Junior Program Officer for Africa & Middle East

Position: Junior Program Officer for Africa & Middle East
Location: Initially Rome (Italy) – to be determined later
Type of contract: Full-time (40 hours p/week)
Duration: 1-year renewable
Report to: Program Manager
Salary level (RAL): commensurate with qualification and experience
Application deadline: 6th February 2023

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND

The Good Shepherd International Foundation ONLUS (GSIF) is an Italian not-for-profit organization based and registered in Rome, created in 2008 by the Good Shepherd sisters to support their missions in Asia. Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. GSIF works with the GS sisters and its partners in different countries by supporting the management of their projects. GSIF works to create and oversee initiatives that: eradicate poverty through sustainable economic development driven by women and that is respectful of human dignity and the environment; provide services to protect and empower the human rights of women and children who suffer because of violence and poverty and, erase the shame of human trafficking.

JOB PURPOSE

According to the Values and Mission of GSIF, the Program Officer contributes to maximising the mission effectiveness and social impact of GSIF by supporting the Program Managers in the accompaniment of the Local Partners in implementing result-oriented programs and projects. She/he supports with compassion and justice the development of programs that foster reconciliation and promote the dignity of the person, that meet needs and foster caring relationships based on trust and equality, transparency and accountability.

ACTIVITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Ensures operational support for the Program Managers (PMs) and Local Partners for the correct performance of the various phases of the GSIF Program Management Cycle in compliance with donors and GSIF processes and procedures:

• Supports the PMs in the elaboration of the Funding and Financial Plans for local strategic plans and programs in target countries;
• Updates and feeds the information management system throughout the project’s phases;
• Supports the PMs and Local Partners in the design and preparation of the Project Proposals according to the eligibility requirements of the donors by:

1. Providing guidelines and formats and all the elements necessary for the elaboration of the Project Proposals to the Local Partners;
2. Supporting the Local Partner in drafting the narrative and Log-frame of the project based on local strategy;
3. Verifying the Budget relating to the Project Proposals and its compliance with the eligibility requirements;
4. Coordinating with the F&A Officer in order to check that the Project Proposals’ Budget is aligned with the Local Strategic & Financial Plan and verifies the opportunity to make changes and improvements;
5. Completing the Project Proposals by collecting all the necessary documents from the GSIF desks, congregational bodies and external entities, as needed;
6. Prepares the official communications and the necessary contracts/agreements at different levels, for signature (Project Agreement, Memorandum of Understanding);
7. Supports the Local Partners in processing the request for disbursement of funds;
8. Updates the finance planning and grant management tools according to the outcome of the project application submitted to the donors;

• Supports the PMs and the Local Partners in the implementation, monitoring, and reporting phases of the projects:

1. Supports the Local Partners in the elaboration of action plans/timelines of the projects;
2. Supports the PMs in exchanges with the Local Partners and with the donors for intermediate project reporting, in line with the requirements of the donors;
3. Provides the Communication & Fundraising Desk with project information, stories and photographic / video material, throughout the project;
4. Supports the PMs in the collection and processing of quarterly project financial data, revision of interim and final financial reports including revision of the supporting documents according to GSIF F&A policy and donors guidelines;
5. Supports the Local Partners in the collection of projects data according to the projects log frame (including Compliance with PCM processes with set standards and deadlines by PCM Quality Desk Manager);
6. Provides the Local Partners with the guidelines, formats and all the elements necessary for the elaboration of the project interim/final reports;
7. Completes reports by collecting all the necessary documents from the GSIF desks, congregational bodies and external entities, as needed;
8. Supports the PMs in the capitalization experience of the projects;

B. Ensures appropriate support to Program Managers (PMs) in promoting the strategic plan development, monitoring of local strategic plans and result-oriented programs and projects for continuous improvement in target countries.

• Manage the information-gathering process for quarterly and annual results and performance reports, in addition to other briefings, summaries, papers, presentations, etc. for various audiences as needed (e.g. national and international funding agencies, UN agencies and internal committees);
• Supports the PMs in the development, implementation, and monitoring of local strategic plans;
• Supports GSIF staff and other committees of the Good Shepherd sisters to analyze and document good practices, lessons learned, trends, cross-cutting policy and implementation issues, etc;
• Supports the PMs in elaborating a document concerning the lesson learned from the projects;
• Site visits to the project sites to monitor strategic plan implementation, collect data, prepare new applications for funding, run evaluation of projects;
• Other duties as assigned by the PMs.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Substantial knowledge of the international development and humanitarian aid sector;
• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Political and Social Sciences or a related field;
• 2+ years of work experience, preferably with NGOs or similar organizations working in Project Cycle Management (PCM);
• Experience in writing project proposals and reports, and managing and monitoring program budgets;
• Solid Computer literacy in Word, Excel and PowerPoint, email, and Internet browser software;
• Strong English skills (spoken and written) and another language between French and Portuguese;
• IT skills to manage office and remote teams (MS Office, videoconferencing).

SKILLS AND ATTITUDES REQUIRED

• Commitment to the organization’s mission and vision and full adherence to GSIF values;
• Ability self-organize the work, accuracy, and attention to detail;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
• Strong interpersonal skills to work effectively with partners;
• Decision-making and problem-solving skills;
• Ability to manage stress and uncertainty;
• Proactive and self-empowerment approach to work;
• Ability to empathize with team members, partners and other

GSIF recognizes that it has the responsibility to respect and promote gender equality and the safety and protection of all children. GSIF has a ZERO-tolerance policy regarding child abuse. GSIF reserves the right of conducting a background check of the potential candidates. All staff and consultants associated with GSIF should sign and agree to the statement of commitment and the Code of Conduct after the sign-off and the signed forms need to be kept in everyone’s files. Failure to sign the GSIF Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct will result in the candidate not being appointed to the role.

TO APPLY

Interested applicants, please send a CV, details of 2 references, and a letter of motivation of a maximum of 500 words to justify your application to recruitment@gsif.it by the 6^th of February 2023.