Education and Communities Coordinator (Digital Security Helpline) Full Time

About this role

As the regional Education and Communities Coordinator – Africa you will help manage the preventative, educational, and community-building efforts of the Digital Security Helpline in the MENA and Sub Saharan Africa regions. You will work closely with the Helpline regional team of incident handlers to manage and coordinate educational efforts including audits, extended interventions, and digital security training, among others. You will help build, maintain and strengthen relationships with key civil society partners in the region, including Helpline intermediaries, safety trainers and regional help desks, and will help drive the presence and viability of the Helpline for some of the most vulnerable communities. The Education and Communities Coordinator – Africa sits within the Digital Security Helpline, and reports through the Helpline’s Education and Communities Lead.

This role is suited to an experienced digital security trainer or auditor who is excited by Access Now’s mission and is eager to connect with partners and organizations in the Region to provide support and advice to human rights defenders in Africa and around the world! We’re looking for an individual who strives to support at-risk communities with strengthening their digital safety knowledge and skills, and enjoys participating in collaborative efforts and nurturing trust relationships across our community of practice. Very strong candidates will likely have:

• familiarity with the ecosystem of regional intermediaries, rapid responders, trainers and other relevant partners operating in the Region to support at-risk users affected by digital security threats;
• experience providing security support for high-risk individuals, groups, or organizations; and/or
• experience with coordinating collaborative efforts, providing guidance and advice aimed at strengthening the capacity of fellow team members.

What you will do

As Education and Communities Coordinator – Africa you will maximize the impact of assistance and interventions in the Region, especially in relation to longer-term efforts and outcomes through organisational/group accompaniment framing, for regional work by the Helpline team. More specifically, you will:

• Support the coordination of digital security assessments, audits, trainings, clinics and other regional initiatives, both in-person and remotely
• Build and maintain relationships with regional intermediaries, help desks, trainers and other regional partners to strengthen the regional ecosystem capacity
• Build and maintain beneficiary relationships and partnerships with at-risk communities and groups from the region
• Facilitate referrals to and collaborate with other support organizations for the needs of civil society organizations, journalists, and at-risk users
• Coordinate technical, procedural and financial support to improve the regional ecosystem capacity, by engaging with relevant organizations, communities and networks (e.g. CiviCERT)
• Support the development, improvement and localization of articles, advisories and other resources and communications in support of regional clients and intermediaries
• Serve as an escalation point for regional expertise within the Helpline team and beyond
• Support strategic analysis and planning of regional efforts of the Helpline
• Assist in global implementation of the annual RightsCon summit series
• Perform other duties as assigned

Skills, education, and mindset you will bring

• Experience in assessing risks and communicating risk reduction strategies to non-technical audiences
• Understanding of the security needs of at-risk users, such as civil society members, human rights defenders, media workers, discriminated demographics
• Competence in providing digital security training designed to support at-risk individuals and communities, in-person and/or online
• Experience in conducting security assessments for civil society organizations and/or at-risk individuals, delivering actionable remediation plans and support follow-up implementation
• Strong ability to plan, organize, and follow through with projects efficiently
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to manage priorities
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Competence or interest in the development of written resources and documentation

• Ability to travel internationally and domestically on occasion
• Fluency in English required; fluency in other language(s) relevant to the region or issue is desirable; i.e. Arabic and/or French
• Appropriate education and work preparation to allow for successful outcomes in the role; relevant academic degrees in engineering, and/or possession of security certifications are helpful