Eye-health programs officer for french-speaking Africa

The Organisation for the Prevention of Blindness (OPC) has 12 employees divided between Paris (headquarters), NDjamena and Bamako, and 7 programmes in 5 countries (Chad, CAR, Mali, Congo, Mauritania). OPC supports actors in charge of public health in French-speaking African countries in order to obtain international funding, to strengthen their capacities and to implement comprehensive, accessible and quality prevention and care programmes for everything that can affect vision: infectious tropical diseases (river blindness, trachoma, etc.), eye diseases (cataracts, glaucoma, etc.) and refractive errors (glasses). Thus, it contributes to the sustainable goal of universal global health, to education, employment and quality of life, and to the fight against poverty. We are currently implementing a new Strategic Plan 2023-2028, and facing an increase in activities.

RESPONSIBILITIES :

In this context, the OPC Programme Officer ensures the coordination and the smooth implementation of the field programmes,

• in accordance with the commitments established with the partners and with international standards,
• in a strong spirit of efficiency and quality,
• in connection with the team, the network of experts, the partners and the association’s bodies

MISSIONS :

Coordination and management

• Operational management of 1 to 2 junior project managers (mostly interns) at headquarters.
• Daily interface with the OPC office in Chad for the implementation of activities, the respect of the objectives set by the Management, the improvement of organisational processes and tools.
• Operational interface with the financial and technical partners of the programmes (donors, institutions, NGOs, local CSOs, etc.) to maintain the right level of communication, monitoring of implementation, reporting, compliance with contractual commitments and feedback.
• Facilitating relations with the OPC’s expert consultants and administrators who can intervene, at its request, in specific areas such as training, or programme supervision and evaluation.

Implementation of activities

• Participation in the development of the annual operational plan.
• Creating, sharing, implementing and improving as necessary procedures and tools useful for the implementation of a programme, and raising awareness and providing internal training on these procedures and tools to the people involved.
• Launching projects with funding and implementation partners, based on standard procedures and templates, contracts, letters, charters and codes, budgets, schedules and objectives imposed by the funding partner(s) and/or the OPC.
• Planning activities, anticipating and meeting various deadlines.
• Search for complementary skills and expertise that may be required to ensure the smooth running of the project, proposal of integration modalities for the OPC team (consultant, training, partner…).
• Establishment and monitoring of various dashboards: risks, progress towards objectives, finances, deadlines etc.
• Monthly update with the Administrative and Financial Manager on the financial progress of the projects, possible needs for clarification, related cash flows, prospects.
• Reception, sorting and verification of supporting documents for field expenditure submitted by the Chad Office or the consultant in charge of a project, then transmission to the Administrative and Financial Officer of OPC, as well as to the funding partner according to the terms and conditions imposed by the latter.
• Receive draft narrative, data and financial reports from the field, which he/she checks, analyses, completes, corrects and validates as necessary, before submitting them for validation to the Management, and then forwarding them to the relevant partners.
• Alerting management and partners in case of a crisis impacting OPC’s activities in the field and participating in crisis management.

Contribution to project development

• Where appropriate, steering the development and submission of renewals, extensions or enrichments of existing programmes to the partner.
• Participation in the development of new projects and in the search for funding in conjunction with the Project Development Officer: situational analysis, identification of partners and activities to be carried out, budgeting and drafting of the narrative.

Various

• Regular travel to the Chad Office (minimum 3 times a year), occasional travel for meetings or congresses, for a total of approximately 45 days per year.
• Contribute to the communication and expertise sharing actions of the TPO by facilitating the collection and ensuring the transmission of relevant data: news, statistics, testimonies, images.
• Ad hoc response to requests from the Statutory Auditor or any other mandated auditor.

PROFILE

• Essential: At least 5 years’ professional experience in programme management in a development aid NGO. Excellent command of English and French. Advanced knowledge of Excel.
• Skills: Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously. Sense of priorities and organisation. Sense of pedagogy and diplomacy. Autonomy and ability to make proposals. Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment. Dynamism, pragmatism, team spirit to integrate into a small, flexible and versatile team.
• Plus: Experience in public health and/or French-speaking Africa.

CONDITIONS

1 year fixed term contract with prospects of permanent contract after the reorganisation of the OPC.

Remuneration 37,000 euros gross per year.

Full time or 4/5ths possible.

Position based in Paris France. Remote work possible up to 50% of monthly working time.