Program Officer, West Africa (Anglophone operating countries)

Farm Radio International is a Canadian organization that has been working since 1979 to harness the power of radio to meet the needs of small-scale farmers. We work with more than 1,000 radio organizations located in more than 40 African countries to fight poverty and food insecurity. With the benefit of FRI resources and training, our broadcasting partners deliver practical, relevant, and timely information to tens of millions of rural Africans, including women farmers. We also work with a range of funding partners to implement radio projects that address specific development challenges and community needs delivering results for farmers and other rural denizens.

FRI is currently looking for a dynamic person to ensure quality project implementation in Ghana and Nigeria by working closely with the country teams and providing support on knowledge management and program development in the region.

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:

The Program Officer is responsible for the successful development and implementation of projects in the region, including

1. Project implementation (PI) – 60%
2. Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning – 20%
3. Program development (PD) – 20%
4. Project Implementation (PI)

Under the supervision of the Head of Project Implementation and working closely with the country project implementation teams, contribute to the effective implementation of current impact projects to the highest standards and to the satisfaction of all stakeholders. Specifically:

• Ensure that requirements from agreements with funders are understood by the project teams, all staff are clear on responsibilities and deadlines are met
• Coordinate the resolution of any contractual and / or budgetary issues with funders, including providing updates, approval requests and supporting documents;
• Lead on the development and implementation of project implementation plans in line with FRI procedures and templates
• Ensure compliance to FRI policies, guidelines and tools in project implementation
• Working with Country Project and Finance Teams, oversee and monitor timely implementation of projects in line with annual workplans and spending plans
• Liaise with FRI Specialty Teams concerning project planning, implementation and reporting
• Backstop country project team in the execution of their duties, including project agreements, contracts and MOUs; management of sub-recipients; reporting, etc.
• Manage the report writing process for funders (progress reports, quarterly, annual, final) in order to synthesize activities, results, conclusions and lessons learned from projects, as well as others communication needs
• Ensure the achievement of results in relation to gender equality and inclusion
  • Promote the participation of women / girls in project activities, particularly in decision-making, throughout the project cycle
  • Work with women’s organizations to promote women’s rights.

1. Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL)

The successful candidate will, in coordination with the MERL team, contribute to monitoring and evaluation activities. More specifically, the tasks will be to :

• Contribute to the design of logic models, performance measurement frameworks and monitoring and evaluation plans
• Contribute to the design of survey, tools and other evaluation instruments related to the projects in your portfolio
• Analyze data generated by surveys, interviews, qualitative evaluations, listeners’ responses to on-air / online surveys and ensure it’s integrated in the project implementation
• Write baseline, mid-term evaluation and evaluation reports, including final reports
• Write project summaries (briefs) highlighting the results of the projects, the learnings and the implications in terms of best practices
• Organize and contribute to the project debrief and learning process (internally as well externally if planned).

1. Program Development (PD)

With support from the Senior Manager for Program Development, contribute to the effective implementation of all PD processes within the region to the highest standards and to the satisfaction of all stakeholders, specifically:

• Scan opportunities for new program (funding) opportunities in the region
• Analyse and present program opportunities to the FRI program development team
• Develop and maintain FRI relationships with existing and potential funding partners
• Prepare documentation in support of proposals, e.g. teaming agreements, contracts, etc.
• Plan, design and write concept notes and full proposals, including budgets, in response to funding opportunities
• Ensure compliance to FRI risk review, documentation and archiving procedures for proposals

QUALIFICATIONS

• 3+ years of experience in rural development and program management in international NGOs and in a multi-funder setting
• University degree or certificate in project management, agriculture, communication, development, or related field; Master’s degree an asset
• Fluent in English with strong written and oral communication skills
• Knowledge and experience in program development and implementation, including project cycle management and results-based management
• Demonstrated experience in delivering projects that involve the development of project management tools, including project implementation plans, workplans and gantt charts
• Experience in analyzing existing processes, identifying areas for improvement, and designing efficient strategies to enhance program effectiveness and achieve desired outcomes.
• Significant knowledge of the principles of gender equality and women’s rights and experience in integrating these principles into the project cycle
• Significant experience in monitoring and evaluation, including data analysis
• Exceptional writing and editing skills, with the ability to gather and synthesize contributions from multiple sources and colleagues effectively.
• Knowledge of national and international funders in West Africa
• Knowledge or experience in communication for development an asset
• Demonstrated skills in intercultural communication and collaborating/connecting with teams virtually
• Demonstrated ability to organize and prioritize work and manage multiple projects with high efficiency and accuracy
• Comfortable working under minimal supervision and with limited resources
• Willingness to travel internationally