Grant Officer
Grant Officer – Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture
Location: Goethe-Institut Johannesburg / AEPC Office
Project: Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture
Position: Grant Officer in Johannesburg
Starting Date: 01.11.2026
Working hours: 100% (40 Hours/week)
Limited Term until: 29.02.2028
Application Deadline: 14.10.2026
Email address for application: philina.wittke@goethe.de & lukas.dollmaier@goethe.de
The Goethe-Institut Johannesburg is looking for one Grant Officer from 1 November 2026 until 29 February 2028, working 40 hours per week. The position is subject to the availability of funds from the European Union. The Goethe-Institut is launching two projects under the umbrella of the AFRICA-EUROPE PARTNERSHIPS FOR CULTURE (2025-2028) project, funded by the European Union, which will promote cultural integration and dialogue between all countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as between Sub-Saharan Africa and the European Union.
A) The Sub-Saharan African component of the Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture program promotes cultural integration and dialogue between all countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and the European Union. The topic of the Sub-Saharan African component is “Arts and Cultural Spaces”. With that, the project aims to explore the structure and context of Arts and Cultural Spaces on the continent by connecting spaces, artists and other stakeholders through mobility and co-creation grants.
B) The Southern African component of the Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture program promotes cultural integration and dialogue between all countries in Southern Africa, as well as between Southern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and the European Union. The topic of the Southern African component is “Heritage Narratives”. With that, the project aims to explore cultural heritage narratives from Southern Africa by making them come alive through various media: guided tours, texts, music, film, video games, visual arts, dance and others; thus, providing new frameworks of relations and references.
The Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a worldwide reach. We provide information about cultural, social and political life in Germany. The Goethe-Institut in Johannesburg steers the work in the countries south of the Sahara. A particular focus of the activities in this region is strengthening the pan-African dialogue and promoting mobile access to information and education.
Through our programs, we encourage intercultural dialogue and cultural participation, we strengthen the development of civil society structures and value exchange. All over the world, we connect people, ideas and cultural innovations. In doing so, we value diversity, equity and inclusion. Further information can be found at www.goethe.de/johannesburg
Main Tasks:
- The Grant Officer supports the work package officers in the tasks related to the award of funding, with particular responsibility for the technical, contractual and financial management of the grants.
- They advise on the design and communication of grants.
- They assist in disseminating the calls for proposals in cooperation with the knowledge sharing officer.
- They assist with the design of workshops and trainings and conduct them on all matters in the funding cycle.
- They check the eligibility of the proposals submitted.
- They supervise and manage the signing of grant agreements with grant recipients.
- They oversee and support the implementation of the selected projects and act as the main point of contact for the grantees.
- They review project reports and initiate procedures for payment authorization.
- They ensure that data for M&E reports can be collected during project activities.
- They support travel and visa processes.
- They work closely with the project teams and report to the project team managers.
PROFILE
- Profound knowledge of European and German funding laws and regulations; or willingness to learn
- Profound knowledge as well as experience in grant design and implementation
- Excellent communication skills
- Willingness to become familiar with Goethe-Institut communication tools
- Good knowledge of English, German and French; or willingness to learn German
- Willingness and ability to work under pressure
- Willingness and ability to work in a team
- Ability to travel nationally and internationally
- Work permit for South Africa
What makes you stand out:
- Relevant experience working on large-scale cultural projects, preferably in EU contexts
- Relevant experience in monitoring and evaluation, especially of cultural projects
- Relevant experience in managing grants
- Attention to detail
What we offer you:
- A modern ambience in the heart of Johannesburg and a friendly and committed team.
- Remuneration and social benefits are based on the remuneration scheme of the Goethe-Institut Johannesburg. We offer remuneration according to appropriateness and local custom.
- Equal opportunities and inclusion are important to us.
- Only complete applications will be considered.
Application procedure
Please send your CV, copies of certificates, diplomas and any other documents attesting to your experience and a short motivation letter exclusively by e-mail to philina.wittke@goethe.de and lukas.dollmaier@goethe.de by 11 October 2026 at the latest.
Please consider your application unsuccessful if you have not received a reply by 20 October 2026.
Please state clearly in the subject line “Grant Officer AEPC”. Emails with unclear references will be ignored.
Visa and entry requirements:
Due to South African labour law, we can only accept applications from residents of South Africa or persons with a South African work permit or a work visa. Therefore, if you are a foreign national, please provide your work permit or work visa with the application.
