The Head of Food, Oceans and Land Use (FOLU), Africa is accountable for setting and delivering ClientEarth’s programmes and impact strategies in Africa in line with our global mission and strategy. The Head of FOLU Africa mobilises and orchestrates ClientEarth’s programme experts to deliver activities and impact through engagement with partners based in West and Central Africa.  

ClientEarth’s FOLU Africa programme works to build, implement and enforce effective laws, as a vital part of building governance systems that better and more equitably manage forests and other ecosystems. The programme is founded on long-term partnerships with lawyers and civil society organisations based in West and Central Africa.

The Head of FOLU Africa operates under the global mandate of the Chief Programmes and Impact Officer. As such, the post-holder leads initiatives that are primarily focused on our work in Africa, while continuing to collaborate globally and embody the principles of “One ClientEarth”, driving global level systemic change. 

Main Duties

•  Regional Programme Strategy -  Lead strategy development and implementation with respect to Food, Oceans and Land Use (FOLU) in Africa; Is accountable for the delivery of ClientEarth’s programmatic initiatives in Africa through close collaboration with partners and employing the range of ClientEarth’s tools, including litigation, capacity sharing, legal advocacy and influencing. 
• External Leadership & Partnerships - Lead ClientEarth’s relationships with partners in Africa, ensuring best practice in partner engagement.  
• Staff Management - Define, in collaboration with line-managed staff members, individual work priorities and well-tailored and achievable work programmes, delegating tasks and responsibilities accordingly;  

See the job description (below) for a full list of duties for this role.

Role requirements

• Fluent (CEFR level C2) in English
• Proficiency in French
• Law degree or other legal qualification
• Experience of working in the not-for-profit sector in Africa, including working on programmatic strategy and impact measurement
• Experience in large grant budget management and donor reporting, preferably institutional funds from a multilateral/bilateral donor 
• Strong commitment and understanding of human rights issues, especially as they relate to the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion considerations

See the job description (below) for a full list of requirements for this role.

Note to candidates: We know that long lists of criteria can be daunting and that some candidates will not apply for a role unless they feel they are 100% qualified. If you feel you meet at least some of the essential criteria, we still encourage you to apply.

Further Information

Have a question about this job? Please visit our Careers site for advice on applying, FAQs, and more.

Flexible working:  We are proud to be a Flexa accredited Employer. Visit our Flexa Employer page for more information on our approach to flexible working. Our flexible working policy allows our people the choice to decide to work from home/another location in the country where their contract of employment is issued for 80% of their month, with the other 20% of their month being office-based  See our Benefits page for more.

ClientEarth values diversity and inclusion and the benefits this brings. We aim to appoint the most suitable candidate at all times and welcome applications from people from all different backgrounds. 

Please note that this role can be based in our London or Brussels office. We may be able to consider candidates that require UK or Belgium visa sponsorship for this role only.

ClientEarth is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or legal services to third parties.