Project Officer (Accountability, Documentation and Communications)

Job Description

Department: Programs – Pathways Project
Band: 7
Reports To: Strategic Information & Knowledge Management Manager
Country/Location: Zimbabwe/Harare

CRS Background

Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners, people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.

Country Background

CRS has been supporting program activities in Zimbabwe since 1989 and has long-standing relationships with Church and non-Church partners and communities throughout the country. Zimbabwe program implements projects through 14 partner organizations in 30 districts in the areas of health, OVC, education, food security and agricultural livelihoods, and peacebuilding.

Job Summary:

As a member of the OVC project team, you will support the monitoring, documentation and reporting of all project activities in support of Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) work serving the poor and vulnerable. You will increase accountability and systematically facilitate knowledge exchange on promising practices and learning among project partners and stakeholders. To support accountability, you will also supports LIPs to set up functional accountability and learning systems in line with project’s, donor and CRS expectations.. To support knowledge management and learning, you will support the implementation of a project learning agenda and create mechanisms with staff and partners to capture and disseminate key learning and evidence of good practice. To support communications, you will lead the documentation and marketing of program achievements through social and other media to increase coverage on project progress and successes with donors, government stakeholders and the general public

Job Responsibilities:

Accountability

• Support LIPs to develop and implement functional accountability systems in line with project, donor and CRS expectations.
• Train project partner staff and other stakeholders in accountability, learning and reporting.
• Support partners to monitor and document challenges and/or gaps identified to inform adjustments to implementation strategies .
• Assist partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences.
• Support accountability through coordinating project evaluation activities and assisting partners in their efforts to collect analyze, and learn from project data collected through project client and stakeholder feedback mechanisms and tools and ensure it is used in programming.

Documentation

• Collaborate with Pathways technical team and technical partner(s) to prepare reports per established reporting schedule. • Assume a key role in identifying information and technical writing of learning documents. These include studies/reports, case studies, knowledge notes, assessments, evaluations, lessons learned, success stories on project impact, promising practices and innovation.
• This will be achieved by embedding knowledge management activities in core business processes and capturing synergies between the knowledge management and other thematic areas of the project.
• Lead in the documentation of project activities in photographic, videographic form.

Communications

• Collaborate with the Project Management Team to develop and implement an effective communications strategy based on the project’s target audience and stakeholders, in coordination with the CRS Regional and Global Communications teams.
• Brand management for both CRS, donor and partners.
• Write and distribute content to promote the project’s brand, activities and impact.
• Coordinate directly with SARO Regional Information Officer and Global MarComm, USAID and PEPFAR to develop materials to market the project at Regional and International level
• Develop and lead the implementation of the Pathways communications Plan, in close coordination with the CRS Program Management Team, CRS Regional and Global communications team.
• Act a liason between the organization, donors, the media and the public on all project related communications.

Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies, Communications, or a related field
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience.
• Demonstrated excellent English language skills and proficiency to quickly write and edit complex communications products for purposeful structure, clarity of ideas, and logical, persuasive presentation.
• Proficiency in design and publishing software, including Adobe Indesign, Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator
• Demonstrated experience in using digital and social media to stimulate conversations with stakeholders and develop strategies to position across websites, blogs and other channels.
• Experience in photography and videography
• Collaborate with management to develop and implement an effective communications strategy based on our target audience.
• Demonstrated ability to nurture and maintain relationships and communications with critical internal and external stakeholders, including partners and community representatives.

Personal Skills

• Observation, active listening and analytical skills with ability to make sound judgment
• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners and community members
• Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities
• Ability to think strategically and to rapidly analyze diverse information from varied sources.
• Proven ability to take initiative, personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines.
• Ability to work under pressure, balancing competing demands to achieve agreed-upon results.
• Ability to work in a team in a multicultural environment.
• Proactive, results-oriented and service-oriented

Travel Required (30% to field locations)

Key Working Relationships:

Supervisory: Graduate Intern: Programs and Communications
Internal: Chief of Party, Senior Technical Leads, MEAL Officers, ICT4D Specialist, other OVC staff and CP program staff, HQ Marcom department
External: Project partner staff, other NGOs,

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Strategic Mindset
• Integrity
• Accountability & Stewardship
• Builds Relationships
• Develops Talent
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

To apply

Those who meet the criteria in the job description are invited to submit their applications together with a cover letter and detailed Curriculum Vitae that includes the names and email addresses of three traceable references. Applications should be clearly marked with the position applied for, e.g., “Accountability Officer” in the email subject line. Please submit to The Country Representative at the following email address: [email protected].
Note that we will be shortlisting as we receive applications.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. CRS does not charge application fees or processing fees to potential applicants or any fee throughout the recruitment process.

Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. CRS carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

By applying for this job, the candidate understands and acknowledges that CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect. Further, s/he understands that if successful, s/he will be subject to a comprehensive background check, and personal/professional references will be asked to evaluate the candidate’s behaviors related to safeguarding-related topics.

Deadline: 3 March 2021