Project Officer

Job description

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, North- Western and Eastern provinces.

Orbis International Zambia is implementing the Scaling up Eye Health Care Capacity in Zambia’s Lusaka, Copperbelt and Eastern Provinces: Phase III. The project aims to support training and comprehensive eye health services in Lusaka, Copperbelt and Eastern provinces.

Job Summary

The Project Officer – Eastern Province is responsible for coordinating Orbis’s eye care project activities on the Scaling up Eye Health Care Capacity in Zambia’s Lusaka, Copperbelt and Eastern Provinces: Phase III. The Project Officer will be based in Chipata and will travel to Orbis project locations in Eastern Provinces and other Orbis project sites as needed.

REPORTING & WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

The Project Officer reports to the Senior Programmes Manager, based in Lusaka and collaborates with the Zambia programmes, admin and finance staff. They also liaise with the Monitoring and Evaluation team to ensure implementation of data collection tools and effective reporting.

Essential Job Functions / Key Areas Of Responsibility

Facilitate and monitor the implementation of project activities by the partners, responsible for the day-to-day project activities in line with the project plan and budget:

Work with partners to ensure residency training support utilization by intended beneficiaries
Work with provincial and district health offices to roll out primary eye health project support to district hospitals and health facilities
Organise and coordinate primary eye health training and outreach as per project plan
Lead the distribution of consumables and equipment to districts and first level hospitals.
Further develop an inventory of all equipment distributed and ensure they are appropriately branded.
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 visit to project sites to monitor and evaluate project progress and report to the Senior Programmes Manager both verbally and writing.
Maintain good working relations with the partners of the projects or other stakeholders
Participate in M&E activities as necessary under the guidance of the Senior Programmes Manager and M&E staff.
Identify success/ case story leads for further documentation by the Communications Officer
Contribute to project reporting and data collection by collecting and compiling project data regularly, including case studies, success stories and photographs of project facilities.
Ensure the quality of data through proper data entry and regular quality checking and updating of the data recorded
Identify barriers to implementation and suggest strategies for addressing any identified barriers.
Coordinate and lead monitoring visits to partner facilities
Support other program duties as assigned

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 working with the Ministry of Health at all levels
Experience with project planning, monitoring and evaluation and partner engagement.
Experience in eye health programming is an advantage

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.
Excellent spoken and written English language competence is essential
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.
Fluent in English (verbal and written).
Willingness to travel locally