Senior Programs Officer – Governance & Leadership

About the role

The Senior Programs Officer will lead the design and execution of the Leadership for Equity, Advocacy & Development (LEAD) Fellowship across ten institutions. This role coordinates virtual learning labs, policy labs, and multi‑stakeholder dialogues to advance gender‑focused governance initiatives.

Key responsibilities

• Refine and implement the LEAD Fellowship program, overseeing learning circles, capstone sessions and cohort experience.
• Manage the Campus Champion Manual, virtual learning lab modules and identify subject‑matter experts.
• Design and coordinate the Policy Lab, intra‑campus competitions, regional semifinals and national finale in Abuja.
• Identify sector‑aligned partners, support technical placements for finalist teams and convene advisory meetings.
• Broker partnerships with civic organisations, feminist networks and policy actors; maintain knowledge‑management systems and outcome dashboards.

Required profile

• Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Public Policy, Governance, Development Studies, Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, Law, Social Work, Human Rights or related field.
• 3–6 years progressive experience in governance, civic engagement, youth leadership development, gender justice or policy advocacy.
• Demonstrated leadership in designing or managing programmes, fellowships or multi‑institutional initiatives.
• Strong grounding in feminist principles, power analysis and systems thinking.
• Proven ability to engage government actors, regulatory agencies and institutional leadership.

What we offer

• Salary range: 400,000‑450,000 (gross).
• Opportunity to shape a national leadership pipeline for feminist governance.
• Hybrid work arrangement within a supportive feminist work environment.
• Competitive compensation and platform to work at the intersection of student movements, policy spaces and systems‑change.