Scope of Work
ITPC is seeking a Program Officer to support the implementation and programmatic operations of projects under the Watch What Matters (WWM) focus area.
The Watch What Matters focus area prioritizes community-led action to monitor the barriers to staying healthy and to raise the alarm when there are problems – everything from medicine stock-outs to discriminatory service providers to human rights issues. A large part of this portfolio includes our work in Community-led Monitoring (CLM), which comprises both long-term program implementation in Malawi and South Africa, as well as short-term CLM Technical Assistance initiatives in countries around the globe.
The Program Officer will work in coordination with the Watch What Matters team and be part of a dynamic network of colleagues operating in a primarily virtual space with an impact across the globe. The successful candidate will exhibit good project and time management, efficiency, flexibility in working hours, and good judgment about prioritizing competing tasks in this rewarding role.
Core Areas of Work
- Program Implementation and Support
- Participate in the development, implementation, and evaluation of various programs in various functional areas, including Community-led Monitoring (CLM).
- Monitor and analyse program/project development and implementation such as;
- review relevant documents and reports;
- identify problems and issues to be addressed and propose corrective actions;
- liaise with sub-grantees, consultants, and other relevant parties;
- identify and track follow-up actions.
- Prepare various written outputs, e.g., draft background papers, analysis, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc. pertaining to programs and required project deliverables
- Provide support to conferences, training academies, and other meetings, conferences, etc., via work that includes: proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documents and presentations, etc.
- Develop communication and stakeholder engagement plans and use other tools of effective program management in the design and delivery of projects of various formats.
- Coordinate activities related to budget and funding (program/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and prepare related documents/reports (project budgets, update project spending regularly via budget tracking tools; ).
- Provide overall support to the project team to carry out cost-effective and outcome-oriented day-to-day implementation of programs (budgets, communication, coordination, and reporting).
- Assist in developing and managing consultant contracts for programmatic activities.
- Assist in coordination with Implementing Partners/Service Providers for specific project tasks (i.e. Operational research, Costing Study, Implementing partners in Malawi and South Africa, Technology research consultants, etc.)
- Assist in the development of technical meeting agendas.
- Collate external meeting reports from project staff and manage follow-up
- Support the planning and management of workflow and liaise with finance staff to ensure the effective facilitation of meetings, trainings, and workshops.
- Represent the project in meetings and presentations, as requested.
- Draft content for social media and other communication channels
- Conduct regular internal and external check-ins (i.e. with the Citizen Science team/WWM/BRC team, consultants, donors, consortium members, and other stakeholders)
- Other duties as delegated by the Citizen Science Program Manager & the Lead
- Project Backstopping
- Identify bottlenecks and solutions to project-related work as a part of the program team.
- Communicate effectively with the program team on project workflow status and escalate critical issues in a timely manner.
- Schedule, coordinate (i.e., agendas, time zones etc.) and facilitate calls to ensure efficient workflow and that project milestones are achieved.
- Prepare and disseminate meeting notes for internal and project calls as needed.
- Contribute ideas, as appropriate, to project/program operations, interventions, and strategy.
- Review, edit, and format program reports (Financial and Narrative) before final submission.
- Ensure coordination/communication with other strategic focus areas
- Develop and populate (update) project tracking tools together with the team Manager
- Program Admin and Support
- Maintain the program calendar, and send out updates and reminders as necessary on key events.
- Initiate and host scheduled conference calls, as required, through Zoom or other conference calling systems (Teams etc).
- Maintain information of key ITPC contacts such as board members, network members and grantees.
- Assist with logistical needs for meetings, conferences, and events including travel and hotel reservations.
- Assist in organizing travel for staff for key projects (i.e. populating Travel Request Forms and uploading them on Sales Force etc.)
- Oversee consultants
- Provide updates to the Program and escalate issues as needed.
- Provide advice and respond to inquiries where appropriate.
- Process consultant invoices with appropriate approval, including uploading documents to Salesforce and other project management software.
- Write up evaluations for program supervisor review.
- Support the procurement workflow
- Support ITPC’s small grants initiatives, serving as link between Finance, Program, Network members and Sub-grantees
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Nurture and cultivate fruitful relationships with donors and partners.
- Liaise with the team regarding donor funding targets/requirements.
- Network with internal and external stakeholders.
- Report to funders/donors within required timeframes and in required formats (in coordination with CS Manager & the Lead) .
- Ensure all communications are effectively managed across donors and partners.
- Assist staff to represent ITPC in meetings, workshops, conferences with a high degree of professionalism
Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree in International Health/Development, Public Policy, Health Economics, or another related field.
- Three to five years of relevant experience in the sector.
- Excellent research and analytical abilities and quantitative skills
- Tech-savviness and advanced computer skills, particularly MS Office package (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and Zoom as well as language translation applications (DeepL) etc.
- High levels of organization and attention to detail
- Sound judgment and able to proactively take initiative
- Robust ability to multi-task, work under tight deadlines and across multiple time zones
- Ability to work independently in a flexible and virtual NGO environment
- Positive attitude toward team building, group dynamics, and fostering a collaborative working environment
- Outstanding interpersonal skills, demonstrating high levels of personal integrity and professional credibility across populations
- Adaptability, flexibility, experience working in cross-cultural settings
- Strong written and oral communication (including presentation) skills in English. In addition to English, ability to work in another language is a plus
To Apply: please send the following documents:
- CV, Cover letter detailing portfolio or description of experience;
- A writing sample in any form (report, article, blog post, technical brief), your own original work (i.e. not edited by others).
Send the application to Hr@itpcglobal.org with the subject line “Program Officer: Individual Name” by 8 Sept 2023 23:59 SAST.
(NO phone calls please)
