We are hiring!

Call for Applications: Project Coordinator/Office Administrator

CHOSA (Children of South Africa) is calling for applications for the position of Project Coordinator/Office Administrator. She/he will split time between the office and various townships in Cape Town to further CHOSA’s mission, which is to identify and support communities and community-based organisations (CBOs) that reach out and take care of orphans and other vulnerable children in South Africa.

• Time commitment: 40 hours per week (including occasional work on weekends)
• Start Date: January 15, 2018
• Duration: Permanent contract with a minimum commitment by the employee of 18 months.
• Salary: R10,064 per month plus compensation for CHOSA-related expenses (petrol, car maintenance, telephone, internet, printing, office supplies).
• Benefits: CHOSA will pay up to R1,000 per month in reimbursements for Medical Aid membership or out-of-pocket medical expenses. Employees also receive funding for Professional Development trainings and conferences.

More about CHOSA: CHOSA, established in 2005, takes a holistic and non-directive approach to community development. CHOSA’s goal is to facilitate the empowerment of marginalized people as they seek to serve the orphaned and vulnerable children in their communities. Through community participation and ownership of the development process, CHOSA promotes local action, self-empowerment, and peer-to-peer networking as essential strategies for community-driven development. Visit www.chosa.org for more. 

Job requirements

• Drivers license: To qualify for the position, you must have a valid drivers’ license. Please indicate in your motivational letter that you are in possession of a valid drivers’ license, and bring it to any subsequent interview.
• Languages: Fluency in English. Fluency or willingness to learn isiXhosa.
• Computer literacy: Fluency in use of internet, email, and office programmes (especially Word and Excel but also Powerpoint);
• Community Development Experience: Volunteer/research/work experience with community organisations;
• Administrative Experience: Ability to handle all aspects of financial bookkeeping, including South African and American accounts, as well as data capturing with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail;
• Writing skills: Strong writing skills and ability to write thoughtful letters, proposals, articles and other types of documents in English;
• Communication skills: Ability to work well with and communicate with people in a non-domineering or authoritarian manner. Ability to navigate and stay out of personal disputes while still maintaining open lines of communication;
• Respect for others: Able to respect and treat equally people of different cultures and ethnicities. Should not discriminate based on gender, sexual orientation, origin, etc. Should treat each individual as an equal;
• Strong work ethic: Able to work independently and creatively without someone telling you what to do. Able to set own appointments, manage own schedule and report back on work;
• Cooperation skills: willingness and ability to work in a cooperative environment with a flat structure and based on consensus decision-making;
• Democratic process: Should have an understanding of and predisposition towards advocating for democratic forms of community governance.
• Other competencies: Planning and organizational skills; problem solving skills; reliable and committed; team player.

Job Duties

1.    Financial bookkeeping

• Coordinate all aspects of CHOSA’s financial bookkeeping (South Africa and American financial books)
• Preparation of monthly salary input
• Pay out and record monthly grants
• respond to emails
• Data capturing
• Ad hoc tasks

2.    Find partner communities and organisations for CHOSA

• Look for and connect with active communities who have set up their own child-related CBOs or intend on setting up child-related CBOs
• Establish a relationship with communities and/or CBOs
• Encourage relationships with communities that have set up democratic governance structures in order to oversee the development of children’s projects in their communities
• Encourage relationships with small grassroots CBOs that want to set up strong accountable structures

3.    Work with partner CBOs and communities that CHOSA supports in Cape Town. (Both CBOs and communities are referred to as “partners” below.)

• Hold regular meetings with each relevant partner. Frequency dependent on the needs but should not be less than once every two weeks with each partner. The purposes of these meetings are:
  • To continue/build open and trusting relationships with the partner;
  • Receive updates on the progress of the partner;
  • Receive accounting for funds if there is a CHOSA grant in place;
  • Work with the partner to develop their organisation in ways that fit with their goals for development and assist in this process of growth. This is also a time to discuss internal/external problems, and ways in which CHOSA can support the project either directly or through referrals;
• Participate in annual meetings with each CBO’s Board of Directors.
• Ensure that the partner is able to prepare a financial report back to CHOSA. If the partner lacks the ability to prepare such a statement, then the coordinator should request more frequent (preferably monthly) engagement with the organization’s bookkeeper to ensure the project’s finances are in order
• Listen to the communities and CBOs and support them in carrying out their own decisions
• Attend community and committee meetings were asked, including meetings after hours and on weekends
• Facilitate informal and sometimes formal discussions and workshops with community members. Where necessary, find individuals and/or NGOs to facilitate these discussions and workshops
• Motivate community leaders and community members to fully engage in relationship with CHOSA
• When asked, one can decide to play a supportive role within the projects / community as long as initiative is not taken away from the community.
• Help the children’s projects and the community network between one another.
• Report back to the partner where necessary and where requested. Report back to CHOSA on each partner’s finances and general progress.

4.    Liaise amongst CHOSA staff and to CHOSA general membership (board)

• Write up summary report every two months to CHOSA general membership about all on-ground work. (Responsibility rotates amongst staff.)
• Attend weekly CHOSA staff meetings
• Attend all CHOSA General Membership (Board) Meetings via Skype

5.    Organise networking events

• Work with organisations and communities to determine needed workshop themes;
• Work with other staff to organise four networking workshops per year that bring together the staff and management of many CHOSA-supported projects.

 To apply, submit the following:

• CV with three contactable references
• short motivational letter specifically addressing how your qualifications relate to the requirements above
• writing sample (maximum 200 words) from an academic paper, blog post, etc. (If you do not have one of these, a 200 word viewpoint on children’s issues in South Africa will suffice.)

 Send all of the above to job@chosa.org. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. The application deadline is the 20^th of October 2017.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who have received no response within two weeks of the closing date should assume their application was unsuccessful.