Civil Society Organisations (CSO) Strengthening Advisor

GIZ Malawi

JOB ADVERTISEMENT- ADVISOR (CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS STRENGTHENING)

A. PROJECT BRIEF
The Multi-Donor Action “Strengthening Public Financial and Economic Management (PFEM) – Tikuze Malawi” is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ, German Agency for International Development Cooperation) on behalf of the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The overall objective of the Action is to improve Malawi’s economic governance and the accountability of public resources. Its specific objective is to enhance the efficiency of anti-corruption and anti-fraud systems in Malawi.

Over its four-year implementation period (May 2024 – December 2027), the Joint Action blends the support to key public financial management (PFM) reforms with the support to key anti-corruption and anti-fraud institutions. It operates across five distinct results areas: (1) Domestic Resource Mobilization, (2) Budget Execution / Expenditure Management, (3) Control and Oversight of Public Resources, (4) Investigation and Prosecution of Corruption, and (5) Asset Forfeiture Process. The Joint Action applies several cross-cutting approaches, including digitalisation, inter-institutional cooperation, collaboration with civil society, change management, strategic communication, and gender mainstreaming.

As part of an expanded mandate, PFEM has been tasked to strengthen civil society organisations (CSOs) working on integrity, transparency, and social accountability. Under this mandate, PFEM will collaborate with selected CSOs to strengthen citizen participation in public oversight, promote evidence-based advocacy, support infrastructure and natural resources governance transparency, and improve the use of formal reporting and complaint channels. In this context, the project will inter alia support the strengthening of multi-actor collaboration platforms linking government institutions, CSOs, media, the private sector, and communities to address corruption risks and service delivery challenges in key service delivery and public resource sectors.

PFEM is therefore recruiting a Civil Society Organisations (CSO) Strengthening Advisor to lead technical cooperation with partner CSOs, facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogue, support organisational development, accompany civic monitoring initiatives, and ensure that CSO-led social accountability interventions are effectively integrated across PFEM’s result areas.

B. YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
The position holder will be responsible for the technical leadership, facilitation, coordination, and operationalisation of civil society engagement under the BMZ/EU Joint Action PFEM – Tikuze Malawi. Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

  • Provide tailored technical advisory services and organisational development support to partner CSOs, including strengthening anti-corruption advocacy, evidence-based engagement strategies and citizen accountability tools.
  • Build capacities of CSOs and grassroots watchdog structures to monitor service delivery and public resource use, and to effectively utilise formal reporting and complaint mechanisms.
  • Support sector-specific social accountability initiatives in areas such as infrastructure transparency, open contracting, assurance processes and natural resource governance, including the development of citizen-friendly monitoring tools, reports and advocacy products.
  • Facilitate dialogue and coordination between CSOs, oversight institutions (e.g. NAO, ACB), private sector actors, media, local authorities and community groups through multi-actor forums, stakeholder dialogues and public engagement platforms.
  • Support partners in establishing and applying monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) systems for complaint mechanisms, corruption trends and sectoral monitoring, and ensure the integration of CSO-generated findings into PFEM’s overall knowledge management and reporting.
  • Plan, contract and supervise CSO-related consultancies and contribute to PFEM’s project management processes, including annual planning, progress reporting, procurement guidance and coordination of field missions, workshops, trainings and district-level consultations.
  • Promote inclusive, gender-sensitive and community-driven approaches across CSO engagement activities, and strengthen learning and collaboration among partners at national and district levels.
  • Represent the project in relevant networks and coordination platforms, in agreement with the Team Leader and/or line manager, and support cooperation with development partners and stakeholder coalitions.
  • Ensure systematic knowledge management, documentation and internal learning on CSO engagement approaches, including active exchange and cooperation with relevant GIZ sector networks, communities of practice and internal working groups.

C. TASKS

The position holder will perform the following tasks:

  • Provide strategic and technical advice on civil society engagement, social accountability, community participation, and evidence-based advocacy across the PFEM project.
  • Support CSO partners to design, implement and monitor civic oversight tools, complaint and reporting mechanisms, and community-driven service delivery monitoring.
  • Contribute to capacity development interventions through trainings, coaching and backstopping of partner CSOs, watchdog structures, community leaders, and media actors.
  • Assist in planning, implementing, and monitoring CSO-related activities in close coordination with PFEM technical advisors.
  • Develop analytical products including corruption trend summaries, sectoral briefs, citizen monitoring reports, and technical content for communication products.
  • Facilitate structured learning and knowledge exchange among CSOs, government institutions, private sector actors and the PFEM team.
  • Prepare and manage consultancy ToRs, support procurement processes, supervise consultants, and ensure high-quality deliverables.
  • Support project management by contributing CSO-strengthening inputs to progress reports, annual planning, monitoring systems, and the technical follow-up of CSO-related activities.
  • Assist in the organisation of dialogues, multi-stakeholder forums, field missions, and public engagement events.
  • Perform other related duties as assigned by the line manager to ensure effective implementation of the Joint Action.

D. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

  • Bachelor’s degree in development studies, political science, public policy, governance, social sciences, law, or a related field; a master’s degree is an added advantage.
  • At least 5 years of professional experience in civil society strengthening, social accountability, governance, and/or community-driven monitoring.
  • Demonstrated experience working with civil society organisations, community networks, social movements, and/or accountability platforms.
  • Technical knowledge in infrastructure governance, open contracting, public works monitoring, and/or natural resource/extractive governance is a strong asset.
  • Experience in anti-corruption, public accountability mechanisms, grievance/complaint handling, or transparency initiatives is an added advantage.
  • Strong experience in facilitating multi-stakeholder cooperation, including government-CSO-citizen dialogues.
  • Proven analytical and communication skills, with critical and strategic thinking, with the ability to translate complex governance issues into accessible tools and products.
  • Excellent facilitation, interpersonal and networking skills, with the ability to work in multicultural and multi-actor environments.
  • Excellent writing and presentation skills in Chichewa and English.
  • Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams); experience in digital tools for citizen engagement or data visualisation is an asset.
  • Strong commitment to teamwork, integrity, diversity, and ethical conduct.

D. HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates meeting the above requirements must submit the following:

  1. Electronic one-paged cover letter (the gross monthly salary expectation in Malawi Kwacha must be included in the cover letter)
  2. Electronic detailed curriculum vitae (CV) of not more than 3 pages.
  3. Copies of certificates.

The above documents should be sent to giz-malawi-hr@giz.de and the following reference code of the call for application is strictly to be indicated in the subject line of the applicant’s email: GIZ/PFEM/058/Name of applicant.

All applications should be addressed to:

The Head of HR
GIZ Malawi
P.O. Box 31131
Lilongwe 3.

The deadline for receiving applications is 19th December 2025. Only shortlisted candidates who meet the above criteria will be contacted. Should you not receive communication from us by 1st February 2026, please consider your application as unsuccessful.

GIZ is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from individuals regardless of gender, disability, race, ethnicity, religion, age, or any other protected characteristic. We embrace diversity and believe that inclusivity in the workplace is essential to our success, and we are committed to creating a work environment where all employees are valued and respected.