About Self Help Africa  

Established in 1984, Self Help Africa is an international development organisation that works through agriculture and agri-enterprise development to address hunger, poverty, social inequality and the impacts of climate change. We believe that equitable economic development is key to lifting communities out of long-term poverty, empowering them to take control of their futures and improving their quality of life.

In early 2023 we launched a new five-year organisation strategy, which defines shared mission as the alleviation of hunger, poverty, social inequality and the impact of climate change through community-led, market-based and enterprise- focused approaches, so that people can have access to nutritious food, clean water, decent employment and incomes, while sustaining natural resources.

Our wider organisation also includes social enterprise subsidiaries Partner Africa, which provides ethical auditing and consultancy services, and CUMO, Malawi’s largest micro-finance provider.

Our three core values are:
▪ Impact: We are accountable, ambitious and committed to systemic change.
▪ Innovation: We are agile, creative and enterprising in an ever-changing
World.
▪ Community: We are inclusive, honest and have integrity in our relationships.

Job Purpose:

A select number of local and International organisations with an active humanitarian presence have sought to identify ways in which organisations in Malawi can strengthen outreach, information sharing, and coordination in humanitarian action, and better represent LNGOs and INGOs (broadly) in humanitarian coordination forums. To do this, an NGO humanitarian committee was established in 2020 and remains vibrant. The committee started as a sub structure of the INGO Forum but evolved to incorporate the strengths, experience and presence of local and international organisations working in the humanitarian space. The committee also serves to improve communication and coordination in the humanitarian space between local and international organisations more widely in the country.

Key Responsibilities: 

Regularly liaise and coordinate with DODMA, the UNRCO, ICCG and Country Humanitarian Team for improved national humanitarian coordination
• Convene and coordinator member organisations to regularly share on humanitarian issues
• Reactivate the NGO District Focal Points – in times of emergency – to share and communicate during a humanitarian response and to feed into After-Action Reviews and other requirements.
• Coordinate with relevant NGO members to report to/from wider fora members on cluster plans and needs;
• Advocate for civil society/NGO space in humanitarian activity and coordination groups;
• Document and share NGO contributions to emergency response in Malawi with donors, government, UN actors.
• Coordinate among members to feed into the After-Action Review processes and learning processes.
• Actively liaise and coordinate with various humanitarian actors and platforms to ensure that the voices of the members are represented and incorporated for improved humanitarian action
• Provide technical input and guidance to the committee
• Coordinate engagement of members of the committee in national level humanitarian coordination and technical meetings

Strengthen outreach, information sharing, and coordination amongst our own members on humanitarian action
• Mobilize and advocate within the sector for coordinated anticipatory action and early response across the country through the AA TWG among others.
• Advocate for visibility and financing of Malawi humanitarian action with global actors as required.
• Work closely with the NGO members of the committee and Local NGO structures to promote the principles of partnership and the commitments of the Grand Bargain;
• Collect, document, and share best practices and lessons learned about humanitarian action in Malawi .
• Coordinate monthly NGO humanitarian committee meetings virtually with 1-2 physical meetings and learning events between members
• Coordinate access to technical training for representatives from the Committee members

Key Relationships: 

Internal
• SHA Malawi Country Director, Deputy Country Director Programmes Programme Development Manager, National M&E Co-ordination, Resilience and Livelihoods Programme Manager, FCDO PM, Self Help Africa Malawi Country Programme and Administrative Staff

External
• Members of the NGO Humanitarian Committee, Dodma representatives, RCO representatives, Humanitarian Actors, Anticipatory Action Technical Working Group colleagues, other members of the humanitarian architecture

Qualification:

● Minimum of bachelor’s degree in Conflict or Humanitarian Studies, or related discipline
● Minimum 5 years’ experience in working with humanitarian programmes or projects
● Professional knowledge of quality humanitarian standards and guidelines (e.g. SPHERE);
● Skills in training/facilitation and coordination, networking among different humanitarian partners
● A mature self-starter, able to work independently, think critically and reflect and willing to take calculated risks to enable learning;
● Good communication skills, excellent people management and interpersonal skills preferably in an NGO;
● Strong skills in speaking and writing English with solid computer skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, powerpoint and email,
● Proven ability to motivate, provide technical support and guidance to a diverse team of staff and partners with minimum direct supervision.
● Proven leadership and interpersonal skills and ability to build and motivate diverse and talented teams
● Strong organisational skills

Knowledge, Experience and Other Requirements 

● A high level of understanding of humanitarian action, particularly coordination and the humanitarian architecture in the country
● Experience coordinating and convening NGOs
● Good understanding of the humanitarian donor landscape including ECHO
● Proven ability to motivate, provide technical support and guidance to a diverse team of actors
● Skills in training/facilitation of development processes, including organisation and mobilisation of communities and networking among different development partners such as community-based organisations, government officers and SHA staff.
● Commitment to international and humanitarian NGO codes, standards and practices.
● High level of integrity and high standards of personal conduct and demonstrable skills in safeguarding prevention.
● Track record of understanding and applying robust safeguarding mitigation measures and complying with a robust safeguarding policy

Application Procedure:

Full job description here.

To apply please submit a completed application form, an up-to-date CV and a cover letter here.

The deadline for this application is midnight on 26th July 2025.

Important information:

Self Help Africa is an international development charity and is committed to the safeguarding of all those who we come into contact with or through our work. We are committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour relating to our work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and we are committed to promoting the welfare of children and the people we aim to assist with whom Self Help Africa engages. Self Help Africa expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and uphold the values and behaviours outlined in the Code of Conduct and Child and Adult Safeguarding Policy. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us. Recruitment to all roles in Self Help Africa will include, and be subject to, a criminal records self-declaration, references, and other pre- employment checks, which may include police and qualifications checking. Self Help Africa is committed to the principles of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and will request information from previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse or sexual harassment during employment. By submitting an application, the applicant confirms her/his understanding of these recruitment procedures. Subsequently, working or volunteering with Self Help Africa is subject to a range of vetting checks, including criminal background checking.

Research shows that women and those from marginalised ethnic groups are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single requirement. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align with every criteria described we encourage you to apply anyway, you could be exactly what we need!

Self Help Africa strives to be an equal opportunity employer.