Project Officer

About the Organization

Action Against Hunger-USA is an independent humanitarian NGO delivering relief across more than 40 countries, focusing on sectors such as nutrition, health, water and sanitation, and food security. It manages operations in nine countries including Kenya, South Sudan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Cambodia, Tanzania, Uganda, Haiti, and Somalia, with a program budget exceeding $92 million and a workforce of roughly 2,000 employees distributed among country offices and headquarters in New York City, Washington D.C., and Nairobi.

Role Overview

The Project Officer is responsible for coordinating and managing project activities under the strategic guidance of the Project Team Lead. The role involves overseeing daily project operations such as community engagement, capacity building, financial and budgetary management, information dissemination, and monitoring. This position requires close collaboration with government ministries, project partners, and team members to ensure timely, within-scope, and budget-compliant delivery of activities contributing to the project's success in a dynamic environment with shifting priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and regularly update monthly plans for project activities in collaboration with stakeholders, ensuring implementation aligns with scope and deadlines.
• Work with Climate Smart leaders (lead farmers) to identify and promote community-based innovations for climate change adaptation through adaptive research.
• Coordinate and implement integrated multisectoral activities targeting households, including conducting market assessments and other interventions.
• Ensure project activities comply with Action Against Hunger's operational standards, strategies, and donor requirements.
• Organize and support project interventions within target camps and community groups.
• Contribute to designing and utilizing project data collection tools and manuals and participate in food security and livelihoods data gathering including assessments.
• Develop effective community mobilization strategies for targeting, beneficiary registration, and follow-up.
• Plan and deliver capacity building initiatives focused on food security and livelihoods for target communities.
• Ensure beneficiary targeting procedures are transparent, gender-sensitive, and conflict-sensitive.
• Engage robustly with community structures including village committees to foster positive relations and ensure standards for mobilization and registration are met.
• Prepare consistent reports on project activities across various timelines (weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, annual) and share with supervisors and teams.
• Take the lead in documenting and sharing impact stories and best practices for learning purposes, including capturing multimedia for social media.
• Validate and use project tools in line with Action Against Hunger and donor requirements.
• Organize project documentation for the Action Against Hunger’s No Hunger Forum (NHF) to facilitate record keeping and follow-up.

Qualifications and Experience

• A bachelor's degree in social sciences, agricultural economics, veterinary science, agronomy, or development studies.
• At least three years of hands-on experience implementing integrated projects, preferably in climate change adaptation, agricultural resilience, value chain analysis, or agribusiness training.
• Proven background in community participation and consultative implementation methods.
• Adaptability to new implementation approaches and strategic directions.
• Experience with monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning within NGO contexts.
• Ability to work autonomously with minimal supervision and strong self-drive.
• Strong facilitation, analytical, planning, and report writing capabilities.
• Experience in community engagement and mobilization activities.
• Good supervisory, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent analytical thinking coupled with proactive problem-solving abilities.
• Knowledge in technical sectors like Agriculture, Agribusiness, Food Security & Livelihoods, Water Security, and Nutrition.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, plus organizational flexibility and multitasking ability.
• Experience working with international NGOs and familiarity with Western or Eastern Provinces of Zambia is advantageous.
• Willingness to travel extensively across project areas.
• Possession of a valid Class A motorcycle license and ability to ride a motorcycle.
• Proficiency in digital M&E tools such as Kobo, DHIS2, MS Excel, Word, and Outlook.
• Professional spoken and written English is mandatory; local language proficiency is a plus.

Core Values

• Respect: Treating everyone with compassion and dedication, promoting mutual respect.
• Integrity: Upholding honesty, fairness, sincerity, truthfulness, and transparency in all activities.
• Creativity: Encouraging innovative ideas and solutions to better serve populations in need.
• Excellence: Striving to exceed stakeholder expectations through quality service delivery.
• Empowerment: Fostering growth and confidence among staff, partners, and communities.

Gender Equality and Zero Tolerance Policy

• Respecting all beneficiaries regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, ethnicity, age, or marital status.
• Preventing any form of abuse including harassment and exploitation.
• Ensuring a safe, secure, and respectful environment for staff and beneficiaries.
• Encouraging merit-based evaluation and promotion.
• Supporting equal access to information and valuing diverse cultures.