Project Officer (PO)

Job Description

 Internal/ External Vacancy Announcement

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) wants to recruit employees in the following vacant position the details of which are mentioned bellow.

About the Ethiopian Red Cross Society

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) was established in 1935 and is one of the oldest and largest humanitarian organizations in Ethiopia. ERCS provides services to communities affected by natural and manmade disasters through the provision of emergency responses, ambulance and first aid, family reunification, essential drugs, water and sanitation, and other humanitarian services. ERCS also runs disaster risk reduction programs with the aim of creating resilience households and communities. Currently the ERCS has a structure consisting of 12 Regional Offices, 34 Zonal Branches and 131  District/Woreda Branches, 599 Woreda Red Cross Committee  and 5871 Kebele Red Cross  committees.

ERCS also runs disaster risk reduction programs relating to food security, climate change adaptation, livelihood diversification, and institutional capacity building interventions, with the aim of creating resilience households and communities. ERCS works in partnership with the Ethiopian Government, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), partnering National Societies, members, volunteers and the communities we serve.

Organizational context (where the job is located in the Organization)

The SRC has officially opened its Country Coordination Office in Ethiopia in 2012. Since then it has been supporting primarily the Host National Society with projects in the sector of Humanitarian Aid, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation, Cooperation and Development projects either in a bilateral or in a multilateral form. The mission of the SRC Country Coordination Office is to provide technical support in the areas of Organizational Development, Capacity Building in Operational & Financial Management, Project Cycle Management, and Monitoring and Evaluation of SRC funded projects in the country.

Purpose of the Job

To contribute to the efficient, effective and sustainable implementation of ERCS/SRC projects as well as multilateral projects with Movement and other partners, in accordance with required quality standards, in order to address beneficiary needs. In collaboration with the ERCS / SRC Project Coordinator, the Project Officer will ensure the successful implementation of the ERCS/ SRC projects.

The role includes supporting the Project Coordinator in the overall management of the assigned project(s), build the project team’s capacities, supervise, monitor the branch staff in the project locations. Duty station is the ERCS HQ office in Addis, with frequent visits to the project remote locations, which include overnight stays.

Key Performance Areas

Support to Project Management

• Ensure that the assigned project is being implemented in line with signed project documents, budget, log frame, and operational plan
• Support capacity building of the branch staff to achieve better results through the implementation of project activities together
• Ensure that the projects are implemented in accordance with the SRC, ERCS and donor policies and guidelines
• Undertake regular support and monitoring visits to project sites and participate in project events when required
• Ensure that governance structures, such as project steering committees, are operational and mobilized in line with project documents
• Develop, in collaboration with the project team, the annual operational plan
• Support the Project Coordinator in leading the project review and propose adjustments to ERCS and SRC
• Strongly contribute and monitor specific activities such like: CTP / cash in hand, PDM, and on WASH sector
• Conduct selective project surveys and evaluations in collaboration with the ERCS PMER Department
• Ensure best practices and lesson learnt are documented
• Suggest new ideas for projects and interventions
• Participate in field assessments for the development of new projects and actions
• Support the development of new project proposals

Support to Administrative, Financial, Procurement and Logistical Supervision

• Monitor project’s financial management in coordination with ERCS/ SRC project coordinator, ERCS/ SRC Senior Finance and Administration Officer and ERCS project accountant.
• Ensure that project cash and fund requests are submitted within deadlines
• Ensure that qualitative financial reports are submitted within deadlines to ERCS and SRC
• Follow up on issues raised by SRC/ERCS teams related to project expenditure
• Supervise the storage of all project assets, including their input in project inventory, in accordance with procedures and tools
• Ensure that procurements comply with financial procedure and policies
• Ensure the completion and archiving of project donation certificates 

Support to Reporting

• Ensure high quality and timely completion of monthly, quarterly and annual progress reports as per prescribed templates and timetable
• Provide report translation when required
• Ensure the maintenance of an up to date library of project documents, project case studies, articles and photographs 

Support to Coordination and representation

• Act as the Project Officer in close collaboration with the ERCS/ SRC Project Coordinator
• Coordinate with stakeholders in the project area and encourage the respective ERCS branches to collaborate and coordinate with other actors on zonal level.
• Maintain a strong, collaborative relationship between ERCS and SRC, ensuring regular coordination

Work Unit: ERCS / Swiss Red Cross (SRC),Ethiopia

Reporting to : -  ERCS / SRC, Ethiopia,  Project Coordinator

Terms of employment:-Contract for one year

Place of Work: Addis Ababa, with frequent travels to very remote areas of  Ethiopia.  

Job Requirement

Qualification Requirements:

• Master / Bachelor in Social Science or in Disaster Risk Management, Project Management or related field of studies
• Over 3 years of professional experience working in the International Humanitarian & Development organization managing projects funded through international donor agencies.

Competences and Skills

• Sound technical expertise in the social (e.g. migration), DRM, Emergency or WASH field.
• Knowledge and experience in project cycle management.
• Good IT skills in particular in Microsoft Office Application (i.e. Word, Excel, Outlook, Power Point) etc.
• Be able to adapt to the situation, and able to work under highly stressful conditions.
• Willing to travel regularly to very remote areas of Ethiopia for work purpose.
• Showing full responsibility for tasks assigned, presenting a motivated and persevering personality with a good spirit of cooperation, proving good analytical skills.
• Good planning, management and coordination skills, respecting deadlines and proving an ability to organise a workload comprised of varying and changing tasks and responsibilities.
• Demonstrated capacity in supervising/training others to develop project management skills.
• Experience working in multicultural and multi-national team.
• Taking responsibility, motivated and persevering personality, spirit of cooperation, good analytical skills,
• Knowledge of the Red Cross’ fundamental principles and the Red Cross Movements is an added advantage.

Languages

• Good communication skills (fluency in both written and spoken communication) in Amharic and English.
• Knowledge of other Ethiopian languages (relevant for Oromia, SNNPR) is an asset