Strategic Initiatives Support Officer

About CIVICUS

CIVICUS exists to defend people power. As a growing global alliance of over 15,000 members in over 180 countries, we work together to monitor violations of basic civic freedoms, call out the perpetrators of violations, and strengthen the power of people to organise by supporting a more accountable, effective and innovative civil society. We strive to promote excluded voices, especially from the Global South.

About the Role

CIVICUS is looking for a highly organised Strategic Initiatives Support Officer with excellent writing skills to provide high-quality project and administrative support to our Strategic Initiatives workstream.

Working closely with the Advisor, Strategic Initiatives, you’ll help strengthen funder engagement and grant management, diversify our resource mobilisation efforts, and support cross-cutting initiatives across the alliance — from organisational strategy development, annual planning and budgeting, to knowledge management, evaluation and learning. You’ll also support implementation of our Norad Civic Space grant.

You’ll be the person who makes sure our funder reports, correspondence, briefing materials and knowledge products consistently meet a high editorial standard. This is a great opportunity for an experienced professional — with at least five years’ experience — who loves good writing, thrives on keeping complex processes on track, and wants to contribute to the resourcing and strategy of a global civil society alliance.

Key Requirements

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, international relations, gender studies, sociology, political science, or a related field (or equivalent professional experience).
• Excellent written and spoken English is essential; exceptional writing, editing and proofreading skills are a core requirement of this role.
• Minimum 5 years’ relevant work experience, ideally within a civil society organisation, international development or similar setting.
• Demonstrated ability to write clearly, concisely and persuasively for varied audiences, including funders, policymakers and internal teams.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines with close attention to detail.
• Good research and analytical skills, with the ability to synthesise information from a range of sources.
• Commitment to human rights and social justice principles.
• Experience working remotely and collaboratively within a globally distributed team.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and project management applications.
• Experience supporting funder or grant reporting processes.
• Knowledge of civil society and civic space issues.
• Knowledge of one or more UN languages other than English.

Please click here for a full Job Description

How to Apply

The closing deadline for applications is on the  22 October 2026 at 11:59pm SAST.

Interested candidates should click here to apply  or go to https://civicus.bamboohr.com/careers

Application instructions:

• Applicants are advised not to use autofill when completing the application form for this job. To avoid errors, please fill out the form manually without using autofill.
• AI-generated CVs/resumes and cover letters are not permitted. All application materials must be written by the applicant and accurately reflect the applicant’s skills, qualifications, and experience. Applications that contain AI-generated materials will not be considered.

Your application should comprise of:

• A full CV, including educational and professional qualifications, a full employment history showing the more significant positions, responsibilities held, and relevant achievements
• A cover note of not more than one page outlining your motivation for applying for the role.

Short listed candidates will be contacted within 3 weeks after the closing date to schedule interviews.

We appreciate and consider each application submitted. However, given the large volume of applications received, we find it impossible to respond to each applicant immediately. You will hear from us within three weeks only if you’re shortlisted for the next steps. We will update all applicants once the position has been filled.

CIVICUS reserves the right to withdraw any of our vacancies at any time.