About Katiba Institute

Katiba Institute (KI) was established in 2011 with the mission of supporting the implementation of Kenya’s 2010 Constitution, helping to resist efforts to undermine that Constitution, and generally assisting in developing a culture of constitutionalism in Kenya. The motivation for setting up KI in early 2011 was a strong sense that the Constitution adopted in 2010 – however much people might praise it as a great Constitution – would require support in many ways from civil society. The need for positive support might come from active resistance to some provisions from some sectors of society, particularly the political, and sometimes from ignorance and misunderstanding on the part of the people themselves and even from those charged with implementing and enforcing the Constitution. As lawyers, the founders naturally foresaw that law and the courts would play an essential part in this project, and so would education. A necessary adjunct to these activities was research, to be able to bring to bear on litigation and education, increasing knowledge of how the Constitution was working, the significance of Kenya’s history in this process, and the insights that the experience of other countries might provide. These form the basis of KI’s daily activities as we also work to foster the spirit of constitutionalism in the East African region by promoting the exchange of academic discourse on constitutional issues and working with like-minded organisations to secure greater freedoms in the region. KI is a company limited by guarantee. It is headed by an Executive Director (ED) and has a distinguished Board. KI operates under three departments – Public Interest Litigation Unit, Research and Publication with civic education and capacity building, Finance and Administration and Institutional Strengthening – each with a department head. These heads, together with the ED, form the senior management team. Staff in the various departments do not work in silos but operate in a consultative and cooperative manner. KI also provides internship opportunities for students to develop their skills by working on various projects supervised by staff members.We pride ourselves on collegiality, commitment, cooperation, warmth, openness, and professionalism. Some of the products from our interventions are accessible on our website and social media platforms.

About the Position

The Executive Director is responsible for the successful leadership and oversight of all operational aspects of KI that are in line with the strategic vision and goals established by the Board of Directors. The position requires a person who has an in-depth understanding of the nature and philosophy of transformative constitutionalism, a solid commitment to good governance and human rights principles, and who is committed to values of integrity, diversity and professionalism. He or she will have good political instincts to help KI develop programmes and projects that have a great impact in entrenching constitutionalism and impacting the lives of our partners – including youth, politicians (local and national), those living in urban informal settlements, activists, women’s groups, religious leaders, local elders, civil servants, and the media. The position requires a visionary, enthusiastic, and dynamic individual with a critical mind, a commitment to the aims of KI, and a passion for helping manage its growth and maintain its strong reputation. While not heading any of the departments, he or she must have a commitment to all the institute’s activities and be able to work with the individual heads to provide leadership and support. We hope to be able to appoint someone who, as well as having the essential intellectual, educational and experiential qualifications, has warmth and empathy, is secure in intellectual and emotional self-esteem, has the willingness to listen, has an open mind, is institutionally loyal, and has a sense of humour. Having established a good reputation while being still a small organisation, KI is poised to grow in size and scope of its activities, in which the ED will play a vital guiding role with the support of the Board to continue enhancing KI’s financial, asset and human resource base. We are looking for an individual who is able and willing to do this within the organisation’s cooperative and democratic culture.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Vision and Leadership

• Participate with the Board of Directors in developing the vision and strategic plan to guide the organisation and be responsible for implementing that vision, the strategic plan and other board decisions.
• Identify, assess, and inform the Board of Directors of internal and external issues that affect the organisation.
• Provide general oversight and leadership and supervise programme directors/managers.
• Safeguard and advance KI’s institutional culture and reputation.

Management

• Oversee the strategic direction of KI and guide the senior management team in making decisions relating to the organisational management of KI. Ensure high staff morale and productivity. Provide leadership and oversight of KI’s Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.

Research and publication

• Inspire, support, contribute to, and sustain KI’s reputation for quality research and publication on constitutional and public law issues.

Strategic litigation

• Provide leadership to KI’s highly skilled and growing team of strategic litigators. Inspire and oversee the implementation of creative ideas and plans on the use of strategic litigation to entrench constitutionalism.

Community and partners’ outreach

• Oversee and strengthen relationships between KI and its strategic partners, e.g. the judiciary, independent offices and commissions, non-governmental organisations, research institutes, and institutions of higher learning in Kenya and elsewhere. Strengthen and expand strong ties with communities and groups, especially those experiencing or greatly at risk of political and economic marginalisation.

Resource Mobilisation and Donor Liaison

• Develop and oversee the implementation of an effective resource mobilisation strategy, including providing leadership in resource mobilisation.

Financial Management

• Oversee the financial planning and ensure prudent and efficient use of KI’s finances. Ensure statutory and donor financial reporting compliance. Generally, oversee effective financial control.

Human Resources

• Supervise staff. Coordinate recruitment of staff. Establish and monitor work schedules. Manage and monitor the quality and quantity of employee productivity. Evaluate performance.

Communication and PR

• Facilitate and oversee effective coordination and communication between programmes and between KI and its partners.

Qualifications and qualities

• Bachelor or graduate degree in law, political science, sociology, environmental science or economics but other degree-holders with relevant experience will also be considered.
• While a formal qualification in law is not specified, a good understanding of law and how it works, particularly of constitutional law, would be a highly relevant strength.
• At least five years of management experience, preferably in a research, constitutional, legal or human rights institution and a proven track record of delivery.
• Technologically savvy with high research and writing skills for varied readers.
• Strong commitment to advocating for the rule of law and constitutionalism.
• A good understanding of the civil society sector.
• A hands-on team leader with excellent interpersonal skills who can lead and motivate staff of all types within a participatory management environment.
• Politically astute, pleasant, self-confident personality committed and highly intelligent and able to interact with various partners and associates.
• Good command of English with Kiswahili and another foreign language widely used in Africa as an added advantage.
• Excellent networking, resource mobilisation and financial management skills.

Submitting Application

Please email a cover letter, curriculum vitae and names and contacts of three referees to careers@katibainstitute.org. Kindly indicate the title of the position in the subject line

of your email. The Application must reach us by 11 p.m. on Friday, 14 June 2024.

Katiba Institute is an equal opportunity employer. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

For more information about Katiba Institute, click here.

Katiba Institute does not solicit fees to respond to any job advertisement. Soliciting by any candidate immediate rejection of an application.