Project Officer, Afghanistan Initiative

Malala Fund; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 57,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player seeks a proactive Project Officer for the Afghanistan Initiative to enhance Afghan girls' education. This role involves managing project delivery, advocacy planning, and stakeholder relationships. The ideal candidate will have strong project management skills, fluency in Dari and/or Pashto, and a deep understanding of the Afghan context. Join a dedicated team making a significant impact in international advocacy and education rights. This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to meaningful change while working in a hybrid environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in project coordination or officer-level roles.
• Strong knowledge of Afghanistan’s political and social landscape.

Responsibilities

• Lead coordination of activities under the Afghanistan Initiative.
• Manage timelines, deliverables, and budgets across advocacy work.

Skills

Project Management

Advocacy Planning

Research Skills

Fluency in Dari

Fluency in Pashto

Communication Skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree

5+ years of experience

Job description

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The Project Officer, Afghanistan Initiative (Right to Education), will coordinate and manage project delivery across Malala Fund’s efforts to advance Afghan girls’ access to education and respond to the ongoing gender apartheid. This includes supporting advocacy planning and execution, managing partner and stakeholder relationships, delivering strategic convenings, and contributing to research and public engagement efforts.

This is a delivery-focused role for a proactive, detail-oriented individual with strong project management capabilities, understanding of international advocacy, and deep familiarity with the Afghan context. The post holder will be expected to manage work streams independently, ensure high-quality delivery of outputs, and identify opportunities to improve coordination across partners and Malala Fund teams.

Fluency in Dari and/or Pashto is essential, as is experience working on Afghan women’s rights or education advocacy.

Location: London, UK/Hybrid - 1 year term

Starting Salary Range: £57,300 to £64,700

Responsibilities:

Project Management and Delivery

• Lead coordination and implementation of activities under the Afghanistan Initiative, including high-level delegation visits, legal roundtables, strategy meetings, and public events.
• Manage timelines, deliverables, and budgets across advocacy, policy, and legal accountability work streams to ensure alignment with initiative goals and organisational strategy.
• Support the Senior Director in driving the overall delivery of the Afghanistan Initiative, including coordinating internal processes, tracking key activities, and facilitating cross-team collaboration.
• Convene and manage the Afghanistan Initiative Working Group, ensuring internal alignment on priorities, strategy, and actions across policy, legal, communications, and programme teams.
• Provide logistical and administrative support for convenings, legal and policy meetings, and coalition-building efforts, ensuring smooth implementation and timely follow-up.
• Maintain project management systems and tools to track outputs, risks, milestones, and impact across the initiative.
• Support budget tracking and liaise with operations colleagues on contracts, grant deliverables, and procurement needs related to the initiative.
• Facilitate coordination between internal teams and external partners to deliver integrated, high-impact advocacy and accountability interventions.

Advocacy and Research Support

• Contribute to the preparation of targeted advocacy materials (e.g. talking points, policy memos, internal analysis).
• Conduct desk research and media scans on relevant developments in Afghanistan and international forums (e.g. UN,EU, OIC).
• Translate findings and stakeholder insights into internal recommendations and briefings for senior leadership.

Communications and Documentation

• Liaise with Malala Fund’s communications team to support visibility of the Afghanistan Initiative, particularly around key events or milestones.
• Assist in the drafting and translation (Dari/Pashto/English) of written materials including public statements, op-eds, and campaign content.
• Monitor public discourse and flag emerging narratives relevant to Malala Fund’s positioning on Afghanistan.

Risk and Compliance

• Support due diligence, safeguarding, and data security processes for all stakeholder engagements and activities.
• Escalate potential political, security, or reputational risks to the Senior Director and maintain risk documentation.

Qualifications

• Typically 5+years of experience in project coordination or officer-level roles in international advocacy, human rights, development, or policy settings.
• Fluency in Dari and/or Pashto; fluency in English is essential.
• Strong knowledge of Afghanistan’s political and social landscape, with particular attention to gender and education issues.
• Demonstrated project management skills with the ability to lead delivery across multiple partners and stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently and manage competing priorities under tight deadlines.
• Experience working with civil society organisations, multilateral bodies, and/or diaspora communities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; experience drafting for both internal and external audiences.
• Familiarity with international legal frameworks, gender apartheid advocacy, or multilateral account ability mechanisms.
• Experience supporting advocacy or communications campaigns, including digital or media components.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Associate

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Project Management

• Industries

  International Affairs and Non-profit Organizations

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