Founded by two Black women in the aftermath of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests around the world, the African Futures Lab (AfaLab) works to advance demands for racial justice for Africans and Afro-descended people. We pursue the recognition and repair of global racial injustices through rigorous, empirically grounded knowledge exchange across Africa and Europe. Our work includes research, “Mobilization Labs” with partner organizations, and advocacy.
These initiatives aim to hold states and private actors accountable for the enduring effects of colonialism and slavery in Europe and Africa. Our current projects focus on the intersections of racial justice with gender rights, climate justice, and socio-economic inequalities.
The Racial Justice Campaigner (RJC) is responsible for leading the development and execution of African Futures Lab's strategy for its campaigns on historical and contemporary racial injustices. The RJC will work closely with teams to ensure alignment with organizational priorities and the delivery of organizational goals.
Core Responsibilities:
i) Campaign Development
Develop and implement effective and integrated campaign plans, strategies and tactics related to the overall vision, goals, and objectives for African Futures Lab.
Lead the development and delivery of specific campaign projects. The work is likely to involve all or some of the following techniques: providing strategic direction to raise awareness and influence public opinion; non-violent direct action; public communication and engagement activities; media work; political work; and the use of legal and scientific approaches to issues, legal compliance, and reporting.
ii) Campaign Expertise
Maintain good knowledge of relevant campaign issues and provide expertise concerning specialized campaign areas.
Analyze new developments and emerging trends supporting campaign vision, goals, and objectives. This includes social, economic, political, and legislative components, to ensure that African Futures Lab can respond effectively to strategic opportunities and influence the development of relevant national and international legislation and practices.
iii) Research & Investigations
Conduct research and investigations to inform strategic campaign direction and development.
Monitor external political, scientific, communications, and technical developments related to the campaign work; provide briefings to other departments as required.
iv) Communication
Work jointly with the Communication Officer to develop digital tools to engage and mobilize various audiences to achieve campaign objectives.
Have knowledge of using social media and digital tools. The understanding of media guidelines and digital metrics to increase the impact of communications and engagement is a major plus.
v) Stakeholder Relationships
Liaise and build relationships with media, activists, and government and non-governmental organizations on issues relevant to campaign objectives.
Communicate and engage with inter-governmental bodies and government officials as needed, and effectively present information to various audiences.
vi) Representation
Actively represent African Futures Lab in front across civil society actors, scientific, and government sectors, and the media (traditional and new), to achieve campaign objectives and strengthen the profile and credibility of African Futures Lab.
vii) Fundraising Support
Identify and pursue fundraising opportunities within campaign design and implementation.
Develop and pitch concept notes to support funding efforts.
viii) Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting
Evaluate project and campaign progress at designated review points, identifying successes and areas for improvement.
Draft progress and annual reports to document findings and impact.
Ensure that learning from evaluations is incorporated into future work.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience
Educational Experience
Master’s degree in law, political sciences, social sciences or related field.
Experience and Skills
At least 5 years' experience in campaign management (planning and implementation).
Robust knowledge of historical racial violence (slavery and colonialism) and its current manifestations in Africa and Europe.
Strong ability to conduct comprehensive intersectional analysis that integrates race, gender, climate, economics and other factors that contribute to inequalities.
Strong communication skills (written and oral) with the ability to draft and write advocacy documents (letters, press releases, reports, etc.) and an excellent understanding of the media advocacy needs of a campaigning organization.
Project management skills.
Strong understanding of digital marketing and social media strategies.
Proven ability to engage and mobilize diverse communities across the African continent.
Excellent knowledge of English and good knowledge of French.
Proficiency in data analysis and ability to measure campaign impact.
Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
Networking skills and ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders.
Ability to prioritize workload, meet tight deadlines, and manage general office and administrative tasks.
What We Are Looking For:
We seek a colleague who:
Thrives in a small, dynamic team environment.
Demonstrates exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to foster collaboration.
Is committed to justice, integrity, creativity, reliability and optimism.
Is passionate about racial justice and dedicated to advancing AfaLab’s mission.
If you’re enthusiastic about making a difference, we encourage you to apply by March 19, 2025.
Please send your cover letter and CV (including two references) to info@afalab.org with the subject line: 'Racial Justice Campaigner Application.'