Internal Communications and Diversity Consultant

During COFEM’s first strategy meeting held in New York in 2018, an action plan (2018-2020) was developed that has two key priorities: (1) strengthen COFEM’s internal governance and membership structure to foster cohesion, growth and sustainability; and (2) engage external stakeholders to facilitate targeted advocacy and learning about centering women and girls in VAWG work.

In order to support the first key priority, COFEM created the Internal Communications and Diversity (ICD) Working Group, which is focused on promoting a culture of mutual respect, appreciation and practices supportive of diversity and inclusion, and encouraging of all members to engage and feel supported. To further build on this priority, COFEM has also defined a number of feminist principles to guide the work of the network, to which all incoming members are asked to commit.

In collaboration with the ICD Working Group and in alignment with COFEM’s guiding principles, the Internal Communications and Diversity Consultant will work to institutionalize strategies for enhancing diversity and inclusion with the COFEM community, as well as support COFEM to more effectively promote intersectionality in COFEM’s public-facing advocacy work.

COFEM seeks an Internal Communications and Diversity Consultant to work alongside our Internal Communications and Diversity Working Group to identify and lead efforts to support COFEM to ground its work in an anti-racist, anti- oppression and intersectional feminist practice.

It is anticipated that this position will begin in September 2020 at 4 days/month, at a rate of $400/day. There will be an opportunity for this role to be expanded, pending additional funding.

The deliverables listed below are indicative and based on feasibility in the part-time assignment, and additional activities may arise. The Consultant will be assisted in these priority activities by the COFEM Coordinator, the COFEM ICD Working Group, and additional COFEM team members who will be supporting the scope of work:

1. Lead on writing a learning brief on the topics of race, intersectionality, and feminism, as well as their relationship to violence against women and girls with the ICD Working Group, and develop a dissemination strategy for this resource.
2. Alongside the ICD Working Group chair, lead on planning COFEM Learning Circles to connect COFEM members around these topics and create space for discussion and community support.
3. Review COFEM’s advocacy activities (webinars, resource development, etc.) and develop recommendations for how COFEM’s guiding principles can be better integrated.
4. Develop strategies for ensuring that a diversity of members are able to lead and participate in COFEM conversations, whether in the form of Working Groups, Learning Circles or other member-led activities.
5. Provide guidance to the ICD Working Group chair and COFEM Secretariat on issues and concerns around diversity, inclusion and accessibility.