Chemonics seeks a Programme Officer (Access and Communications) to support education programming in Northwest Syria. The project aims to provide children living in Northwest Syria with safe, inclusive, and quality education that meets their specialized learning, psychosocial, and protection needs. The Programme Officer (Access and Communications) will work closely with field-based team and Educational Directorates (ED) in Syria as well as support communications initiatives. This position will be based in Gaziantep, Turkey. The Programme Officer (Access and Communications) will report to the Senior Programme Officer. We are looking for individuals who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people around the world.
Background:
More than 2 million Syrian children are out of school, and more are at risk of dropping out; more than 90 percent of Grade 3 children are not reading at grade level, and numeracy rates are similarly low. Nearly 6 million Syrian children need educational assistance. Helping communities, education authorities, and other service providers determine what quality and relevant education entails, and how to monitor and evaluate key learning outcomes, is a challenge in non-regime-controlled areas. Moreover, rebuilding and operating successful education systems is an ongoing and long-term challenge. While maintaining a humanitarian dimension to the education response, in opposition areas, a strategic shift is occurring toward a longer-term approach toward quality learning outcomes. This requires continued strengthening of systems and policy promotion frameworks. It also requires deliberate and specific planning to scale up access and adopt a strong focus on quality, inclusion, equity, and child protection.
Position Description:
The Programme Officer (Access and Communications) will be responsible for maintaining collaborative partnerships with the local NGOs (downstream partners) to foster program objectives, as well as with field-based team and EDs in Syria as conditions permit. The Programme Officer (Access and Communications) will support the development and management of subaward activities, working in close cooperation with other team members to ensure the successful implementation of the assigned partner’s activities.
The Programme Officer (Access and Communications) will adhere to and act in accordance with Chemonics’ professional code of ethics, “Living Our Values,” and will make the principles of the code a part of the programme’s culture and operating procedures. They will uphold the programme’s safeguarding standards at all times and will promote a safeguarding culture among partners, beneficiaries, and staff. They will also foster and maintain good relationships with potential and actual grantees, will disclose any affiliations that could be perceived as a conflict of interest, and will maintain confidentiality regarding program activities.
Responsibilities Include:
- Support selected NGO partners to develop their proposals into grants packages in line with program approaches and donor and Chemonics requirements
- Support in drafting grants package including grant agreement, detailed budgets, risk assessments, modification budgets, negotiation memoranda, sub-award implementation plan and payment schedules
- Support in organizing kick-off meetings with subawardees to review subaward agreements, and regulations and requirements related to reporting, procurement if any, monitoring, and payment requests review of subawardee due diligence and code of conduct submissions, identifying deficiencies and designing and implementing a capacity building plan to fill these gaps
- Support the implementation of technical training and/or coaching for subawardee to ensure that they fully understand and are able to implement project’s technical activities at an acceptable quality
- Review and approve or provide feedback on the sub awardees’ monthly deliverables
- Review subawardee’s monthly financial reports according to the donor’s and Chemonics’ rules and regulations and work with sub-award team to prepare payment requests accordingly
- Regularly report on implementation progress successes and lessons learned. Contribute to quarterly and annual reporting and review processes, including by preparing regular updates on subawardee capacity and performance, implementation updates and success stories
- Support in the coordination with the grants and procurement teams to ensure effective subaward implementation, compliance, and adherence to procurement requirements
- Maintain complete and accurate subaward files, both hard and soft copy, using the Chemonics subawards file checklist
- Verbally provide reports to donors during check-in meetings and participate in coordination meetings with implementing partners
- Respond to Requests for Information (RFIs) from the donor and implementing partners
- Support in the Coordination with field staff providing clear guidance on priority tasks in the field working closely with MEL team
- Complete incident reports as needed
- Support in responding in a timely manner to cases/issues raised through project’s complaints and CSG reporting mechanisms, as directed by the staff member responsible for the management of the system
- Support the technical officers with technical implementation in their areas of expertise.
- Support in drafting technical, social media, and story content for target audiences on internal and external outlets
- When necessary, conducts interviews with program stakeholders or beneficiaries to collect specific information, stories or feedback on Manahel impact and results
- Works with the Senior Programme Officer and Deputy Team Lead -Technical on media products that demonstrate success stories and reporting/meetings requirement
- Integrate gender and social inclusion point in all Manahel’s communication materials as appropriate
- Support the development of a communications strategy as well as the design and implementation of communications tasks as related to implementation of work plan tasks and behavior change efforts
- Contribute to the design and implementation of communications tasks across the projects components
- Being flexible to irregular work hours and undertake other duties as assigned by the supervisor and/or DTL- Technical to ensure the overall effective implementation of program activities
Qualifications:
- Degree in a relevant field is required
- Demonstrated experience in a grants management role, preferably for donor-funded development projects and UK in particular
- Demonstrated experience working in a communications-related role
- Experience work with project design, development and management of relevant donor-funded community development projects in the region. Strongly preferred, expertise in primary education, child protection and safeguarding, emergency preparedness, and/or other technical areas relevant to program’s work
- Strong organizational, management, financial, and administrative skills, and proven track record of timely completion of assigned tasks.
- Ability to think creatively and being flexible in addressing implementation concerns
- Enthusiasm to learn more about program’s area of work and contribute own knowledge to the team
- An up-to-date understanding and knowledge of the political environment and social conditions in Syria and demonstrated analytical ability and understanding of local and regional political context
- Experience in working with local organizations on project design and assessing technical and programmatic capacities
- Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity
- Field experience with NGOs, preferably including experience in Syria, experience monitoring and evaluating field projects, and ability/willingness to travel in Turkey
- Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity
- Fluency in Arabic, with strong speaking and writing skills in English
Period of Performance:
The assignment is long-term through the life of the relevant donor contract.
Location of the assignment:
The assignment will be conducted in Gaziantep with intermittent travel.
Supervision and reporting:
The Programme Officer (Education and Protection) will report to the Senior Programme Officer.
Application instructions:
To apply please fill out this form: SEP II Job Application Form by September 2, 2024. No telephone inquiries, please. Chemonics will contact finalists.
Chemonics is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors.
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