OVERVIEW

Landesa is an international NGO, working to secure land rights for the world's poor, rural women, and men. Since its founding in the 1960s at the University of Washington School of Law, Landesa has partnered with governments and stakeholders to benefit people who are experiencing poverty; whose identity and livelihoods depend on rural land, forests, or coastal areas; who lack formalized land and resource rights, are not able to fully benefit from those rights, or who are vulnerable to losing those rights.

We are committed to a future in which all women and men who depend on land have secure, legal land rights – one of the most powerful tools for lifting oneself, one's family, and one's community out of poverty.

Start Date: 1st September 2026

Contract Duration: 12 Months

Eligibility: Malawi Nationals only

POSITION 1: SENIOR LAND TENURE SPECIALIST (CONSULTANT – FULL TIME)

Reports to: Africa Region Director

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• Graduate or professional degree in a land related discipline, geography, agricultural economics, economics, sociology, environment, natural resources, law, or related fields.
• A minimum of 10 years of professional experience in managing and implementing projects on land tenure and governance, natural resource management, or related fields, with a significant portion of that experience in Africa.
• Familiarity with GESI frameworks and gender-transformative approaches to land programming.
• Demonstrated experience working with or collaborating with governments, land administration institutions, or public sector bodies in advancing land reform agenda at the national, sub-regional and regional level.
• Strong understanding of land tenure systems, customary tenure regimes, land policies and legislations, and overall land reform processes in Malawi.
• Experience in policy advocacy, public engagement, and communications, with the ability to communicate complex technical issues clearly to different audiences.
• Strong data, evidence, monitoring, and learning capabilities, including experience strengthening gender disaggregated data collection and analysis, monitoring policy or program commitments, and translating evidence into actionable insights.
• Track record of supporting fundraising efforts, including proposal development and donor engagement.
• Experience in development of training materials, tools and community-level approaches is an added advantage.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to produce polished written products and represent an organization in high-level settings.
• Fluency in English required, proficiency in local languages an asset.
• Professionally exercise independent judgment, work with minimal supervision, and deliver high-quality, actionable outputs.
• A deep commitment to Landesa's mission of a better, safer future for all women and men who depend on land have secure, legal land rights.
• Research, analysis, synthesis, reasoning, and writing abilities that have been developed to a level that permits the Sr. Land Tenure Specialist to work independently and offer leadership in project design and implementation.
• Familiarity with the Malawi land sector, customary tenure arrangements, legal frameworks, economic and social trends, agricultural and environmental issues.
• Ability to develop concrete work plans and manage tasks, project teams, partnerships, and other elements so that work is performed according to agreed budgets, schedules, delivery requirements.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a range of partners and stakeholders at all levels.
• Ability to demonstrate cross-cultural sensitivity, tact, and poise.
• Ability to lead and work collaboratively as a member of teams.
• Ability to engage and lead in high-level land governance, women's land rights, legal and policy advocacy discourse with legislators, government officials, multilateral representatives, and private sector leaders.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Technical Leadership, Program Design and Implementation

• Provide technical leadership in the implementation of Landesa project under the "Securing Women's Land Rights Project in Malawi" funded by Irene M. Staehelin Foundation in collaboration with other implementing partners; WOLREC, WLA and CYECE.
• Provide technical support to all existing land rights projects in Malawi at all stages including the design, implementation, monitoring, and reporting.

Strategic Support and Country Program Development

• Support the Africa Region Director in strategic planning and positioning, aligned with Landesa's mission in Malawi and at regional level.
• Contribute to the development, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of Landesa's country strategy.
• Provide technical advice and recommendations to the Africa Region Director on Malawi program matters.

Gender Equality and Social Inclusion

• Oversee the integration of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) approaches in all projects including development and or technical reviews of training manuals, curriculums, and legislative documents.
• Oversee the planning, designing, and implementation of GESI assessments, monitoring, and evaluation of project, and use of disaggregated data to advance women's land rights, and inclusive policy and regulatory reforms.

Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and strengthen strategic partnership with key stakeholders in government, civil society, private sector, academia, and at the community level.
• Identify and foster collaboration with partners advancing work in land-based investment, women's land rights, climate change and natural resource governance, customary land administration and land use planning, agriculture and rural development.
• Map existing national, sub-regional and regional networks, complementary and cross-sectoral initiatives to strengthen national and regional networking, learning and knowledge exchange.

Team Support and Capacity Strengthening

• In collaboration with and support from the Africa Region Director, provide technical supervision to Landesa Project staff.
• Work with project partners to facilitate cross-learning and exchanges on key thematic areas of interest.
• Leverage the technical knowledge, experience and lessons learnt by Landesa staff in country, regional and internationally for foster experience sharing.

Communications and Advocacy

• Plan, design and implement strategies for communications and outreach for public awareness concerning women's and men's land rights.
• Work with civil society actors and community members to strengthen their abilities to communicate the importance of women's and men's land rights.
• Develop and disseminate communications and outreach materials such as op-eds, briefs, policy documents, newsletters, infographics, websites, and social media.
• Work with key government officials at the national, regional, and local levels to support efforts to design and implement a strategy to achieve and track progress towards national and international commitments.

Data and Evidence

• Engage in dialogue and support coordinate data capacity development efforts for key actors.
• Support the rigorous monitoring of progress on national women's land rights, and relevant sustainable development commitments.
• Help translate data into compelling insights and communication products for diverse audiences.

Resource Mobilization Support

• Collaborate with Africa Region Director, Country Program Directors, regional and global technical Directors, and Landesa Resource Development team to develop funding proposals, project budgets and produce project reporting documents.

Other Responsibilities

• Perform other duties as assigned by the Africa Region Director.

Essential Job Functions

• Offer leadership in project implementation and management that involves consortium partners.
• Performs research, analysis, and synthesis of topics and issues related to Landesa's work in Malawi.
• Undertakes and supervises fieldwork to gather information about land tenure, land policy, land administration and management issues.
• Makes policy, program and project recommendations that are useful and realistic.
• Develops plans for implementing recommendations, including ensuring that gender considerations are addressed in all program interventions.
• Assesses progress and results, identifies problem areas, and takes corrective steps to achieve Landesa's project and project objectives.
• Organize and facilitate inclusive national and local stakeholders' meetings and learning events.
• Provide specific recommendations to inform development and implementation of the Landesa country strategy.
• Manages projects in conformity with Landesa procedures on budgeting, and work planning, cost monitoring, travel schedules, and product preparation and delivery.
• Foster collaboration with government officials at all levels, Civil Society Organizations, international aid agencies, and corporations in the work.
• Contributes to internal learning objectives by sharing research methods and findings, project milestones, challenges, opportunities, and new emerging issues.
• Prepares and delivers public education, advocacy and awareness presentations, policy briefs and other products.
• Performs other tasks as assigned.

POSITION 2: GENDER AND LAND TENURE SPECIALIST (CONSULTANT – FULL TIME)

Reports to: Africa Region Director

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• Advanced degree (or equivalent experience) in gender studies, social sciences, development studies, law, in a land discipline and natural resource governance, or related field.
• At least 8 years of relevant professional experience in gender equity and social inclusion (GESI) programming including managing and or implementing a women's land rights project is a plus.
• Demonstrated experience developing GESI training manuals/curricula and materials reviews and validating them with government and civil society stakeholders.
• Experience designing and conducting GESI assessments and applying findings to program design, implementation, monitoring, and learning, including the development and use of gender-sensitive indicators and gender-disaggregated data.
• Extensive experience in integrating GESI in land governance, land administration and management; land policy research and analysis, design and implementation of land, agriculture, environment and rural development interventions, and women economic empowerment projects.
• Monitoring, evaluation, learning, and data skills, including experience strengthening data collection and analysis processes, interpreting gender-disaggregated data, documenting results, and translating evidence into recommendations.
• Strong facilitation skills and experience delivering training to government counterparts, traditional leadership structures, community members, and CSOs.
• Strong report writing and documentation skills.
• Willingness and ability to travel within Malawi and regionally, as required for communities and other stakeholder engagement, learning exchanges, and other project activities.
• A deep commitment to the mission of a better, safer future for the world's poorest people through secure land rights for women, men, and local communities.
• Strong problem-solving and interpersonal skills.
• Strong oral presentation skills and an ability to disseminate policy recommendations at the community level, government officials, traditional authorities, CSOs, private sector actors, development agencies and others.
• Familiarity with land policy and legislative frameworks in Malawi, economic, social, agricultural, environmental, institutional, and geographic concepts that can be applied to secure women's land rights, and rural development sector.
• Ability to develop concrete work plans and manage tasks, work in teams, and other elements so that work is performed according to agreed budgets, schedules, delivery requirements.
• Exceptional ability to communicate in writing and orally in English and local languages.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Stakeholder Engagement and Partnerships

• Work closely with the Sr. Land Tenure Specialist, Landesa project staff at national, regional, and global level, and in collaboration with Project partners: WOLREC, WLA, and CYECE in implementing the "Securing Women's Land Rights Project in Malawi" funded by Irene M. Staehelin Foundation.
• Foster collaborative relationships with key stakeholders in government, private sector, customary authorities, civil society including the community-led organization, women, men, and the youth to advance inclusive and equitable land governance including in securing women's land rights in customary land registration, land policy and legislative reforms, and other relevant sectors.
• Map existing national, sub-regional and regional networks, complementary and cross-sectoral initiatives to strengthen national and regional networking, learning and knowledge exchange among project partners and stakeholders at national and international level.

Gender Equality and Social Inclusion

• Provide technical leadership in the integration of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) approaches in all projects.
• In collaboration with project partners, provide technical support in planning, designing, and implementing strategies for integrating GESI towards securing women's land rights in customary land registration.
• Provide technical leadership in the design and execution of GESI assessments, monitoring, and evaluation of project outcomes.
• Undertake technical reviews of project documents, training curriculums and materials, and legislative materials to profile gaps and provide specific recommendations to strengthen social inclusion, gender equality and women's rights provisions.

Capacity Strengthening

• Facilitate access to and convene trainings and learning workshops for project partners, government representatives, the private sector, civil society actors, traditional authorities, and community members to raise awareness, influence behaviors and attitude towards securing women's land rights for inclusive land governance.
• Support national and international peer learning and exchange programs between project stakeholders as may be required from time to time to support learning and information sharing.
• Develop and provide technical inputs to communication materials targeted to various audiences and recommend use of appropriate media such as radio program as a tool for information dissemination land rights laws and legislations including those that secure women's land rights to members of public.
• Design and implement other capacity development initiatives as may be required from time to time to advance project work.

Monitoring and Learning

• Review the M&E needs and plans for the project, design and extract relevant indicators to monitor the project gendered outcomes.
• Establish an effective data collection system and reporting forms for capturing quantitative and qualitative information and implement the established M&E system in collaboration with partners.
• Implement the established M&E system during the project life cycle.
• In coordination with Landesa Research, Evaluation and Learning (REL) staff, facilitate efforts that enhance existing data collection processes, data analysis, and presentation to showcase project progress, inform key decisions, and profiles key outcomes.

Communications and Advocacy

• Develop and disseminate communications and outreach materials such as op-eds, briefs, policy documents, newsletters, infographics, websites, and social media in close cooperation with Landesa communications and advocacy program staff.
• Document and share project reports, policy briefs, significant change stories and testimonials regularly, and in liaison with Landesa communication team.

Other Responsibilities

• Support Landesa's senior management and other staff to develop funding proposals and budgets.
• Perform other duties as assigned by Africa Region Director or her designate.

HOW TO APPLY (FOR ALL POSITIONS)

To apply for these jobs, please visit: landesa.applytojob.com