About the Clooney Foundation for Justice
The Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) that wages justice through accountability for human rights abuses around the world. We are seeking a Head of Fellowships to guide the Waging Justice for Women initiative (WJW) Fellowship Program.
About Waging Justice for Women
WJW aims to fight injustice against women through strategic litigation to reform discriminatory laws and increase accountability for gender-based abuse. We identify laws and policies that are holding women back and support women’s ability to claim their rights through the courts. Using data that we gather and working hand in hand with women-led local organizations, our team uses strategic litigation and advocacy to overturn unfair laws, help victims get redress, and bring perpetrators to justice. As CFJ’s newest initiative, WJW is piloting in Africa. In 2025, we plan to begin scoping WJW’s expansion to other regions, starting with Asia. Current focus areas include child marriage, sexual and gender-based violence, and economic discrimination against women (amongst others).
About the Fellowship Program
WJW and our partner organizations offer one-year, fully-funded fellowships to a class of ten early-career women lawyers in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of the WJW Fellowship Program is to equip African gender justice champions with the tools they need to challenge inequality through the courts.
Placing a fully-funded lawyer with our partner organizations for a year increases their ability to deliver access to justice for women and girls and deepens WJW’s programmatic work through close collaboration. The Fellowship Program also provides Fellows with mentorship, training, and access to leading lawyers, judges, activists, and academics from around the world. Having successfully completed the first year of the Fellowship Program, in July 2024 we launched the application process for the second year of our program. In 2025, we plan to begin scoping the expansion of the program to other regions, starting with Asia.
Reporting to the WJW Co-Directors, the Head of Fellowships will work closely with the WJW Senior Program Manager and supervise the Fellowship Program Associate to design, implement, and manage the WJW Fellowship Program.
This is a full-time position for a seasoned professional experienced in feminist coalition building, capacity-building, program design, and management. The ideal candidate has demonstrable legal experience across the African continent promoting the advancement of women’s and girls’ rights, existing relationships with civil society organizations and human rights organizations and a clear vision for dismantling discrimination against women by empowering the next generation of feminist lawyers.
Responsibilities
- Work closely with the WJW Co-Directors to develop and implement the strategy and design of the Fellowship Program;
- Supervise the WJW Senior Program Manager and Fellowship Program Associate to run the Fellowship Program in Africa and expand into Asia;
- Lead and supervise the development of guiding principles, core values, programmatic goals, and metrics of success for the Fellowship Program;
- Design and lead monthly training curriculum focused on leadership, strategic litigation, advocacy, vicarious trauma, and other skills related to sustaining a career in gender justice;
- Engage in trainings, seminars, and other interactions as a mentor to the Fellows;
- Facilitate, steward, and develop relationships with gender rights activists, women’s rights organizations, and other civil society organizations to support and advance the mission of the Fellowship Program and connect Fellows with activists in the field;
- Conceptualize and plan at least one in-person convening for each class of Fellows;
- Serve as the primary point of contact for the Fellowship Program’s regional partners, including partner NGOs, to steward relationships in accordance with CFJ’s partnership principles and facilitate collaboration and information sharing on joint projects;
- Track progress and outcomes of the Fellowship Program against internal and external expectations, including those of WJW donors and partners;
- Support fundraising for the Fellowship Program, including meeting with donors, monitoring grants, and preparing reports, in collaboration with CFJ’s Director of Strategic Partnerships;
- Provide updates and reports to the WJW Co-Directors and CFJ Executive Leadership Team;
- Handle other duties or tasks as may be assigned.
Required Skills / Experience
- Law degree from an accredited law school;
- 10+ years of progressively responsible legal experience in the field of human rights;
- Proven track record of designing strategic programming;
- Demonstrated ability to work with an agile, international, and multicultural team;
- Proven ability to manage lawyers at a variety of experience levels, providing mentorship and support;
- Commitment to feminist principles and leadership;
- Outstanding written and oral communication skills;
- Entrepreneurial mindset;
- Passion for CFJ’s mission;
- Willingness to contribute across the board as an integral member of a small team.
Preferred Skills / Qualifications
- License to practice law;
- Substantive experience promoting the rights of women and girls in Africa, including leading organizations or programs conducting this work;
- Previous experience in regional or international human rights litigation and advocacy work;
- Fluency in a language other than English.
Location
This is a remote position. Candidates should be located in time zones GMT-1 to GMT+3 (including time zones WAT, CAT, EAT, and CET). CFJ cannot sponsor work authorization and candidates must be authorized to work in the country in which they are residents.
CFJ is committed to diversity in its workforce and is an equal opportunity employer. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religious beliefs, color, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability.