Programme Officer – Issues Affecting Women Programme

Location: London, England
Reporting to: Director, Issues Affecting Women Programme
Type of contract: Permanent 
Compensation: circa GBP 59,000 plus benefits, with some flexibility based on experience, qualifications, and internal equity
Starting date: 1 February 2026
Application deadline: 9 November 2025

About Oak Foundation:

Oak Foundation contributes to a safer, fairer, and more sustainable world through its grant-making. We are proud of the work our grant recipients do around the world every day, to help people and communities to thrive and to conserve our earth for future generations. With offices in Europe, Africa, and North America, we make grants to organisations located in approximately 40 countries worldwide.

Background:

For more than 20 years, the Issues Affecting Women Programme (IAWP) has funded organisations and movements around the world. All women and girls should be safe, free, and have an equal chance to thrive. Yet, every day, women experience violence and discrimination and are denied the freedom to decide how they will live. This undermines their health, safety, dignity, and independence.

We find inspiration from strong and vibrant organisations and movements, built and led by women. These courageous people transform lives and communities across the world. Supporting them with resources, organisational strengthening, and connections is at the heart of what we do. We support cross-cutting strategies that build women’s movements and resource women’s funds. We also support specific issues that aim to end domestic violence, stop psychological violence, and prevent trafficking and exploitation.

Oak Foundation strives to live the values it works to advance. In addition to a deep commitment to the mission of Oak Foundation, our culture is characterised by collegiality, mutual support, high expectations, and laughter. We are currently recruiting a Programme Officer to manage a portfolio of grants and contribute to the implementation of the IAWP grant-making strategy.

Main responsibilities include:

• Actively participates in the development of IAWP’s strategies and workplans.
• Develops new grant-making opportunities in line with IAWP strategic directions and its learning and evaluation system.
• Fully manages a substantial grant portfolio, ensuring alignment with programme strategies and compliance with Oak’s grant management system and related grant-making procedures. This includes: handling the day-to-day responsibilities of a grant portfolio from initial inquiry to assessment to final recommendation; having site visits; identifying and responding to capacity building needs; monitoring grant implementation; reporting on and closing grants; evaluating current or past grants according to needs; and drawing and sharing lessons learned from projects and clusters of grants, among other activities.
• Supports the IAWP director in the programme’s internal and external communications.
• Engages with the international women’s movement and the funder community as a partner, colleague, and student.
• Plans and supervises capacity building, evaluations, and other processes, including identifying and enlisting support of technical consultants and outside reviewers, when appropriate.
• Represents Oak’s IAWP team on organisation-wide task forces, study groups, public events, etc.
• Performs all other relevant duties that may be assigned by director.

Position requirements

• University degree (Advanced degree preferred) in human rights, international law, gender studies, or similar studies.
• At least seven years relevant professional experience working on human rights or women’s rights. Familiarity with women’s rights issues and movements in the Global South desirable.
• Acommitment to advancing women’s rights and human rights and to Oak’s organisational values.
• Understanding of and experience in multiple aspects of women’s rights and using a range of strategies for social change.
• Familiarity and solidarity with local, regional, and international women’s rights organisations and networks.
• Experience providing technical assistance or other forms of capacity building to civil society organisations.
• Strategic, research, and analytical skills, including in learning, monitoring, and evaluation, and the ability to synthesise and communicate information.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a team. Demonstrated experience of developing work remotely.
• Ability to juggle a wide range of responsibilities that may demand ongoing reprioritisation.
• Poise, maturity, warmth, curiosity, humility, and a good sense of humour.
• Excellent English written and oral communication skills; working knowledge of French desirable.
• Understanding of not-for-profit and/or governmental financial reporting and budgeting.
• Strong computer skills (Office, e-mail, desk research).
• Willingness to travel, up to a maximum of 25 percent per year, sometimes for extended periods (up to two weeks).

How to apply

Interested candidates should apply to our position on Linkedin before end of business on 9 November 2025. No late applications will be accepted.  

NOTE: the cover letter should be succinct and address the following points:

• Your reasons for applying to this position
• Your interest in issues affecting women
• Demonstration of your commitment to Oak’s organisational values.

Applicants must have the right to legally live and work in the UK.

By submitting your application, you confirm that you have read and understood Oak’s job applicant’s data privacy notice.

Oak Foundation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, as detailed in our child safeguarding policy. We expect all staff to share this commitment.