Program Officer

About the Role

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is seeking a Program Officer to support the coordination of program and project activities in our Ethiopia office. This role will be offered on a fixed term contract until December 2026, subject to availability of funding. You will be based in GAIN’s Ethiopia office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Reporting to the Senior Project Manager, Workforce Nutrition, the Program Officer will work with the Head of Programmes, project teams and the operations team to support the coordination of program and project activities. You will be involved in the core program and project activities and provides a range of support services, including preparation of reports and briefs, administrative tasks such as meeting arrangements and preparing purchase orders, etc.

The postholder will also be responsible for maintaining project documentation and implementing and monitoring project plans, to ensure project outcomes are achieved on time, on budget, to quality standards, and within agreed scope.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Managing assigned activities in the plan and supporting the tracking of progress and deliverables among projects and project partners
• Liaising with the Country Management Team, Project Managers or Project teams on issues of course correction and change requests, escalating and contributing to resolve any program or projects issues
• Preparing and maintaining projects documentation for reporting, monitoring and evaluation purposes to ensure accessibility of quality information and contribute to the achievement of projects outcomes
• Conducting regular field monitoring visits of the activities conducted under the program or project by partners. Following up with project managers and partners to ensure timely submission of reports and preparing timely monitoring reports with findings and recommendations
• Working closely with external suppliers and professional services to facilitate effective delivery of programmes
• Maintaining strong partnerships with civil society, INGOs, government entities, private sector and other organisations
• Overseeing all administrative aspects of the procurement process including budgeting, procurement supporting with the drafting of agreements and contracts and logistical arrangements within ethical and procurement standards and guidelines
• Supporting the Head of Programmes and project managers in preparing donors’ reports in collaboration with project teams, technical teams, funding teams, and support teams
• Working closely with the project accountant, monitoring the receipt of deliverables and payments to partners

About You

The ideal candidate will have demonstratable experience in project management and previous experience with business and project administration systems, including financial administration, candidates with experience working in multi-cultural or international environment and experience in delivering a wide range of project management support services, within tight deadlines, limited resources, while managing competing priorities would be desirable.

You will possess proven ability to execute administrative tasks in a timely manner and excellent writing skills with analytical capacity and ability to synthesize project outputs and relevant findings into quality project reports.

The postholder should possess good communication and influencing skills. You will be fluent in written and spoken English and National Language of Ethiopia, candidates with knowledge of second local language will be a plus. In addition, you should be highly flexible and willing and able to travel.

A degree or equivalent recognized international accreditation in project management and/or bachelor’s degree in business management, international relations, sustainable development, economics, development studies, peace and conflict studies or related field. You will be computer literate in Microsoft Office and with advance knowledge in spreadsheet and database packages and experience in handling of web-based management systems.

About our Offer

The starting salary on offer for this role is from USD 11,244 – USD 12,852 per annum (gross salary), depending on experience.

GAIN has a fair and competitive salary structure that allows for annual progression subject to good performance. In addition, GAIN offers a total of 37 days holiday per year (including annual leave, public holidays and additional office closure days), an attractive pension scheme and competitive insurance cover including health, travel and life assurance.

We are committed to the health of our staff, especially in these challenging times, and have developed a programme of wellbeing that includes flexible working, additional leave allowances, wellbeing days, mindfulness coaching and access to independent and confidential counselling.

GAIN also has a strong commitment to professional development. We will support you to grow in your career through both formal and informal training, and are committed to providing opportunities through internal recruitment, secondments and promotion. All of this is delivered in a supportive and collaborative environment.

About GAIN

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is a Swiss-based foundation launched at the United Nations in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. Working with governments, businesses and civil society, we aim to transform food systems so that they deliver healthier diets for all people, especially the most vulnerable.

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, GAIN has offices in countries with high levels of malnutrition: Bangladesh, Benin, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. To support work in those countries, we have representative offices in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

At GAIN, we believe that everyone in the world should have access to nutritious, safe, and affordable food. Today, one in three people – drawn from nearly every country on the planet – are unable to consume enough nutritious food. We work to develop and deliver solutions to this daily challenge.

Our Working Culture and Environment

We provide a flexible working environment that includes a combination of home and office working opportunities through our global hybrid working policy. This encourages our staff to have a healthy work-life balance and increases staff motivation, enriches employee wellbeing, and improves performance and productivity.

All of our positions are based in one or more of GAIN’s designated offices as stated on our job advertisements. Successful candidates will be based in one of GAIN’s country offices and must have the existing right to live and work within a reasonably commutable distance of the relevant city / cities in which the role is advertised. Please note, that GAIN does not sponsor working visas and relocations.

GAIN reserves the right to withdraw an offer of employment for candidates who are considered to ineligible under the above conditions during or after the recruitment process.

Applicants must be currently based and have the existing right to live and work in the Addis Ababa, Ethiopia region to be eligible to apply for this position.

This advert closes on 7th February 2025. Early applications are encouraged. GAIN reserves the right to close this advert early should we receive suitable candidates ahead of the closing date.

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition is committed to equality of opportunity and creating an inclusive environment where diversity is valued. We are keen to reflect the diversity of our society at every level within our organisation and therefore welcome applications from talented and committed people from all backgrounds, representing the diverse societies we operate in.