Program Officer

Position: 

Program Officer

Department: 

Operations

Type of Contract: 

Consultancy

Duty Station: 

Harare, Zimbabwe

Deadline: 

Sunday, February 22, 2015

The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) is considering the possibility of supporting African Civil Society organisations involved in tobacco control. The deliverables of the Foundation under this assignment include grant making and capacity building of the civil service organizations operating in the tobacco control sector in Africa.

The Foundation, seeks to recruit a Program Officer to coordinate the day-to-day implementation of this initiative.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Working under the overall supervision of the Manager, Operations Department, the Program Officer’s duties will include but not limited to:
1. Project Identification and Development

• Identify civil society organizations ACBF will partner with to advance the tobacco control agenda in Africa;
• Assess funding requests and advise on the soundness of project proposals for ACBF funding;
• Undertake desk and field project identification reviews to initiate the development of new projects;
• Lead the preparation and implementation of Capacity Needs Assessment and Capacity Profiling exercise in selected countries, with focus on the tobacco control sector;
• Appraise project proposals, evaluate them for soundness of project design and relevance to the tobacco control agenda and ensure their compliance with ACBF’s standards and operational guidelines.

2. Grant Agreement Signing, Effectiveness and Disbursement

• Provide operational input during the process of preparing a Grant Agreement and/or Activity Agreement for approved projects.
• Provide operational guidance and support to Grantees to enable fulfillment of conditions precedent to Grant signing, effectiveness and disbursement.

3. Project Implementation and Monitoring

• Provide appropriate guidance and required support for successful project implementation, in close coordination with the other partners of the tobacco control initiative
• Undertake desk and field project supervision to monitor progress in the implementation of project activities and provide guidance where required to improve project performance.
• Lead a multidisciplinary team of relevant departments and units of the Foundation to conduct supervision missions, Mid Term evaluation and end of project evaluation exercises;
• Develop and maintain an active and up-to-date database on projects. Prepare briefs on Projects and Countries under your supervision.
• Provide inputs into the quarterly, bi annual and annual activity reports, interim financial, audit reports and end-of-project reports on projects.
• Undertake any other assignment as might be required by the Department Manager or the Executive Secretary.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Selection will be on a competitive basis and the following minimum qualifications, experience and competencies are required:

• Postgraduate degree in economics, public or business administration, finance, international development or related field from a recognized institution.
• A minimum of three (3) years professional experience in research, project management, implementation, design and evaluation preferably with an international organisation.
• Excellent written and spoken English and French language skills (knowledge of Portuguese will be considered an added advantage)
• Critical thinking skills and an ability to work independently with little supervision
• Excellent interpersonal and client orientation skills and the ability to work in a multicultural environment.
• Strong organizing, work planning and scheduling skills, capable of handling large volumes of assignments accurately and thoroughly while balancing several multiple agendas.
• Takes personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines and achieve agreed results.
• Excellent computer knowledge (MS applications)

CONTRACT DURATION
The successful candidate will be recruited on a one year full-time consultancy appointment. The contract may be renewed subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funding.

APPLICATION PROCESS
Applications, quoting the reference “Program Officer,” including curriculum vitae with three (3) referees should be received at the address below by 22 February 2015.

The Human Resources Officer
The African Capacity Building Foundation
P.O. Box 1562
HARARE, Zimbabwe

E-mail: root@acbf-pact.org

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews. Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.