Role Overview

As a project officer, you will be working directly with young and highly motivated volunteers and you can make a difference in helping communities lift themselves out of poverty. In this role, you will be responsible for the effective delivery of the International Citizen Service (ICS) project by supporting several team leaders, working with partners and donors, proactively building and maintaining relationships with host homes and support volunteers by guiding them in project implementation and upholding safety, security and welfare processes in the target community. 

Responsibilities

The ideal candidate for this role is involved in a wide array of different responsibilities. These involve the following:

• Collaborate with partners and project managers to identify appropriate stakeholders and work with them as well as with long-term volunteers to ensure programme delivery is achieved;
• Work with recruitment specialists to plan and recruit national volunteers and team leaders;  
• Provide support, together with team leaders, to host homes and placement organisation in order to promote cross-cultural engagement and relationship building;
• Gather data and produce project reports in accordance with the programme’s M&E framework;
• Guide team leaders and volunteers to produce case studies capturing impact and complete learning tools including the KAP survey;
• Provide adequate guidance, supervision and management of volunteers through the team leaders, involving compliance with safety, security and behavioural policies, ensuring all logistical requirements for volunteers and projects are in place, as well as providing pastoral support and acting as the first point of contact for all safety and security incidents;
• Facilitate and support team leaders in any way necessary in their promotion of ongoing learning amongst volunteers on global cultural issues through delivery of training and learning tools;
• Organise and manage logistics for trainings in the community, as well as In-Country and In-Community training for the team, as well as supporting the delivery of information meetings for ICS volunteer placements and host home meetings;
• Manage the project budget effectively by submitting monthly reports to the country office, processing payments for key ICS Projects within VSO’s Finance Policy, maintaining and production of bank statements on monthly basis and ensuring all approvals are supported with relevant approved requests and receipts.

Undertake additional responsibilities that are necessary for continuation of the project or advised by your Project Manager or Country Director.

Key Performance Indicators

• Identification of appropriate stakeholders for the ICS Programme;
• Suitable, adaptable and realistic project design to meet the needs of primary actors;
• Timely, diverse and gender-balanced recruitment in order to contribute to the continuation of the programme;
• Good and long-lasting relationships between partners and VSO/ICS, resulting in well-engaged host homes and the full participation of partners within and outside of ICS to achieve programme objectives;
• Quality Project report produced and submitted in accordance with the M&E framework;
• Quality volunteer personal development documents and project impact case studies produced and submitted quarterly;
• Ensuring a certain (to be decided) number of volunteers complete KAP surveys 1, 2 and 3 and supporting a number of volunteers to complete a report on the action at home within 3 months of placement end;
• Make sure host homes, volunteers, and team leaders receive appropriate training and aftercare to ensure the body of thought of ICS;
• Ensure team leaders to conduct a minimum of 3 documented face to face supervisions with volunteers, as well as giving a minimum of 3 supervision sessions to team leaders, in order to monitor the personal development of both team leaders and volunteers;
• Timely submission of business advance requests before and accountabilities after activity implementation;
• Accurate tracking, coding, and reporting of expenses, as well as submission of monthly reconciliation reports and bank statements.

Competencies

• Building and Sustaining working relationships - The social skills to build and actively maintain working relationships that foster teamwork and collaboration with others for the benefit of a common goal.
• Open Minded and Respectful - A non-judgemental approach that values other people and culture.
• Seeking and Sharing Knowledge - Recognition that learning is a two-way and continuous process.
• Facilitating Positive Change - The ability to analyse problems and develop lasting solutions in line with VSO approaches.
• Adaptability - A flexible approach and the ability to adapt behaviour to different situations.
• Resilience - The self-confidence to work with a variety of situations, diverse people, and ambiguity.

Skills and Knowledge

Qualifications (essential):

Bachelor degree or equivalent, preferably but not necessarily in marketing, business studies or related areas.

Experience

• Proven experience in working with and providing support to 18-25-year-olds from a wide range of backgrounds with the ability to facilitate learning in a non-formal environment;
• Direct experience of working cross-culturally.
• Significant experience in a supervisory role, with a proven ability to promote self-awareness, learning and development among individuals and teams;
• Knowledge of issues common to communities in developing countries, possibly through working or living in a developing country

Communication – the ability to communicate, both oral and written, with a range of audiences in fluent English and confident in public speaking.

Analysis, planning and problem-solving – able to develop clear and realistic plans to deliver agreed objectives within deadlines, involving key stakeholders in the process.

Desirable:

Experience in managing budgets and undertaking accounting procedures;

Experience of working as a volunteer or working with volunteers to understand key factors that make volunteer placements viable, effective and rewarding;

Experience of designing, monitoring and evaluating youth programmes in an international context with the help of M&E tools and processes.