Centre for Environmental Rights – Advancing Environmental Rights in South Africa

The Centre for Environmental Rights is looking for a Programmes Officer to join our team and to work primarily in the CER’s Mining Programme and Pollution and Climate Change Programme. Based in Cape Town, this position is for an energetic organiser with at least 3 years’ experience in an administrative or programmatic support role, and who has a passion for environmental justice and working for the right to a healthy and protected environment to be realised.

CER is committed to diversity, inclusion and transformation and strives to reflect South Africa’s racial, cultural, sex and gender diversity within its staff complement. Candidates from historically disadvantaged or marginalised groups are strongly encouraged to apply for this post, and will be preferred.

Location

Cape Town

Qualifications, skills and experience

• Relevant degree or qualification, and a minimum of 3 years’ experience in an administrative or programmatic support role.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills, as well as the ability to multi task in a fast-paced work environment.
• Excellent communication skills, attention to detail and commitment to high accuracy levels in all aspects of the job are essential.
• Computer literacy, with specific competence in Microsoft Office especially Excel, including virtual and cloud-based computer applications

• A sensitivity to social issues and the experiences and needs of marginalised communities.
• Excellent networking skills, and strong capabilities in building support amongst a wide range of stakeholders.
• A commitment to high-quality client service.
• A passion for social and environmental justice.
• A commitment to diversity, inclusion, and transformation.

The Centre for Environmental Rights strives to reflect South Africa’s racial, cultural, sex and gender diversity within its staff complement. All suitably-qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.

Key responsibilities

To provide general administrative support and assistance primarily to the Mining Programme and the Pollution and Climate Change Programme, but also to the Centre more generally to realise the Programmes’ and the Centre’s strategic objectives, which may change and develop over time.

• assisting with inter and intra programme coordination, collaboration and communication; and assisting with sharing relevant information with staff in the programme teams;
• assisting with enquiries and requests received from partners, clients, and members of the public;
• coordinating support for clients and partners for relevant matters;
• supporting the provision of advice to and the representation of communities and civil society organisations in various matters, including through strategic public interest environmental litigation, advocacy, and research;
• liaising with, for example, partner organisations, clients, members of the public, government officials, courts, advocates, sheriffs, tribunals, correspondent attorneys, and opposing attorneys;
• assisting in achieving the deliverables and reporting on those deliverables as set out in terms of the Centre’s funding agreements, and assisting with reporting to the Board and funders, as required;
• assisting with reporting to funders, and fundraising for future projects, as required;
• assisting with the recording and sharing of learning for systemic change, as well as monitoring performance against indicators;
• providing onsite administrative support to programmes and clients in respect of litigation and other matters;
• providing onsite administrative support for meetings, workshops, conferences and the like; which includes: organising, preparing and attending meetings, workshops and conferences; taking minutes and/or notes of meetings, workshops, and conferences; assisting with following up on action items arising from minutes, workshops and conferences;
• liaising with the operations team to assist with travel, accommodation and other logistical arrangements for hearings, meetings, workshops, conferences and the like;
• providing limited support in assisting in managing the programme budget expenditure and reporting process to ensure compliance with the Centre’s financial policies;
• facilitating the upload and description of documents onto the Virtual Environmental Law Library, the Promotion of Access to Information Act log, and onto the Centre’s website and the LAC website.

Salary

The salary offered will be dependent on factors that include the qualifications, level of expertise, and experience of the successful candidate, but will not be less than R215 031 (total cost to company).

Working for the CER

The Centre for Environmental Rights is a non-profit organisation and law clinic of activist lawyers who work with communities and civil society organisations in South Africa to realise our Constitutional right to a healthy environment by advocating and litigating for environmental justice. We seek a just, equitable, compassionate society which is resilient, celebrates diversity, and respects the inter-dependence between people and the environment.

As South Africa’s largest public interest environmental law organisation, we use our expertise and commitment to fight for environmental justice and advance the right to a healthy environment for all. We take on the big environmental battles: cases in which we can empower local communities, have an enduring impact, set powerful precedents for other cases, and help improve policy and practice across the country.

Winning the legal case is only part of the battle. CER’s litigation work is strengthened by local training and empowerment, dedicated policy and advocacy work, and strategic communications. In all of our work, we work closely with partners in affected communities, with other civil society organisations in the environmental and social justice sector, and with other public interest law organisations.

We work across the following core themes: Mining, Water, Pollution and Climate Change, Corporate Accountability & Transparency, and Activist Support & Training. We have our main office in Observatory, Cape Town, with a smaller office in Johannesburg.

At CER, we value our staff and regard their wellbeing as a priority. We are committed to a work environment that is inclusive and empathetic, and in which diversity is celebrated and supported.