Student Support Officer

Job description

Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust – Profile

Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust (established 1998) is a dynamic and contemporary conservation education NGO that has its base in Mfuwe, Eastern Province, a rapidly growing rural settlement close to South Luangwa National Park, and extends its operations throughout Mambwe District. The primary aim of the organisation is to educate local children and communities about wildlife, the environment and conservation. The organisation is small but with high impact and has been the recipient of a number of international awards. See www.chipembele.org

Job Overview

The primary role of the Student Support Officer (SSO) is to manage the Student Sponsorship Scheme (Secondary and Tertiary levels) and to provide support to Chipembele sponsored students through a range of activities, including mentoring, school liaison, gender awareness education and career guidance. The SSO is also the Gender Equality Coordinator and the Safeguarding Officer. The role is based at the Chipembele Offices in central Mfuwe, with outreach work in local schools and communities across Mambwe District.

Reports to: Conservation Education Manager (CEM)

Line Management Responsibilities: N/A

Key Responsibilities:

1.     Student Sponsorship Scheme

Administration

Manage the sponsorship scheme budget, including the preparation and monitoring of individual student budgets and maintaining accurate records of income and expenditure
Manage the recruitment process at the start of each year for Secondary School Sponsorship
Manage the Tertiary Sponsorship programme, recruiting new students with CEM guidance and supporting students with budgeting and logistics
Purchase and manage school supplies for sponsored students, together with the Office Manager, to ensure good quality and value for money
Maintain a sponsored student database
Work with the CEM, Founding Director, Chief Development Executive and Youth Leadership Coordinator to ensure coordination in finding new sponsors and to support other fundraising activities for the SSO programmes

Communication

Maintain excellent communication with current sponsors, including facilitating communication between students and sponsors
Communicate with school officials to ensure smooth operation of the Conservation Outreach Programme and Student Sponsorship Scheme (sponsored students must be active members of their school Conservation Club, which are run by Chipembele Educators)
Liaise with and update the District Education Board Secretary with programme reports as necessary
Regularly provide images, video and text for Chipembele’s Social Media team

Student Support and Guidance

Meet with secondary school sponsored students each term to assess progress and provide responsive support to particularly vulnerable students
Research career and tertiary education opportunities in Zambia
Advise final year secondary school students on further education and career options
Liaise with the local tourism industry, businesses and NGOs for student employment opportunities
Collaborate with the Youth Leadership Coordinator to offer career guidance within Chipembele’s Aspiring Conservation Leader programme
Provide support, counselling, and advice to tertiary students / alumni in the Chipembele programme as necessary

Reporting

Prepare accurate and timely monthly reports for the Senior Management Team and other programme reports as required

2.     Gender Awareness

Staff Training and Capacity Building

Ensure that Chipembele staff and volunteers are aware of our Gender Equality policy
Review the Gender Equality and Safeguarding policies at least once a year to ensure they align with national and international guidelines and best practice
Organise gender sensitivity and awareness training as necessary for all staff members to ensure they understand the importance of gender equality, keep up with best practices and know how to apply it in their work

Create Safe Spaces

Support colleagues to create safe and supportive environments for women and girls to participate in Chipembele programmes by delivering regular gender equality sessions in Conservation Clubs in collaboration with the Conservation Education team
As part of the role of Safeguarding Officer, implement measures to prevent and respond to gender-based issues within the organization

Integrate Gender Equality into Programme design

Work with colleagues across all programmes to ensure programme objectives and activities explicitly address gender issues and aim to reduce gender disparities
Run gender workshops for Chipembele students in the school holidays

 Monitoring and Evaluation

Take the lead on creating gender-sensitive indicators to measure the impact of all Chipembele programmes on girls and boys, and women and men
Gather and analyse data by gender to understand how programmes affect different group and support colleagues to include gender analysis in reports to the management team and funders

 Community Engagement

Raise awareness about gender equality within local communities served by Chipembele as required, emphasising its importance for sustainable conservation efforts

 Networking and collaboration

Collaborate with other NGOs in gender programmes and events locally
Develop ideas and proposed budgets in collaboration with colleagues for gender-related activities and programmes

 3.     Other duties

Participate in Chipembele events such as the annual Student Conservation Awards and the student led Environmental Campaign
Support day-to-day operations at the Offices as required
Participate in other reasonable duties as required by the CEM to support the delivery of Chipembele programmes that are within your calibre 

STUDENT SUPPORT OFFICER PERSON SPECIFICATION

Qualifications:

A tertiary qualification in Social Work, Youth Work, Gender, Psychology, or related fields is essential
A postgraduate qualification in a relevant subject is advantageous

Essential Skills and Experience:

At least 3 years’ experience in youth or gender work
Experience in student mentorship, counselling, and guidance
Strong administrative, organisational, and financial management skills
A high level of proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Accuracy in maintaining detailed spreadsheets is vital.
Experience in financial record keeping and Monitoring & Evaluating
Excellent written and oral English and fluent Chinyanja
Experience in project management
Experience working in rural Zambian communities, preferably for an NGO

Essential Personal Aptitudes:

An understanding of and sincere desire to work and live in a remote yet rapidly developing rural area of Zambia among disadvantaged communities with all the associated logistical challenges
Collaborative team player with the ability to effectively take ownership of independent tasks
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to handle sensitive information confidentially

Desirable Skills / Experience / Aptitudes

Experience in dealing with Government departments, local communities, international stakeholders and a broad range of people from diverse backgrounds
Passion for wildlife and conservation
Innovative and creative approach to programme improvement
Valid car driver’s license

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, creed, national or ethnic origin, gender, religion, disability or age in its employment policies, operations and programmes. Chipembele complies with all Zambian Employment and Equal Opportunity laws.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit a CV of no more than 2 pages and a cover letter outlining their qualifications, relevant experience and motivation to recruitment@chipembele.org We will not accept applications where the essential skills, experience and personal aptitude requirements have not been fulfilled.
Please use the subject line: Application – SSO
Deadline: 1700 hrs, Friday 6th February 2026.No applications will be accepted after this.
Due to the anticipated high volume of applications, we are only able to reply to shortlisted candidates.