent Equality Now. Targeted Specialized Knowledge A Bachelor’s degree in law, international legal studies, or related field (or equivalent experience); Master’s degree in gender, social development, law, or human rights preferred. 8+ years of progressive experience in legal, human rights, or women’s rights advocacy, including substantial supervisory experience managing staff, consultants, or coalitions. Experienced in program/project management, ensuring that staff teams deliver against objectives, manage budgets, and meet donor expectations. COMPENSATION: At Equality Now, our compensation philosophy reflects our commitment to advancing the human rights of all women and girls through lasting legal and systemic change. We approach pay holistically, recognizing base salary as one component of a broader total rewards package designed to support well-being, growth, and long-term engagement. Base Salary Range: $38,823 - $46,980 USD The final offer within this range will be determined based on factors such as geographic location, relevant experience, demonstrated skills, and qualifications. Our goal is to attract, retain, and empower a talented, mission-aligned team equipped to deliver on our strategic priorities with excellence and impact. HOW TO APPLY Please visit: and submit a resume/CV, cover letter. Deadline for applications is January 9th, 2026. Due to the volume of applicants anticipated for this role, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview. Equality Now is strong because it is diverse. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. Equality Now offers a competitive compensation package, including base salary, savings, health and vacation benefits, and is an Equal Opportunity employer. Equality Now employees are selected on the basis of ability without regard to race, colour, religious beliefs, sex, gender identity and expression, language, political or other opinion, nationality, ethnic or social origin, disability, pregnancy, mental status, HIV status, age, marital status, or sexual orientation. We welcome all kinds of diversity. Candidates are selected on the basis of ability, in accordance with all country and location-specific laws.

Responsibilities

The Regional Representative, West Africa is responsible for advancing Equality Now’s mission by providing leadership, external representation, and program management across the region. This role involves fostering partnerships and driving advocacy strategies to ensure gender equality and legal reform.