Project Officer at Orbis International Zambia

BACKGROUND:

Orbis International Zambia works to support the Ministry of Health in providing quality eye care to prevent avoidable blindness through training for eye health staff, support for equipment and medical supplies as well community engagement. The programmes are implemented in Lusaka, Copperbelt and North Western provinces.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Project Officer is responsible for coordinating Orbis’s eye care project activities in North Western Province, Zambia. The Project Officer will be based in Solwezi and will travel to Orbis project locations within North Western Province.

REPORTING & WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

The Project Officer reports to the Senior Programmes Manager based in Lusaka and collaborates with the Zambia programmes, administration, and finance staff. They also liaise with the Senior Regional Programme Manager and Monitoring and Evaluation team at the Orbis headquarters office in New York as needed.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS / KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Facilitate and monitor the implementation of project activities by the partners:

• Provide technical support to project partners to build their capacity and to ensure the project’s success
• Ensure that project outputs are delivered timely and within approval budget
• Ensure the active involvement of the intended project beneficiaries in all aspects of work planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation
• Assist, facilitate project coordination meetings, planning meetings, site events, consultation meeting and awareness raising sessions, together with project partner and local authorities
• Conduct regular visits to project sites to monitor and evaluate project progress and report to Senior Program Manager both verbally and writing
• Maintain a collaborative working relationship with the partners of the projects as well as other stakeholders
• Participate in M&E activities as necessary under the guidance of the Senior Program Manager and M&E staff
• Identify barriers to implementation and suggest strategies for addressing any identified barriers
• Monitor the project budget by tracking project expenditures and ensure cost effectiveness and adherence to the approved budget, as well as compliance with Orbis and donor guidelines. Also, help ensure financial reports are submitted in time
• Contribute to project reporting and data collection by collecting and compiling project data regularly, including case studies, success stories and photographs of project facilities. Also, ensure the quality of data through proper data entry and regular quality checking and updating of the data recorded
• Coordinate and lead monitoring visits to partner facilities
• Monitor project related risks and challenges and report to management

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• University degree in a relevant field of social science, development. A graduate degree in Medical or Social Public Health field is preferable
• Minimum of 3 years’ professional experience working in Project/Program management of international organizations or government agencies
• Experience with project planning and grant management (multiple donors)

SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Skilled in, and committed to, community participation/interaction, field visits and presence in project areas
• Proven project management skills, including finance, logistics and procurement management skills
• Strong interpersonal and diplomacy skills with a customer-centered approach and the ability to maintain strong relationships with various stakeholders with different backgrounds
• Fluent in English (verbal and written)
• Excellent organizational & planning skills: ability to effectively multi-task and manage a broad spectrum of responsibilities with the appropriate sense of urgency
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Highly functional in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook
• Flexible, pro-active, and open-minded work style: the ability to work productively both independently and in a team-based environment
• Willingness to travel locally 50% of the time

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