Project officer Full Time

The Project Officer is responsible for planning, coordinating, and implementing community-based health and polio eradication interventions. The role
focuses on strengthening community surveillance systems, increasing immunization coverage, and improving MNCH and overall community health
outcomes at the grassroots level. The officer supports the design and delivery of evidence-based and innovative interventions, ensuring alignment with
national health priorities and best practices. This includes building the capacity of field staff and partners to deliver quality, sustainable services. The
Project Officer also ensures effective coordination and integration of activities across target woredas (Bambasi and Homosha), promoting synergy and
efficient resource utilization. The role oversees timely and quality implementation, proper documentation, and compliance with donor and
organizational requirements. In addition, the officer contributes to monitoring, evaluation, and learning by supporting data collection, analysis, and
knowledge management to inform continuous improvement. The position actively engages with key stakeholders including government health offices,
UN agencies, NGOs, and community structures to strengthen collaboration and advocate for effective disease prevention and control strategies

Working Location: Bambasi, Abrahamo,Ura/Omosha

Program Planning and Implementation

• Support planning processes by working closely with woreda health offices, health facilities, and community structures to develop annual, quarterly, and monthly activity plans aligned with CGPP objectives and national health strategies.
• Support micro-planning for immunization and community outreach, including identifying zero-dose and under-immunized children, mapping hard-to-reach areas, and scheduling regular outreach sessions. Strengthen the capacity of health workers and community volunteers to effectively implement these plans.
• Coordinate implementation of project activities at woreda and kebele levels, ensuring all planned interventions such as social mobilization, community dialogues, defaulter tracing, and service linkages are conducted on time and with quality.
• Ensure integration with the primary health care system, working closely with health extension workers (HEWs), health development armies (HDAs), and health facility staff to strengthen routine immunization and other MNCH services.
• Monitor progress of implementation through regular field visits, supportive supervision, and review meetings. Identify bottlenecks early and take corrective actions to improve performance.
• Promote community engagement and ownership by involving local leaders, religious leaders, and community groups in planning and implementation to
  increase acceptance and demand for immunization services.
• Ensure efficient use of resources, including proper planning, allocation, and tracking of project inputs to maximize impact and avoid delays.
• Prepare and submit regular implementation reports, documenting achievements, challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations for improvement Promote and Support Zero Doze and under immunized children
• Conduct community mapping with HEWs and local leaders to locate zero-dose and defaulter children.
• Use community-based tracking through simple registers and follow up regularly through volunteers and HEWs.
• Target high-risk groups at remote areas, pastoralist communities, urban slums, and conflict-affected populations
• Strengthen mobile and integrated outreach sessions in hard-to-reach areas.
• Work with religious leaders, elders, and community groups to build trust and address hesitancy.
• Address specific barriers (fear, misinformation, cultural beliefs) using local languages and simple messages.Sustainable Local Systems
• Reduced Risk of Vaccine-Preventabl Diseases
• Provide integration services for immunization with nutrition screening (MUAC), ANC/PNC, and other child health services.
• Actively follow children who start but don’t complete vaccination schedules.Surveillance Case Detection
• Strengthen community-based surveillance systems for early detection of diseases e.g., AFP for polio)
• Train and support community volunteers on case identification and reporting
• Ensure timely reporting and follow-up of suspected cases
• Support the Woreda Health Office in developing response plans for disease
• outbreaks, floods, and other emergencies.
• Assist in implementing outbreak response plans in coordination with local
• stakeholders.
• Strengthen community-based preventive health care, focusing on common
• epidemic-prone diseases.
• Update and maintain outbreak monitoring charts.
• Contribute to surveillance and reporting under the Public Health Emergency
• Management (PHEM) framework.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting

• Lead the routine monitoring of project activities using standard CGPP and national immunization indicators, ensuring progress is tracked against plans and targets.
• Utilize appropriate data collection tools, registers, and reporting formats to ensure consistent and accurate capture of program data at community, health facility, and woreda levels.
• Conduct regular field visits to project implementation sites to verify data, assess service delivery quality, and monitor community engagement activities.
• Provide supportive supervision and on-site coaching to health workers, community volunteers, and mobilizers to strengthen performance and adherence to guidelines.
• Identify implementation gaps, challenges, and bottlenecks during field visits and propose practical solutions in coordination with relevant stakeholders.
• Ensure timely preparation and submission of weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports in line with CGPP and donor requirements.
• Compile, analyze, and interpret program data to generate insights, track trends, and support evidence-based decision-making.
• Document best practices, success stories, and lessons learned to support program improvement and knowledge sharing.
• Ensure data quality by conducting routine data verification, validation, and consistency checks across all reporting levels.
• Maintain proper documentation and filing of all project records, including reports, supervision checklists, meeting minutes, and activity reports.
• Collaborate with woreda health offices and partners to strengthen reporting systems and ensure alignment with national health information systems.
• Support periodic reviews, evaluations, and assessments by providing accurate data and relevant documentation

MNCH Services

• Conduct community dialogues, coffee ceremonies, and house-to-house visits to address cultural barriers and misconceptions.
• Identify and track pregnant women, newborns, and under-five children to ensure linkage to services.
• Strengthen routine immunization by identifying and tracking zero-dose and under-immunized children.
• Support microplanning and outreach immunization sessions in hard-to-reach and pastoralist areas.
• Promote key messages on vaccination schedules and benefits.
• Promote early registration and completion of recommended ANC visits.
• Support birth preparedness and complication readiness at household level.
• Encourage institutional delivery and skilled birth attendance.
• Facilitate referral linkages for high-risk pregnancies
• Support early postnatal care visits within 24–48 hours after delivery.
• Educate caregivers on danger signs in newborns and timely care-seeking.
• Promote Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices, including exclusive breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding.
• Conduct community-based nutrition screening (e.g., MUAC) for earl identification of malnourished children.
• Promote integrated community case management (iCCM) services for common childhood illnesses (diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria)
• Train and mentor community volunteers, health extension workers, and mobilizers on MNCH interventions.
• Follow up referred cases (pregnant women, sick children, malnourished cases) to ensure service utilization.
• Promote use of community-based tracking tools for continuity of care.
• Document best practices, lessons learned, and success stories.

Required Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Nursing, Health Officer, or a related field (Master’s degree is an added advantage).

• At least 3–5 years of relevant experience in community-based health programs, preferably in immunization, polio eradication, or MNCH.

• Strong knowledge of immunization systems, including routine immunization, SIAs, zero-dose and under-immunized strategies, and community-based surveillance. Required Education, training, license, registration, and certification

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Nursing, Health Officer, or a related field (Master’s degree is an added advantage).

Certificates on:

➢ Certified on routine immunization, polio eradication, and cold chain management.

➢ Training on identifying zero-dose and under-immunized children.

➢ Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) surveillance training.

➢ Measles and other outbreak-prone disease case detection courses.

➢ Training on IMNCI/ICCM/FP/EPI and PHEM (surveillance)

➢ Certified on DHIS2 or similar health information systems.

➢ TOT training in Acute Malnutrition 2019 revised guideline

➢ Certified on Behavior Change Communication (BCC) or Social and Behavior Change (SBC)

➢ TOT training in revised 2019 IMAM guideline

➢ Integrated Pharmaceuticals Logistics System (IPLS)

➢ Trained on Family MUAC approach