Malawi Accelerator Programme Technical Lead

INTRODUCTION TO THE ROLE

The Accelerator is an ambitious initiative by Girls Not Brides to catalyse collective impact at the national level and accelerate progress to end child marriage. It aims to strengthen national movements and the ending Child Marriage ecosystem, drive policy and implementation progress, improve access to resources, and ensure accountability to girls. The Malawi Accelerator will be one of Girls Not Brides’ first flagship programmes under our Accelerator Collective.

This role leads the strategic and technical delivery of Girls Not Brides’ Accelerator Programme in Malawi and supports broader efforts to end child marriage across the SADC region. Working closely with the National Partnership in Malawi, which co-leads Phase 1 implementation, you will oversee programme leadership, coordination, and partnership management to ensure high quality delivery and alignment with clear key performance indicators. There is also a need to ensure appropriate technical resourcing, guide adaptation and course correction, and manage the core programme team to deliver both operational and technical components effectively. A key focus is strengthening the National Partnership’s capacity and leadership within Malawi’s child marriage ecosystem. You will be directly accountable for achieving programme objectives within set timelines and budgets and represent Girls Not Brides externally, engaging with civil society, government, UN agencies, and donors, and co-lead stakeholder mobilisation and collaboration efforts.

This role requires a strong learning and monitoring component, promoting knowledge exchange to enhance impact in Malawi and beyond. Additionally, you will lead the scale-up of the programme into an ambitious Phase 2, expanding its scope to accelerate progress.

ABOUT YOU 

We are seeking a strategic, technically skilled, and impact-driven leader who thrives on in complex, multi-stakeholder environments and is passionate about driving systemic change for girls. You will have a strong track record in managing large-scale, multi-partner initiatives, ideally in the development or human rights sectors. You will be highly skilled in building relationships and collaborating with various stakeholders to lead programme scale-up, manage budgets within set timelines. The role will require someone who is results driven, an effective communicator and external representative, confident in mobilising stakeholders and promoting cross-country learning and knowledge exchange.

Job location : Malawi

Fluency in English is essential for this role.

Working as a global team, all Girls Not Brides’ team members may from time to time be expected to work outside normal working hours (e.g., early morning or early evening) this is not a regular occurrence and is only to accommodate collaboration of teams across different time zones.

This role may require regular international travel, as necessary.

Accountable to: Head of Africa Engagement

This role, in future will include line management responsibilities.

Salary range 

Market competitive based on a detailed survey by the Birches Group of comparable national NGO salaries in selected location. Payments will be made in local currency of where it is located.

Contract
2-year fixed term full-time contract. The successful candidate will work from home for much of the time, with IT and communication equipment provided by Girls Not Brides. The successful candidate must have the right to work in Malawi at the time of applying, and for the full duration of the two-year initial contract.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Technical Leadership and Programme Oversight

• Provide strategic leadership for the Malawi Accelerator Programme, building on Girls Not Brides’ global vision and adapting it to the national context.
• Provide technical oversight and support to the design, implementation and adaptation of the programme, ensuring its impactful delivery.
• Shape and refine the programme’s direction and priorities in response to emerging opportunities, political developments, and sectoral shifts across Malawi.
• Coordinate with and ensure co-leadership of the program in collaboration with our National partnership in Malawi, ensuring meaningful participation, shared ownership, and alignment with national priorities.
• Lead the planning and achievement of the programme’s key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Provide technical expertise to guide delivery of the programme in line with best practices and the programme’s terms of reference.
• Oversee technical planning, monitoring and evaluation of the programme;
• Oversee the development and application of impact measurement frameworks to track progress, drive learning, and inform adaptive programming.
• Quality assurance of the program to ensure programme quality, relevance, and delivery against milestones.
• Lead the development of contextually relevant strategies that align with national efforts to end child marriage, while ensuring strong alignment with Girls Not Brides’ global Accelerator Framework.
• Champion innovation by encouraging bold, practical approaches to collaboration and systems change across sectors.

Technical Guidance and Capacity Strengthening

• Ensure the programme is grounded in evidence, participatory approaches, and inclusive of youth and girls’ voices.
• Provide or coordinate technical expertise on child marriage, child protection, and civil society strengthening.
• Guide the growth and sustainability of civil society-led initiatives, including strengthening national partnership.
• Provide technical support as needed to key stakeholders of the ending child marriage movement (ECM) in Malawi such as the Malawi Government at national and district levels.

Stakeholder Engagement and Representation

• In close collaboration with the National Partnership, actively convene all leading stakeholders working in ending Child marriage in Malawi (government, CSO, researchers, UN, etc.) around collective action and work towards a more coordinated and cohesive movement at country level.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with national and local government, donors, and partners.
• Represent Girls Not Brides and the Accelerator in key national, regional and international forums.
• Work closely with the Girls Not Brides Africa, Impact, Learning and Communications teams to ensure strong internal collaboration.

Program Management

• Coordinate the preparation and submission of routine technical, financial and administrative reports to Girls Not Brides and funders that demonstrate learning, delivery and progress of the programme as a whole against the log frame and approved implementation plan.
• Ensure due diligence is performed on all recipients of the programme’s funds; staff, sub-contractors, and grantees; control and report on the use of all programme funds;
• Trouble shoot to support the smooth implementation of the programme including timely reporting to the relevant stakeholders and donors
• Provide oversight to grants and partnerships under the Accelerator programme.
• Monitor sub-grant delivery, ensure compliance with Girls Not Brides’ financial and safeguarding policies.
• Oversee risk management and mitigation.

Leadership and Team Development

• Provide strategic and supportive leadership to the Malawi-based Accelerator team, fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing environment.
• Offer clear guidance, thought partnership, and coaching to ensure team members are aligned with programme goals and supported in their professional growth.
• Set performance objectives collaboratively, conduct regular reviews, and promote a culture of continuous learning, reflection, and adaptation.
• Facilitate learning and solutions-based discussions between the team, the national partnership and other teams involved, across core technical areas
• Uphold the highest ethical standards and ensure all team members and partners adhere to Girls Not Brides’safeguarding, financial, and operational policies, fostering a culture of accountability, integrity, and care.

Wider Organisational Responsibilities

• Commit to the mission and vision of Girls Not Brides, putting these at the forefront of all planning, work and actions.
• Uphold the core values of Girls Not Brides in all areas of work and interactions with colleagues, members, partners, and other stakeholders.
• Line manage roles and consultants as necessary, delegating responsibilities and tasks as appropriate.
• Comply with Girls Not Brides’ policies and processes, with note for safeguarding, diversity and inclusion, the code of conduct and data protection.
• Ensure that internal databases and monitoring information are kept fully up-to-date.
• Commit to ongoing personal development and learning.
• Fulfil any other reasonable requests for the advancement of Girls Not Brides.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential experience

• Minimum of 15 years’ experience serving programme management teams, partnership development, or a related field within a matrix organization.
• At least 7 years in a senior leadership role overseeing multi-stakeholder initiatives, ideally within the child rights, gender, or social development sectors.
• Extensive experience supervising and mentoring a highly skilled team, equipped with clear goals and performance metrics.
• Significant experience in programme leadership in the child rights, child protection, or gender equality space in Malawi.
• Proven experience developing and executing strategies as well as evaluating and reporting results.
• Extensive experience facilitating dialogue and building/fostering sustained and innovative civil society movements and partnerships, including strategic alliances with public, private, civil society and community actors.
• Significant experience working on ending child marriage programs or other related program areas such as gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), girls’ education, child protection, or ending harmful practices.
• Experience developing partnerships and alliances across multiple sectors with both traditional and non-traditional partners (e.g. Development Finance Institutions).

Essential skills and knowledge

• Advanced degree ((Master’s level or higher) in a relevant field such as international development, gender studies, public policy, or social sciences (or equivalent experience).
• Managing budgets effectively with oversight on spending while providing regular oversight on issues related to risk and audit
• Strong external liaison and negotiation experience fostering partnerships between Government and other stakeholders, including at national and sub-national levels, and experience championing the voices of / promoting representation of those with lived experience.
• Strong understanding of the civil society ecosystem in Malawi, including grassroots and national organisations.
• Strong strategic thinking, with the ability to translate big picture ideas into practical action.
• Strong understanding of gathering, synthesising, and analysing evidence for decision-making and adaptation.

Essential values and attributes

• Strong commitment to the mission and values of Girls Not Brides and our vision in relation to addressing child marriage and gender justice.
• Team player spirit, proactive and able to confidently take initiative and make appropriate decisions.
• Willingness to work flexibly and regularly travel internationally, as necessary.

Safeguarding

Girls Not Brides is committed to safeguarding all children, young people and adults at risk with whom our staff and representatives work and interface. Any employment with Girls Not Brides may be subject to the satisfactory completion of a background check and a criminal records check, which can include but is not limited to: an overseas police record check, a Disclosure and Barring Service Check (for those based in the UK) or an International Criminal Record Check (if applicable).

Diversity at Girls Not Brides

Girls Not Brides is an equal opportunities employer. We embrace diversity, equal opportunity and inclusion in a serious way. We are committed to building a staff body that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

How to apply

Girls Not Brides is an equal opportunities employer. We embrace diversity, equal opportunity and inclusion in a serious way. We are committed to building a staff body that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

• The closing date for this role is 09:00 GMT on 17 October 2025.
• Interviews will be scheduled for week commencing 27 October 2025

To apply, please click on the ‘Apply now’ button on the job page and submit your CV and a brief cover letter clearly demonstrating how you meet the criteria.

We regret that due to the large number of applications anticipated, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Apply Now