Conflict-related sexual violence Project Manager: “Our Voice, Our Justice” (OVOJ) Project

Title: Conflict-related sexual violence Project Manager: “Our Voice, Our Justice” (OVOJ) Project Location: Kampala (Uganda)-based, with frequent travels to Sudan (Khartoum – security situation dependent), Northern Uganda (Kiryadongo), South Sudan (Juba) and Chad (Adré). Availability: Full-time commitment Period: Individual consultancy contract 12 months, starting 1 December 2026; renewable based on performance. Reporting to: Voice Programme Manager About Us The Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation (MF) is an international rights-based, survivor-centred organisation, dedicated to ending sexual violence as a weapon of war globally. The Mukwege Foundation supports survivors’ demands for a world where sexual violence as a weapon of war is no longer tolerated, and bears consequences for individual perpetrators and states. We work for a future where survivors receive the holistic care and compensation they need to rebuild their lives. We create opportunities for survivors to speak out and be heard, and where they can organise to create change, influence policies, and demand justice and accountability. The Mukwege Foundation’s ‘Voice’ programme focuses on strengthening survivors’ agency to actively influence and participate in policy and practice concerning them at national and international levels. At the global level, SEMA – the Global Network of Victims and Survivors to End Wartime Sexual Violence – offers a safe global platform for survivors to come together for solidarity, to share experiences and knowledge, to advocate powerfully for the abolition of the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war, and to lobby for the recognition of the rights of survivors to quality holistic care and to restorative justice. At the national level, the Mukwege Foundation supports the initiation, development, and strengthening of in-country survivor networks, creating safe spaces for peer-to-peer support and building survivors’ capacities to enable them to actively engage in advocating for their rights. The in-country networks vary according to their context and capacities, but in all cases these networks organize to raise awareness about the reality, causes and consequences of wartime rape in the respective countries; to combat stigma, impunity and harmful myths around CRSV; to increase access to survivor-centred holistic care and to commemorate and recognize the many victims of these atrocities by creating a collective memory of survivors’ experiences. The Mukwege Foundation is currently supporting national survivor networks in Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Iraq, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, Nepal, Syria, South Sudan, Uganda, Ukraine, and is in the process of expanding its programme to Chad and Sudan in 2026. Background The conflict in Sudan has been characterised by widespread and systematic conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), resulting in significant displacement of women, girls, men and children into neighbouring countries. Sudanese survivors of CRSV both within Sudan and in displaced countries face ongoing protection risks including insecurity, stigma, discrimination, retaliation, exploitation, restricted access to services, and limited opportunities to participate safely in decisions affecting their lives. The Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation has been implementing the ‘Our Voice, Our Justice’ (OVOJ) project from June 2026 up to December 2028. The project is supporting Sudanese refugee CRSV survivors to organise in survivor-led networks, access protection and psychosocial support, and safely engage in advocacy for accountability and justice. The overarching goal of this project is that conflict-related sexual violence survivors from Sudan are protected and supported to safely claim their rights and advocate for justice and accountability through the strengthening of survivor networks. The project is implemented in eastern Chad (in camps in and around Adré), South Sudan (in Juba and in camps around Juba), and Uganda (in the Kiryandongo refugee settlement). Additionally, the Mukwege Foundation is also looking at strategically responding to needs of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence within Sudan through other sources of funding. Hence, Sudan is included in these terms of reference and as part of the overall regional response of the Mukwege Foundation. Job overview This is an excellent opportunity for a Ugandan-based Project Manager dedicated to human rights and motivated to support survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. The ideal candidate is familiar with the Sudanese context and has experience in project management within international or national human rights or humanitarian organisations, particularly in survivor-centred approaches, prevention and response to conflict-related sexual violence and/or gender-based violence. The Project Manager will serve as the Mukwege Foundation’s focal point in Uganda, Chad, Sudan and South Sudan, leading the engagement with survivors, in close collaboration with implementing partners, and other key stakeholders in the four countries. The Project Manager will support the project implemented by partners and accompany survivor networks through programmatic, logistical, administrative, financial reporting, and advocacy support, and will identify and facilitate survivor participation across relevant coordination and advocacy platforms for Mukwege Foundation programmes. Main responsibilities The Project Manager will serve as a key resource responsible for the project implementation and operational set-up across all four countries. The position will be based in Uganda, with regular travel (at least twice per year) to Sudan (if security situation allows), South Sudan and Chad to support cross-country coordination and implementation with survivor networks and partners. Fluency in both Arabic and English is mandatory for this position, along with strong skills in project management. The Project Manager is responsible for the successful planning, execution, and completion of the ‘Our Voice, Our Justice’ project, including the grants implemented by partners. With guidance and technical support from the global team, they will actively support the development, strengthening, and impact of national survivor networks in Uganda, Chad, Sudan and South Sudan. These responsibilities include: 1. Programme implementation • Ensure cross-country project coordination across Chad, Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda, adhering to OVOJ objectives and workplan; • Support activity implementation, coordinating closely with implementing partners and the Mukwege Foundation global team; • Support the organisation’s technical trainings, workshops, and coordination meetings across all countries; • Overall responsibility for the adherence of project activities to the work plan, managing timelines, resource allocation, activity sequencing to ensure timely implementation. 2. Partnership management • Ensure effective coordination with partners across all four countries to ensure safe, timely and quality implementation of the project activities; • Coordinate and follow-up with partners on partnership agreements and engagements, ensuring support for activities implementation and reporting; • Provide assistance on monitoring, evaluation and reporting to partners, ensuring data collection and analysis, ensuring safe and ethical data management. 3. Stakeholders’ coordination • Supporting the organisation of survivor-led events planned in the OVOJ project; • Ensuring participation of survivor networks in advocacy campaigns and events through operational and logistical planning; • Responding to urgent safety and security concerns arising in national survivor networks during programme implementation; • Follow up on other relevant activities to support the survivor networks; • Supporting the Mukwege Foundation’s engagement with key service providers, stakeholders working on CRSV prevention, response, survivor advocacy, justice, accountability, and protection; • Maintain relationships with grassroots organisations working in line with Mukwege Foundation project objectives and the survivor networks; • Lead operational programming such as travel logistics, permissions and paperwork for in country visits in all four countries. 4. Monitoring and Evaluation • Collect reliable and quality data, respecting ethical and safety considerations; • Produce high-quality reports that articulate the progress against the work plan milestones, in close collaboration with the Programme Manager; • Monitor context, flagging risks and opportunities and propose change in activities based on feedback of survivor networks and implementing partners; • Inform the Programme Manager of project progress, challenges, and successes. 5. Logistics and organisational support • Organise and manage logistics for in-country visits, including travel, accommodation, and other needs for Mukwege Foundation staff; • Support events, including workshop preparation and translation as needed. 6. Other responsibilities • Identify and facilitate survivor participation across relevant coordination and advocacy platforms and Mukwege Foundation programmes in the region; • Apply a survivor-centred approach across all contexts, including by engaging stakeholders working with CRSV survivors; • Work closely with the current OVOJ Project Kick-Start Manager to ensure a smooth and effective handover, including the transfer of project documentation, institutional knowledge, stakeholder relationships, operational processes, and ongoing activities to ensure continuity of implementation; • Ensure adequate communication regarding OVOJ activities. Qualifications and competencies • Fluency in Arabic and English is mandatory. Proficiency in French will be considered an asset. • Relevant university degree (e.g. political science, social science, gender studies, psychology, sociology) with 5 years of relevant work experience in a comparable context. • Experience in project management and implementation in Sudan and neighbouring countries. • Experience in engaging with survivors of SGBV/CRSV or other victims of grave violations. • Excellent problem-solving skills. • Strong writing and communication skills. • Flexibility, independence, problem solving attitude, reliability and commitment to the objectives of the Foundation. • High ethical standards of behaviour, good judgment, respect for others, diplomatic skills, confidentiality and attention to detail. • Candidates with experience in working with civil society organisations, grassroots organisations, and/or activist movements will be considered an asset. Diversity The Mukwege Foundation is an international organisation with a diverse, international team and its main office in the Netherlands. • As the Mukwege Foundation, we believe in the value of a diverse (leadership) team. We believe that a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace is essential to our work. We welcome people from all backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures, and experiences to apply. • Given the sensitive nature of the work with survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, preference will be given to women candidates. • It is a requirement for the candidate to have working rights in Uganda and ability to travel between the four countries. Sudanese nationals with the right to work in Uganda are strongly encouraged to apply What we offer • 1-year contract starting 1 December 2026 with possibility to extend based on performance (based on 40 hours per week). • 2,500 EUR/month (full-time commitment) inclusive of taxes, levies and duties of whatever nature relating in any way to the position. How to apply Please send your cover letter and CV, in English, by 22 November 2026 to Lucy Shanahan at vacancies@mukwegefoundation.org using the subject Application: Project Manager “Our Voice, Our Justice”. We will be conducting interviews online in the last week of November 2026 and will assess candidates on a rolling basis. The vacancy may be closed earlier if a suitable candidate is identified, so we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible. Start date: 1 December 2026