CADE Project coordinator - Part-time position (80% FTE)

Vacancy announcement

CADE Project coordinator

Part-time position (80% FTE)

This position is not a generic project management role but requires specific expertise in areas related to digital rights, technological justice or Internet governance.

Please Note: Applications that do not meet the following minimum requirements will not be considered. Candidates must demonstrate all three of the following:

• • Proven experience in digital policy advocacy and/or internet governance.
  • Strong understanding of multistakeholder engagement and civil society coordination in international policy processes.
  • Fluency in English plus at least one of the following: French or Spanish.

Background

Forus is a global network supporting and connecting civil society for effective social change. It brings together 72 National NGO Platforms and 7 Regional Coalitions from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Pacific, reuniting over 24.000 NGOs.

Forus is a consortium partner in the Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment (CADE) project, a 45-month programme (2024 to 2027) funded by the European Commission, with the aim to increase the structural engagement of civil society organisations (CSOs) in global and regional multilateral and multistakeholder internet governance (IG) and standard-setting fora (IGF, ITU, IETF, ICANN), and to ensure the multiplier effect of such engagement through synergies among CSOs in support of an open internet, inclusive and human-centric policymaking processes, and a sustainable digital future.

The outcomes of the CADE program are:

1. increased capacity of CSOs for meaningful advocacy, participation, and contribution to multilateral and multistakeholder IG processes, including the ability to analyse and report on outcomes of processes and issues from a human right perspective;
2. increased engagement of CSOs in global, regional and national IGFs and other IG policy shaping and standard-setting forums to promote a human-centric policy approach and enhance trust among stakeholders;
3. strengthened cooperation between CSOs in the Global North and Global South to advance inclusive and open IG, involve absent communities, and connect global IG policy processes with local IG-related initiatives.

This programme is being implemented by a global consortium of civic space and democracy support organizations and networks, led by Diplo and including nine co-applicants from all continents: Forus, ECNL, CIPESA, KICTANet, Sarvodaya, Vision for Change , SMEX, PICISOC and Karisma.

Forus leads on Outcome 3 and contributes to outcomes 1 and 2 through network engagement, awareness campaigns, regional trainings, and joint advocacy. We aim to amplify civil society voices, foster inclusive participation, and enhance digital literacy and strategic cooperation across the Global North and South.

Forus has already coordinated a global mapping and a baseline study to better understand the current state of CSO engagement in global, regional and national IGFs and other IG policy shaping and standard-setting forums, as well as the barriers and opportunities at stake for enhanced engagement.

As a crucial consortium partner, Forus is now responsible for strengthened cooperation between CSOs in the Global North and Global South (outcome #3). Along with the other co-applicants, Forus needs to engage actively in key events and is responsible for conducting a series of awareness-raising and IG digital literacy campaigns in the Global South (e.g., reinforcing the Let’s Talk Digital campaign), fostering local partnership and networking especially through a Global North/Global South fellowship program to enhance strategic cooperation. Forus also aims to mobilize its global network and maximise the programme’s spillover effect, enhancing knowledge about global and regional multilateral and multistakeholder IG and standard-setting fora (IGF, ITU, IETF, ICANN) through regular bulletins, capacity strengthening sessions and webinars. Forus is building a peer-learning community across regions to enhance collaboration and leverage knowledge and experiences worldwide, with the goal to strengthen and amplify civil society advocacy messages to promote a human-centric policy approach and enhance trust among stakeholders, to advance inclusive and open IG, involve absent communities, and connect global IG policy processes with local IG-related initiatives.

In the framework of this project, Forus seeks a dynamic, strategic and pro-active CADE Project coordinator to ensure the successful implementation of our commitments within the consortium. This includes catalysing engagement across our network, delivering key Forus deliverables, and helping reclaim the CADE project's transformative potential. The Forus CADE Project coordinator will report to the Forus Advocacy coordinator. As a member-led network, Forus is also committed to working closely with its members in all activities.

Responsibilities

Project coordination

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for Forus' work within the CADE consortium.
• Ensure timely and high-quality implementation of Forus-led workstreams, including mapping dissemination, regional case studies, the fellowship program, and awareness campaigns.
• Coordinate closely with the consortium lead (Diplo) and consortium partners; proactively identify and address implementation bottlenecks, fostering strong collaboration and responsiveness across the consortium; represent Forus in consortium meetings and liaise regularly with the Forus Secretariat team and management, Forus members, as well as other project partners.
• Ensure ongoing project monitoring and track progress and activities, using project-specific and overall Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) tools and processes.
• Ensure compliance with grant agreements, strategies, and other project modalities, and support funder communication, including required reporting.
• Draft or contribute to donor reports, workplans, and internal project updates.

Forus Network Engagement

• Design and deliver a CADE engagement plan for Forus members, including:
  • Regular bulletins, webinars, and peer-learning opportunities;
  • Capacity-strengthening sessions on digital rights, governance fora, and multistakeholder engagement;
  • Creation and facilitation of a Forus digital working group on internet governance and digital issues;
  • Development and launch of the Global North–Global South Fellowship Programme, with appropriate coordinate with CADE Consortium partners and donors.
• Ensure members’ voices inform project activities, joint messaging, and advocacy priorities.

Strategic Advocacy and Thought Leadership

• Lead Forus’ policy and advocacy activities on digital issues (digital access, cybersecurity, online civic space, AI and emerging technologies, etc.).
• Build coalitions, facilitate joint advocacy initiatives, and lead the coordination for the development of joint statements, submissions, and campaigns in close cooperation with the Advocacy and Communications teams, and with Forus members and partners.
• Represent Forus in global and regional internet governance spaces and policy dialogues and support, including engagement with IGF, ITU, IETF, ICANN, and other platforms (e.g., Global Digital Compact, AI Summits).Share knowledge and insights on internet governance and digitalisation with the Forus Advocacy team and help develop and highlight key advocacy messages to be shared in other international “non-expert” fora in which the network is active (such as the High-Level Political Forum, the Finance in Common Summit and more)
• Contribute to cross-consortium joint actions, including digital literacy campaigns and communication products.

Collaboration and Learning

• Foster cross-regional knowledge exchange among Forus members and with other CADE partners.
• Support the documentation of best practices, success stories, and lessons learned.
• Organize and co-host side events, panels, and online forums as relevant.
• Support global and regional awareness-raising and IG digital literacy campaigning, the creation of innovative communication material (articles, podcasts, videos and other external communications…) & engagement with media, in collaboration with Forus Communications team.

Required qualifications and skills

We are seeking a strategic, self-driven, and collaborative individual with deep experience in digital policy advocacy and multistakeholder engagement, and an ability to engage non-expert audiences in IG processes and fora. The ideal candidate is a strong project manager with excellent political instincts, capable of bridging civil society networks and technical/policy fora. This role is perfect for someone eager to energize a network-wide shift for more engagement on digital rights and push for impactful, inclusive change in internet governance spaces.

Education/Training & Minimum Professional Experience required:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent work experience) in human rights, international development, or another relevant field
• At least 7 years of working experience in an international setting with global and national partners and networks.

Skills and knowledge:

• Outstanding track record in project management including holding final responsibility for operational delivery and donor relationship management.
• Recognized expertise and track record of successful advocacy work on digital civic space, emerging technology and their impacts on civil society and legislations around digitalization in national and international settings.
• A strong interest and commitment to defending digital civic space and promoting a more digital enabling environment for civil society globally.
• Outstanding coordination and relationship-building skills, with a proactive and solutions-oriented mindset.
• Knowledge of common political, technical, economical and administrative constraints affecting the digital rights of civil society organizations.
• Ability to forge close collaboration and trusted and equitable relationships between civil society organizations from diverse geographic and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Excellent skills in external relationship management, including with donors, government officials, external civil society stakeholders and the wider civic space and enabling environment field.
• Commitment to Forus’ mission, vision and values with solid understanding of global development issues, and understanding of the socio-cultural, historical, political and economic global context.
• Demonstrated experience and skills of working with diverse stakeholders, and facilitating platforms of cooperation, networking, building partnerships and broad alliances across a large spectrum of topics, cultures and tactics.
• Great ease in communicating with high-level stakeholders at national and international level.
• Full professional proficiency in English. Proficiency in French and Spanish in speaking and writing required.

Personal qualities/interpersonal skills:

• Thrives in cooperative work environments in which the collaborative pursuit of shared objectives is the priority.
• Prioritizes and manages multiple projects simultaneously and follows through on issues in a timely manner with excellent attention for detail.
• Proactively seeks and provides feedback, strong emotional intelligence.
• Creative thinker with a “can-do”, outward-looking and problem-solving attitude, willing to guide others with confidence and take risks when appropriate.
• Highly organized independent worker, including in remote work settings with a decentralized team.
• Clear and sharp communicator able to bring across often complex and conceptual ideas in a down-to-reality and simple manner. Structured and engaging public speaker. Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with highly diverse stakeholders and excellent cross-cultural sensitivity and ability to work effectively taking into account different socio-cultural contexts and global time zones.
• Ability to work under pressure and towards tight deadlines maintaining effective performance in high pressure environments.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly to global and regional conferences and policy fora, planning and monitoring visits to select partner countries, etc.

Conditions

Starting date: September/October 2025

Contract type: Part time (80% - 4 days / week) employment contract (under French law) or consultant contract.

Location: flexible, the Project Coordinator can be located in Forus’ offices in Paris or work remotely.

Salary/compensation: dependent on experience.

Application procedure

The application documents must be submitted as soon as possible per email to the following address: recruitment@forus-international.org

The application must be in English and include a motivation letter, CV and 3 references.

Please send attachments in PDF and include the position (“CADE Project Coordinator”) and your name in the subject of the email.

The position will be open until filled, and interviews will take place on a rolling basis. Only candidates who are shortlisted for interviews will be contacted.

Forus is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to make positions accessible to all regardless of nationality, ethnicity, race, age, disability, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation or identity, religion, marital or parental status, etc.