CIVICUS exists to defend people power. As a growing global alliance of over 15,000 members in 189 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
The Research Programme Officer will support the CIVICUS Lens initiative, the State of Civil Society Report and other research activities by combining research with administrative coordination and team supervision responsibilities. The role involves research tasks such as conducting interviews and literature reviews, collecting secondary data and producing content to support ongoing projects, as well as coordination, supervision and administrative tasks to support the Research team. These include coordinating interns, organising workflow, providing coordination between Research and other CIVICUS teams, maintaining communication with external stakeholders and providing administrative support to Research leads as needed.
Key Requirements
- Master's degree in social sciences, international relations, political science, or other relevant field.
- Advanced proficiency in English.
- Fluency in Spanish, native speaker preferred.
- Minimum 5-year research experience with at least 2 years in a coordination or supervisory capacity.
- Solid understanding of international civil society networks and inter-governmental institutions.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Experience collecting primary data, particularly through interviews.
- Experience working with diverse stakeholders.
- Experience managing small teams in research or academic environments; ability to mentor and guide junior staff.
- Proficiency in project management tools and database management systems; experience in administrative coordination and workflow management.
- Ability to work independently while supporting senior research staff.
- High attention to detail.
- Advanced degree or equivalent experience in relevant field with specialised knowledge in civil society issues.
- Additional language competencies beyond Spanish and English.
- Background in translation, editing, publishing or content management systems.
- Experience with digital research tools, data management and online platform administration.
- Experience working with international institutions or civil society organisation in research or programme support capacities.
Please click here for a full Job Description
How to Apply
The closing deadline for applications is on the 16th July 2025 at 11:59pm SAST.
Interested candidates should click here to apply or go to https://civicus.bamboohr.com/careers
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 covering note of not more than 1 page outlining your motivation for applying for the role.
Short listed candidates will be contacted 2 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.
