Project Officer Full Time NEW

Project Officer

Doing the right thing. We are active in Switzerland and 20 countries on four continents. Join us with a commitment to help us bring about a more caring society, here in Ethiopia.

CARITAS Switzerland (CACH) has been working in Ethiopia for nearly 50 years. Currently CACH cooperates with a wide range of civil society, research, and private sector actors in Ethiopia. Registered as an International Foreign Charity Organization in Ethiopia, CACH is also operational at project implementation level. CACH’s main working fields are Income, Climate, Migration and Humanitarian Aid/Nexus. Our current operational covers southern and Eastern Oromia, and Tigray regions, across which several projects are being implemented.

Job summary:

Reporting to the Project Manager (PM), the Project Officer (PO) will coordinate and supervise project activities at the field level, mentor beneficiaries, and ensure that objectives are met in line with CACH’s strategies and standards. The role combines field coordination, community engagement, monitoring, and reporting responsibilities, particularly within the Graduation and Asset-Centred Empowerment approach and cash transfer programming (CTP).

Expected key results:

• Effective project implementation: livelihood and cash assistance activities are implemented on time, within budget, and in compliance with CACH’s standards and donor requirements.
• Beneficiary empowerment and graduation: Targeted households (extreme poor women) successfully complete the 18-month GRACE/Graduation cycle, showing measurable improvement in income, savings, and self-reliance.
• Accurate data and reporting: timely and reliable monitoring data, monthly reports, and performance insights are produced and submitted to the PM, informing adaptive management and learning.
• Community participation and coordination: strong collaboration is established with local authorities, community committees, and partners, ensuring inclusive participation and accountability mechanisms are functioning.
• Capacity building and mentoring: beneficiaries receive regular business, savings, and financial literacy training, with consistent mentoring that improves business performance and sustainability.
• Compliance and accountability: cash transfer and protection standards, data confidentiality, and complaint handling mechanisms are maintained according to CACH and humanitarian principles.
• Learning and communication: success stories, lessons learned, and feedback from communities are documented and shared to inform program improvement and visibility.

Tasks and responsibilities

Main tasks and responsibilities

• Project implementation and coordination
• Support the implementation of the Comprehensive Empowerment of Livelihoods of Extreme Poor in Eastern Tigray project at woreda and kebele levels under the supervision of the PM.
• Ensure activities are carried out in line with CACH’s policies, donor requirements, and project work plan.
• Coordinate with local government structures, partners, and community representatives to ensure smooth project execution.
• Represent the project at community, kebele, and woreda levels.

Recipients targeting and mentoring

• Facilitate community-based targeting (Participatory Wealth Ranking) to identify eligible beneficiaries.
• Mentor small business groups and savings groups through the 18-month Graduation cycle.
• Conduct business and savings training sessions and provide continuous coaching on enterprise management and financial literacy.
• Conduct regular field visits to business and savings groups, monitor progress, and provide technical guidance.

Monitoring, data management, and reporting

• Collect, analyse, and report data on living standards, savings participation, and business performance.
• Use digital data collection tools and ensure timely data uploads.
• Prepare and submit accurate monthly progress reports, success stories, and lessons learned to the PM.
• Support the use of Performance Insights and other monitoring systems for real time project tracking.

Cash transfer and accountability

• Support in beneficiary registration, verification, and cash distribution (digital, mobile, or manual).
• Ensure adherence to humanitarian and protection principles throughout cash assistance implementation.
• Maintain accurate and confidential beneficiary databases.
• Support complaint handling mechanisms and ensure timely response to feedback from communities.
• Mobilize communities to actively participate in project activities and promote ownership.
• Conduct post distribution monitoring and support follow up to ensure appropriate use of cash or in-kind support.

Administrative and financial support

• Support the PM with procurement, logistics, and financial follow-up related to project implementation.
• Ensure proper documentation and filing of project related financial and administrative records.

Representation

• Present, explain and defend CACH strategy broadly as well as the project specifically to secure the agreement of regional, zonal and woreda level government offices, and secure the collaboration of Woreda sector offices during the implementation of the project.
• Seek the support of local authorities (Kebele, Woreda and Zone) in case of facing challenges during implementation.
• Legally and official represent CACH’s interests in the project area.

Implementation/Planning

• Work with the project team, partners and government counterparts to achieve the project outputs/outcomes at his/her specific cluster.
• Ensure adequate consultation and participation of Woreda/Kebele and village/community level stakeholders, ensuring active participation of women and youth.
• Facilitate identification of training needs; coordinate and deliver training, business plan development and other services to Cooperative and Unions.
• Provide expertise and advice for community institutions on gender mainstreaming in project scheme.
• Provide direct community support in partnership with government stakeholders.
• Conduct other duties as may be assigned by the Senior Expert.
• Ensure conducive working environment and enabling team spirit in the field.
• Ensure implementation of capacity building plans in close collaboration with the stakeholders.

Programme Contributions & Implementation

• Identify and explore opportunities to improve project implementation and guarantee its sustainability.
• Identify and explore opportunities to grow and expand the country project pipeline, both in relation to the current project (e.g., potential scale-up opportunities, replication in other geographies/regions) or related to new project opportunities.
• Contribute to the implementation of Caritas Switzerland’s strategy.

Other and Specific Tasks

• Work on the analysis of collected real time data and coordinate communication and facilitate information sharing among the project team, implementing partners, and project beneficiaries at the community level to assist local partners in strengthening the community interest, involvement and support networks.
• Liaise with various community stakeholders and mobilize them to ensure full involvement of community leaders, community representatives, and local government representatives in the overall implementation and improvement of project activities.
• In coordination with the project team support capacity building events for government stakeholders and partners.
• Support the project team in implementing any other related activities.

Communication & Administration/HR

• Reporting to the person in charge in case of difficulties, problems, and uncertainties with regard to Finance, HR or Logistics.
• Participation and active contribution in the various team-meetings.
• Pro-active communication with both, the supervisor and the technical supervisor (if applicable and different), by this ensuring that activity and work plans are communicated to all concerned people to create the highest possible level of transparency (related also to daily works, extraordinary works, leave days, travel plans and others).
• Maintain time recording adequately and regularly via CACH’s HR online system, using it for leave/workday management.
• Using the MS Outlook calendar and all its functions in a way that work schedules are planned and recorded there (if a laptop is part of the positions workplace equipment).
• Assume direct communication with the concerned staff at the HO in the scope of her/his assignments and in prior agreement with the immediate supervisors.

Duty stations: Adigrat, Field Office, and the candidate must be willing to travel to the project sites.

Required number: 1 (one)

About you

Educational qualification & experience:

The ideal candidate represents most of the below mentioned areas:

• BA degree in Community Development/Social Sciences, Project Management, Business Management, Economics or any other relevant field from recognized university.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in a similar position, ideally in Eastern Tigray.
• Experience in relevant working areas with other international organizations in Ethiopia; work experience with relevant donor organizations is an asset with similar works.
• Knowledge of participatory approaches, problem resolving capacity and very strong reporting and communication/writing skills.
• Previous working experience on Graduation approach is a strong asset.
• Good command of English and Tigrigna both in writing and spoken is mandatory
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.